For students who have a greater sense of where their interests lie, have previous theatrical training and/or more experience with actual performance, Act One can also offer a range of Theatre, Music Theatre, Improvisation, Sketch Comedy and On Camera courses to choose from. New for 2009-10, Act One has partnered with the Light of DAE studio project to provide this year's Voice Acting class students with actual experience in a live recording studio as part of their class performance project work. Classes are once a week for either 1.5 hours per class (ages 5 to 13) or 2 hours per class (ages 14 and up). All classes are held at Act One's permanent, fully-equipped, teaching and performance studio.

Thirdly, as our students progress through the program, we strive not just to provide training in-house but also help prepare and encourage them to excel in outside theatre and acting endevours, whether this be providing early exposure to the concepts they would be taught in high school drama programs, preparing them to have better success in auditioning for school or community theatre productions, gaining advanced training in univeristy and college-level material, showing them how drama skills can be applied in the non-theatre world or looking to pursue theatre or film in a more serious manner.

For more details on our training programs and information on registration and fees, please visit our Course Information page. If you have any questions that were not answered in this website, please don not hestitate to contact us at the school. We would be most happy to help in any way we can.

Act One 2009-10
Programme Brochure


(Please note: Brochure does not include red Winter Term only classes listed below)

Act One Course
Registration Form

As long as a class is not full , Act One can accept new students into most of its classes for the second (Winter) term, commencing the week of February 1, 2010. Course formats are planned to permit easy and comfortable integration of both novice and experienced students into the classes. This is accomplished by using the first three weeks of the second term as an opportunity for both existing and new students to review the concepts presented in the first half and practise new theatre games, before the class turns its focus to rehearsal-format instruction in mid-February.

Depending on studio availability, we are also often able to offer a limited number of one term (ie. 18-20 week) classes in other potentially more convenient time slots. Due to the lack of preparation time Winter Term enrolment students will not be able to participate in the Winter Cabaret performance. They will however perform fully in the year-end class production and have the option of participation in the March 2010 "Weekend of Monologues".

For information on our currently running and classes please consult the course planner above or the individual course outlines below.

For 2010, Act One is pleased to be able to offer the following new Winter Term classes. Most will start the week of February 1, 2010 (except for the Adult Theatre class which starts on Monday, March 1, 2010):

Class	Day/Time	# of Weeks
Theatre Basics for Ages 5-7	Thursdays 5:00-6:30pm	18
Theatre for Ages 8-9	Mondays 5:00-6:30pm	18
Theatre for Ages 10-11	Saturdays 1:30-3:00pm	18
Sketch Comedy for Ages 14-18	Sundays 7:00-9:00pm	18
Voiceover for Film and Television	Saturdays 4:30-6:30pm	18
Adult Theatre for Ages 19+	Mondays 8:00-10:00pm	16

For more information on the program in general and the Winter Term course fees, please click here.

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1. Late Registration: Please note that most Full Year Programs have a cut-off point for new registration. After October, students may be accepted only upon agreement of the class instructor. Prospective post-October 2009 students are advised to contact the school as early as possible to ensure a particular class can accomodate them.

2. Winter Term Registration: If a class is not full as of February 1, 2010, we can also accept a limited number of new students into existing classes for the 18-week Winter Term. Winter Term registration is available up to Monday, February 15, 2010.

3. Class Performances: Most Act One classes will have at least three live performances during the year. The Winter Cabaret, where students are encouraged to perform material they have worked on during the first half. The "Weekend of Monologues" show where students are invited to prepare and present solo monologues and a Year-End individual class performance at the completion of the course. All Act One performances are open to familiy and friends of the students. A nominal admission fee may apply.

The Winter Cabaret is a series of shows that take place in late January. All classes participate as one company over 2-3 performances. Students may participate in one or more pieces over one, two or all three shows depending upon their desires and availability.

The "Weekend of Monologues" show takes place shortly after the students return from March Break. This show is optional. Students will be given the opportunity to determine for themselves if they wish to participate. Students from all Act One classes may apply to participate over the course of 2-3 evenings. Each participating student will have the opportunity to prepare and present 1-2 monologues of their own choosing.

The Year-End performances are individual productions presented by each class independently. The shows typically take place during the second-to-last or last class of the school year in June.

Please note that dates indicated are provided for approximate student and family planning purposes. Act One strives to adhere as closely as possible to the target dates but they are subject to change due to unanticipated events, class rescheduling due to poor weather, etc and student availability.

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These courses are designed provide students with a solid grounding and confidence when performing and acting onstage. Focus is on developing and enhancing student confidence, basic acting techniques, and their ability to perform live in front of an audience both individually and as part of a group.

Students new to drama and looking to explore it will learn the fundamentals of performance, while gaining the confidence to express and challenge themselves, as well as try new things. Through an assortment of drama games, and lessons, students will have fun learning new techniques, such as how to create characters, and build their own scenes. They will be given the opportunity to work on their own as well as in groups, and through scene studies and the final performance, will gain a basic understanding of staging and blocking, as well as the rules of the stage. The level of instruction and depth to which the material is explored grows as the class age increases..

For more experienced students, the focus is on exploring and experimenting with the knowledge and ideas acquired through previous drama training or performance experience. As students progress they will delve into the topics more deeply and be challenged with more complex and demanding performance pieces, as well as be exposed to more aspects of backstage theatre management in addition to performance on stage. As their theatre experience grows, these courses will allow students to try new and advanced methods of stage production. Advanced students can expect to be given the opportunity to create their own scenes and work with comparably experienced classmates to transition these pieces from idea to performance. Attention is paid to different aspects of comedic and dramatic performance.

All students will have the opportunity to prepare and perform individual monologues, short scene and full length plays and work with characters, story, and other techniques to expand and bring the material to life. They can expect to prepare pieces for both the Winter Cabaret and Weekend of Monologues, as well as their own class year-end production.

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Improvisation is very unique when considered as a type of theatre on its own. The aspect of using the "group as a team" dynamic to create advanced level improv performances is greatly explored in the course. Students will work with different types of improvised theatre, and will be encouraged to expand their personal comfort zone to enable them to present greater variety and interest on stage. Opportunities will be provided for students to create original, in-depth characters and unique plotlines for scene work. Students will be given the chance to analyze why improvised scenes work well on stage, and use their acquired knowledge to create fresh and interesting improv works. Students can expect to perform during the holiday show, as well as a year-end performance.

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Sketch comedy is a performance form of drama that is probably most recognizable in such well-known shows as Saturday Night Live, Royal Canadian Air Farce and Kids in the Hall, to name a few. Designed for students with a medium degree of previous performance experience, as well as an interest in the more creative side of theatre, this class will introduce them to the subtle but important differences in the various types of comedy: Slapstick, parody, farce, satire & irony. Students will learn the most effective techniques for maximizing the entertainment potential of each; when each is most appropriate; as well as methods for combining two or more forms to achieve even greater audience impact.

Students will also learn the differences between Sketch Comedy for stage and for film. Sketch for film is unique in that the restrictions which come with the stage do not necessarily apply. Technically, you’re only restricted to what your imagination (and your equipment) allows you to create. In this part of the course the students will write, rehearse and record a short sketch comedy scene for the camera.

Students will also gain experience in the techniques and "rules" for writing their own material and interpretting that of other authors. Throughout the course emphasis will be on regular student collaboration, developement, rehearsal and performance of the material. Where feasible additional performances will be scheduled beyond the normal Winter and Year-end shows. Students can expect to come away from the course with a strong sense of their own comic potential and the confidence and knowledge necessary to pursue it successfully.

Please note that this is an advanced class. Students will be introduced to and gain experience in the equivalent of first and second year post-secondary level material. It is recommended that interested students have a minimum 1-2 years previous theatrical training or live performance experience.

Voiceover and Radio Theatre Program

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Our adult program is designed along an Introductory/Intermediate level for those 19 years of age and older who are interested in learning what theatre can offer them. It will have value to those wishing to acquire new skills and understanding of acting and who want to have fun, while confidently and successfully getting involved in their local community theatre groups or proceeding to more serious acting pursuits.

The course will introduce participants to the various aspects of the stage and basic acting techniques. Selected methods of creating characters and achieving effective understanding of scripts will be highlighted. Monologue and scene work will be used extensively to demonstrate the importance of the material presented. Attention will also be paid to soem of the differences in acting in comedies as opposed to dramas. Participants will be shown simple and fun theatre games and exercises that help overcome stage fright, enhance acting abilities and can provide them with the confidence to use their new knowledge and skills to produce fun and successful performances.

The first half of the year will be educational and instructional in format, while during the second half, teaching will be more hands-on and focused around the class selection, rehearsal and performance of one or two short plays.

The class will participate in both the school Winter Cabaret and Weekend of Monologues showes, as well as its own year-end performance.

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The focus of these courses is to help both experienced and novice students understand the core principles, as well as the "tricks" and subtleties of acting for film. The emphasis is on having fun while we learn !

Act One's On Camera program encompasses classes for ages 11-13 as well as ages 14+. Both classes will follow the same course formats but will be targetted to their specific age ranges.

The first half of these courses will focus on particular acting techniques for film ( eg. tailoring the performance to the shot ). Students will learn about the camera, basic elements of cinematography and the business of film acting. Topics to be covered include how the language of film tells a story, the relationship between the actor and the film camera and the role of choices in creating variety, depth and continuity in a role. Focus is on understanding how the actor uses the camera to create a memorable performance.Students returning to the program will have the opportunity to build on previously acquired skills through the tackling of more challenging performance pieces and roles

The second half of the course adopts a more complete "hands on" approach, with each class working togther on their own class projects (a short film). This allows the students to apply the techniques learned and through the rehearsal and filming processes, refine them.

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