BYRON COAST TIMES: Bringing Hollywood acting secrets to Byron Bay

By Angela Saurine from Byron Coast Times

Photo: Ivana Chubbuck and Kate Jaggard at the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney. Photo: Hollywood Reporter Australia.

Byron Bay acting coach Kate Jaggard travelled to Sydney last weekend for a masterclass with her Hollywood mentor Ivana Chubbuck, who has trained stars including Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt and Charlize Theron.

Jaggard, who founded the Actors Room Byron Bay in 2022, had been working with the Chubbuck Technique in Australia for around six years before beginning her formal teacher training with Chubbuck in November.

The training initially took place via Zoom, before Jaggard travelled to Los Angeles for intensive in-person training. She became officially certified in February.

The Chubbuck Technique is a 12-step acting methodology grounded in an understanding of human behaviour, drawing on behavioural science, psychology and cultural anthropology.

Jaggard said she resonates with the technique because it allows actors to draw on their own life experiences in service of a character.

"One of the most empowering principles of the Chubbuck Technique is the understanding that the things you've been through can become your gold as an actor," she said. "Rather than allowing those experiences to defeat you, you use them as fuel — in spite of and because of what you've experienced — to overcome obstacles, pursue what you need and ultimately win."

Photo: Kate Jaggard working with Ivana in Sydney

Jaggard grew up in the Northern Rivers and has lived and worked in Sydney, Melbourne, Los Angeles, New York and London.

As well as working as a model in New York, she appeared in the feature film Don Peyote, alongside a cast that included Anne Hathaway.

In Australia, she has appeared in Great White, Bosch & Rockit and Stan's Eden, as well as musical productions including Calamity Jane, in which she played the title role.

She returned to the Byron Bay region 14 years ago to raise her daughter and be close to family.

Jaggard founded the Actors Room to bring her learnings from around the world back to the region and has worked with actors including Diana Glenn, Morgan Richards, Nathalie Kelley, Stephen Grives and Will Hearn.

"The film and television industry has grown enormously across the Northern Rivers, Gold Coast and Brisbane, and the way actors work has changed," she said. "With self-tapes, Zoom auditions and remote callbacks now such a normal part of the industry, you don't necessarily have to live in Sydney, Los Angeles or London to pursue a serious acting career."

"Productions frequently look to hire locally, so having highly trained, industry-ready actors within the region is incredibly valuable — both for performers and for the productions coming here."

"If productions are increasingly coming to this region, we should be developing the talent here alongside that growth — giving local actors the training, tools and industry connections to be ready when those opportunities arise."

Before her recent visit, it had been more than a decade since Chubbuck had taught in Australia, and Jaggard was instrumental in bringing her back.

She approached Acting Mastery Sydney about collaborating with Actors Room Byron Bay to bring the event to fruition.

Together, they presented the masterclass at the Australian Theatre for Young People in Sydney, with 32 actors working on stage over four days in front of an audience of auditors from the Australian acting community.

Photo: Ben Mathews, Ivana Chubbuck and Kate Jaggard