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How do I register for a workshop?
Do I have to audition to register?
What is the minimum age requirement to register?
How can I pay for a workshop?
Do you offer payment plans?
What is your policy on missed workshop days?
What is your refund policy?
Where is the Chicago Actors Studio located?
Is there parking nearby?
How do I get to CAS via train or bus?
How many students are in each workshop?
Which program should I start with?
How do I prepare for my first day?
What if I've never acted before?
I'm already a skilled actor, but I tend to struggle when auditioning. Can anyone help me with this?
Will I get a chance to perform?
Do you offer private coaching?
Do you have an internship program?
Do you have scholarship program?
Do you recommend any agents or photographers?
Do you help actors prepare for pending auditions?
Do you have a Demo Reel or Voice Over Demo service?
What is an “Actor's Slate” video and do you have this service?
Can you make me a star?
How do I register for a workshop?
Very simple. All you need to do is come into our office, fill out an
application and pay a small registration fee. Then our staff will help
you choose a start date and reserve a space for you in the program of
your choice. The whole process only takes about 10-15 minutes.
Individuals with significant prior training wishing to go directly
to the “Advanced Professional” level, may first be required to
go through an audition process to confirm that they are ready to take
on that level of training. You can also register for most of our workshops online through our website. (back to FAQ)
Do I have to audition to register?
There is no need to audition to join our preparatory/beginners level
workshops. However, new participants will be required to audition/interview
before joining an advanced-professional level workshop or certain of our
specialized target workshops (back to FAQ)
What is the minimum age requirement to register?
In
general we don’t usually accept participants under the age of 16 in our
adult workshops. There have been exceptions for private coaching
for actors registering as low as 14. An interview, accompanied by a
parent or guardian, is required before registering anyone under the age
of 18 in an adult workshop. We also have youth workshops designed
for participants age 8-17 (parent or guardian signature required for
registration) (back to FAQ)
How can I pay for a workshop?
We accept cash, checks, money orders, Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover. (back to FAQ)
Do you offer payment plans?
Yes. If you cannot afford to pay your tuition in full at the start of
your session, you can split it up into 2 payments, one to be made at
the start of the session, and the balance to be paid part-way through
the session. Other payment plans can be arranged on a case by case
basis. Internships are also available as a way of
paying your tuition. (back to FAQ)
What is your policy on missed workshop days?
You must call the CAS office if you are going to miss a workshop for any
reason or will be late attending. You are allowed up to 3
excused absences which would be due to certified arts related auditions,
rehearsals, film/video
shooting schedule etc. or a major confirmed sickness or death of a
family member. There will be NO monetary REFUNDS for missed workshops
under
these said conditions.
For on-going workshops, (continuously running workshops such as AAAC), your term will be extended in an
amount equal to the number of excusable days missed.
For non-ongoing workshops, you will need to re-register in the same
workshop type and level during the following session scheduling, and will
be
given credit in the form of the number of excusable days missed. You
will need to coordinate and set this up this with the CAS office staff.
No matter how legitimate your other excuses may be for missed workshop days, that are not specified above, they will
not be excusable and cannot be made up nor any credit be given.
If you miss 3 consecutive days without a CAS certified excusable
reason, you will NOT be able to continue with your workshop on an active
basis. However, you may be allowed to sit in (audit) and observe the
remaining days of your scheduled session.
CAS cannot reimburse you for workshops missed. (back to FAQ)
What is your refund policy?
If you need to cancel or drop your workshop/program prior to the
initial start of said workshop term, you must give the Chicago Actors
Studio a
written notice of your intentions to do so. If this notice is received
by CAS at least one week prior to your scheduled start
date, you are entitled to receive a partial refund in the amount of
seventy percent (70%) of your entire tuitions paid for said given workshop.
The remaining thirty percent (30%) portion of tuitions paid, will be
held as a credit at CAS for up to 180 days (approximately 6 months),
after the date of
registration and may be applied to future workshops/programs
that you may wish to partake/register in. If you do not enroll in a
workshop/program during this period the remaining 30% thereby
held will be forfeited.
If you cancel or drop your workshop registration within one week prior to
your scheduled start date, the
entire tuitions paid will be held as a credit at CAS for up to 180 days
(approximately 6 months), that may be applied to future workshops/programs
that you may wish to partake/register in. If you do not enroll in a
workshop/program during this period, the entire tuition amount
held will be forfeited.
If you cancel or drop out of a workshop/program once the workshop/program has begun, the full tuition that you had paid is NOT
refundable, nor transferable and will not be held for you to apply to any future workshop/program.
There are NO refunds on registration fees, book fees or any material costs. (back to FAQ)
Where is the Chicago Actors Studio located?
Our address is 2040 N. Elston. Chicago, IL 60614, directly on the corner of Elston, Ashland and Armitage Ave. (back to FAQ)
Is there parking nearby?
CAS participants and visitors are allowed to park for free at Best Buy, located at 2100 N. Elston, half a block northwest of us. (back to FAQ)
How do I get to CAS via train or bus?
The #9 Ashland bus runs right across the street from us, and there is a
#73 Armitage bus stop 2 blocks south of us. There is also a Metra
station one block south of us that runs the UP-N and UP-NW lines. (back to FAQ)
How many participants are in each workshop?
It
depends on the workshop. Our preparatory or beginners, “Acting As“A
Craft” basic skills workshops, have no more than15 participants at a
time. “Advanced Professional” level workshops and specific target
workshops, such as “Audition Power”, “The Ear Prompter”, “Voice and
Diction”, “Cold Readings”, “Monologues“ and so on, tend to be smaller,
at about 6-8 participants on average. (back to FAQ)
Which program should I start with?
This depends on your experience level. If you feel you have enough
prior training, you can audition to join our “Advanced Professional”
workshops. Otherwise, you should start in our “Preparatory-Beginners”
levels of our “Acting As A Craft” (basic skills) program. It is not
necessary to audition for the preparatory-beginners level.
It is also strongly recommended that you have at least some prior
training before joining any of our target workshops. (back to FAQ)
How do I prepare for my first day?
When you register, our staff will briefly go over our training manual
and rehearsal process with you, and will also give you a monologue to
be performed at your first workshop. Don’t worry, this first performance
is nothing to get nervous about! Everyone has a first time. You’re not
expected to be a DiCaprio, Morgan Freeman or a Meryl Streep. It’s just
a way for your coach to get to know you and what your strengths
and weaknesses are as an actor and the best approach to use to get
you on your way.
Absolutely bring pen and paper to take notes. You will also want to get
a voice recorder. It doesn’t matter if it’s a cassette recorder or
digital, and it needn’t be super-expensive pro-quality. Just make sure
it’s easy for you to use and records clearly enough that you can hear
yourself. Great tool to use to review later what was said during the workshop. You
will need to be able to record yourself for the voice training sections. Using cell phone for this purpose is not recommended.
As long as your scene partner is acceptable to this, you are also
allowed to video record your workshop exercise as your coach is
working with you. No major equipment please, those small hand-held
cameras work fine. (back to FAQ)
What if I've never acted before?
No need to worry, we accept actors of all experience levels, from
complete beginners looking for a place to start, to advanced
professionals who simply want to sharpen their skills. Our instructors
give each participant a lot of individual and personal attention, giving
you assignments based on what you need to move forward with your career. (back to FAQ)
I'm already a skilled actor, but I tend to struggle when auditioning. Can anyone help me with this?
What
many people don't realize is that auditioning is an art unto
itself. Our “Audition Power” workshop is specifically designed to teach
you the skills you need to master this art, such, the importance of the
first 15 seconds; mastering your slate which is more than just saying
your name and contact info; controlling the audition and not having
it control you; what to wear, how to pick the right monologue; cold
readings; differences in auditioning on stage and on-camera; The
differences in film; commercials; industrial script readings;
headshots; resumes; putting together an eye-catching promotional
package for
yourself and even more!
Additionally, our instructors will often take the time to work with
you, outside of the workshop, to help you prepare for an upcoming
audition and
give you an edge over the competition. (back to FAQ)
Will I get a chance to perform?
Opposed to elsewhere, every participant will have the opportunity to
perform their assignment in their workshop. In addition, each year,
CAS mounts theatrical productions featuring a cast made up almost
entirely of the currently registered participants, with the opportunity of
former participants, filling in the cast where needed. These are NOT black
box or minimalist plays. These are designed to simulate full blown professionally mounted
productions, with props and intricate set designs. These projects are
designed specifically to give actors a taste of being in a
professional show, making that import connection between what they are
learning in the workshop and how it applies to practical performance. Agents,
producers, directors are often in attendance along with family and
friends
of cast and crew (back to FAQ)
Do you offer private coaching?
We certainly do! Our artistic director, Edward Dennis Fogell offers
private one on one coaching for actors who are unable to schedule
time in the group workshops, and also for advanced professionals hoping to
focus on one particular area of their training. Free coaching sessions
are sometimes afforded participants registered in our workshops, when
special attention is requested on any given subject or when an actor
may need to prepare for an up and coming audition. Our Artistic
Director, also quite often takes his own personal time to work on
audition scripts or accent reduction with actors that are registered
in our group workshops. (back to FAQ)
Do you have an internship program?
Yes we have. Actors that apply and are accepted, may be required to
commit to two days or evenings a week to work in the staff office doing
normal office duties or around the studio. In turn, the Intern
will receive free and discounted training in our workshop programs. (back to FAQ)
Do you have scholarship program?
Absolutely. Scholarships are award to individuals with special
circumstances. Theses scholarship are offered by Complete Video Services
and Film Productions. Just stop by and ask for an application. (back to FAQ)
Do you recommend any agents or photographers?
Yes, but this is done on a case by case basis. Our recommendation
depends on many different factors, such as your skill and experience
level, or your current goals (Do you want to work in commercials,
films, on
stage, etc.) (back to FAQ)
Do you help actors prepare for pending auditions?
Coaches here at CAS often take their valuable free time to help actors prepare for an outside pending audition for
commercials, film, stage or whatever. We also offer this service for
non-registered actors at our private coaching rates.
It is becoming more and more popular for out of town producers, agents,
etc. to provide sides of scripts for actors to videotape and email the
clip back to them for registration or to be considered for a role. A
serious professional actor would also have an edge over the competition
to have these clips uploaded to their Actors Access or Casting Network
sites, even now required for registration by Agents. We are experienced in
producing these types of clips, knowing exactly what is required in
the industry and are able to provide this service to you in our
facilities along with a qualified director. For further questions and
rates just call our staff office they will be most helpfull in getting
you started. Major discounts are given to registered and former participants.
(back to FAQ)
Do you have a Demo Reel, Voice Over Demo services?
Yes. Actor’s Demo Reel, Voice-Over Demo can be produced inexpensively
for you as a separate service at the Chicago Actors Studio. For further
questions and rates just call our office. (back to FAQ)
What is an “Actor's Slate” video and do you have this service?
An “Actor's Slate” video is one of the most important tools a serious
professional actors must have in their marketing arsenal. This is
especially applicable, if you are promoting yourself across the US. The
subject of an “Actors’ Slate” video and what it should contain is
covered both in our marketing seminars along within our “Audition
Power” workshops. CAS can also produce one for you as a separate
service. For further questions and rates just call our staff office
they will be most helpfull in getting you started. (back to FAQ)
Can you make me a star?
No one can guarantee that you will become a movie star. If they do, you
are studying at the wrong studio. Probably some scam shop, of which
there are many, will tell you that. These studios, sometimes calling themselves
agencies or management companies, are just interested in your bank
account, not your best interest to teach you skills necessary to become
that movie star. They hold these seminars with all kinds of hype
tactics, telling you are you are a natural, etc. Try selling you photo
sessions. Useless classes that can cost $1000 or more for 8-10 weeks.
By the end of the day, you will have shelled out thousands and thousands
of dollars on some so-called special audition event before "major
casting people" that may not even be real, and you will go home with
nothing to show for it. You do this because you are new, hungry for
this business, and know no better how it all works the
right way. We here at the Chicago Actors Studio, will in fact teach
you skills that you need. How to market those skills and lead you to the
right places. Guide you through the necessary steps. Support you even
after you graduate into the market place. The rest is up to you. (back to FAQ)
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