PROFESSIONAL INTENSIVE ACTING PROGRAM

Program graduate Phillip C. Vaden in SCR's 2004 production of 'Habeas Corpus' with Jane Carr.

JUNE 1 - JULY 25, 2009

Now in its 38th year of professional actor training, South Coast Repertory's unique eight-week Intensive Program is designed to help students develop a clear perception of acting abilities, learn to strengthen those abilities and create a practical plan for further professional growth. The goals of this program are to:

• Evaluate current acting abilities and establish goals for future development.

• Distill experience and training into a solid foundation for a career as an actor.

• Offer practical insight into the business of theatre, film and television from casting directors, talent agents and actors.

All classes are held in the stimulating environment of Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, one of the nation's leading resident theatres, in Costa Mesa, California. The Intensive Program has a distinguished faculty of working theatre artists to provide the highest quality of instruction. Its access to Southern California's entertainment industry allows the program to offer special seminars by distinguished guest artists drawn from the area's rich pool of theatre, film and television professionals.

For more information please call 714-708-5549.

A PROGRAM THAT WORKS
The strength of the SCR training program is demonstrated by the successes of graduates who are now working acting professionals. In recent years, former SCR Professional Intensive students have appeared on television, in motion pictures for major studios such as Paramount and Universal, and in South Coast Repertory productions such as Hamlet, Major Barbara, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Much Ado about Nothing, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Countess, A Christmas Carol, La Posada Mágica, Ah, Wilderness!, Habeas Corpus, the Educational Touring Production and Theatre for Young Audiences productions. Other theatres in which graduates have worked include the American Conservatory Theatre, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Old Globe, Pasadena Playhouse, Manhattan Theatre Club, Circle Repertory, A Noise Within, Mark Taper Forum, and Seattle Repertory. Among the graduates are Will Ferrell ("Saturday Night Live," Blades of Glory, Anchorman), Vanessa Branch (Pirates of the Caribbean), and Arye Gross (Minority Report, The Riches and Donald Margulies' Brooklyn Boy, world premiere at SCR 2004 and Broadway 2005).

APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Enrollment in the Professional Intensive Program is by audition only. Applications will be accepted beginning February 2009. Applicants must be 18 or older. All applicants must submit:

• A completed Application (Call 714-708-5549 for a form)
• A resume photograph (8" x 10" preferred)
• A $20 nonrefundable application fee

AUDITIONS
Upon receipt of your application, you will be contacted to schedule an audition/interview. Overseas students and those unable to visit California may submit an audition tape. Auditions should consist of a monologue from any play, total length not to exceed three minutes. You will be notified regarding your acceptance into the program within two weeks of your audition.

TUITION
Tuition for the eight-week course is $2,290. An initial deposit of $790 is due upon acceptance into the program. The balance may be paid in full by the first day of class, or in three equal installments of $500 each with the final payment due by the sixth week of the program. Any questions regarding tuition should be directed to Karen Hensel at (714) 708-5508. Students must purchase their own texts and are expected to supply items such as clothing, shoes, etc., which may be required for class projects.

THE CURRICULUM
The curriculum has been carefully designed to reinforce a broad range of skills, in both characterization and movement, and provide specialized attention to the needs of each individual. Classes meet 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., five days a week, and are held in SCR's Education Center Studios, onstage in the Nicholas Studio and throughout SCR's Folino Theatre Center.

Acting: refine the foundation for acting technique — the individual process of shaping a script into a performance — with special emphasis on rehearsal skills.

Theatre Audition Technique: choose and perform theatre pieces for audition; develop confidence in cold reading (under the direction of Casting Director Joanne DeNaut).

Voice: increase vocal flexibility, power, and relaxation.

Film and Television Audition Technique: discuss and perform scenes from teleplays; correctly structure resumes and choose appropriate head shots.

Shakespeare: perform and analyze scenes to explore the uses of language and characterization.

Comedy and Improvisation: Expand creativity and confidence to better work on your feet and handle unexpected situations. Application to team work.

In addition to weekly course work, the program provides opportunities to gain practical insight and experience through:

Seminars and Discussions by industry professionals who have included actors Arye Gross, Jeffrey Tambor, Anthony Hopkins, David Ogden Stiers, Nicolas Surovy, Kathy Baker and K Callan (author of How to Sell Yourself as an Actor); casting directors Amy Lieberman (television), Rick Pagano (film, television and stage) and Mali Finn (Shooter, Running with Scissors); talent agents Jerry Koch of The Gage Group and David Westberg of Triad; television director Lee Shallat Chemel ("Bernie Mac," "Gilmore Girls"); David Emmes, Producing Artistic Director of South Coast Repertory; and Martin Benson, SCR Artistic Director.

Personal Evaluation at the end of the eight-week session with the Program Director to discuss your specific strengths and weaknesses and to guide you in developing a process of acting that works for you.

Performance Lab presented at the end of the summer before a specially-invited audience of theatre and industry professionals. Representatives of South Coast Repertory's artistic staff will be present. Participants will be eligible for auditions for large-cast SCR productions or SCR's annual touring show for children. Those cast in such productions are eligible to become membership candidates in Actors' Equity.

THE DIRECTOR

Karen Hensel, Professional Intensive Program Director
An award-winning actor, director and playwright, Ms. Hensel has been associated with South Coast Repertory for 25 years. She has taught at Santa Clara University and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She is currently Director of SCR's Adult Program. She has performed at The Old Globe, California Actors Theatre, the Mark Taper Forum, LATC, L.A. Stage, Westwood Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse and on Broadway. She also has numerous film and television credits, including the continuing role of Doris Collins on "The Young and the Restless."

FACULTY MEMBERS HAVE INCLUDED:

Founded 44 years ago by its Artistic Directors David Emmes and Martin Benson, South Coast Repertory has asserted itself as a major theatrical presence in California and across the country. SCR's development and production of new works has led to recognition as one of the leading resident theatres in the United States ("One of the top five theatres in America." Time Magazine 2003). In 1988 SCR was honored with the Tony Award for distinguished achievement in regional theatre.

In 2007-08, SCR will present a ten-month season - September through June - of 11 plays on its Segerstrom and Argyros Stages plus the three-play Theatre for Young Audiences series. Both stages offer premieres of important plays by America's finest playwrights, as well as plays drawn from the classic and contemporary theatre repertoire. A resident company of actors, some of whom are Founding Artists of SCR, form the nucleus of the theatre's performing ensemble. They are joined by members of SCR's extended company of actors from Southern California and by actors from New York and other national theatre centers.

SCR's Collaboration Laboratory provides resources for programs challenging the frontiers of contemporary theatre, including the New Play Commissioning Program, the NewSCRipts Playreading Series and the Pacific Playwrights Festival. SCR also sponsors many community outreach programs designed to make theatre a part of the daily lives of local residents, including the Educational Touring Production, seen by over 45,000 children each year; the Theatre Discovery Project, bringing secondary school students to the theatre to view a major theatre classic; Theatre for Young Audiences... and Their Families; and the SCR Theatre Conservatory (Youth and Teen Program, Neighborhood Program, Adult Program, and Professional Intensive Program).

South Coast Repertory's facilities include the 507-seat Segerstrom Stage, the 336-seat Julianne Argyros Stage, the 94-seat Nicholas Studio theatre, rehearsal rooms, Conservatory studios, scenic and costume shops, dressing rooms, SCR's Production Center and full technical capabilities.

South Coast Repertory - Professional Intensive Program
P.O. Box 2197
Costa Mesa, CA 92628
(714) 708-5577
E-mail: education@scr.org

EDUCATION STAFF

Hisa Takakuwa, Theatre Conservatory Director
Karen Hensel, Adult Program Director
Holly Van Holt, Education Coordinator
Janis Morrissette, Education Associate
Rachel Garrard, Education Assistant
Lisa Ackerman, Education Assistant
Nicole Gross, Education Assistant