Fall Class Schedule

To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all faculty and students, Studio A.C.T. will adhere to the most updated safety precautions recommended by San Francisco, county and state guidance in effect at the time of classes.* These policies are subject to change. Our standard withdrawal and refund policies apply.

Showing proof of vaccination is no longer required for Studio A.C.T. students. Masks are welcome but not required for all faculty and students while indoors at 30 Grant Avenue. This mask policy will be in effect when CDC COVID-19 Bay Area case levels are rated as "low." When levels are rated as "medium" or higher, masks will be required for all. CDC COVID-19 Regional Case Levels can be accessed at this link: COVID data tracker

*Some additional precautions may apply in consideration of the wide range of students, staff and artists using our facilities, including young children, adults of every age, and professional artists whose unions maintain specific COVID precautionary measures. We appreciate your participation in upholding our safety precautions.

For further information or specific questions about Studio A.C.T. in-person classes with regard to COVID-19 precautions, please email us at studio@act-sf.org

*This class is currently full.  If you would like to get onto the waitlist, please email us at studio@act-sf.org with your request and the best phone number to reach you at, in case a spot opens up.

FUN NEW CLASS!

Seven Classes – Sunday – Sept 29; Oct 6, 13, 20, 27; Nov 3, 10*

1:00–3:30 p.m. | in person

*Make up day November 17 as needed

This exciting new class will teach you the basics of improvisational theater through a lens of collective storytelling, using the classic tabletop role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons, as a framework. Concepts, principles, and exercises in improvisational acting, theater, and storytelling will be applied toward creating original characters, which you will develop and explore in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign played over the course of the 7-week class. Character creation will include generating backstory, exploring motivations and intentions, embodiment, and physicalization. Dungeons & Dragons provides the sandbox in which to explore your character while developing practical improvisation and acting skills. The class is open to all experience levels, and no previous experience with Dungeons & Dragons is required.

Dungeons & Dragons Improv Workshop for Actors is for you if:

• You are new to acting, improvising, or playwriting and want a fun way to explore your interests.
• You have some experience with acting, improvising, or writing and want to develop your skills in a new way, outside of the usual theater and film scripts.
• You enjoy board games or video games and want to try something live, on your feet, that asks you to embody your gaming skills in the playful ways an actor might.
• You would like to learn the basics of Dungeons & Dragons, or continue building upon your previous D&D experience in a fun and physically active way!

*This class is currently full.  If you would like to get onto the waitlist, please email us at studio@act-sf.org with your request and the best phone number to reach you at, in case a spot opens up

Five Classes – Sunday – Sept 29; Oct 6, 13, 20, 27*

1:00–3:30 p.m. | in person

*Make up day November 3 as needed

In this extended intensive, students will learn how to select audition monologues that are appropriate for a variety of theater audition situations. Over our time together, we will identify four audition monologues for you that contrast one another in genre, character, and time period. You will prepare at least two of these monologues for an audition context, receive feedback on those pieces, and have an opportunity to bring them back for a mock “callback.” We will also learn about audition etiquette around introducing oneself, what to wear, handling acting adjustments from directors and casting directors, et cetera. By supporting your audition experience with practical techniques, this class will help you to feel more at ease, and to have fun, in the often brisk and stressful audition process.

Extended Audition Intensive is for you if:

• You have already taken both Acting 1 and Acting 2 at Studio A.C.T., or equivalents elsewhere, and want to apply those skills to an audition context.
• You are an actor who wants to feel more relaxed, centered, and confident when you audition.
• You want to work up new audition material that will be useful to you in a variety of theater audition situations.
• You want to gain techniques to help you feel more at ease when working quickly on callbacks and cold readings.
• You want a chance to practice acting with confidence in the context of common audition scenarios.

*This class is currently full.  If you would like to get onto the waitlist, please email us at studio@act-sf.org with your request and the best phone number to reach you at, in case a spot opens up.

One class – Sunday – Oct 6

1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

This one-day class explores how physical staging works alongside dialogue to convey character psychology and a play’s story and themes. Relationships between characters are expressed by how they stand in relation to one another. The timing of when actors move and are still reveals subtext and intention. The smallest gesture sometimes reveals as much, or more, than the longest monologue. In this sense, staging is a form of dramatic writing. What we see impacts what we hear, and vice versa. In this class we will work both at the table and on our feet to explore practical means of devising dynamic, impactful staging that expresses psychology and story.

Please Note: Students should come dressed comfortably for movement, and with a notebook and writing utensil.

Directing: Staging as Storytelling is for you if:      

• You are an actor, director, or playwright interested in how staging can contribute to storytelling in theater.
• You are curious about the relationship between a director’s homework and work done in the room with actors, and how to strike an effective, collaborative balance between planning and spontaneity when staging a play.
• You are interested in collaborative ways to rehearse that allow actors, directors, and playwrights to work together to create a unified staging for a production.

One class – Sunday – Oct 20

1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

This one-day introductory class, open to all experience levels, is a fun opportunity to explore your innate ability to play. Studying improvisation techniques helps actors to free their creative imagination, build self-confidence when going “off script,” and can even support their ability to develop characters in other theater or film acting situations. Improv techniques offer skills to support spontaneity in responding in the moment in a truthful, playful way. Sometimes silly, sometimes outrageous, Improv training inspires actors to think outside the box.

This one-day Intro to Improv for Actors workshop is for you if:

• You are an actor or other performers curious about Improv, but have felt intimidated or overwhelmed by the idea of leaping in.
• You studied Improv a long time ago and want a refresher.
• You’re shy and are looking for an experience to help you feel more comfortable with your playful side.
• You believe you’re “not that creative,” and wish to be proven otherwise!

One class – Sunday – Nov 3

11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Our individual identity affects our day-to-day interactions. Whether through internal social conditioning or external biases and prejudices, we are physically, emotionally, and mentally impacted by how we are perceived in the world. Through brave open discussion and liberation exercises, this one-day workshop focuses on understanding the dynamics of how we, as People of Color, function in the world. Questions that will be explored include: What makes a specific skin-experience unique for an individual artist? How do interactions influenced by race affect the training for actors—in the power dynamic between instructor and students, the selection of material, the acknowledgment/ignorance of culture differences? Through this class we will build an understanding of our identities and how to utilize them to disrupt or work with our artistry and our industry, which is currently rooted in White ideologies.

Acting Beyond Marginalization is for you if:

• You are an actor of any experience level who identifies as a Person of Color.
• You are interested in exploring how your racial identity engages with your acting, your actor training, and your artistic process.
• You want to gain tools to engage with microaggressions from colleagues in an artistic process in White dominated environments.
• You want to engage with other artists of color to find your voice and expression outside of a White gaze.

One day – Wednesday – Nov 6
6:30–9:30 p.m.

What’s the difference between an agent and a casting director? Do I need to join a union? What information goes on an actor’s resume? How do I spot a casting scam? In this one-day class, previously offered online but now in person, students and actors of all levels will learn about the tools an actor needs to look for work, gain an understanding of the casting process for stage and on-camera work, and identify a unique action item for the next step in their acting career. Everyone will leave the class with a list of resources for further exploration.

Your Acting Career Workshop is for you if:

• You have questions about acting as a business
• You want to create effective relationships with agents and casting directors
• You want to have a professional resume that meets industry standards for theater and film casting

One Classes – Sunday – Nov 10
1:00–4:00 p.m.

Want to move with greater confidence, strength, and freedom? This one-day introductory offering of our popular full-length Bold Movement class approaches movement as a means of bold expression. Students will explore their physical, spontaneous, and creative responsiveness. Drawing on a range of practices, from yoga, contemporary dance, and physical theater, this class will introduce students to practical tools to empower themselves through movement.

Intro to Bold Movement is for you if:

• You are someone who wishes to strengthen the creative connections between their mind and body.
• You want a creative physical workout that will strengthen your body and your confidence.
• You are an actor who wishes to expand their physical awareness and responsiveness.
• You are a dancer or choreographer looking to expand the dramatic, theatrical aspects of your work.