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YC Industry Series

Sorry there is limited availability. For more information please call our team on 415.749.2228.

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Introducing Our New Industry Series!

In addition to classes, private coaching and by-audition performance opportunities, the YC is offering a special "Industry Series" each season that will feature one- or two-day workshops and panels specializing in skills and knowledge for students and families about the business of theater and acting.

Open Workshops

Schedule: Sunday, January 11:  1 p.m.–3:30 p.m. at 30 Grant Ave.
Tuition: $50
Instructor: Valerie Weak

Are you planning to audition for the 2026 YC summer musical Twelfth Night, but a little unsure about performing the words of William Shakespeare? OR, have another Shakespeare audition coming up? OR, just want to build confidence around the world of Shakespeare? This workshop has the answers!

YC instructor and experienced Shakespearean actor Valerie Weak will introduce students to the basics of decoding Shakespeare's language, and share tools and resources for everything from how to pronounce the words to how to recognize the acting clues and hints Shakespeare has left us in his verse and structure. 

  • Using fun exercises, we'll explore concepts like:
  • verse vs. prose
  • Rhythm and iambic pentameter
  • rhyme schemes
  • Sound devices like onomatopoeia and alliteration
  • Monologue selection
  • The cultural and historical context of Elizabethan Theater

For students auditioning for the YC Summer Musical Twelfth Night, we will also have time to cover an overview of the plot and characters.

With this workshop, students will leave with strategies for how to prepare an audition for any Shakespeare play.

Biography

Valerie Weak is a union actor (AEA & SAG-AFTRA), teaching artist and communications coach with 25 years of teaching experience at companies including Word for Word’s Youth Arts, California Shakespeare Theater, and ACT’s Young Conservatory and Studio programs. She has performed everything from Shakespeare to world premieres at theaters including CenterREP, Shotgun Players and the San Francisco and Marin Shakespeare Festivals. Valerie's on camera & media credits range from 13 Reasons Why (Netflix) to indie films, commercials and voiceover. Additionally, she is a Theatre Bay Area TITAN winner and a Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle nominee, has trained  with Anne Bogart/ SITI Company (NYC) the Linklater Center (NYC) Shakespeare & Company (Lenox, MA)  Dell'Arte School (Blue Lake, CA), and holds a BA in Theatre Arts from UCLA.

Credits

valerieweak.com

General Information

Location

All fall classes will meet in-person at our 30 Grant Ave studios in San Francisco.

Enrollment Info

  • Classes will have limited capacity—enrollment is accepted in order of registration until all spots are filled. To be added to the waitlist, email YoungConservatory@act-sf.org.
  • A minimum number of students is required to run each class. If a class has insufficient enrollment and is cancelled, students can choose to attend another class, or for their tuition to be refunded. 

Refund Policy

  • Courses with insufficient enrollment will be canceled and all tuition and fees paid will be refunded in full.
  • Withdrawal and refund requests for any other reason must be made in writing and emailed to youngconservatory@act-sf.org.
  • Refund requests will be honored in full if received at least two full weeks (14 days) prior to the start of the first class meeting. Class tuition will be refunded while the non-refundable registration fee will be withheld.
  • Should a refund request be made after the above deadline, a withdrawal fee will be withheld in addition to the standard non-refundable registration fee as follows.
    • After the refund deadline but before the first class date: $25 withdrawal fee
  • Refunds of any kind cannot be processed on the day of or after one-day or two-day workshops
  • Please allow 10-14 days for your refund to be processed.

Scholarship Info

  • We provide partial and full scholarships to students who may need financial assistance to attend any of our YC classes.  
  • Scholarship applications are due at least two weeks before your desired class is scheduled to start. 
  • Scholarships are awarded on a need-basis and are subject to class availability.  
  • Once registration opens industry series workshops, you may request a scholarship application by emailing us at YoungConservatory@act-sf.org.  

Questions