feedback

UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
Acting and Performance Institute

June 23 - August 1, 2008

Acting and Performance Student Quotes

Student Quotes

"The Acting and Performance Institute was fabulous."

"I loved the program and had a really great time being part of it. I felt really connected with all of the other students and the teachers. There were always a lot of fun things planned for us. We got to see professional shows performed in the LA area and we had various workshops on things like mask making and Commedia dell'arte. The classes were a lot of fun, and very involved with a good combination of performance and learning. I think I learned more in my summer there than any other institution I have been a part of. I definitely had the most fun."

"The people that I met were amazing. I made some of my best friends and still keep in touch with a huge majority of them. I was there in the summer of 2005 and since then I have traveled with some of my UCLA students, visited them in different places and had them visit me. I even ended up at the same college as some of my fellow students."

"I loved my classes and the final presentation we did. I was involved in the film class and we got to create our own film from scratch, writing it, directing, casting, filming, and editing. It was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had and it opened up a whole new world to me with film."

"The dorm life was so much fun because it was a huge melting pot of students from different countries and backgrounds all hanging out together. I had friends from all over the place, and a year after the program ended I went to Brazil with some fellow UCLA goers to visit some of our foreign friends. How often would you get an opportunity like that?"

"I was sad when it ended. But the time was good, not too short and not too long. I liked my experience because I was just there as a simple student and was free aside from my class obligations."

"I would most definitely recommend this program to others. This program was my first time really being away from home and by myself, and though it was scary at first, I learned so much and grew as a person. I had tons of fun, made great friends, and future connections with people interested in the same industry as me. I learned a lot with my acting and even discovered a love of film making I never knew I had. I would recommend this experience to anyone, whether it be for the acting and film or any other program."

“The experience was amazing. I thought the teachers were fantastic. They knew how to connect with us, while still providing a wonderful learning experience. I loved the freedom we were able to have, and the performance at the end was really fun. Putting it together made for wonderful bonding. I think my favorite part was being in the afternoon group, working on the piece. I had some of the most belly-aching laughter in there! I didn't really have a least favorite part of the program. I thought everything was really fun.”

"The Acting and Performance Institute at UCLA was just what I needed in order to learn more and grow as an actor...I could not have spent my summer doing anything better."

"My favorite aspect of the program is the full-force dead-on submersion into real acting. I mean I really learned things. It was a first for me and it was so exhilarating."

"This program really has dedicated instructors who are incredibly willing to become close with and listen to their students, which is one of the things that truly made the program something memorable and really very effective. The program was also very good about making us well-rounded as performers, giving us little tastes of many different techniques and tools."

"My favorite aspect of the program was the freedom we were given in terms of creating our afternoon piece, but also the support we received. I enjoyed the differences in focus of the various classes. I also liked being able to attend performances around LA that I might have never seen if not for the program."

"My overall impression of the Acting and Performance Institute was that is was very well-organized and provided an excellent environment for learning. The healthy level of intensity and expectation combined with the approaches of the teachers made for a unique learning experience. I felt that it created a very safe atmosphere where students felt supported to explore all aspects of theatre, mind, and body. It was so refreshing to receive instruction from so many different types of teachers, all with their unique backgrounds and methods. Overall, the institute served as an exceptional backdrop and tool to guiding and shaping those that were serious about furthering their craft in theatre."

"My favorite aspects of the program were the acting and movement classes. Both of these classes were so experimental and stripped of any boundaries that it probed the urge to explore our range as actors. In acting class, I definitely learned so many new things both from the hands-on experience and from the instruction of a knowledgeable actor. The exercises that we did with improvisation were great in honing in all excess outer forces and turning that energy into a spontaneous work of art. Doing these exercises with people gave you so much to work and feed off of as an actor. Movement class became so beneficial that our work inside of it applied and aided in creating our characters for all the other classes. There was an unexplainable sense of comfort and being that I developed with my own body as a result of movement class. As we moved, we began to strip ourselves bare of inhibitions, and began to see one another as individuals and artists. However, I took notice that as individuals we must at times function as an ensemble and without an open mind it is quite difficult. There were times when I felt completely transported in my mind due to the high that I reached with exploring body movement."

"I would definitely recommend this program to students of all levels of experience. However, being that it is very demanding and rigorous, I would only recommend it to someone very serious about pursuing theatre."

I loved the intensive. It really helped me broaden my perception of theater and understand that plays are only scratching the surface. I feel able to prepare a character better and feel confident in my physical acting as well. I made so many lifelong friends and the instructors genuinely cared about their students. Tai Chi is so much fun, too!