The Working Action Group is a theatre comapny, training platform, and research community exploring how evidence-based psychology can deepen, sustain, and humanise the craft of acting.
At the heart of our work is a belief that theatre and training can be spaces of self-discovery—for actors, and for audiences.
The Working Action Group began during lockdown as an online space for actor well-being, development, and connection. What started as a set of experiments in using ACT to support actors through a time of global uncertainty has since grown into a multidisciplinary practice with reach across training, rehearsal, research, and performance.
Founded by Benjamin Askew, the project began with a personal question: how can psychology support the actor, not just in performance, but in life? As the work deepened, that question expanded—what happens if we apply the same psychological principles not just to the actor, but to the character? And to the art form itself?
Our work is rooted in the rehearsal room, but informed by research. We draw from contextual behavioural science, systems thinking, and integrative psychological approaches—not to replace traditional acting methods, but to update and enhance them. The aim is not just more truthful performance, but more sustainable creative lives.
A key part of our mission is updating how we think about character. Traditional models often rely on outdated or misleading psychological theories that can encourage oversimplification, rigidity, or judgement. By drawing on contemporary, non-pathologising approaches to psychology, we help actors explore character with more nuance, flexibility, and depth—and help audiences encounter characters in ways that promote empathy, insight, and reflection.
When actors rely on outdated or reductive ideas of selfhood and identity, the stories we tell risk reinforcing those same ideas for our audiences. Theatre has the power to shape how we understand ourselves and each other—and that means the psychology behind our characters matters. At The Working Action Group, we aim not only to offer progressive, 21st-century interpretations of character, but to actively engage audiences in reflecting on human behaviour, emotional experience, and the psychological forces at play in all of our lives.
* Actors and acting students
* Educators and institutions
* Theatre-makers
* Mental health-informed artists and researchers
* Curious, reflective audiences
We work with actors, students, drama schools, and audiences across training, coaching, performance, and creative development. At every level, the focus is on psychological flexibility, creative insight, and emotional honesty.
As the work has developed, we’ve come to describe our practice through a 3-ACT model:
ACT 1: ACT for Acting — foundational training in psychological flexibility for actors and acting students
ACT 2: The Role-Model Framework — applying psychology to character analysis and creative interpretation
ACT 3: Psyched-Up Shakespeare — public-facing work that invites audiences to engage with psychological storytelling onstage
These ACTs aren’t separate—they’re stages of a process. From personal insight to shared performance, we help actors navigate each step with care, depth, and clarity.
Our research-led practice pursues insightful, dynamic and nuanced characterisation by drawing on the latest developments in psychological theory.
Our work uses evidence-informed practice to support the well-being and personal development of actors whilst empowering them to pursue their own artistic values and reach their full potential.
We use acting and performance to spark vital conversations about mental health, well-being, and what it means to be human in the 21st century.
Our person-centred, evidence-informed practice ensures that all actors and creatives are treated with respect, are supplied with credible and up-to-date information about human behaviour and psychology, and are given the opportunity to challenge themselves and take creative risks within environments of psychological safety.
Founder and Director of The Working Action Group
Benjamin is a theatre-maker, educator, and researcher working at the intersection of performance and psychology. He is the creator of ACT for Acting, the developer of the Role-Model Framework of Character Psychology, and the writer/director of Lady M, a solo show currently in development exploring Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth through the prism of contemporary psychology.
In his early career, he acted in the West End and for companies including Shakespeare’s Globe, Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory, Manchester Royal Exchange and BBC Radio Drama, also becoming a Royal Court young writer and authoring small-scale commissions for venues around the UK. Since completing a PhD exploring 21st century approaches to verse drama, he has worked at leading UK drama schools, often teaching and directing Shakespeare, alongside classes in acting, character analysis and theatre history.
His recent research activities have included practice-based workshops and short courses, conference presentations, peer-reviewed publications, organising an international symposium on acting and psychology, and a fellowship with the Stanislavsky Research Centre.
He is currently co-editing a new book, Stanislavsky and Psychology, due to be published by Routledge in 2026.