Summer Acting and Performance Institute
The UCLA Acting and Performance Institute is a six week intensive summer performance program designed for high school students sponsored by the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. The program offers an introduction to the crafts of theater with training focused on creative self expression, movement, improvisation, scene study, and work with masks.
Curriculum
All Acting and Performance Institute students are enrolled in both the morning and afternoon sessions of the program. The morning session begins promptly at 9:00 am and ends at 12:00 noon. After an hour break for lunch, students participate in one of four performance workshops scheduled at 1:00pm till 3:30 pm. Classes meet five days a week throughout the six week course.
Performance Classes
Students begin training every morning with Tai Chi and participate in four performance classes with a possibility of 4 units of college credit. The four morning classes are fundamentals of acting, scene study, improvisation and movement.
Performance Laboratory
After an hour break for lunch, students participate in a performance laboratory, a rehearsal period when Students are actively involved in mounting a production that tests and reinforces the skills learned in the morning performance classes. Under the supervision of a faculty director, a group of fifteen Students develops, from concept to performance, a theatrical piece designed to demonstrate and allow the Students to put into practice the skills they have learned throughout the day. The performance workshop is particularly geared to developing control over self-awareness and expression. All exercises and discussions are intended to enhance perceptive abilities and reinforce ensemble collaboration in order to provide a relevant foundation for performance communication. The performance laboratory concludes with a public demonstration of all aspects of the students work. This demonstration is held at 7:00 PM on the final day of the six week session. Students receive 2 units of college credit for the performance laboratory.
Workshops and Field Trips
In addition to attending regularly scheduled classes, students have an opportunity to participate in scheduled workshops and fieldtrips that allow behind-the-scenes understanding of live theater and the Hollywood entertainment industry. Past workshops have included commedia mask work, acting for the camera, stage combat, filming with muppet-style puppets, and How To workshops on getting an agent, headshots, etc. Fieldtrips have provided unique opportunities to see professional performances of premier plays, observe final dress rehearsals, participate in the filming of movies, and participate in live TV studio tapings. The workshops and fieldtrips expose Students to the wide range of opportunities in theater, film and television and help students to make more informed decisions about potential college programs.
Who Should Apply
The program is designed for the high school student who has a serious interest in the art of theater and is considering pursuing a major in theater at the college level. The Summer Institute is an intensive and rigorous program which places a student in a unique position of understanding the demands of a college theater program and helps the student determine whether a major in theater at the college level is right for her/him.
Professor Patricia Harter, Institute Director.
- Telephone: 310-206-7217
- E-mail: pharter@tft.ucla.edu
Or write to: UCLA High School Acting & Performance Institute Dept. of Theater 405 Hilgard Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90024-1622