Acting classes FAQ's Compliments! Acting Fundamentals TV commercials Audition Weekend Film Acting Workshops Focus on Film [intermediate] Scene Study in Performance Advancing the Camera Relationship Voice-over Weekend Actor Resources REGISTER | | NEXT STEPS: Ten “new” steps to take in 2011: Step #1: In 2011 re-“new” your commitment to your art. Re-new the fire that made you want to be a performer. It’s easy to slip into the busy-ness of the business and lose track of what inspired you. [Hint: RE-connect, take that dance class, voice lesson, improvisation workshop or acting class.] Step #2: Discover a “new” playwright. Re-“new” your love for an old one. Visit theatrebooks at 11 St. Thomas St and go crazy with that holiday cash. http://www.theatrebooks.com/ Try Scratch by Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman, who won the GG in 2010 for the play she wrote and starred in when she was only 23. Read Lady in the Red Dress by David Yee from the fu-Gen theatre group. The God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, Such Creatures by Judith Thompson, Courageous by Michael Healey. Get into something by Shakespeare or George Walker or David Hare or Arthur Miller that you don’t know. If a favourite playwright has written a play you don’t know yet then it’s a brand “new” play for you. [hint: Enroll in our workshop The Play’s the Thing and you will hit scenes from more than 50 different plays!] Step #3: Give the world a RE-view of you. Time to update that photo, resume, video and audio demo? Check out the big list of Toronto’s shooters, editors and demo producers. Photographer list [hint: You can get some new scenes on DVD for your reel in our Focus On Film class, starting Jan. 18. Because it’s time for a “new” you in 2011.] Step #4: View the “new”. Great time to get thee to a theatre. Re-enchant your love of the stage. Insights await. Encouragement too. Tweak your “hey, I coulda done that.” Check out the shows at http://www.totix.ca/ and grab a half-price ticket. Hit the Next Stage Festival [the winter fringe] opening Jan. 5th http://www.fringetoronto.com/nstf/nstf_shows.html just a block from our studio at Factory Theatre. Don’t miss BirdLand Theatre, Talk Is Free Theatre's production of Assassins opening Jan.8th http://www.birdlandtheatre.com/ [hint: Don’t miss the deadline for our Jan/Feb workshops, Jan. 11th Reserve it now because, like the shows above, we always sell-out!] Step #5: Turn procrastinate into professional! This is a great time of year to get an agent or to upgrade your relationship with the agent you’ve got. Check out the agents list at http://www.actratoronto.com/perform/agents.html Joining ACTRA just got a lot easier too as of this month. [hint: We can help. Add to your professional potential in our TV Commercial weekend class. See if you can develop a new income source in our VoiceOver OverView Weekend. Improve your auditions in the Audition Skills Weekend. Drop by to ask for career advice in our open studio hours beginning Jan. 18.] Step #6: Get the show on road and showcase yourself. Student film directors are casting their thesis films now. Toronto’s 24-hour film challenge is coming in April. http://torontofilmchallenge.com/ Meet the next Atom Egoyan or Sarah Polley. Play with your funny bone at the comedy clubs. http://www.comedybar.ca/ http://www.yukyuks.com/ http://www.absolutecomedy.ca/ You may have missed the Toronto Fringe lottery but there’s still time to get into some other fringes like Hamilton, Victoria, and down in the States. http://www.fringefestivals.com/ Find a venue and build a show. Get out of town and find your audience, any audience anywhere. [Hint: One of the best reasons to take an acting class is the chance to network with other performers. Our studio also attracts budding directors, producers and writers actors who want to spot talent in class. P.S. Almost sold out for Jan/Feb but we still have a few places left in Focus on Film starting Jan. 18 and the TV Commercial Weekend Jan. 29-30.] Step #7: Prop up your props! The performance world is interconnected. It’s a community. Get the support you need. Both Canadian Actors Equity and ACTRA have members conferences and meetings coming up in February. http://www.caea.com/. http://www.actratoronto.com/ Get answers from your peers and build up support at Canadian Actors Online. http://www.canadianactor.com/ Join Theatre Ontario. http://www.theatreontario.org/ Plan on attending a theatre festival or conference this year. Join or create a play reading group. Find that actor you promised to stay in touch with on Facebook . Opening night at any theatre brings out people in the biz. You don’t schmooze, you lose! Book time with your agent, coach or best buddy to talk about this year’s goals for your career. Take time for a beer or coffee with a friend who shares your love of our art. [Hint: Class is a great way to hot wire the connections for your craft. And a reminder, our Jan/Feb deadline is next Tuesday night!] Step #8: Tune up your instrument. Sing, dance, juggle, stretch, fight! Your voice and movement skills are at the heart of your craft. Expand your range of choices. On our Actor Resource page you will find links to Toronto’s top speech and singing coaches, dance training, fight schools, and circus skills. Our friend Kelly McEvenue from the Stratford Festival who gave us our first taste of this marvelous method is doing a Toronto workshop in Alexander Technique in February: http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/education/education.aspx?id=1098 Go to Rapier Wit for essential stage combat training. http://www.rapierwit.com/ Good classes on singing for actors? Singing for actors is a wonderful exploration of your voice even if you never sing professionally. See our actor resource page for a list of good coaches. Dance, modern, tap, hip-hop, ballet, jazz, all of it, gets the body in swing. Many film and theatre roles demand dance, even if you’re not a triple threat. There are many ways to tune a vibrant body. So get stretching…. Try Pilates, Feldenkrais, and Yoga. http://www.feldenkraiscentre.com/ Downward Dog is just a block from our studio. http://www.downwarddog.com/ We get many personal trainers in our classes. A one-on-one might be the magic touch you need. Give yourself a New Year treat. [If you are trainer make sure we have your card and contact info!] Make the commitment now and when a role demands specific voice and movement skill you will already have it. [Hint: Every class we teach focuses on specific voice/movement skills. For more extended work-outs and skill-building we know where to refer you.] - Step #9: Improve your hit rate. Auditioning is a skill and like any skill it longs to be practiced. Athletes don’t wait until the big game to try scoring. They play practice scrimmages all the time. Audition workshops are a safe, intense and time effective place to hone your auditioning skills.] Yes, our audition classes have an industry-wide reputation for high quality but Toronto offers many other good workshops. Hit the TAAS website for many other coaches http://www.torontoactingstudios.com/. There are some very good non-TAAS studios too. Try Pro Actors Lab: http://www.proactorslab.com Casting directors often offer audition classes [and casting directors aren’t invited to join TAAS]. We hear great things about workshops with Gloria Mann [facebook her], Brian Levy http://www.brianlevycasting.com/ Ron Leach http://www.ronleach.com/, Jeff Marshall, Crystal Kramer and others. Catch the special panel discussions at the ACTRA member’s conferences. They are consistently insightful. We suggest many books about auditioning on our reading list. Esteemed casting director Marsha Chesley has written a good book called "You Got The Part!" Don’t miss fellow TAAS member Ginger Howard Friedman’s classic how-to-audition books. [Theatrebooks carries many more.] Finally, get out of town! Do an audition workshop in New York, LA or London We can suggest a few good ones if you’re headed that way. [Hint: We have more practical pointers and quotes about the art of auditioning on our website resource page.] In January, February and March we offer 3 different weekend workshops specifically targeting the audition process for film, theatre, television and voice-work. They are almost fully reserved already so book yours today.
- Step #10: The next step is up to you. 2011 is stepping out. Are you? A year is full of possibilities. Turning points. Transformations. To make dreams come true take action. Start with clear achievable goals. Try writing them down. Each task completed will build your career confidence. Remove the roadblocks and let your talent shine… one step at a time. The hits and the misses will shape your life as an artist. What’s your target for today? [Hint: We’re there for you at every stage from beginner to the advanced professional. Talk to us when you can’t work out your next step.]
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Sears & Switzer
