Principal:
Cara Flame

Cara Flame has been teaching Speech and Drama since 1998, working with children, young people, and adults across a wide range of settings — from private and Montessori schools to community programs, juvenile detention education through the Department of Justice, and her own performing arts academy (SCAPA). She has also taught internationally at Tsinghua Fuzhong in China.She has supported hundreds of students to build confidence, communication skills, and creative expression, including preparing students for Trinity, AMEB, and English Speaking Board exams, with many going on to achieve awards at festivals and Eisteddfods. Cara has also worked as an adjudicator for the Perth Speech and Drama Festival and the WA Eisteddfod, and as an AMEB Speech and Drama examiner.Cara brings not only decades of teaching experience, but a strong ability to meet each student where they are — whether they are shy, neurodivergent, bursting with energy, or already experienced performers. Her background across both education and community settings allows her to create spaces that feel safe, engaging, and genuinely inclusive.Alongside her teaching, Cara is a qualified Arts Therapist (ANZACATA registered) and a doctoral candidate researching clowning and comedy as tools for change. She has also worked in screen and performance education, including coordinating the Diploma of Screen Acting at the Film & Television Institute of WA and lecturing at SAE Institute.Now based in Nannup, Cara has created Nannup Story Shed as a welcoming, community-focused space where people of all ages can develop skills, find their voice, and grow in confidence — whether for performance, communication, or simply the joy of creative expression.Cara qualifications:Masters of Professional Communication (Screen Studies) - WA Screen Academy
Masters of Therapeutic Arts Practice - MIECAT
Grad Cert Divinity - Morling
BA (Theatre Arts) - Curtin University
BA (Indigenous Knowledge, History and Heritage) - UWA
Diploma of Youth Work (ACAS)
Cert IV TAE (ACAS)
Licentiate Diploma of Speech and Drama Teaching - AMEB
Certificate TEFL, Certificate of Business English, Cert IV Small Business ManagementIn process:Professional Doctorate ECAT

Speech and Drama

Speech and Drama is a fun, dynamic and creative subject for students of all ages. It builds confidence, communication skills, and self-expression through a range of engaging activities.Through drama, storytelling, and performance, students explore their unique voice and develop the confidence to share it. Lessons use literature as a springboard for poetry, prose, and creative exploration, alongside practical voice and speech work to improve clarity and expression.Students also develop performance skills across a range of areas including acting, public speaking, storytelling, and creative movement.Beyond performance, Speech and Drama supports essential life skills such as teamwork, leadership, collaboration, and presentation — helping students grow into confident communicators both on and off the stage.Cara is a member of [SDTAWA] (https://sdtawa.com.au/).

Acting

Acting classes at Nannup Story Shed focus on truthful, grounded performance — helping students connect to character, story, and themselves. Drawing on approaches such as Stanislavski and devised theatre practices, students learn how to build authentic characters, work from real human behaviour, and respond naturally in the moment.Through a mix of structured scene work and improvisation inspired by Mike Leigh’s process, students explore character development, relationships, and storytelling from the inside out. Rather than memorising lines alone, they learn how to live a role — developing emotional connection, imagination, and presence.Classes also include collaborative devising, where students create original work together, building confidence, creative ownership, and ensemble skills. Cara brings years of experience in community-based theatre-making, including award-nominated devised productions, into a process that is both professional and deeply supportive.Whether students are new to acting or more experienced, classes offer a space to take creative risks, develop craft, and discover the power of performance as a way of understanding both ourselves and others.

Filmmaking classes

Filmmaking classes at Nannup Story Shed guide students through the full creative process — from first idea to finished film. Whether you’re completely new or already have some experience, classes are designed to support you at your level while building real, practical skills.Students learn the foundations of storytelling for screen, including developing ideas, writing scripts, and shaping strong narratives. From there, we move into hands-on production — camera, sound, directing, and working as a team — before exploring editing and post-production to bring each project to life.Drawing on industry-informed teaching approaches (including Cara’s experience at SAE), the focus is on learning by doing. Students create their own short films, collaborate with others, and gain an understanding of how each role contributes to the final piece.More than just technical skills, filmmaking classes build creative confidence, problem-solving, and the ability to take an idea all the way through to completion — resulting in work students can share, screen, and be proud of.

Filmmaking services

Nannup Story Shed offers filmmaking services for artists, performers, events, and community projects — capturing not just what something looks like, but what it feels like.A graduate of the WA Screen Academy, with experience filming live gigs, music videos, dance works, and creative projects, Cara brings a strong focus on energy, atmosphere, and authenticity. The aim is always to reflect the unique character of each project — whether that’s the intimacy of a performance, the vibrancy of a live event, or the story behind the work.Projects can range from simple documentation through to more crafted, story-driven pieces. Drawing on years of experience across film, theatre, and multimedia — including work created through Flame Collective - feature films shot internationally in China and India, and extensive work in Australia — Cara brings both technical skill and a storyteller’s eye to every project.Whether you need content for promotion, documentation, or a creative collaboration, filmmaking services are tailored to bring your vision to life — clearly, creatively, and with care.

Storytelling

Storytelling workshops at Nannup Story Shed are designed for people who want to find, shape, and share real stories — whether they’re deeply personal, quietly reflective, or just a good yarn well told.Inspired by live storytelling traditions (including formats like Barefaced Stories, The Moth, or the age old yarn around the camp fire), these workshops focus on true, spoken stories rather than scripted performance. Together, we explore how to turn lived experience into a story with shape, meaning, and presence — something that can hold a room and genuinely connect with others.Through a relaxed but structured process, participants develop skills in shaping a narrative, finding the heart of a story, and telling it in their own natural voice. There’s space for humour, honesty, and the kind of storytelling that feels like sitting around a fire or sharing a moment with a room full of strangers who are suddenly not strangers anymore.No prior experience is needed — just a willingness to listen, reflect, and have a go. This is a space for people to reconnect with storytelling as a human, communal act — and to discover that their stories are worth hearing.

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