BPA (UTAS), BA Hons (Monash), Grad Dip Dramatic Art (Voice Studies) (NIDA), Grad Dip Ed (Secondary) (RMIT), PhD (UTAS) Dr Robert Lewis is a Lecturer in Performing Arts at the School of Social Work and Arts. He is also a director, voice and movement teacher, and playwright who trained with Cicely Berry, Frankie Armstrong, Rowena Balos, Mike Alfreds, OzFrank Theatre, as well as Butoh with Yoshito Ohno in Japan, including many others, and is a Nobbs Suzuki Praxis member. Robert has published theatre performances and training films through Contemporary Arts Media (Artfilms) and has also published various articles on the subject of voice and movement integration. He is a lecturer in Performing Arts at Charles Sturt University, and previously lectured in Voice and Movement in at the University of Tasmania (UTAS), Acting at Collarts, and was a voice tutor at St Martins Youth Theatre and VCA, and NIDA Open and Studio programs. He has studied Performing Arts (Theatre) at UTAS, Performing Arts (Honours) at Monash University, Secondary Education at RMIT, and a Gradate Diploma of Dramatic Art (Voice Studies) at NIDA. His PhD focused on integrative practices and intercultural performance training aesthetics. Robert also completed a Certification in Integrative Studies at the One Voice Centre, New York. Robert is also the founder and director of the AusAct: Australasian Actor Training Conference, a conference and training event that brings together acting teachers from Australasia and beyond to discuss, showcase, interrogate, and celebrate original actor training practices, which started at Charles Sturt in 2018. Robert recently published ‘The Third Space: Body, Voice, and Imagination’ through Routledge, whew he outlines original integrative practice systems (voice and movement integration). The approach that is outlined in the book is a way of working that unlocks the imagination as well as connecting performers to self, space, and imagination, through voice and body. It conditions, controls, and engages performers by integrating various voice and movement practices. Robert's research interests and projects include: Persona Collective is an ensemble of artists who explore intercultural, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and integrative practices in order to create new ways if working. The company situates itself in the realms of performance, media and visual arts to create new and reimagined classical, new, or established theatrical works. Persona's ongoing investigation is to explore the synthesis of performance, technology, immediacy and space. Recent productions include 'Scarabs' (2024, 2025), 'Beasts' (2025), 'Crows' (2025). Australian Council for the Arts funded project called ‘Safe Spaces, Authentic Voices: An Australian Perspective on Neurodiversity in the Performing Arts’ which highlights the issue of neurodiversity, inclusion and accessibility in the performing arts, in an Australian perspective. A series of exploratory training that puts human connection as the forefront of the experience. Lewis uses the practical system outlined in his book ‘The Third Space: Body, Voice, and Imagination’ (Routledge, 2024), which is way of working that unlocks the imagination as well as connecting performers to self and space, through voice and body. It conditions, controls, and engages performers by integrating various voice and movement practices to create the holistic performer. Participants explore these steps by commencing with breath and physical conditioning, trough to connecting body, voice, and imagination to space, and connecting the human instrument and text through the exploration of internal and external imagery.
Teaching and Research Staff
Dr Robert Lewis
Persona Collective
Neurodiversity in the Australian Performing Arts
Integrative Practices