When you are living in the windy city, you may think that because you are so far the bright lights of New York or the sound stages of Hollywood, you may believe that you will have a hard time receiving great acting training. There are many fine institutions that can give you a classical training in acting that will help propel you to a career on the stage or the silver screen. It doesn’t matter if an actor needs to work on projecting their voice so it can be easily heard in the back of a theatre, or if they need to have the physical training that allows you to display your emotion with a movement. Finding the right acting school in one of the biggest cities in the world is not a daunting task. Soon you will be on your way to stardom.
The Green Room- an Actor’s Studio
This is a conservatory-style program that will challenge actors and actresses of all ages and levels of ability. There are two different levels of training available. Each student must begin in level one and attend a free workshop and audition for the program. Once that requirement is completed then you can begin to receive your training. Classes for both levels begin at the same time and they will consist of seven hours of coaching each and every week. Dedicated instructors will help you develop your skills in auditioning, stage acting, character development, working with a camera and how to use the movement of your body to accentuate your acting not detract from it. There are also many voice lessons that are designed to help aspiring actors to both project and enunciate their voices in an appropriate manner.
There are three levels of development which occur at eight-week intervals. They can be taken one right after the other or with a break in between. The best way to learn the craft of acting is to do it in a traditional conservatory style, with a community of like minded individuals. The Green Room allows all aspiring actors to get the best training for a fraction of the cost.
One of the best services that the Green Room supplies for its students is called the Actor’s Slate. This is a unique filming provided by Chelsea Studios of LA that produces a short film of a relaxed interview of you and ads in some highlights of your acting experience. This is that next best thing to being in LA and auditioning for talent scouts yourself. In fact, because of the Green Room’s stellar reputation, many of the actors sending in Actor’s Slate productions will receive serious consideration.
Acting Studio Chicago
It makes no difference if you are totally new to acting or an experienced member of the theatre, Acting Studio Chicago will provide you with the experience that you need. If you are a new actor, you will want to learn all of the basics, of voice and movement to help you become a competent actor. If you are more experienced then you may want to just finely tune your already deep acting talent. Either way, the Acting Studio Chicago is the place that can help make your dreams of stardom come true.
Founded in 1981, this fine school has been developing curriculum that will help actors of all levels and ages succeed in chasing their dreams. They base all of their training on the twelve guideposts of esteemed acting instructor, Michael Shurtleff. These have become the focus of all of the activities that take place in this school. They continually work to demystify the acting process and find total creativity through action. If you are the creative type that likes to learn in a hands-on manner then this training is for you.
The school prides itself on maintaining the integrity of its training by keeping the class sizes small. Most are limited to only twelve students but on special occasions the number has been raised to fourteen, but never more, so that all who are being trained can be sure that they will receive individual one on one attention to help them hone their skill. This is an acting school and not a production group, but they can certainly help you gain some auditions. They will encourage your growth and potential so that you can experience your talent and stretch it to allow yourself to grow.
Located in Chicago, it is a bustling urban setting that encourages individual growth and collaborative effort to include all acting levels. Most of their acting coaches are available for private coaching sessions to help a student develop their on camera or on stage presence.
Act One Studio
This is a great acting school that offers a plethora of classes for all levels of students. They start at the beginning level to the intermediate and then to the more advanced. A student will receive in depth training that will fully prepare them to participate in a production on stage, in the movies or on television.
Act One Studio offers one of the most intensive Meisner programs available in the city of Chicago. This is an intensive series of acting skills that build on one another to supply the participant with a full range of highly developed skills. These are an American training technique that is highly followed all over the country to produce competent actors and actresses.
There are also in depth training seminars available for students to attend and learn from. They are designed to give you an overview of the acting industry, from breaking into the Chicago theatre scene, to learning about the rigors of the acting life in California. These are taught by individuals with significant experience and training. You will learn how to deal with agents who can work for you and find you work. There is information about casting directors and how to catch their attention so that you can get that big break. They even teach you about joining an acting union and the benefits that will come with that.
When you live in Chicago there is no reason not to follow your dreams, when it comes to acting. There are a multitude of opportunities that exist just for you, all you have to do is knock on the door of opportunity and walk inside.