National Conservatory of Dramatic ArtsThe Acting Training Program Visit Web Site 1556 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Washington,DC 20007 203.333.2202 nficca@theconservatory.org  
The Conservatory has been training students successfully for careers in acting since 1975. More than 2,000 students have graduated from our actor-training program since it began, an average of 25 to 30 students a year. Students leave the Conservatory with a strong foundation in the craft of acting and the business savvy to be successful in a competitive market. Becoming a successful actor requires an intensive period of training, just as acquiring any professional skill does. Conventional wisdom suggests that to become truly good at an art or skill, an individual has to train for 10,000 hours. Taking one class a week that lasts for only three to four hours is a slow, inefficient way for students to obtain the experience and expertise they need to become proficient in the art of acting. The Conservatory’s two-year, intensive, actor-training program provides students with 1,800 hours of instruction, practice and rehearsal – in 16 months. Students who continue into the third-year, advanced program experience another 900 hours of training onstage and in film. The Conservatory’s curriculum is based on the teachings of Michael Chekhov, Michel Saint-Denis and Constantin Stanislavsky. These teachings comprise the foundation of numerous acting conservatories worldwide, including the Drama Division of the Julliard School in New York and the Royal Shakespeare Company Studio in Britain. The Conservatory’s training philosophy also emphasizes individual attention and small class size – typically no more than eight students per class. Our curriculum includes a focus on both theater and film. The two-year intensive program introduces students to the basics of film acting; students continuing into the advanced program create and appear in several short films. The curriculum also includes an intense emphasis throughout on the business of acting: headshots, resumes, monologues, cold readings, auditions, callbacks, goal setting, job hunting and career planning. We provide our students with the instruction, studios, tools and audiences they need in a learning environment that reflects the real-life world of acting. The atmosphere is intense, but supportive; rigorous, but engaging; challenging, but worthwhile. We’re delighted you’re looking at the Conservatory as the way to pursue your dream of working as an actor in theater, TV and film. Notable Alumni Include: Faculty Info: RAY FICCA, NAN FICCA, DOUG WILDER, ZACH BREWSTER-GEISZ, TAMIEKA CHAVIS, NATALIE CUTCHER, TIA SHEARER BASSETT, REGINALD RICHARD, SASHA OLINICK, DAVID ELIAS, NATASHA MIRNY, AMANDA HADDOCK, MARIO BALDESSARI, MATT BASSETT, CHRISTOPHER HERRING, NOAH SCHAEFER, MICHAEL HARRIS, RANDY BAKER, REX DAUGHERTY, JAMES MEERDTER. Related Articles
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