Where Dreams Are Made Possible


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Frequently Asked Questions

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.
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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
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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)
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How can I pay for a workshop?
We accept cash, checks, money orders, Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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