Acting (ACT)

Students begin to develop a personal approach to character creation based on an understanding of a range of acting methods, including Meisner, Stanislavski and others. Beginning with an introduction to basic theatrical principles, students engage in a variety of exercises and processes that culminate in monologue and scene work.

The rapid evolution of modern improvisation is changing the nature of content creation in the entertainment industry. Students become fearless and creative by learning and utilizing modern approaches to improvisational comedy.

In this introductory course, students learn the terminology for on-camera acting and practice the precise and subtle techniques for film and television performance. They analyze characters and scene structure to create believable characters within a specific dramatic or comedic context. Through exposure to a variety of genres, students gain confidence in modulating performance styles for the camera.

Beginning with the roots of theater and continuing through contemporary drama, students gain an understanding of the origins and evolution of performance and theatrical traditions. Students examine the translation and transformation of play texts into theatrical productions within historical and ideological contexts.

Acting is physically and emotionally demanding, requiring a lifetime of discipline and consistent conditioning. By practicing a variety of mind and body training techniques and philosophies, students develop a personal training practice that keeps them performance ready, enhances their emotional availability and mental clarity as well as ultimately strengthening their minds and bodies as instruments for acting.

Through an introduction to a variety of vocal training methods, students explore alignment, breath and voice to examine their habits of vocal production. This exploration aids in the development of awareness, mobility, freedom and strong vocal support. Students link diverse vocal pedagogies to varying performance demands and venues for optimal vocal ease and clarity.

Students select, develop and rehearse materials for casting opportunities as preparation for careers in entertainment. Through an exploration of cold readings, interview techniques and audition materials, students hone their skills for live performance auditions. Students then apply that knowledge to the exploration of audition techniques specific to film and television.

From Strindberg to Sorkin, students prepare and perform scenes from modern plays and screenplays. Students engage in scene analysis, character development, rehearsal and performance for stage and screen.

The works of William Shakespeare and his contemporaries have shaped the evolution of live performance. Through in-depth analysis and practice, students examine classical works and their historical contexts to develop fundamental techniques of interpretation and performance.

Through the practice of single-sword and unarmed combat fundamentals, students acquire safe and believable fighting technique. Emphasis is placed on the accuracy of technique and safety of actors as they engage in physical combat drills. This specialized form of movement develops the student’s command of physical and mental awareness in relation to their combat performance.

Students learn the process of casting a film, TV pilot, series and live performance. Through a series of auditions and callbacks, students learn how to direct actors, discern talent levels, break down scripts, and create idea lists, in order to put together a cohesive cast for any given project. Students gain hands-on experience of the inner workings of network and independent casting offices, thus positioning them for internships in the television and film industry.

To create unique and believable characters for stage, screen, and voice-over, actors must exercise and build the muscles of speech. Using a kinesthetic approach, students employ with intentionality a wide array of physical, physiological, and linguistic elements to create a variety of authentic characters and accents.

This studio course is designed to prepare the actor for success in performance events that require singing. Students learn and practice the basic fundamentals of singing (i.e., breath management, phonation, resonance, articulation, registration, and interpretation) as related to acting and preparation for singing auditions.

Voice-over training expands career opportunities for actors in the competitive markets of commercials, animation, game design, promos, trailers, audio book narration, and other digital media. Students master techniques for accent acquisition in character work proceeding from the in-depth study of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Students familiarize themselves with appropriate studio protocol and produce work for use on their website and industry demo reel.

Focusing on scripted scenes, students learn techniques of analysis, character development, dynamics of character relationships and rehearsal techniques. The course covers a wide range of genres and styles.

Through weekly hands-on auditioning with current film and television material, students gain professional insight and a working knowledge of how to audition for series television and pilots as well as independent and feature films. Students follow the protocol of casting processes and are professionally prepared to enter a casting office.

Actors apply their analytical skills and increased understanding of their performance strengths to create believable characters for the camera. Students learn the practical demands of working on set and develop techniques unique to on-camera acting.

Through the analysis of a classic play from the 19th or 20th centuries, students in this course learn about the craft of the modern stage director. All aspects of stage direction are studied: the history, the process of dramaturgical research and script analysis, the casting process, the development of a visual aesthetic, and the fundamentals of staging a play. The course culminates in the staging of one scene and the presentation of a production notebook.

Students gain practical experience by participating in a variety of roles and responsibilities for live and on-screen productions. Students engage in research, analysis, journaling, and post-production reflection appropriate to their role in the production process. Repeatable. Student may take course up to three times for credit. Prerequisite(s): Signed liability waiver.

Through an exploration of the classical repertoire, students focus on the development of character through extensive scene work. Particular emphasis is placed on period acting styles and their historical contexts. Students refine techniques in the performance of demanding classical and period texts for stage and screen.

Modern entertainment platforms provide a wealth of opportunities for actors to create original material and comedic characters. Students advance their improvisation skills as they create original comedic characters and adapt improvised material into scripted content.

From classic Shakespearean plays to the modern action film, choreographed combat is an essential element of the performing arts. Students in this course learn to remain in character while safely replicating engaging and believable action on the screen or stage. Students hone their skills with a variety of weapons and hand-to-hand combat, refining their grappling techniques, and executing falls without injury.

Compiling the perfect cast is essential to successful productions. In this course, students explore the inner workings of a professional casting office in a major industry city in a five-day, hands-on, immersive experience. Through industry guest speakers and working in the casting office, talent agent office and visiting a working set, students gain vital knowledge of various casting processes, contracts, hiring practices, and rules and regulations.

This course is designed to give students interested in a career in classical theater audition preparation appropriate to gaining employment in regional theaters, Shakespeare festivals, and international festivals that focus on classical theater. The course focuses on preparing materials for classical auditions, ranging from Greek and Roman theater to Shakespeare, Molière, and Restoration periods. The course incorporates regular audition preparation in presentation, packaging, résumé, and picture preparation; finding job opportunities; developing auditions based on job criteria; and learning at least four classical monologues in preparation for auditions.

Performing arts students collaborate with students in dramatic writing in the development and creation of materials for stage and digital media performances. Emphasis is placed on solo and ensemble work, comedic material, and the reflection of contemporary issues through the voices of the creators. The course culminates in a public performance.

Actors develop an understanding of comedic tone by studying current multi-camera, single camera, and commercial productions for television. Students explore on-camera comedic techniques such as timing, delivery, physical humor, and language. Actors apply their analytical skills and increased understanding of their performance strengths to create believable comedic characters for the camera.

Internships offer students valuable opportunities to work in a professional environment and gain firsthand experience to help them prepare for careers. In an approved internship setting, a student typically spends one quarter working with an on-site professional supervisor and a faculty internship supervisor to achieve specific goals and objectives related to the program of study.

This course introduces students to the process of creating characters for live and pre-recorded television comedy. Students, using current scripts, explore character development, comic timing, and skills pertinent to TV comedy acting styles.

Today’s industry requires performers to have digital representation of their work. Students are guided through the creation of a digital reel that captures each actor’s unique path and passion. Focusing on content creation and collection, students rehearse, perfect, and record their professional-level work for use as a self-promotional tool.

Actors are prepared to enter the industry with a professional-quality marketing package, including headshot, resume, reel, and website. Students evaluate the professional landscape of industry centers to identify potential entry points appropriate to their strengths and interests. Students identify and pursue career opportunities with a comprehensive personal strategy.

This course provides an overview of the origins and philosophy of improvisation since the mid-20th century and how improvisation is creating new opportunities in film and television. Students develop improvisation techniques through coaching, warm-up exercises, creative performance games and scene-work, team-building, trust, speed, status, active listening, and agreement. Students explore the application of technique to both live and filmed improvisation forms.

A variety of stage combat techniques are employed to allow the graduate student actor the means to develop safe, effective, and believable skills that can be applied to film, TV, and live stage performances. In addition to providing the actor with believable acting skills, this specialized form of training further develops physical and spatial awareness, grounding, centering, economy of effort, extension of line, focus, timing, action/reaction work, and moment-to-moment impulse reactive playing.

From 19th and 20th century plays to contemporary screenplays, students learn the craft of the modern stage and screen director. Through dramaturgical research and script analysis, casting procedures, and staging fundamentals, students develop a visual aesthetic for their own film or stage productions. Students present their director’s production notebook (DPN) and step into the role of the director for the staging or shooting of a dramatic scene.

Beginning with body awareness and vocal freedom, then moving into vocal exploration and readiness, performing arts students work towards mastery of their vocal instrument. Students meet their physical and vocal habits. They are also introduced to a variety of vocal/physical pedagogies to address their habits, and then to release them for transformative character development for film, TV, recorded media, and theater.

This research and writing course surveys trends and styles in contemporary drama from the mid-1960s through present day. Major artists and ensembles, and the influences of technology, process, politics, and identity are considered, on stage as well as in film, television and digital media. Students research plays, playwrights, and historical context to understand how drama exists within society and how the role of drama is changing.

This course broadens the vocal range of advanced actors, deepening their expressive capacity in live and recorded media. Speech work is explored kinesthetically and linguistically, leading to all the sounds in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). This work gives students the tools to explore any accent/dialect for individuated character development and to apply these skills to the creation of digital content for their online self-promotional websites.

This course examines the techniques involved in the metrical analysis of verse in speech and their application to performance. Through the study of play, television and film scripts, and other related materials from a variety of periods―including Greek, Elizabethan, Jacobean, Spanish Golden Age, and French Classical traditions―students experience the complexities of verse-speaking and its application to the performance of period plays, television, and films.

From narrating commercials to bringing animated characters to life, the art of voice acting brings nuance and expression to a variety of media. Students hone their voiceover skills through the exploration of character voices and script analysis. Navigating professional studio protocols and home studio recording, students learn the methods and expectations of voice acting for multiple creative platforms.

Focusing on material from film, TV and live stage, actors work on monologues and scenes with partners and receive critical feedback. Through acting exercise and techniques, students explore creation of believable characters, spontaneity, honesty, emotional connection, listening, and style.

Building on previous instruction, students explore realistic acting styles on camera. Students learn acting techniques fundamental to screen performance and how to prepare material for on-camera performances. They acquire the ability to be simple and honest in front of a camera, and to create believable characters for recorded performance.

This course provides an advanced exploration of acting in modern styles prevalent in theater, film, television, and web projects. Using realistic and anti-realistic scripts from Broadway, off-Broadway, film, and television, performers develop an understanding of the styles common to contemporary performance. Students engage in scene-study projects performed in class, with feedback and direction.

This course refines and enhances the process of acting for the camera, featuring techniques found on contemporary television shows, films and commercials. It covers a wide range of acting styles including one-hour drama and situation comedy, feature film drama and comedy, anti-realistic camera styles, soap opera and commercials.

In this course, students learn the skills of auditioning for on-camera projects in film and television. Different styles are introduced, including TV procedural drama, TV drama, TV comedy and sitcom, major film and independents, and commercials. Each week, students audition on camera and receive feedback as they view their work. They also learn about unions, agents, managers, and interview conduct.

Students develop self-marketing skills, learn to find auditions and agents, and prepare skills specific to the audition process. These skills include finding material appropriate for the performer and the situation; covering different styles, periods and genres of musical material; and learning audition etiquette and good performance practices. Students practice acquired skills in a series of simulated auditions throughout the quarter.

This course covers professional practices and industry trends in film, TV, theater and other performance fields. Discussions include actor unions, contract negotiation, building web presence, self-branding and marketing, creating promotional materials and handling interview situations with producers, and directors and casting directors. Students develop audition monologues and materials required for acting submissions.

Graduate students experience the process of developing a character for a scripted television comedy. Through developmental rehearsals, students explore comic timing, character-building, working on set and taking direction. The students tape segments and review their work.

Students focus on performance practice through participation in main stage productions as performers, assistant directors, producers, stage managers or dramaturges. Students research character and utilize play analysis to develop roles and achieve professional standards. Students also maintain a rehearsal journal and evaluate the process following the play’s closing. Repeatable. Students may take course up to three times for credit.

Students in this course undertake a field assignment under the supervision of a faculty member.

Students in this course undertake a teaching assignment under the supervision of a faculty member.

Students have the opportunity to develop their thesis project in a classroom setting, with formalized goals and outcomes and the guidance of a professor. Deadlines are set. Assistance and group input are part of the process of writing the final thesis paper.