Acting for Adults at The Academy of Fine Arts
Montgomery County's Performing Arts Place
Overview
Our emphasis is on personal skills and development. Shows are secondary. Our program is distinguished by being more like, adult professional acting classes. We emphasize technique and "acting muscles". Each class is designed to address and work specific acting problems through script and scene work.
Why Our Program is Unique
Fun AND Effective
Every activity, game, exercise has to pass the test: Does this help the student present him/herself better personally and does it specifically help them be more effective and believable on stage? But, the result is "serious, fun" and the students invariably LOVE our acting classes.
Audition Workshops and Film
We want our students to develop personal presentation skills. We also want them to go as far as they want to go in acting and that means being able to audition well. Our focus is not putting on shows. Our focus is getting students cast in community or professional stage/film projects and ensuring they are great in whatever role they've won.
Two Public Sharings Per Year
Even though "putting on a show" is not our goal since it takes focus away from learning the specifics of acting, it is important for students to show their work in public. We encourage students to audition for outside shows, but this sharing is great for presenting monologues, dialogues and short, polished scenes. Currently we produce this sharing at the Olney Theatre Center in Olney, Maryland.
Our Students are Successful!
Many of our students have appeared in DC area film work, community theatre and professional theatre productions. Within 2 years, a complete beginner adult student went from nowhere to winning the leading role in a major production at the Rockville Civic Center. Another student, 9 years old, was recognized as a Best of 2013 Favorite Supporting Actress in a play by DC Metro Arts. Many others could be listed, but, in short, we produce results!
Every activity, game, exercise has to pass the test: Does this help the student present him/herself better personally and does it specifically help them be more effective and believable on stage? But, the result is "serious, fun" and the students invariably LOVE our acting classes.
Audition Workshops and Film
We want our students to develop personal presentation skills. We also want them to go as far as they want to go in acting and that means being able to audition well. Our focus is not putting on shows. Our focus is getting students cast in community or professional stage/film projects and ensuring they are great in whatever role they've won.
Two Public Sharings Per Year
Even though "putting on a show" is not our goal since it takes focus away from learning the specifics of acting, it is important for students to show their work in public. We encourage students to audition for outside shows, but this sharing is great for presenting monologues, dialogues and short, polished scenes. Currently we produce this sharing at the Olney Theatre Center in Olney, Maryland.
Our Students are Successful!
Many of our students have appeared in DC area film work, community theatre and professional theatre productions. Within 2 years, a complete beginner adult student went from nowhere to winning the leading role in a major production at the Rockville Civic Center. Another student, 9 years old, was recognized as a Best of 2013 Favorite Supporting Actress in a play by DC Metro Arts. Many others could be listed, but, in short, we produce results!
FAQs About the Class
What will we be doing in class? Short scripts: scenework, monologues, dialogues and small ensemble work are the vehicles for building solid, effective acting technique.
Is the class fun? Yes! It is the kind of fun that comes from being actively engaged in honing a fascinating, lifelong skill.
Why "short scripts"? You need to be able to act the small before moving on to the large. Shorter scripts mean less time spent memorizing and more time spent working specific acting challenges.
Is outside work needed? Yes! To get the most out of the class, you will want to be working/exporing your scripts during the week. As with any other skill, the more practice, the better you get!
Is the class fun? Yes! It is the kind of fun that comes from being actively engaged in honing a fascinating, lifelong skill.
Why "short scripts"? You need to be able to act the small before moving on to the large. Shorter scripts mean less time spent memorizing and more time spent working specific acting challenges.
Is outside work needed? Yes! To get the most out of the class, you will want to be working/exporing your scripts during the week. As with any other skill, the more practice, the better you get!