Feature

Settle in as we chat with versatile performer Steph Crothers, currently gearing up for her upcoming show Daddy Daycare. An improv devotee since 2021, Steph has taken a distinctive path from keen enthusiast to accomplished voiceover artist. Join us as we dive into the world of improv, rich with craft, chaos, and a few unexpectedly revealing moments along the way.

About Steph Crothers

What do you enjoy most about acting?

When I’m performing, it’s like slipping into a flow state where you have no choice but to be fully present with yourself, your scene partners, and the audience. When I first started improv classes, I was struck by how, for those three hours, whatever I was struggling with stayed outside the room. I found myself looking forward to that weekly escape, knowing my mind would finally get a break from the pain of a breakup, losing a job, or whatever life had thrown at me.

As a kid, I loved making people laugh. It was always my favourite thing about myself. But somewhere in my early twenties, I lost the part of me I loved most. Returning to improv and performing helped me find it again. It reminded me of who I am and brought me back to myself.

Do you believe talent or training is more important to an actor?

I know it’s probably not the “correct” answer, but I genuinely think natural talent matters more than training. Growing up, I trained constantly in dance, singing, acting, and eventually spent two years in a full‑time musical theatre foundation course. I worked incredibly hard in the hopes of getting into a good school or getting an agent, but no matter how many auditions or how much training I did, I couldn’t even land one callback.

Years later, I tried voiceover on a whim. I’d always been good with accents and impressions, so I thought, “why not?” I set up a makeshift booth in my cupboard and started auditioning online. I booked work almost immediately, with zero formal training, and within a year I had an agent and was doing it full‑time. The same thing happened with improv – I flew through the levels and was placed on a house team straight away.

So for me, the sweet spot is recognising what you’re naturally good at, and then using training to refine and elevate those strengths.

What strategies do you use to overcome stage fright or nerves before a performance?

I’ve dealt with chronic anxiety since I was in year eight, so nerves are definitely not a stranger to me. Honestly, improv has been one of the best things for it. The first time you bomb in front of an audience of five people is… character‑building, to put it politely. But the more you perform for tough crowds, and the more you practice bombing, the less terrifying it becomes. Eventually the anxiety eases because you realise nothing truly awful happens when a show goes badly. You just think, “Well, at least it’s not as bad as that time…”

When I’m on my own before a performance, I usually put on some meditation music, stretch, and focus on my breathing. But strangely enough, one of the most effective things for me has been grabbing dinner with friends beforehand. It distracts me, keeps me grounded, and stops my brain from spiralling through every possible thing that could go wrong.

Have you ever had to improvise during a performance? If so, can you share an example?

As someone who primarily performs improv, I feel like it would be harder for me to perform something scripted. I’ve been doing improv since 2021, and for the past three years I’ve been producing an improvised musical called Les Improvise. We take a title from the audience and create an entire musical on the spot. Every song, every dance break, every line of dialogue is made up in the moment.

People often ask, “But how do you rehearse if it’s all improvised?” The truth is, good improv requires a huge amount of practice. You rehearse the skills, not the scenes. You train your instincts, your listening, your ability to stay present, and your capacity to build something out of whatever is thrown at you.

Those skills have been invaluable in my MC work, where you’re constantly responding to the room, and things rarely go exactly as planned. Improv teaches you to notice the unusual, lean into it, and use it. Instead of ignoring unexpected moments or letting them derail you, you learn to acknowledge them and turn them into part of the performance.

Are you comfortable with performing stunts or action scenes? If so, what kind of training have you had?

Technically, it’s not a stunt, but I’m very comfortable with on‑stage nudity. I spent around eight years doing pole dancing, and I also worked for about three years as a stripper and topless waitress. Working in environments where nudity was simply part of the job completely removed any self‑consciousness I had about being nude in front of an audience.

People often assume I must have grown up in a very open or body‑positive household, but it was actually the opposite. My family was quite conservative, and we went to church every Sunday. So naturally, instead of easing into body confidence, I dove straight in: dancing completely nude on stage, giving private lap dances, and charging people to take shots out of my bare cleavage.

Where can patrons purchase tickets to this production?

To book tickets to Daddy Daycare, please visit https://www.eventfinda.com.au/2026/daddy-daycare/melbourne/carlton.

Thank you for sharing your incredible journey with us. Best of luck with your upcoming show, Daddy Daycare. We can’t wait to see the magic you create on stage! Break a leg.

Other interviews can be viewed in our Meet The Performer Series.

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