Fall Session 2026

• Fall Session 2026 features in-person classes held at 30 Grant Avenue in San Francisco.

• Students with financial need interested in scholarships should consult the Scholarships page for details on how to apply.

• Students interested in becoming Encore Program members should sign up for their membership prior to enrolling in classes, as member benefits are not applicable retroactively.

• Sliding scale tuition is available for our shorter classes. Please see the class list for details prior to registering.

• Students interested in the 50/50 Payment Plan, whereby half the total cost of tuition is paid at the time of registration and the second half on the first day of class, must enroll by phone. Please call (415) 439-2319 during weekday business hours. The 50/50 Payment Plan is not available when registering for a one-day class, or with a discount or other promotional code.

• It is currently not possible to visit 30 Grant Avenue outside of scheduled class times. However, the Melissa Yandell Smith Library is open—info and hours here. Studio A.C.T. students have access to the library for a full year after their last class.

• Questions? For any additional questions or concerns please visit our Studio FAQ page or email us at studio@act-sf.org.

IT’S GIVING FUN!

When many of us hear “drag” we might think of RuPaul’s Drag Race or the film La Cage aux Folles. But drag is so much more than those incarnations! Drag is theater and dance, blissful escapism and timely political satire, self-expression and community celebration. And drag is everywhere. In our daily lives—at work, parties, walking down the street—we might don the drag of the roles expected of us, or the drag of who we aspire to be, transforming our inner selves through outer appearance. Like actors, drag performers find authenticity in the glee of artifice, expressing our true selves through the immediacy of physicality, voice, and the visual panache of costume and make-up. In this class, we will explore the core practical techniques of drag performance—including lip-synching, D.I.Y. costuming, character creation—as well as the social and political motivations of drag performance as both celebration and social commentary. The class welcomes people of all gender identities, physical abilities, and performance persuasions.

Intro to Drag – That's Right I Said Drag! is for you if:

• You want to bring more fun and theatricality to your performing—and to your life!
• You are an actor or other performer eager to expand and deepen your performances through heightened physicality and making more daring choices.
• You are a performer who wishes to bring together your love of showbiz with your belief in community and social awareness.
• You’re curious about drag and want an opportunity to explore it in a safe, encouraging, fun environment.
• You could really use a good laugh right now, but don’t want to forget why you really need a good laugh!

*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.

Six Classes – Thursdays – Oct 1, 8, 15, 29; Nov 5, 12*
6:30–9:00 p.m.
*No class Oct 22

This edition of our popular Acting 3.5 series explores the play John Proctor Is the Villain, by Kimberly Belflower. In the first three weeks, we will analyze how the play’s plot and characters embody its themes. In the latter three weeks, students will work on scenes from the play. Though most of the roles in the play are female and teenagers, the play also features adult female and male roles that actors may choose to investigate. Students of all genders and ages are welcome, and will have the opportunity to explore the play’s complex themes of gender and age dynamics, betrayal, power, and the abuse of authority. Through our work on the play, we will engage in a conversation about these themes, as well as performing femininity and youth, and the lived experience of young women. Students of this class will also receive a free ticket to the A.C.T. mainstage production of John Proctor Is the Villain, running November 12 to December 6. Though not required, it is recommended that students who register for Acting 3.5 also register for a Studio A.C.T. Voice or Physical course. 

Please Note – The instructor for this class, Peter J. Kuo, is a cisgender male who is passionate about discussing and dismantling gender and power dynamics in an educational setting, and brings that lens to the work on this play and in the classroom. An in-depth discussion of playing outside of your lived experience will be a part of the discussion in this class.

Acting 3.5 Scene Study: John Proctor Is the Villain is for you if:

• You are interested in the play John Proctor Is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower, and/or in working on contemporary plays.
• You are interested in exploring themes of feminism, youth, and dismantling patriarchal education practices.
• You want to stretch your ability as an actor to transform, including the potential of playing characters of a different gender or age.
• You’ve already taken Acting 1, Acting 2, and Acting 3 at Studio A.C.T., or their equivalent elsewhere, and wish to move your exploration of acting toward more nuanced levels. 
• You are an intermediate or advanced acting student who wishes to bring greater truth and life to their acting. 
• You have a serious interest in exploring acting as a career, and wish to get a good intensive “workout” to hone your acting and script analysis muscles.

Tuition for our Fall Session shorter classes is priced on a sliding scale to better accommodate the variety of financial circumstances among our many students. You may select your tuition when registering. 

Why sliding scale?

Your class tuition supports everything that goes into making Studio A.C.T. possible within the vibrant ecosystem of American Conservatory Theater, from paying faculty and staff a fair wage, to maintaining our studio spaces, to getting the word out about what we do. We respect every dollar you pay for your classes, and consider your tuition a key contribution in support of our mission to provide an engaging, energizing, creative space for all.

Why sliding scale for shorter classes, but not full-length classes? 

We first piloted our sliding-scale pricing during the December 2024 weeklong Inter-Session. It went very well! However, the limitations of our enrollment software make administering it challenging, as the system was not designed to accommodate a sliding-scale option. Hopefully the software developers will eventually add this option. In the meantime, limiting our sliding-scale class selections to the handful of shorter classes allows us to provide the option in a manageable way.

Are scholarships still available for shorter classes? 

Yes! Scholarships are still available for shorter classes. The percentage requested will be taken from the top tuition price. Please visit our Scholarships page for details on how to apply.

One class – Wednesday – October 7
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.

NEW CLASS!

One Class – Sunday – October 11
1:00–5:00 p.m.

Alexander Technique is a time-honored method used by actors to align, relax, and free the body from limiting tensions. In this one-day workshop you will learn the basic skills of the Alexander Technique, including undoing postural habits, relaxation, and lengthening the spine. We will apply these techniques toward becoming more deeply present and embodied while reciting a short piece of text—e.g. a monologue, poem, or sonnet. No prior experience with Alexnader Technique is required. However, if you have taken Alexander Technique before, this workshop will be an opportunity to level up your skills! Though not required, students are encouraged to pair this class with the one-day Poetically Speaking workshop held on Sunday, October 18.

NOTE — Students must come prepared with a short piece of text—e.g. a poem, sonnet, or monologue from a play or film—fully memorized.

Alexander Technique & Text – Aligning Your Body and Words is for you if:

• You feel limited by the way you move.
• You want to feel more aligned and relaxed in your body when speaking.
• You want to have more vocal flexibility and power.
• You’ve never taken an Alexander Technique course before and want an experience with it directly related to speaking.
• You have had experience with Alexander in the past, but it’s been a while and you wish to reconnect. 
• You have substantial experience with Alexander and are hungry for a workout.

NEW CLASS!

One Class – Sunday – October 18
1:00–5:00 p.m.

Poetic speaking comes in many forms from many sources—poets, playwrights, speech makers, cinematic heroes and villains. Poetic language is heightened beyond our familiar, day to day way of speaking, leaning into metaphor and other creative uses of language to express something larger about the human emotional experience of life and living. Whereas our manner of speaking in contemporary daily life is more casual and to the point, poetic speaking embraces lush imagery, creative word play, and evocative sounds. Speaking heightened language means speaking in a way that’s engaging, vibrant, easily and clearly understood. In this one-day class we will explore techniques for speaking poetically in ways that nevertheless feel and sound natural—meaning, true to the poetic experience of life! Though not required, students are encouraged to pair this class with the one-day Alexander Technique & Text workshop held the previous Sunday, October 11.

NOTE — Students must come having selected a short piece of heightened-language text—e.g. a poem, sonnet, speech, or monologue from a play or film. The piece does not need to be memorized but can be, according to the student’s comfort level.

Poetically Speaking is for you if:

• You are an actor who wishes to improve your ability to speak poetic text with greater ease, clarity, variety, and
• You are not an actor, but you are interested in exploring how to put poetic forms of language into spoken action.
• You are a person who enjoys poetic language and wishes to have a practical, enlivening experience with it.
• You want to have more vocal flexibility and power.

One Class – Sunday – November 1
1:00–5:00 p.m.

What do I do with my hands? It’s the classic actor question. And then there’s the rest of your body too! This one-day class approaches movement as a means of bold expression. Through exercises that bridge speaking and movement, this class will introduce you to practical techniques for feeling greater confidence, strength, and freedom while acting. We will explore your physical, spontaneous, and creative responsiveness to text, empowering you to feel more at home and at ease in your body.

NOTE – Students must bring in a text of their choice for use in class, strictly no longer than 1 minute in length. The text can be from a film or theater monologue, a poem, whatever speaks to you most, and must be fully memorized.

Bold Movement for Actors is for you if:

• You are an actor or other performer who wants to feel more comfortable and bolder in their body while speaking on stage.
• 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 skills.

One Class – Sunday – November 1 
12:00–5:00 p.m.

This unique, one-day introductory class brings together two essential disciplines actors encounter regularly in theater—Stage Combat, whereby physical violence is staged to appear real while being physically safe to perform; and Intimacy Choreography, whereby moments of physical intimacy are staged to appear real while being emotionally safe to perform. Both disciplines require exceptional collaborative and communication skills, combining an awareness of physical and emotional safety with an eye toward creating artistically exciting moments on stage. Practices for negotiating Consent are paired with practical methods of creating physical stagings, placing value on both the physical and emotional demands of crafting and performing challenging dramatic moments on stage.

NOTE – This class involves physical exercises designed to support actors working together in direct physical contact with one another. Nobody will be required to engage in any physical contact they are not comfortable with.

This one-day Intimacy Choreography & Stage Combat workshop is for you if:

• You are an actor, director, stage manager, or teaching artist who wishes to further their understanding, confidence, and skill around staging physically vulnerable moments.
• You wish to expand your understanding and use of Consent as a creative practice in rehearsal and performance situations.
• You want tools to help you contribute to making a safe and inspiring working environment for yourself and others.

One class – Sunday – November 15
1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

This workshop is specifically for actors and artists who identity or are in the process of identifying themselves as a Person of Color. Navigating the theater industry, and its predominately White spaces, is a skill and craft that needs practice. 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 acting 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; including between instructor and student, actor and director, artists with other artists, 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 Out: Embodying Our Race Amidst Whiteness 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.