Google and do your research. Toronto is full of great acting classes. Be sure to check google reviews. You can tell a lot by what people say about the acting class and the acting teacher in a google review.
“What I loved about acting class was that you got to think all day about a person that wasn’t you, and figure out why they were sad and what they wanted, what they dreamed.” – Beth Henley
What do you hope to get out of an acting class? Are you interested in a career or are you simply looking for a creative outlet? Either choice is fine but then you want to gear your search towards finding a class that meets your needs.
In our Toronto acting class, teacher and students take a moment to honour and celebrate a good piece of acting work
Read the description on the website and ask questions about the acting teachers approach. Some teachers use a specific approach and others are more inclusive of various approaches.
ACTING TECHNIQUES AND APPROACH
There are several different types of acting techniques and approaches. Here are a few common ones:
The Stanislavski System searches for inner truth and psychological depth.
The Chekhov technique focuses on the psychophysical aspects of the character through phycological gestures.
Method Acting focusses on personal memories and emotions that can be used to give a character life.
Meisner technique focusses on living in the moment with the other actor entirely and allowing the life of the scene to come from that.
There are also several types of acting classes which focus on things like Audition Technique; On Camera Technique; Improvisation; Voice and Movement; Stage Acting; and foundation building classes like the Actors Instrument class. Research these different types of classes and what they entail.
IS YOUR TEACHER RIGHT FOR YOU?
Interview your teacher. Your acting teacher will be your mentor and will influence every decision you make regarding your training and your career. You will want to feel a connection and chemistry with your acting teacher. Do they inspire you? Are they approachable? Do you feel free to ask questions?
You will need to feel safe in the acting class so that you can open up and be vulnerable. You have to be able to trust that your acting teacher can help you through your creative blocks. Some teachers can be more aggressive than others and some are gentle and approach with care. Some teachers can be overly critical and some are more positive in their approach. Meeting with a teacher in person can help give you a sense of their qualities as a human being.
Ask other actors who they’ve studied with and get recommendations. Ask what the class was like and what they learned.
PRACTICAL IN-CLASS CHECKLIST
- Find out the cost of the class and consider how many students are in the class as well as the length of the class. The fee should reflect these things.
- Find out if you will work in every class. In some classes students work every other class in other classes students work every class. Ask the teacher.
- Find out what kind of material the acting teacher uses in their classes. Will they be giving you scenes from plays to work with from great playwrights like Tennessee Williams, Sam Sheppard, John Patrick Shanley or David Mamet? Or do they work with film scripts or television scripts? Do they hand you a simple scene to prepare or do they expect you to read the entire play or film script?
- Do they teach you things like script analysis, characterization, improvisation for scenes, breaking down a scene? Do they give you handouts? Or do they simply hand you the scene and ask you to prepare it?
In closing, ask yourself why you want to take an acting class. Be clear about what your needs are and what is at the heart of this choice for you. Too many people haven’t thought about this and end up with only a general idea about why they are even seeking an acting class. When you are really clear about what motivates this choice you will be able to find the right acting class and the right acting teacher for you.
Cindy Tanas Actors Studio teaches acting classes for Theatre and Film in Toronto and the GTA, Collingwood and Southern Georgian Bay.
Connect with Cindy for a free consultation
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Acting Teacher / Mentor / Life Coach Cindy Tanas, has run a highly reputable and successful Toronto acting school for over 25 years. She teaches Acting Classes for beginners and experienced actors. Cindy is a member of ACTRA, former Chair and member of TAAS (Toronto Association of Acting Studios) and member of Theatre Ontario.
Cindy Tanas Actors Studio offers a holistic approach to acting in Toronto since 1995. Both in person and online acting classes are available.
www.torontoactingstudios.com
www.actratoronto.com
www.theatreontario.org