two-Year Professional Actor Training Program

First Year Professional Actor Training Program

The first year is devoted to developing the actor’s instrument through both improvisational and text-based work. Students focus on the fundamentals of the Meisner Technique alongside rigorous training in voice, movement, speech, and text, supported by academic study in theatre history and technical theatre practices. Throughout the year, emphasis is placed on shedding habitual responses and misconceptions, allowing students to develop greater honesty, responsiveness, and discipline in their work.

Program Overview

Length: 32 weeks
Schedule: Full-time (approximately 30 hours per week)

First Year Curriculum

Meisner Acting Technique I (12 hrs/week)
Students are trained through the system of exercises developed by Sanford Meisner at The Neighborhood Playhouse, including repetition, improvisation, independent activity, and scene work. The work develops concentration, emotional availability, and the actor’s ability to respond truthfully within imaginary circumstances, fostering an organic, spontaneous, and disciplined instrument.

Acting Lab (Drills) (1.5 hrs/week)
Weekly sessions led by second-year teachers and senior faculty focused on reinforcing technique and supporting each student’s individual progress throughout the year.

Theatre History I: Theory and Theatre (1.5 hrs/week)
An overview of key developments in theatre production and performance that shaped modern American acting. Through plays and critical texts ranging from Aristotle to Odets and Behn to Nottage, students begin to engage with theatre through a critical and historical lens, supported by the resources of the Irene Lewisohn Library.

Modern Dance I (3 hrs/week)
Rooted in the Martha Graham tradition long associated with The Neighborhood Playhouse, this course trains the body as a dramatic instrument. Emphasis is placed on focus, grounding, and awareness of the body’s center through contemporary movement practice.

Music I / Singing Technique I (4 hrs/week)
Instruction in singing technique tailored to the needs of the actor, with focus on relaxation, breath, vocal production, musical preparation, and introductory song interpretation.

Jazz Dance I (4 hrs/week)
Training in movement and techniques relevant to contemporary musical theatre. Students learn foundational vocabulary and choreography associated with influential American artists including Bob Fosse, Michael Bennett, and Agnes de Mille.

Shakespeare I (2 hrs/week)
Students develop skills in close reading and performance of early modern text through the study of Shakespeare’s plays. Coursework examines language, structure, performance demands, historical staging practices, and major interpretive traditions in stage and screen productions.

Voice I and Speech I (3 hrs/week)
Using a range of approaches, including Alexander-based work, this course develops a flexible, resonant, and expressive voice with stamina and range. Students study phonetics and diction with the goal of mastering Standard American Speech and reducing regional or foreign accents.

Alexander Technique I (2 hrs/week)
Group and individual training in the fundamentals of the Alexander Technique, with attention to posture, alignment, relaxation, and preparation as they relate to the actor’s physical and vocal work.

Physical Theatre I (1.5 hrs/week)
An introduction to the principles and practices of Jacques Lecoq’s movement-based performance theory. Through structured exercises and improvisations, students explore ensemble work, physical presence, “le jeu,” and movement dynamics as tools for expressive storytelling.

Stage Combat I (1.5 hrs/week)
Students are introduced to the foundational principles of stage combat, emphasizing safety, precision, and storytelling. Training includes basic unarmed and armed techniques, coordination, and the integration of combat into performance, with focus on clear choreography and believable dramatic intent.

Tuition

2026–2027 First Year Tuition: $20,500
(Includes $500 enrollment deposit, $10,000 fall tuition payment, and $10,000 spring tuition payment)

Prices, curriculum, instructional hours, and faculty are subject to change.

Second Year Professional Actor Training Program

The second year advances the actor’s work into deeper improvisation, character development, and rigorous script analysis of increasingly complex modern and classical texts. Building on the foundation established in the first year, students refine their craft through continued study in acting, voice, speech, movement, music, Shakespeare, and physical theatre, while adding focused training in acting for camera and professional development. The year culminates in public-facing productions that apply studio training to professional performance contexts.

Program Overview

Length: 32 weeks
Schedule: Full-time (approximately 32 hours per week)

Admission to the second year is granted by invitation, based on faculty and administrative evaluation of a student’s readiness for advanced training.

Second Year Curriculum

Meisner Acting Technique II (12 hrs/week)
Students build upon the work of the first year through advanced improvisation, interpretation, and character development. Training is applied to both classical and modern dramatic texts, with emphasis on specificity, emotional depth, and disciplined, truthful performance across stage, film, and television.

Shakespeare II (3 hrs/week)
Advanced study of Shakespeare’s language and performance demands, focusing on breath, vocal technique, verse, prose, rhetoric, and style. Students work toward integrating classical form with imaginative, honest, and fully embodied acting.

Acting for Film & Television (3 hrs/week)
Students learn to translate their work for the camera while meeting the technical and professional demands of screen acting. Training includes monologues, scenes, and audition material, all filmed and reviewed to develop responsiveness to direction. Topics include audition technique, industry vocabulary, voiceovers, and performance for various media.

• Voiceover
  A practical introduction to the voice-over field, focusing primarily on radio and television commercials, with exposure to animation, audiobooks, narration, promos, PSAs, industrials, and video games.

• Auditioning for Film & Television
  Hands-on training in audition technique for screen and media work, emphasizing camera awareness, clarity of storytelling, and professional presentation from both artistic and commercial perspectives.

Alexander Technique II (1.5 hrs/week)
Advanced group and individual training in the Alexander Technique, addressing posture, alignment, relaxation, and preparation. Select classes are conducted jointly with the Voice and Speech Department.

Jazz Dance II (3 hrs/week)
Continued training in movement techniques relevant to contemporary musical theatre, with focus on vocabulary and choreography associated with major American choreographers including Bob Fosse, Michael Bennett, and Agnes de Mille.

Theatre History II: Contemporary Playwrights
An exploration of modern and contemporary dramatic literature, with emphasis on playwrights and theatrical movements addressing race, gender, and evolving performance traditions. Coursework includes reading plays and essays and attending live productions.

Modern Dance II (3 hrs/week)
Building on first-year study of the Martha Graham technique, this course incorporates improvisation and text to develop individual movement studies. Emphasis is placed on expressive sophistication and integration of movement and dramatic intent, culminating in a faculty and student demonstration.

Music II / Acting on Pitch (3 hrs/week)
Advanced musical theatre training drawing from traditional and contemporary repertoire, selected in alignment with each student’s vocal strengths. Coursework includes vocal conditioning, song analysis, interpretation, audition preparation, and repertoire development. Students complete the year with a personal audition book and perform in a fully produced winter musical demonstration open to the public.

Physical Theatre II (3 hrs/week)
Advanced study of Jacques Lecoq’s movement-based performance theory, expanding on ensemble work, physical presence, “le jeu,” and mimodynamics. Students apply physical techniques to increasingly complex collaborative and expressive work.

Professional Development (approximately 1 hr/week)
A seminar series featuring guest artists and industry professionals, including casting directors, directors, writers, producers, and actors. Topics address the business of acting and strategies for professional presentation and sustainability.

Voice II and Speech II (3 hrs/week)
Advanced vocal and speech training designed to develop a flexible, expressive, and durable professional voice. Coursework includes classical drama and poetry, with focused attention to metaphor, rhythm, rhyme, meter, and clarity across performance media.

Tuition

2026–2027 Second Year Tuition: $21,000
(Includes $500 enrollment deposit, $10,250 fall tuition payment, and $10,250 spring tuition payment)

Prices, curriculum, instructional hours, and faculty are subject to change.