Isn't it time you took charge of your acting career?
If you've always wanted to study acting seriously, with great instructors and truly dedicated fellow students – but were afraid it couldn't be done without abandoning other work commitments – we've created an acting conservatory just for you.
The Honors Conservatory at The Theatre Lab is a comprehensive actor training program designed for people who are serious about entering the acting profession. Housed in The Theatre Lab's performance and classroom spaces at Gallery Place, this one-year institute is an intensive and thoroughly unique actor training experience.
"I believe that the best acting happens when actors no longer care what anybody thinks of them while they're performing – when pleasing the audience or the critic is the farthest thing from their minds. That can only happen once they've assimilated a certain amount of technique, so inexperience won't betray them. Once that training is in place, I focus on freeing actors from the unhelpful worries and preoccupations that get in the way and keep their acting from achieving its full power."
What the Honors Conservatory
at The Theatre Lab offers:
A year to focus intensively on your acting . . .
One year of concentrated attention to all aspects of the acting craft can make an enormous difference in the life of an actor. Taking classes now and then is beneficial, of course, but when it comes to learning what you're really capable of, nothing can match the value of immersing yourself totally in the craft.
. . . without turning your life upside down
Keep your day job – for now! The Honors Conservatory at The Theatre Lab takes place solely on evenings and weekends, so you can continue to earn a living at your current occupation while preparing for a career in the theatre. No need to pull up stakes and head off for a two- or three-year MFA program. Here's your chance to receive graduate-equivalent training from the area's most respected working professional actors, directors and casting directors, with attention to every aspect of the art and business of the acting profession, and all within one calendar year. What's more, The Honors Conservatory is much more affordable than any comparably extensive program in the area.
Fellow students who are as dedicated as you are
Admission to the Conservatory is by audition and Conservatory faculty select only students they believe can succeed in the acting profession. Demonstrated ability and commitment are prerequisites for admission, so the acting student's perennial problem – the scene partner who doesn't show up for rehearsals or drops out of class – is not be a concern. Instead, students can count on working with scene partners and classmates who share their dedication to acting, and who will support and challenge each other as members of a committed acting/learning ensemble.
A truly comprehensive curriculum
Honors Conservatory students receive extensive training in scene study (classical and contemporary), advanced improvisational skills, auditioning, performance skills, physical and vocal technique, and the business of the business. In addition, Conservatory students study other theatrical disciplines to put that training in the appropriate context.
To gain experience on the technical side of things, each student runs crew for at least one Theatre Lab production and serves as producer for at least one short play or evening of cabaret.
Upon finishing the program you will have a firm grasp of theatre history and drama criticism, and will be familiar with dramatic literature from across the spectrum of styles and periods.
Extensive access to The Theatre Lab's acclaimed faculty
The program is directed by Theatre Lab Founders and Directors Deb Gottesman and Buzz Mauro (MFA graduates of The Catholic University of America) and popular actor and instructor Kim Schraf. A core curriculum of ongoing Monday night scene study and advanced improv training plus a minimum of nine six-week courses – taught by distinguished Theatre Lab faculty – is required of all Honors Conservatory students, but there's no requirement to stop there. When spaces are available, Honors Conservatory students are welcome to take other Theatre Lab classes during the year – for no additional fee – as long as the extra work doesn't interfere with the Conservatory curriculum.
Special workshops with top theatre professionals from Washington and beyond
The Theatre Lab is known for introducing actors and acting students to the wisdom and inspiration of top theatre talents from both Washington and New York. Past master classes and workshops have been led by Bruce Dern, Pat Carroll, Michael Kahn, David Huddleston, Holly Twyford, Rick Foucheux, Eric Schaeffer, and many others. A variety of special guests will work solely with Honors students in 2010, as a supplement to the regular Monday night acting classes.
Regular progress evaluations
Students receive detailed evaluations of all their work throughout the year. All instructors provide honest, specific and constructive criticism as a way of guiding each student through his or her unique development as a theatre artist. And learning how to take and use that criticism is itself an important part of each actor's Conservatory education.
Personal and professional mentoring throughout the year
Another important aspect of acting training that is made available solely to Honors Conservatory students is an ongoing advisory component. The directors and faculty serve as mentors, making themselves available to Honors students to discuss any and all aspects of course work and preparation for the professional theatre. Individual attention is central to the Honors Conservatory philosophy.
A wide variety of performance opportunities
Honors Conservatory students perform throughout the year. All students play a major role in a production arising from one of our performance classes (past productions have included Jane Eyre , Othello, The Way of the World, and the Good Woman of Setzuan), and there are frequent showcases of the scene work done in class. Final projects consist of productions of full-length small-cast plays, chosen, produced, directed, and acted entirely by students under faculty supervision.
A final showcase for the area's most influential directors and casting directors
Upon completion of the program, Honors Conservatory students are formally introduced to the professional community in a showcase of their best work, presented to the decision makers from a wide variety of Washington theatres and casting agencies.
The Curriculum
The Honors Conservatory Curriculum consists of an ongoing Monday night course in acting technique plus a series of six-week courses that meet once a week. Many of these courses have been specially designed for Honors students; others are drawn from the standard Theatre Lab curriculum. Some classes consist of Honors students alone; others are a mix of Honors and non-Honors students.
Most courses require fairly extensive preparation and rehearsal outside of class.
Honors students receive special assignments, guidance, and evaluation in all their coursework.
Honors students meet every Monday as a group with at least one of the program Directors (Deb, Buzz and Kim) for advanced improvisation and scene study. Students generally have two other classes during the week, to include the core classes listed below and electives from the full Theatre Lab curriculum.
"I'm often asked why I teach, since I've devoted so much of my life to it, and my answer is always pretty much the same, with variations: There's nothing as exhilarating as experiencing a roomful of people hurling their bodies and their minds into an active exploration of what it means to be human, in ways that would be frowned upon in the typical office job. And I love encouraging that kind of behavior."
— Buzz Mauro
Core Classes
• Ongoing Monday Night Improvisation and Scene Study
Training in a wide range of theatrical styles and periods, approached from many perspectives, with the aim of arming students with as many techniques as possible for bringing dramatic characters of all times and places to life. Periodic showcases will be presented, open to the public.
• Stanislavsky
An in-depth look at the foundations of “realistic” acting, as put forth by the founder of modern acting technique, including practical work using his original exercises.
• Theatre History
A survey of dramatic literature and production from Thespis to Kushner.
• Voice for the Actor
Rigorous training in vocal production and expression.
• Movement for the Actor
Physical training designed to promote effective use of the body onstage.
• Dialect
A course in the fundamental priniciples of dialect, with emphasis on how to pick up any new one.
• One Performance Class
One double-session course culminating in a full production of a play or musical. All Honors students will play major roles.
• One Specialized Scene Study Class
One course in an advanced aspect of script work, such as working with a director, incorporating the presence of an audience, or filling out a character's “backstory.”
• Auditioning
One course focused on acting solo, developing a broad audition repertoire, and/or dealing with technical aspects of the theatrical audition scenario.
"My ideal classroom is a laboratory where students can take big risks without fear of failure in an atmosphere of intellectual rigor, wild imagination, and compassion mixed with a little humor. My role in this mix is part catalyst, part midwife, and in no way omniscient guru. The kind of acting I want my students to discover is a marriage of our most human dichotomies: work that is both vulnerable and driven, playful and disciplined, deeply honest and carefully crafted."
— Kim Schraf
Final Project
During the second semester, students team up to direct and act in small-cast plays of their choosing. Scenes from the plays receive attention in the Monday night classes and each play receives full public performances.
Final Showcase
All students perform in a showcase at the end of the program, presented to decision makers from across the spectrum of Washington 's professional theatres. The work included is drawn from students' coursework throughout the year, including, but not limited to, the Final Projects.
Tuition
Tuition for the Honors Conservatory is $4,600 for the 2010 calendar year if paid in full before the program begins, or $4,980 payable at $415 per month beginning in December 2009 and ending in November 2010.
The Application and Audition Process
An application for the Honors Conservatory at The Theatre Lab consists of the following:
A completed Application Form (click to download form).
The Application Fee – a check or money order for $15 made out to The Theatre Lab.
A Statement of Purpose outlining your reasons for applying to this program and your goals for the future, in no more than 500 words.
A Resume of your acting experience.
Two Letters of Recommendation (click to download form) from people who are able to comment on your acting ability, work ethic, or other qualities that might imply readiness to undertake an intensive course of study.
Coursework begins January 2010.
You will be asked to prepare two short, contrasting monologues, at least one of which should be contemporary.
Please mail your application to:
The Honors Conservatory
The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts
733 8th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
We are always happy to talk to prospective students. Please direct any questions you may have to Buzz Mauro at (202) 824-0449 or buzz@theatrelab.org.
