|
|
Acting Training
Whether it's scene study, cold reading, improvisation, on-camera scene study, or the Meisner Technique, acting training is as essential to an actor as welding training is to a welder. The big difference is that acting is often more demanding, requiring the performer to give much more of him or herself.
So, the question to ask yourself is what training do you need to fully develop your skills as an actor and where are the best places to receive that training.
Some programs will offer gymnastic and juggling, for instance. If you're starting off your acting career a little late in life or if you simply don't have the physical characters to play physical roles, you may not need these programs. If you want to do theater, but you have a weak voice, then voice training might be perfect for you.
Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses, before you jump into a training program. Then do some online research to discover which studios, classes and programs offer the best avenue to eliminating the worst of your weaknesses. You don't have to be a jack of all trades to be a successful actor, but you do want a good grounding in the basics, as well as a mastery in those areas that interest you and in which you already have some skills.
Learning never stops in life, and it never stops for actors as well.
Here are some resources you might find interesting for your own acting training:
Method Acting Procedures
TheatrGROUP is a theatre company with "method" acting training on-site. It is open 24-hours, seven days a week for members. Harry Governick: "This page will lead interested individuals to descriptions of various techniques and procedures of so-called "method" acting. What you will find here is not copied from books. It's in my own words, and composed for you with definitions, analogies, descriptions and examples of this work which I am able to relate to you after studying, teaching and using it as an actor for the past 28 years."
Act One Studios
Act One Studios, the Midwest's largest professional acting school, is a training center in Chicago which offers small, practical, challenging acting classes in a supportive environment. We offer classes for adults in Acting, On-Camera, Voice, Movement, Directing, and How To Get Started In The Business. With our small class sizes (average ten students), you receive personal attention from our faculty - all working, professional actors and directors. Our classes allow Professional Actors to polish their craft and explore new media, and provide Beginning Actors the foundation for learning a wide range of skills -- from the first acting class to the first audition to the final performance. We also offer a series of acting and film classes for high school students.
The Jim Bonney Acting Studio
The Jim Bonney Acting Studio website is devoted to the growth of creative artists by training actors in the MeisnerPlus® technique, a combination of traditional Meisner approach plus body and emotional work. The concept for the MeisnerPlus® technique was created out of necessity by working with all levels of actors, from beginners to professionals. The need was discovered concerning the Meisner technique and other famous acting training methods when consistently actors tried to hit an emotional note, or a moment in their scenes, yet struggled because their instruments (voice, body & emotions) could not fulfill that emotional note.
The Actors Workout Studio
A Los Angeles acting school that offers a safe and challenging work environment for the beginning or professional actor. The Studio is dedicated to training and preparing actors for professional work in the film and television industry. Classes include Scene Study, Cold Reading, Improvisation, On-Camera Scene Study, Meisner Technique, and many other techniques designed to address the specific needs of the individual actor. Class members are also able to audition for parts in award-winning theatrical productions that are regularly staged in the Studio's two theater spaces.
The New Actors Workshop
Our small size -- 35 to 60 students, 12 faculty -- creates an intimacy with classmates and instructors that facilitates your growth as an actor. The curriculum includes 15-18 hours a week of acting classes (scene work and technique) compared to an average of six in other schools. Our curriculum gives you access to the newest discoveries in actor training, many of which are unique to the Workshop. Our balance between performance-oriented improvisational work (theater games) and scripted, rehearsed scene work enhances your flexibility. Above and beyond the technical work, our understanding of and focus on the creative process increases your capacity to surprise yourself.
|
