• A laboratory course in which students come to each class meeting with the material they have committed to memory and are prepared to rehearse with the class leader. During this lab/rehearsal, the class leader will use the Socratic method, directorial technique and customized acting exercises to guide students to deeper insights into the dramatic material.

  Prerequisites of the target audience. This course is designed for artists who plan to enter or advance the profession of acting in Theatre, Film and Television.

  This course is designed to develop a student’s skills at reading, analyzing and assessing a monologue and/or scene and making choices about character, action, intent, conflict and dramatic arc based on scrutiny of the material.

  Via practical application (rehearsal), targeted exercises, and the Socratic method, students will be guided through the process of reading and assessing the structure of a monologue and/or scene. We will examine the language, rhythm and vocabulary used by the playwright and make choices that will develop character and action. Students will learn to make and commit to a series of dramatic choices and then test their choices through rehearsal and analysis.

  By the end of the course, a student should be able to read and analyze a monologue and/or scene for rhythm, character, environment and action, break them down into “beats”, make dramatic choices based on their analysis, and play those choices with passion and conviction.

  Expected independent learning hours. No less than two independent hours is expected of each student in the form of class preparation.

• 01

  Course Description and Course Goals

  Via practical application (rehearsal), targeted exercises, and the Socratic method, students will be guided through the process of reading and assessing the structure of a monologue and/or scene. We will examine the language, rhythm and vocabulary used by the playwright and make choices that will develop character and action. Students will learn to make and commit to a series of dramatic choices and then test their choices through rehearsal and analysis.
  
  By the end of the course, a student should be able to read and analyze a monologue and/or scene for rhythm, character, environment and action, break them down into “beats”, make dramatic choices based on their analysis, and play those choices with passion and conviction.
  
  Expected independent learning hours. No less than two independent hours is expected of each student in the form of class preparation.

• 02

  Learning resources

  The films of Scorcese, Spielberg, Cassavetes, Campion, Eisenstein, Wertmuller, Kurosawa, Lean, Bunuel and many others.
  
  The plays of Tennessee Williams, Lope de Vega, Dominique Morisseau, Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, Eugene O’Neill, William Shakespeare, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Caryl Churchill

• 03

  Texts, Materials, and Supplies

  Students can access online resources to find material to be used in class. Instructor has a collection of material available. Students are encouraged to put their attention on contemporary plays, films, or teleplays that deal with challenging subject matter pertaining to the human condition.

• 04

  Grading

  • Grading is Pass/Fail
  • Students who’s attendance is greater than 75% and who actively participate in every class they attend will receive a passing grade.
  • Students with inadequate attendance will be graded on a case by case basis.
  • Students are expected to work on stage in class every week and participate in class discussion every meeting.

• 05

  Assignments & Homework

  • Students who are working on a scene together are expected to meet and rehearse in the days between class meetings in order to make progress based on the lessons learned during each class meeting. Due to the pandemic, virtual meetings are encouraged.

• 06

  Participation, and Classroom Climate

  • 100% attendance is the ideal that every student ought to strive for. 75% is the minimum acceptable attendance rate.
  • Discussion and participation are a major emphasis in this course. This means that it is the student’s responsibility to come to class ready and willing to take part in group knowledge building though scrutiny and analysis of each others work.
  • Because many modern plays, films and television shows feature rough language, such language will not be avoided in class. We all must be prepared to speak using the vocabulary of the writers and characters we are studying.
  • Students are required to power down all communication devices before entering the classroom.
  • The scene study classroom is, in effect, a rehearsal stage. Therefore there will be no applause at the completion of scene work.
  • During scene work, the instructor will often solicit the students who are observing to discuss their observations, and make an analysis of the work based on what they witnessed. At all times, and in keeping with the theatrical custom of eschewing critiques of colleagues, all comments will be directed to the instructor who will closely moderate the discussion.
  • This class is a safe place for open discussion of ideas and the frank appraisal of human behaviors. If, at anytime, a student feels uncomfortable or is encountering an episode of “triggering” they are invited to speak directly to the instructor and voice their concerns without hesitation or fear of judgement.
  

• 07

  Week 1

  Introduction. Discussion of key concepts. Students will each present a brief monologue and discuss what they want to achieve in the class.
  
  Most important concept is: “What is it really like to live in this moment?”
  

• 08

  Week 2

  
  
  
  Students continue scene work and are introduced to the observation and analysis phase. This week concludes work on current material and students are invited to identify new scenes and scene partners in preparation for the next meeting.
  
  No material is ever deemed “off limits” or “inappropriate”. Students are encouraged to choose material that peaks their interest, no matter the age, race or gender of the character.
  Key Concept: “In scene study, the emphasis in more on the study than the scene”.
  

• 09

  Week 3

  Students are guided through a read thru and investigation of the dramatic material they have chosen. They are coached on identifying the “beats” within a scene and will identify the first 7 or 8 beats which will be used for further study.
  
  Key Concept: “Language suggests character, action IS character.”
  

• 010

  Week 4

  Students rehearse their scenes in class, testing the choices made in the previous class and in the rehearsals they’ve arranged in the intervening time. Their choices are sometimes challenged by the instructor or sometimes prove insufficient to the telling of the story. Choices that survive this rehearsal are maintained and new choices are made for prior to the next class.
  
  Key Concept. ”You are responsible for every second that you are on stage”
  

• 011

  Week 5

  Students rehearse a second time, testing new choices and either defending and strengthening them or tossing them away and searching for something new. They are challenged to answer a battery of questions about their scene, their action and their character. They are: Who are you? Where are you? Who are you with? What are you doing? How are you doing it? Where have you come from? Where are you going?
  
  What will you find when you get there? At this point some scene partners will be asked to choose new partners and scenes. Others will be asked to continue on what they have.
  Key Concept: “You can’t go over the top as long as you are telling the truth”
  

• 012

  Week 6

  Students with new scenes are expected to arrive have already broken down the scene and identified the first 7 or 8 beats. They will have their first rehearsal and their scene work will be analyzed and discussed. Students who have not been assigned new scenes will have their final rehearsal this week.
  
  Key Concept: “If you know the beats, the intent, character and the conflict, the lines will be there”
  

• 013

  Week 7

  Students with new scenes will present their analysis and breakdown. Students rehearsing for the second time will be challenged to incorporate the environment in which their characters exist into their dramatic choice making.
  
  Key Concept: “Acting is the reaction to stimuli both real and imagined”
  

• 014

  Week 8

  Final rehearsals. Students will do their final scene work of the class. In this meeting students will, ideally, be allowed to complete their scenes. Each scene will be followed by general analysis and final critique by the instructor.
  
  Key Concept: “A good craftsman can transform mediocre material into something of great value”
  

Meet Your Teachers

• 

  Miguel

  Acting for Film and Television. 8 Week Certification Courses

  Miguel Perez, dean of Hollywood Film Academy, has worked in films with the likes of Johnny Depp, Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Hil...

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