Fundamentals of Acting: Act I Basic Skills

Mondays, 7 - 10pm, January 14 - March 11, 2013
(no class Feb. 18, President's Day)

Tuesdays 7-10pm, January 15 - March 5, 2013

Learn the fundamentals of acting through exercises in basic improvisation skills, scene study and monologues. Explore and develop all the actor's artistic tools: body, voice and imagination. Students will learn to be both quicker on their feet and freer with their minds. Character monologues will be chosen and analyzed to stretch and develop the student's natural gifts… Show more of expression. They learn techniques that, in fact, professionals re-visit and refresh throughout their careers. Students also will explore monologues with an eye toward using them as audition pieces. This class is an excellent place to honor and examine the acting “bug.” It is designed for full group participation as well as carefully tailored one-on-one work. The atmosphere is friendly, highly supportive, stimulating and fun.

Monday Instructor: Diana Burbano
Diana Burbano has been a working actress since the age of 12. She was born in Colombia and came to this country as a young child. Acting gave her the ability to communicate in her new language, while fostering a love for the power of language. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, the Professional Actors Conservatory and the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain. She has been in or directed many theatre productions, and has been seen locally at South Coast Repertory and the Laguna Playhouse. She acts in both English and Spanish, has been on TV, and in film, produces, writes and teaches, while being a literary agent for her husband and raising a three-year-old boy. Her passions are Shakespeare, Chekov and punk rock.

Tuesday Instructor: Tom Shelton
Shelton has taught acting in SCR’s Young Conservatory, at St. Margaret’s School, the Pasadena Playhouse and Westridge School in Pasadena, where he was member of the faculty for six years. At Occidental College he co-taught a class called The Singing Actor and was a co-founder of the Children’s Musical Theatre Workshop. Tom studied acting at Occidental College, HB Studios in New York and SCR’s Professional Conservatory. He has been an audition accompanist, singing coach and musical director, most recently of The Threepenny Opera at Mt. San Antonio College.

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