School of Acting academyart.edu SCHOOL OF ACTING Contents Program Overview ...................................................5 What We Teach ......................................................... 7 Faculty .....................................................................11 Our Facilities ......................................................... 13 Degree Options ..................................................... 15 Student & Alumni Testimonials ............................ 17 Partnerships ......................................................... 19 Career Paths ......................................................... 21 Additional Learning Experiences ......................... 23 Awards and Accolades ......................................... 25 Online Education .................................................. 27 Academy Life ........................................................ 29 San Francisco ....................................................... 31 Athletics ................................................................ 33 Apply Today .......................................................... 35 3 SCHOOL OF ACTING Program Overview Bring your passion for acting to life. The School of Acting helps prepare you to become a leading artist in theatre, film, and television. OUR MISSION WHAT SETS US APART Join Academy of Art University’s School of Acting, • In-depth focus on both acting for stage, and for and gain the marketable acting skills that uniquely camera, qualifies you for diverse acting work qualify you for work on a wide array of projects. • Gain marketable skills in acting technique, You’ll develop the ability to deliver truthful acting for the camera, voice, speech, singing, performances that bring characters to life movement, dance, audition technique, through technique, emotion, and presence. improvisation, and stage combat • Train in theatre, film, television, commercials, Our instructors are professional, working actors and voiceover who will provide you with industry insights and • Learn on professional-quality sound stages inside knowledge that comes from their personal equipped with the latest tech, cameras, and expertise. Plus, networking opportunities can lead equipment to internships and rewarding careers in theatre, • Get the confidence and permission to go after film, commercials, or voiceovers. Enjoy access to everything you’ve ever wanted the latest technology, cameras, and professional quality sound stages, which are necessary for optimal learning experience. academyart.edu 5 SCHOOL OF ACTING What We Teach Our degree programs are designed to equip aspiring acting professionals with a comprehensive toolbox of marketable skills that lead to career success. Our personalized training and hands-on learning experiences will prepare you for both stage and screen. THE ACTING PROGRAM Our program hones real-world skills driven by a mandate to provide the most current industry techniques and practices. This includes the development of a professional acting demo reel that is edited and assembled by our team of full- time editors. This invaluable professional resource leads to exposure to agents, managers, and casting directors in every market, providing you with an advantage in the highly competitive field of acting. The School of Acting works hand in hand with prominent industry professionals to help you make invaluable contacts within the acting industry We host guest speakers, workshops, and events, providing a professional network where you can connect directly with the entertainment industry. academyart.edu MOVEMENT Physical acting employs the body as a primary instrument of expression and communication. Imagination, body awareness, and physical communication are key to crafting characters. Through movement, you will expand your facility, range, focus, and depth, resulting in greater authenticity in performance. ACTING FOR STAGE & CAMERA Acting for both stage and screen demands being truthful within the given circumstances of a script. Through behavior and subtext, every detail is an opportunity to reveal a story. By training in both stage and screen media, you will strengthen your skills and marketability, providing a more success- ful transition into the professional world. 7 VOICE PRODUCTION The full potential of the voice is achieved by employ- ing attention and adjustment to posture, breath, and speech. Integrating these physical elements, you will cultivate vocal creativity, range, and projection, to craft richer characters. IMPROVISATION Improvisation provides you with the tools to react and behave reflexively while creating a character within a story. Partner work, risk-taking, creativity, and sponta- neity are keys to working within an ensemble and ultimately creating multidimensional characters, with or without dialogue. academyart.edu STAGE COMBAT Stage combat is a vital tool for dramatic storytelling. In this course, students will acquire basic conflict choreography skills, including theatrical violence and the use of edged weapons, covering broad- sword, rapier and dagger and single rapier in the context of historical and contemporary scene work. ADDITIONAL TOPICS Audition Technique, Voiceover, Acting for Commercials, Script Analysis, Genre and Style Scene Study, Accents and Dialects, Classical Performance, Dance, Acting Voice/ Vocal Techniques, Body/ Movement Techniques, Cold Reading, Commercial Acting, Improvisation Techniques 9 School of Game Development SCHOOL OF ACTING Faculty The instructors at the School of Acting don’t just teach you about the entertainment industry, they are part of the entertainment industry. They have a long track record of mentoring students, providing you with the skills required to succeed in this exciting, ever-evolving industry. Diane Baker Executive Director Diane Baker’s illustrious film and TV career includes acting with Anthony Hopkins, Jim Carrey, Paul Newman, Gregory Peck, Sandra Bullock, Hugh Laurie, and Liam Neeson. Her films include The Diary of Anne Frank, The Joy Luck Club, The Net, and The Cable Guy. She has worked with directors like George Stevens, Hitchcock in Marnie, George Clooney, and Jonathan Demme in Silence of the Lambs. Ms. Baker has received several Emmy, and 2 Golden Globe, nominations. Her 6-hour production, A Woman of Substance, received Emmy nods for Best Miniseries and Best Actress, Deborah Kerr. Documentaries include HBO’s To Climb A Mountain, Emmy nominated Miracles in the Making, and TV Specials for CBS, ABC and AFI. In 2004 Ms. Baker was invited to Academy of Art to create an acting program. As head of the School of Acting, she mentors students to follow her lead by playing roles that inspire, educate, and entertain. Damon K. Sperber Associate Director Damon K. Sperber has worked as an actor for over twenty years. A graduate of UCLA (BA in World Arts and Cultures-Theater) and the American Conservatory Theater (MFA), Damon has appeared in theater, television, film, commercials, and radio. Damon is also a proud member of the Screen Actor’s Guild, Actor’s Equity Association, and AFTRA. In addition to acting professionally, Damon’s experience working with casting directors (he’s worked in New York and Los Angeles to develop and cast talent for Broadway, off-Broadway, and regional theater) has informed his techniques for honing the tools required of a working actor. Karen Hirst Full-time Faculty Karen Hirst is a comedian, actor, and singer. Karen began her professional career with Second City Improvisational Theater in Chicago as part of their touring company. She appeared on stage with Second City alumni Eugene Levy, George Wendt, John Candy, Jim Belushi, Betty Thomas, and many others. Karen has written and continues to perform her own shows in the Bay Area. Locally, Karen has performed at the Magic Theater, The Phoenix, Spreckles Center for The Performing Arts, and many other venues. Karen teaches Improvisation, Acting for Actors, and Respect for Acting, and is the faculty sponsor for the Drama Club. Karen has been with the Academy since 1996 and is a full-time faculty member. 11 academyart.edu SCHOOL OF ACTING Degree Options ASSOCIATE OF ARTS (AA) Study the fundamental components of the performing arts in Academy of Art University’s AA acting program, which will prepare you for a seamless transition into our BFA Acting program. BACHELOR OF FINE ART (BFA) Learn the fundamentals, including acting technique, acting for camera, improvisation, singing, and speech. Courses in audition technique, stage production, musical theatre, and stage combat help prepare you to enter the professional world. MASTER OF ARTS (MA) In this intensive graduate program, you’ll learn to deliver engaging performances, communicate nuanced meaning, and add believable emotional life to a scene. Gain a solid foundation in working for camera and using your body to build character. MASTER OF FINE ARTS (MFA) We blend a conservatory approach with a contemporary eye towards the demands of the professional world. Beginning with a rigorous immersion in the Meisner Technique, you learn voice, speech, body, script analysis, audition technique, and camera. < Diane Baker interviewing Academy Award-winner 13 cinematographer, Rodrigo Prieto. SCHOOL OF ACTING Our Facilities The acting facilities at the Academy create the kind of learning environment every actor dreams of. You’ll have access to a fully equipped acting studio, three sound stages, a voiceover studio, and more—all designed to prepare you for a career as a professional actor. FULLY EQUIPPED