I used to perform for an invisible audience. As a child, I would spend hours in my room playing dress-up, creating characters, and experimenting with different voices—all on my own. It was my safe space. And yet, I never once considered acting as a career. I was far too shy to imagine that version of myself existing in the real world.
When deciding whether to pause my life, travel 10,000 miles from Australia, and invest in the Atlantic Acting School Summer Intensive, a wise friend told me: “You’ll never regret a summer in New York City.” She was absolutely right.
I just finished the Summer Intensive program at Atlantic Acting School! It was a joyous, unforgettable experience taking those intense six weeks of full-on immersion into Practical Aesthetics, and sharing those weeks with some of the most talented people I know.
My name is Keisha Amponsa Banson, and I’m a recent graduate of Atlantic Theater School’s Summer Intensive. It’s been about six weeks since I finished the program, and I can honestly say it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.
Every week, I have the immense joy of entering a studio filled with young artists who are hungry to create and learn this elusive thing we call acting. I’ve never been more in love with my occupation.
Recipient of this year’s Equity Atlantic Scholarship, Stephen Anzo, shares the magic of his sojourn in the Big Apple − from the sensory overload of his first day in the city to the joy of being part of a supportive, talented ensemble.
This workshop led by Atlantic Acting School Artistic Director Reggie D. White is a scene study class set to the words and worlds of prolific playwright August Wilson. Watch and learn as Atlantic students Suzen Baraka and DJ Davis perform a scene from Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone, using our analysis technique to find the freedom in the beauty of Wilson's language.
The hustle and bustle of New York was the perfect backdrop for the intensity that was the 2018 Summer Intensive at the Atlantic Acting School. It was such beautiful opportunity to take a deep dive into the Practical Aesthetics methodology.
NEW YORK'S Atlantic Theater Company is home to many high-profile Off-Broadway shows, some of which transfer to Broadway, including the Tony-winning musicals The Band's Visit and Spring Awakening. It is also an acting school that teaches the Practical Aesthetics acting technique.
NEW YORK'S Atlantic Theater Company is home to many high-profile Off-Broadway shows, some of which transfer to Broadway, including the Tony-winning musicals The Band's Visit and Spring Awakening. It is also an acting school that teaches the Practical Aesthetics acting technique.
It was like a surge of electricity that filled my body and crackled in my lungs. Against the background bustle of the office in Auckland, New Zealand, where I worked, a friendly voice on the phone had just told me some of the most exciting news I'd ever heard. a?oeOkaya?? thank youa?? was all I managed to get out at the end before hanging up and grinning in disbelief. I had been accepted to study acting at the Atlantic Acting School in New York on a full scholarship. I did a little dance.
I'm the kind of person who is driven, but growing up in Ohio, I always felt like I was in an environment where my peers did not want to succeed as much as I did. I was 21 and just about to finish my undergrad and was truly lost. I wasn't sure what I was going to do after I graduated and also wasn't sure if I really understood my craft.
Rory Byrne and Lumka Coleman are in their final semester of Atlantic's Full-Time conservatory, a program that equips students with the tools to found their own theater company. Time to unpack and explore the company's up-coming inaugural play The House of Bernarda Alba by Federico Garcìa Lorca in a new adaptation by Emily Mann directed by Bluebird Ensemble member, Romain Mereau.
Andrea Solonge reflects on a life-changing scholarship for Atlantic Acting School offered by the Equity Foundation. ALIVE. That's one word that almost barely yet solely encompasses the energy of New York. People say exactly what they're thinking, millions of people are swarming from one place to another, the subway is bustling and everybody is walking with purpose.
Ensemble is at the core of the training at Atlantic Acting School. This is best exemplified by Company class, when in the last year of conservatory, each graduating class forms their own theatre company under the supervision of Atlantic Theater Company. In Company class, you learn about how a theatre company is run and most importantly, you start to become one. That was how Floor Five Theatre Company was born.
Los Angeles is spread out, so it can feel lonely and isolating. Only people who are truly invested in you and your wellbeing will travel to meet you for a lunch or brunch. The distance and last minute nature of auditions makes this a flaky town by nature. If you have friends who are already in L.A. be prepared to travel to them to maintain your friendships. Bonus points: pick a neighborhood that is close to them or where you work or play to reduce travel time. If you do not know anyone in L.A., put yourself in a position to meet new people and invest in those who give you good vibes. Celebrate the people who are consistently able to meet up with you after an audition or work.
This is not a post on a particular modality, but rather a sharing on the importance of recognizing what your body needs. Your body is your first house, your home, your vessel, your temple, and coming into the awareness that when you are tuned in (as head of household) to those needs, you are capable of making good supportive choices.
In the early stages of creating a role, one of the questions actors might ask is 'how does my character speak his/her/their lines?' Or 'does my character have an accent or dialect that's different from mine?' As a dialect coach, my job is to assist them in learning and perfecting various accents and dialects for theater, film, TV, and internet. Very often, just knowing where to get started in dialect study can be overwhelming; so here's Step 1.