Classes
Our beginning acting foundations sequence consists of two classes, each of eight weeks duration: Acting I, and Acting II. These two foundation classes are followed by a third class, Advanced Acting Studio, which is a repeatable class for students to continue working on their craft.
Students who complete Acting I and Acting II can enroll in Advanced Acting and take the course multiple times, as our coursework is tailored to meeting our students where they are in their acting journey.
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A student can take one, two or all three classes in a sequence throughout the year. We offer these classes in a rotation between autumn, winter, spring and summer quarters so you can study at your own pace.
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By the end of this three class sequence, we expect our actors to be able to work in the performance space with authenticity, honesty and creativity. You will understand how to approach scene work and dramatic text with confidence and have two working monologues for auditions.​
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Script Analysis is a special four week online class taught by Andrew Tsao via Zoom. It is open to students who are enrolled in or have completed Acting 3. This class teaches the necessary close reading tools an advanced actor should have to break down a script effectively: language, structure, dramatic events, scoring beats, subtext and more.​
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Master classes, one-day workshops and seminars are taught by Andrew Tsao and scheduled throughout the year. These classes are open to all subscibers. These events are meant to bring advanced actors and entry level actors together in a room with a master teacher to approach specific acting challenges with demonstrations, Q and A and creative discussion.​​
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The Studio Library: Enrolled students have free access to the studio library, a collection unique original handbooks, plays and other documents that support our coursework.
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Acting Foundations 1 and 2
Our teaching philosophy is inspired by the teachings of Konstantin Stanislavski, whose "system" has been successfully adopted by thousands upon thousands of actors over the past one hundred plus years.
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We also use Uta Hagen's work to help the actor distill their technique down to manageable tasks that lead towards "living" the role rather than "performing" it.​
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Our curriculum is designed to integrate with Andrew Tsao's Script Analysis class, which is taught online via Zoom. It is an essential component in an advanced actor's process.
Advanced Acting Studio
The third class in our foundations series. Scene work, monologue and audition preparation, ensemble work and movement for actors.​
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This is a repeatable class, as our coursework will always be tailored to where each student is on their development.
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Master classes
Andrew Tsao teaches regularly scheduled master classes that are available to all registered students.
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These master classes consist of one-day and two day sessions at least four times a year.
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Master classes are for special topics: script analysis, actor/director collaboration, professional auditions, screen acting and more.​
Essential reading
This Jean Benedetti complete translation is accurate, thorough and presents Stanislavki's technique in clear, concise language.​​ The only authoritative text available.
In addition to this, we recommend Hagen's follow-up: A Challenge for the Actor. The tools presented in these texts are a core part of our curriculum.