Master Scene Study

In this class we will identify the themes at work in the plays and screenplays on which we work. From this foundation, we will enhance backstory, principles of time and place, specific emotional memory work and imagery as we endeavor to develop characterization.

Students will work, individually, with Deborah Aquila and Joe Massingill as they investigate the world of character building in safe, yet challenging sessions.

Breaking it Down

This is a technique class with practical applications taught by Jessica Aquila Cymerman and Éanna O’Dowd. Whether you are new to The Adler technique or just want to deepen your work, this class is designed to push you creatively and intellectually. Our goal is to give you a foundation for your craft that will serve you professionally for the rest of your career.

We will be working with the fundamentals of text analysis and script interpretation, focusing on building a character. For those who want to strengthen specificity in scenes, and connect to their emotional engines. We will be covering techniques of Adler, Meisner, and Chekhov, and applying them to assigned monologues throughout the session. 

Private Coaching

All of our instructors offer private coaching/self-taping services. Private coaching is available for film, television, theatre and specific projects, including audition prep. Private coaching sessions will be coordinated upon inquiry.

Activating the Character

Designed as the advanced class of the Aquila Studio, this scene-study class led by Joe Massingill and Éanna O’Dowd will aim to bridge the gap between the research and script analysis, and living presently as the character.

It will act as a launch pad from Breaking it Down into Master Scene Study.

The classes will involve not just script work, but exercises in imagination work, bodywork and breath work to activate the actor in the given circumstances of the character. 

Weekend Intensive Master Class: Script Analysis & Backstory

These Intensives are held once every couple of months, over a two-day period. Deborah Aquila leads examinations of the principles of script analysis as applicable to the everyday audition experience through student-presented scene assignments.

Using this specific plan of action will deepen your backstory, which will enhance your choices during the presentation of your audition, and deepen your approach to the work.