ESSENTIALS OF ACTING: SCENE STUDY
Students will explore the fundamentals of acting through partnered scene work. Class work includes improvisation, scene analysis, character development and playing for truth. Scenes will be developed with the instructor’s guidance over the course of five weeks; some rehearsal is required outside of class time.
This class is a pre-requisite course for all beginner to intermediate actors, and new Rogues students.
Instructor: Aaron Coates
ESSENTIALS OF FILM
The fundamentals of on-camera technique are introduced through scene work and an exploration of the audition process. The actor works on new sides (scenes) each week, with the emphasis on crafting an authentic performance for the camera. This five-week class culminates in a simulated audition. Includes discussion on the business of acting and related topics.
Prerequisite: Essentials of Acting or equivalent
Instructor: Joe-Norman Shaw
ESSENTIAL MEISNER
“Working from the truth of yourself”
Sanford Meisner believed that “…until an actor is a more honest human being, only then is an actor ready to act”. To achieve these ends he developed his two seminal exercises, Word Repetition (active listening, impulse and truthful behaviour) and Improvisation (living truthfully under the imaginary circumstances, moment to unanticipated moment) that comprise the core of this class. Actors are encouraged to work from their truthful, spontaneous and imaginative selves. This is an exciting forum of self exploration and expression, designed for those individuals who are dedicated to evolving a deep and personal acting process.
Prerequisite: Essentials of Acting or equivalent (acceptance by interview at Instructor’s discretion)
Instructors: Sally Cacic
SCENE STUDY: FOUNDATION ROTATION
A night where you can expand your abilities by trying out different types of scenes and styles of performance. Scene study applies across all mediums, whether it’s theatre, film, or audio drama/voiceover. An actor needs to have a clear and reliable approach that mines the text and turns it into action. Each session uses different styles of material, but will always involve scene analysis, playing truthfully and spontaneously, and strengthening the key habits you need to be a successful performer. Each session is 10-weeks and split into two parts.
Scene Analysis through Improvisation (5 weeks) – Fall Part A
Contemporary Scene Study (5 weeks) – Fall Part B
Improvisation (5 weeks) – Winter Part A
Comedy Scene Study (5 weeks) – Winter Part B
Monologues (5 weeks) – Spring Part A
Shakespeare (5 weeks) – Spring Part B
Prerequisite: Essentials of Acting or Equivalent (acceptance by interview at Instructor’s discretion)
Instructors: Aaron Coates
A 5-week overflow session for students who want to begin or continue their foundation work with Aaron Coates, from Essentials of Acting and/or Scene Study: Foundation Rotation.
Prerequisite: Essentials of Acting. NO cohorts, limited enrolment.
Instructor: Aaron Coates
TEEN FILM | Ages 14-17
A perfect opportunity for teens who are serious about getting involved in the Film & Television industry professionally, and gaining valuable knowledge of the audition experience and on-camera technique. Students will work with the instructor on a selection of scenes from contemporary scripts, while learning to work creatively from the text. Emphasis is on making specific, informed and engaging choices to strengthen on-camera performance.
Instructor: Sally Cacic
ON FILM
This full-year course offers an in-depth exploration of on-camera performance, from the fundamentals through intermediate film technique. This practical hands-on class includes scene & character work, cold reads and auditions. Taken as a full-year course by our first-year Masterclass actors; Sessional actors are welcome for full-year or single-term study. Each term offers a new focus: Fall: Working From Within, Winter: Character Arc, Spring: The Audition Room
Prerequisite: Essentials of Film I & II (acceptance by interview at Instructor’s discretion)
Instructor: Joe-Norman Shaw
ONLINE FILM WITH CHRISTIANE HIRT
Working from within, this Online Film class is designed to take the actor deeper into their process and discover a more intimate and personal approach to film acting. Through challenging scene work actors will explore their personal connection to character, sub-text, conflict and private preparation, assuming a character’s inner life as their own. This class will further demystify the film medium by gaining an understanding of the power of authentic behaviour.
Pilot Prep Sessions: Vince Gillian sold the smash hit series Breaking Bad on this premise: Mr. Chips becomes Scarface. A logline in which networks saw a five season series: Actors will work on a leading character from a Pilot Script, creating character arcs from who they are being to who they are becoming: Over this five-week on-line class, actors will work four scenes, focusing on character development through activating Story Points within their performance. In week 5 actors will audition these scenes back-to- back in the continuum of the Characters journey, meanwhile strengthening their audition skills for self-taping and zoom auditions.
Prerequisite: Essentials of Acting I or II, Essentials of Film I or II (acceptance by Instructor’s discretion)
Instructor: Christiane Hirt
ADVANCED FILM
Building on the foundation work from our Essentials of Film and On Film classes, actors continue to refine their on-camera performance with nuance, subtlety and deepening emotional life. Actors are challenged through sophisticated scene work spanning a variety of genres. Advanced film technique is designed to add finesse- inspiring each actor to a more authentic, compelling and unique performance.Taken as a full-year course by our second-year Masterclass actors; Sessional actors are welcome for full-year or single-term study Each term offers a new focus: Fall: Subtext & Secrets, Winter: On Set, Spring: Audition!
Prerequisite: Essentials of Film I & II, On Film or equivalent (acceptance by interview at Instructor’s discretion)
Instructor: Joe-Norman Shaw
PRO ADVANCED FILM WITH CHRISTIANE HIRT
These 5-week classes are curated for Rogues Alumni and actor’s in the professional world. Keep your muscles sharp by working with material that will challenge you to hone your audition skills for series, MOW’s, and film work. Areas of focus will be trusting impulses, working truthfully moment to moment, mining scene structure, pace, behaviour, subtext and daring to bring character to the table, among many more techniques. All work is recorded and uploaded to Dropbox.
Session 1: Meisner on Film (5 weeks) – Fall Part A
Trusting instincts through following impulses. This five-week class begins with Word-Repetition warm up in the first hour before we titrate into scene work. Scene work, chosen from screenplays or scripts involves cold-reads, working truthfully from yourself and off the other person by learning to work from a fully engaged and emotionally present place. Scene work evolves through breaking scenes down to its physical and emotional components activating what it means to live truthfully under the imaginary circumstances.
Session 2: Hero’s Journey (5 weeks) – Fall Part B
The story of character. This five-week class builds on the Meisner Technique in bringing truthful behaviour to life through understanding Story Structure and how Character Arc serves Story. Working in pairs on a screenplay, actors will navigate The Hero’s Journey by actualizing a lead character through Acts One, Two and Three – from Who the character is Being to Who the Character is Becoming. This class is especially helpful to professional actors who audition and work on-set offering an in-depth understanding of a characters function that serves the story as a whole.
Session 3: Pilot Prep (5 weeks) – Winter Part C
Living character arc. As Alberta enjoys more series and pilots shooting here, while productions are welcoming more local talent, this five-week class is a must for actors who want to bring their A-game to their auditions: Building on the previous classes, Pilot Prep engages truthful performance fused with Story Structure and Character Arc. Working in pairs, actors will navigate a Pilot script through working a new scene in each of the first four classes. The fifth and last class, actors will audition those four scenes back to back without the camera stopping: Creating a living Character Arc through the audition process.
Session 4: TBA (5 weeks) – Winter Part D
Prerequisites: Enrolment by Invitation or Instructor Approval
Instructor: Christiane Hirt
ADVANCED SCENE STUDY FOR STAGE & FILM
Scene work, monologues and more! Exploring a variety of important eras and genres through each term of study, this class works best as a three-term, full-year journey; providing the actor an opportunity to play some of the greatest roles ever written for the stage. In this class the instructor takes on the role of director, leading the actor through an in-depth rehearsal process that includes the staging of challenging scenes and monologues from Classical to Contemporary. To undergo this journey is to become a member of a dynamic ensemble of actors dedicated to imbuing their work with great artistry and humanity. This class is divided into two levels and is taken as a two-year course by our full-time, Masterclass Actors and includes a term each of Shakespeare and Performance Creation. Sessional actors are also welcome as members of the Ensemble.
Prerequisites: Essentials of Acting, Foundation Rotation: Scene Study or equivalent (enrolment at instructor’s discretion)
Instructor: Joe-Norman Shaw
ADVANCED MEISNER TECHNIQUE
“Don’t pick up the cues, pick up the impulses.”
An exploration of the foundation of the Meisner technique, this class will focus on The Art of Listening through Word Repetition, Understanding Emotional Preparation, The Reality of Doing through creating Public Solitude, and Working Truthfully Under the Imaginary Circumstances as well as Heightening Conflict with Hidden Agenda and creating specificity through Disability/Disorder.
Prerequisite: 1-Year of Essential Meisner or equivalent (acceptance by interview at Instructor’s discretion)
Instructors: Sally Cacic
THE NEXT STEP: GETTING ACTING WORK
Perhaps you’re at the end of your acting classes. Maybe you’ve only taken one or two classes. Either way, you may be asking yourself “how do I actually get acting work?” The answer is much more than find an agent or wait for the phone to ring.
We will look at how you prepare yourself for the industry, what sort of work is available, practical steps to get that work, as well as strategies for auditioning well and keeping yourself at the top of your game.You’ll build up your industry knowledge and learn about the nuts and bolts of an actor’s life. We’ll cover topics such as: business principles for actors, grant-writing, industry etiquette, agents, headshots, resumes, and most importantly, how to create your own opportunities.
Prerequisites: Master Class Recommended
Instructor: Aaron Coates
VOICE & MOVEMENT FOR THE ACTOR
Voice for the Actor: Finding an organic connection to breath and voice; in this class the actor is encouraged to open the body to breath and sound, freeing the voice and discovering the truth of the moment. A well trained voice brings more range and emotional depth to the actor’s performance for both stage and film.
Movement for the Actor: This class will help students work with their impulses, incorporate physical tools into their process, and strengthen their overall presence onstage. The goal of the class is to discover freedom and the spirit of play, so you can take on the challenges of any part that comes your way without inhibition. Each session will cover basic concepts, but always has a particular area of focus. Areas of study include: character mask, neutral mask, mime, clown, puppetry, and character acting.
Prerequisites: Essentials of Acting or Equivalent (Master Class recommended)
Instructors: Frances Ewington (Voice), Aaron Coates (Movement)
STANDARD AMERICAN DIALECT WORKSHOP
Mastering a Standard American Dialect is an essential tool for the Canadian actor. We will first explore how to break an accent into manageable pieces, and then we will learn the muscularity, musicality and sound changes for Standard American. Finally, we will apply the theory onto various practice texts. Students will learn how to create the sounds of the dialect, how to analyze text and map out the changes on their own for performance.
Prerequisite: Master Class Recommended
Instructor: Frances Ewington
JULY PERFORMANCE INTENSIVE
The Rogues classic is back. A group of dedicated actors rehearse a play under professional conditions, then mount the show for three public performances in the final two days of the course. As demanding and challenging as it is rewarding, the Performance Intensive is designed for anyone seeking to gain experience both on stage and in the rehearsal process, regardless if this is their first publicly-performed play or their fiftieth.
Prerequisite: Essentials of Acting or Equivalent (Scene Study recommended)
Instructor: Aaron Coates
SELF-TAPE TECHNIQUE FOR ACTORS
Learn the foundation and techniques needed to bring a self-tape to life with up-to-date casting director preferences, using physicality within your framing, make strong character choices, tackling those tricky requests and “creating the world” for the casting director. Designed for the experienced, working actor who wants to really delve deep into the creative world of self-tapes and the tools needed to enhance your tapes and increase booking chances. Admittance by Instructor approval.
Prerequisites: Essentials of Acting and Essentials of Film I & II or Equivalent
Instructor: Sally Cacic
PLAYWRITING WITH EUGENE STICKLAND
A workshop for those interested in writing for the stage. Through a series of practical writing assignments, we will explore elements of playwriting including dialogue, character development, setting, theme, conflict and other aspects of drama. Participants will be expected to read the work of fellow writers and offer constructive feedback. Our goal is for each participant to create one substantial scene that could eventually be developed into a complete play.
Instructor: Eugene Stickland
LET’S WRITE MOVIES!
You have great, amazing, vivid, impactful story ideas and have always wanted to know the ins and outs of adapting them to the screen. Well this be the class for you. Through improvisational writing exercises designed to maximize creativity, discussions, script samples, and more, participants will gain further confidence in their creative abilities while also learning the basics of screenplay formatting, structure, visual action, and character development. The course culminates in a night of staged readings of selected scenes written by you and your classmates.
Instructor: Jason Long
To register or for more information on any of the above courses, please email our Studio at info@corogues.com
