Students will express their creativity and imagination while exploring basic acting fundamentals.  This class uses scene-study and related exercises to develop each actor’s ability to listen, live in the moment and trust one’s instincts. Through the acting techniques of Stanislavsky and Meisner, students will explore analyzing text and approaching a role while focus is placed on each actor’s ability to empathize with the character’s impulses and intentions.  The class will begin with Image Theatre and a series of sensory and muscular exercises and games based on the works of Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed.  This exploration will strengthen sensory awareness and set a foundation to begin learning acting techniques.  Through various theatre exercises, improvisations and script work, students will explore character development, analyzing text, and discovering specific actable objectives while enhancing their confidence on the stage.

Students will become both creatively and technically comfortable while acting in front of the camera. Students will be exposed to a variety of on-camera acting techniques and will apply those skills to improv, exercises and scenes. They will explore different on-camera genres including film, episodic television, commercials, soap operas and industrials.  Students will learn about the framing of different shots, as well as important technical aspects including hitting your mark and physical and emotional continuity.  The main focus of the class will be on the minimalistic style of film acting, the importance of listening and reacting and the challenges actors face in finding truthful organic behavior in front of the camera.

Auditioning is a skill all its own.  Imagine the entire audition is your own one-act play, which begins with your entrance and ends with your exit.  It is a combination of “presentation of self” and “presentation of material.” The best way to become a good auditioner is through experience and commitment to preparation.  This four class workshop will cover monologues, cold readings, and “presentation of self,” and will culminate in a mock audition where students will get an opportunity to apply everything that they’ve learned. 

*Please note that the original start date for this class has changed.

Come learn the art of improv theater! In this class we will explore the basics—getting comfortable with our bodies, voices and each other. We will learn to be fully in the moment on stage and in life! In addition to the play and fun we will have, improv also teaches us important skills such as cooperation, communication and the ability to commit fully to what we are doing. Come join the fun! No experience necessary.

*This course is taught by Anoushka Brod of Transactors, the South's oldest improv company.  For more information on the company, please visit http://transactors.org/.

This is for the improvisor who has already learned the basics and wants to deepen into the improv experience! Focus will be on creating believable characters in a moment’s time, saying “yes” to your teammates’ offers and developing even greater confidence onstage as a performer. Come join the fun and bring some more play into your life!

*This course is taught by Anoushka Brod of Transactors, the South's oldest improv company.  For more information on the company, please visit http://transactors.org/.