Fall Classes 2023!
Acting for the Ordinary Person FREE Workshop!
In-person workshop at Mayo Street Arts in Portland
Monday, September 18; 6:00pm-8:00pm
Instructor: Rachel Flehinger
All students: FREE, but must sign-up in advance; Ages 16 and up
Continuing Acorn’s tradition of offering free acting classes every year! Have you always wanted to give acting a try? Or did you act in high school but haven’t tried it as an adult? This fun, free introductory class will give you a chance to get your acting feet wet with the help of teaching artist Rachel Flehinger. A great opportunity to try things out before signing-up for this fall’s “Acting for Ordinary People” class!
Acting for the Ordinary Person
In-person class at Mayo Street Arts in Portland
Mondays, 6:00pm-8:00pm; September 25th-October 23rd
Instructor: Rachel Flehinger
All students: $130 per student; Ages 16 and up
An introductory course for everyone! If you’ve ever wondered what an actor does, this is the class for you! This class creates a fun and safe environment for beginning students looking to gain confidence in their public presentation skills while taking some first steps into acting. Students in the class will use monologues to explore the basic choices an actor must make while working on a role. The emphasis will be on doing — students will be performing in class regularly throughout the semester. No experience necessary
Foundations of Intimacy Workshop
In-person workshop at Mad Horse Theatre in South Portland
Saturday, September 30th; 10:00am-1:00pm
Instructor: Owen Philip Arthur
All students: $85 per student; Ages 16 and up
This course is designed to give actors access to their own set of tools when tasked with intimacy on set or stage without an intimacy coordinator. As the business trends toward embracing these jobs and normalizing intimacy direction and coordination, it can be incredibly useful to carry some of these abilities in your own toolkit without needing an external professional. Finding physical and emotional boundaries of you and your partners, expressing concerns, standardizing language and practices to help eliminate the variables of this vulnerable work.
Intro to Stage Management
In-person workshop at Mad Horse Theatre in South Portland
Saturday, October 7th; 9:00am-12:00pm
Instructor: Andrew Shepard
All students: $85 per student; Ages 16 and up
A one-day workshop on stage management skills designed for beginner stage managers! During the workshop, participants will go through each step of a production from auditions to strike, focusing on both the practical tools and interpersonal skills needed for a smooth artistic process. Participants will leave with their own SM handbook containing tools and templates to help them run a future production.
Intro to Improv
In-person class at First Parish Church in Portland
Wednesdays, 7:00pm-9:00pm; November 1st-December 13th (No class Nov. 15th)
Instructor: Jen Whitley
All students: $130 per student; Ages 16 and up
This class is for the shiny new beginner improvisor or for those who already have improv experience. Using the ‘Yes, And’ rule of improv, students will explore and learn skills through improv exercises, as well as learn how to start improvised scenes. Students will learn from listening and being in the moment that great scenes can be built on truth and presence. The emphasis for this class is to have fun, no pressure to be funny!
Teen Acting for the Camera
In-person class at Mayo Street Arts in Portland
Wednesdays, 6:00pm-7:30pm; November 13th-27th
Instructor: Mark J. Parker
All students: $110 per student; Ages 12-18
Now’s your chance to join acting coach, casting director, and award-winning indie filmmaker Mark J. Parker for a fun and informative class about on-camera acting. Each teen will bring to life two age-appropriate scenes from films and TV shows, plus the group will do improv warm-ups and exercises to stretch your mind, body, volume, and facial expressions. The techniques taught in this workshop will be different from stage acting, as actors will try to ground their acting in natural, truthful performances while hitting their mark for the camera. Mark will also talk about best practices in auditioning, self-tapes, and Zoom auditions. Scenes will be recorded and sent to actors after class so everyone can watch their clips at home. Both beginners and experienced performers are welcome.
Please note that tuition payments are non-refundable unless we have to cancel the class or the class has to move to an online-only format due to public health considerations
Gift Certificates Available
Give the gift of an Acorn class! Use the links below to purchase a gift certificate for one of our classes.