Hey, you -- want to join actors from across the world for a truly transformative retreat experience?

***EARLY BIRD DEADLINE January 31st 2026 ***

 

Slow down, do less, be more
Art of Acting Retreat Italy

For actors seeking depth, clarity, and renewal
This is where you step away from the noise.
Where you reconnect with your craft.
Where you remember why you became an artist in the first place

Yes, I need this!

Imagine...

  • How would your acting evolve if you were more present? 

  •  How would your practice evolve if you were more inspired? 

  •  How would your relationship with the other actor evolve if you were more receptive? 

  •  How would your relationships on set evolve if you were more resilient? 

  •  How would your presence evolve if you were more empowered?

What if you could navigate any circumstance creatively and with deeply empowered presence?

INTRODUCING...

5-day acting retreat led by acting, voice and empowerment coach, Helena Walsh, who has over 30 years experience teaching in the film and theatre industries.

Your acting adventure awaits
May 19th to 23rd 2026

Villa Rignana, Tuscany, Italy

Apply to join

Here's what to expect:

This unique opportunity brings actors together to grow, evolve, challenge and transform in Rignana Estate, an organic sanctuary in the heart of Tuscany, where craft, community, and creativity flourish in one of the most breathtaking landscapes in the world.

 

  • Just 30 minutes from Florence and 10 minutes from the charming towns of Greve and Panzano, Rignana sits at the end of a secluded country road, surrounded by 150 acres of vineyards, olive groves, forests, and open fields where horses and alpacas roam freely.

    This is more than a location — it’s a world of its own. A place where actors can slow down, reconnect, and dive deeply into their artistry.

  • The space allows for a deep engagement with the actors art and craft, while soaking in the serene riverside atmosphere in more contemplative moments. It is an idyllic setting to gather, explore, reflect & deepen your acting process. We will be surrounded by natural beauty and Helena acting workshop will focus on moving through the spiral of intensity to complexity to simplicity.

  • You'll work closely with Helena in this intimate-group setting of limited participants, receiving focused and personalised feedback.  

     

    How Helena works with you:

    Helena’s unique holistic approach “The Actor’s Practice™” will bring you on a step by step transformative and renewed relationship with your acting.

  • The Art of Presence:
    Daily, there will be work integrating life and art through our six senses, through our “organic intelligence” from our biology to our environment to the group of actors present, to what matters to us individually and collectively about the world we live in. Discovering your alignment with these forces will anchor your work as an artist, actor in a potent, personal and collective creative intelligence. This will invite you to become open to receive the potential for growth & transformation that is already there for you to work & play with in your life & art.
  • Nervous System Regulation & Integration Work 

    The work is inspired by Fitzmaurice Voicework®, Organic Intelligence® and Neurosystemics™ and works from the principles of stability, support, pleasure and play. It is a journey into alignment of imagination body and breath, working with the fight / flight / freeze mechanisms that ignite in the actor’s nervous system when working with creative impulse. We will explore the subtle nuances in our rich vulnerability so that the experience of your character is more embodied and alive.

  • Scene & Character Work
    It is a fusion of the relationship of the physiology and biology with the imaginative circumstances of the story.  The scene work is about being in and experiencing the story, building a belief in story through specific tools given by Helena to give you an ever evolving deepening of your craft. Encouraging an enjoyable risky leap into the unknown, excited by the danger of trusting something bigger than you to move through you. Stepping into your own potency and in so doing a vibrant empowering expression of the moment.

     It's an inspiring, playful, transformative and powerful few days. If this sounds like something that you would really enjoy, then come join us.

    Places limited!  Don't miss out on your chance to work with one of the most internationally sought after acting, voice and empowerment coaches Helena Walsh.

HERE'S WHAT'S INSIDE:

You're going to

love

 these

A Sanctuary for Artists

At Rignana, nature itself holds space for your work, providing a serene, idyllic setting for rest, reflection, and creative renewal.

Delicious Food

Meals are prepared and made with love by Rignana Estate chef's. Fresh ingredients are handpicked from the estate's vegetable gardens and locally sourced organic produce to prepare healthy meals!

The Accomodation

We will be staying at the estate's iconic Church House accomodation. 

Daily Acting Workshops 

Discover Helena's holistic approach to acting designed to help actors not just survive but to thrive in their life and art.

 

Join The Art of Acting Retreat Italy!
Apply now to join ➡

"LIFE CHANGING"

'Helena Walsh’s retreat was glorious and life changing. I love the community of actors she has curated and her teachings are inspiring and healing, on top of helping actors go to places inside ourselves we may never ever have gone to before.
Truly wonderful. I love and miss everyone that I met there.
I will be doing this more in the future. Hopefully at least once a year. It’s a nice way to live too, in a daily practice of being present which only enhances our work as actors'

Rosanna Arquette
Actress | Pulp Fitction (1994) 

"HIGHLY RECOMMEND WORKING WITH THIS MASTER CRAFTSWOMAN"

"Helena assisted me in opening up doors to my character’s history & helped to unlock elements to their story. Her work is extraordinary and drives you to build a world around your character through narrative and imagination. Her help and support is like no other. Highly recommend working with this master craftswoman." 

LAURENCE O' FUARAIN
ACTOR | THE WITCHER: BLOOD ORIGN
NETFLIX TV SERIES (2022)

 

"INCREDIBLE FOR MY CAREER AND CRAFT"

'Helenas work is truly one of a kind. Since working with her I have found a much deeper connection to my craft, a more resonant relationship to my emotions and body and an incredible sense of autonomy and safety in how I work

But Helenas work has not just been incredible for my career and craft but also my life as a whole. I have found a more profound sense of wonder and curiosity in my day to day life as well as a heightened gratitude and respect for the natural world around me.

Working with Helena has truly changed my life and I am eternally grateful and privileged to call her a teacher, mentor and friend.'

Shane O'Regan 
Actor

 

"TRANSFORMATIVE AND LIFE AFFIRMING"

Do yourself a favor and work with Helena. As an actor, the skills I developed access to are remarkably invaluable, and as a human the peace and ease I found in my Self are transformative and life affirming. From day 1 I felt this overwhelming sense of relief that I’d finally found a practice and community that made me excited about acting and a career as a performer. It’s a community so full of care and support and well earned trust. I left the retreat open hearted and highly sensitized to the beauty of the world around me. And connected with life-long friends. Thank you Helena and everyone involved <3 more in the future for sure!

Julia Mae Abrams
Actress 

And just who will also be teaching you on The Art of Acting Retreat Italy?


Me! I'm Helena Walsh

Voice & Acting Coach | Human Empowerment & Resiliency Organic Intelligence® Consultant.

For over 30 years, I have been transforming personal and collective lives, as a voice, acting coach and empowerment coach in the international arts world. I studied voice through the International Roy Harte Centre in the south of France and trained in Fitzmaurice Voicework® at Central in London. I was appointed to the role of European director of the Fitzmaurice Institute and was the co-director of the Freedom and Focus Fitzmaurice Voicework® Conference in 2016 and 2018 in Dublin and London respectively.  

Over the years, I became more and more interested in trauma, PTSD and anxiety, which were coming up a lot during workshops with my clients. After burning out in 2017, I discovered Organic Intelligence®, and since then I have been training and working as a human empowerment and resiliency consultant. 

My work in Organic Intelligence® complimented the work I had embodied through Fitzmaurice Voicework®, Roy Hart and my mentor Andrea Ainsworth. I became more curious about how we could create a more organic and holistic approach to the actor's process. So, with my friend and colleague Benjamin Mathes of Crash Acting LA, we co-created a ten-week advanced acting process. This was inspired by the week-long retreats we regularly host in Clonakilty, West Cork, where actors from LA, Ireland and Europe come together for an intensive week of acting and surfing. "The Actor's Practice" is a compassionate and deeply transformative practice which moves both the actors process to a whole new level and changes their lives for the better. This leaves the actor confident, unshakable and inspired to feel more pleasure and curiosity in their life and art. 

'A place where I felt free to grow and expand, immersed in an environment filled with human understanding. I'm deeply grateful for the space that these wonderful beings have created'

 
Sofia Tomasin
Actress

“I just came out of the Art of Acting Retreat with Helena, and I leave with my heart full of love and self discovery, and wishing every human could have the chance to live an experience like this. First of all, at a personal level, Helena´s retreat made me reframe my relationship with acting and completely changed the way I see my career, making me realise it is not a destination but that my artistry is something it IS ALREADY within me and its just a matter of enjoying the journey while staying connected to my inner self & artist, which has been incredibly healing. On the acting side, Helena's techniques have taught me the best acting tool I've ever learnt: my senses and my imagination, which has strengthen my confidence and has created a lot more depth in my acting. Finally, one of the biggest gifts of any of Helena's retreats and programs is the strong sense of community she encourages and creates, the most loving, caring and creative community I know in Ireland. I can't recommend enough to work with her and her team if you get the chance, it will definetly transform you as a person and your career. Thank you all!!!” 

Alessandra Heredia
Actress 

The night before the retreat I was very nervous. I thought I’d be finding myself way out my depth but it is a testament to Helena’s teaching practises and intuition that my fears were allayed and have continued to diminish since the very first day. I still have my reservations about my acting abilities but she has instilled a little more peace, confidence and self love within my clutherfudged mind, body & soul. In a world full of egos, hate & greed I found Helena, Christina & Rachel to be trusty rays of warm sunshine. Can’t wait to see them again in future.

James Lye
Actor

Do yourself a favor and work with Helena. As an actor, the skills I developed access to are remarkably invaluable, and as a human the peace and ease I found in my Self are transformative and life affirming. From day 1 I felt this overwhelming sense of relief that I’d finally found a practice and community that made me excited about acting and a career as a performer. It’s a community so full of care and support and well earned trust. I left the retreat open hearted and highly sensitized to the beauty of the world around me. And connected with life-long friends. Thank you Helena and everyone involved <3 more in the future for sure!

Julia Mae Abrams
Actress

It’s taken me a long time to try to gather the words to speak to Helena’s brilliance, and I fear I still won’t be able to truly capture it in text - I think every human being should just experience it.
But I can try.

I first worked with Helena in Drama School where she was my voice tutor. We later reconnected in 2021 when I began The Actors Practice. I have stayed in consistent practice with her ever since.

Helenas work is truly one of a kind. Since working with her I have found a much deeper connection to my craft, a more resonant relationship to my emotions and body and an incredible sense of autonomy and safety in how I work

But Helenas work has not just been incredible for my career and craft but also my life as a whole. I have found a more profound sense of wonder and curiosity in my day to day life as well as a heightened gratitude and respect for the natural world around me.

Working with Helena has truly changed my life and I am eternally grateful and privileged to call her a teacher, mentor and friend.

Shane Regan 
Actor

I had an incredible time on the Actors Retreat. It was so much more than I ever could have imagined. The environment was so empowering and creative. There was such a supportive atmosphere that gave you confidence to be a little braver and go beyond where you'd been before. I definitely left there changed and more of the person I was created to be.

Miriam Baboram
Actress

Working with Helena was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.. It has transformed my approach to acting, and since working with her I’ve seen huge self-growth - both as an actor and on a personal level. I’m excited to continue working with Helena and to see where her work and support takes me next.

Aine Flanagan
Actress

Helena is a fantastic teacher, the best I have met. Her teaching will change your relationship to how you experience your life, to yourself and your profession. And she surrounds herself with a brilliantly unique, talented and like-hearted team. Could not recommend her and the studio highly enough.

Sean McManus
Actor

The Art of Acting Retreat Italy

Register now!

 

  • 5 nights accommodation in The Church House (twin sharing)
  • Half board: Italian breakfast + lunch

  • Welcome dinner + departure drinks

  •  Complimentary Rignana Estate activities + amenites :
     • Access to all outdoor areas
     • Infinity pool
     • Tennis court
     • Wifi 
     • Laundry facilities
     
  • You'll get your daily fix of acting, voice, embodiment and nervous system regulation practices with one of the world's leading acting coaches, Helena Walsh with over 30 years of experience in the film and theatre industries.
Apply now to join!

Let's talk Rignana Estate

The retreat experience
An Idyllic Retreat Location

Villa Rignana, Rignana 7, Greve, Toscana, Italy 50022 Firenze

Rignana Estate—a 150-acre organic haven nestled deep within the rolling hills of Chianti. Just 30 minutes from Florence, and a short drive from the historic villages of Greve and Panzano, this retreat offers the perfect blend of seclusion and accessibility. Here, time slows. Presence returns. Creativity expands. 
Surrounded by vineyards, olive groves, and open fields, the estate is home to freely roaming horses, alpacas, and friendly dogs, adding to its peaceful charm. These gentle animals bring warmth, joy, and a touch of magic to your stay — unexpected companions who make the retreat feel even more alive and welcoming.

During downtime, you can explore nearby villages, world-class wineries such as Antinori nel Chianti Classico, or the extraordinary Badia a Passignano, home to Ghirlandaio’s Last Supper.

The Accommodation at Rignana Estate

Feel where you belong

Set within the peaceful embrace of Rignana Estate, The Church House offers a warm, elegant, and grounding environment for actors. Its rustic stone exterior, arched doorways, and traditional Tuscan details create an immediate sense of calm and timelessness — a place where you can truly unwind, reflect, and reconnect with yourself.

Price includes accommodation of TWIN ROOM with shared bathroom (shared between 2 people).

 The Food at Rignana Estate

Organic Living and Nourishing Meals

The kitchen at Rignana celebrates the Slow Food Movement, emphasising quality, sustainability, and tradition.

Meals are crafted with:

  • Organic produce sourced from the estate

  • Wine and olive oil made onsite

  • Fresh eggs and honey from the villa’s farm

Expect seasonal, abundant, and deeply nourishing dishes that support both body and spirit—the perfect complement to a day of creative practice.

Price includes:
Italian Breakfast (coffees, croissants and seasonal fruits) and lunch

The Kitchen is available on site for you to make your own dinner and there are plenty of restaurants in the surrounding villages, should you wish to eat out.

Amenities at Rignana Estate

Rebalance & Restore within nature

 

  • The infinity pool blends seamlessly with the Chianti landscape, offering a peaceful escape where water and vineyards meet.

  • A beautifully maintained tennis court provides an energizing break between sessions—or simply a playful moment shared with fellow retreat participants.

  • Surrounding paths, gardens, fields, and terraces offer endless opportunities for reflection, solitude, or ensemble connection.

Here, restoration isn’t an afterthought—it is woven into the fabric of the retreat.

I'm ready to join

I'M IN

Still Got Questions?

 

MY LAST PIECE OF ADVICE

The embodied character is the most intimate expression of the human experience. 

To truly offer an authentic, moving human experience in your storytelling requires a nuanced, subtle, flexible and pleasurable connection to your voice. The voice is the most intimate expression of the self and can convey ten thousand intimacies through a freely expressive, present actor.