Conservatory

You must have already taken Part One Scene Study: From Table Read To Performance #1 to take this course.

Once you are registered for the initial course on Monday, April 28, you are automatically registered for this class.

Location: 2nd Floor Classroom, SAG-AFTRA Plaza 
           5757 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 220, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Instructor: Caryn West

Description:

This is an eight-week course.

You must be available for the following dates in order to take this class:

• Monday, April 28 from 1 - 5 p.m. PT
• Monday, May 5 from 1 - 5 p.m. PT
• Monday, May 12 from 1 - 5 p.m. PT
• Monday, May 19 from 1 - 5 p.m. PT
• Monday, June 2 from 1 - 5 p.m. PT
• Monday, June 9 from 1 - 5 p.m. PT
• Monday, June 16 from 1 - 5 p.m. PT
• Monday, June 23 from 1 - 5 p.m. PT

Join Caryn West for Scene Study: From Table Read To Performance!

Take a deep dive into two characters in two scenes, from script analysis to a full footing and guest pro giving final feedback.

Focus on process and wonderful failures/lessons, stretching outside of your comfort zone, overcoming rust and de-emphasis on results.

Work on two scenes/two scene partners, luxuriously and slowly over 3-4 weeks.

Class One: Bring a monologue, song or dance to introduce and celebrate yourself. Movement and vocal warm-ups. Introductions and scenes assigned.

Class Two: Table reads and text analysis without self-tape result speed. The event, your roles function, genre, the writer and listening.

Class Three: Warm-up and first footings, exploring the character in body and space, personalization and being present.

Class Four: Guest Pro if available. Fully memorized. Staged with props and costume.

Class Five to Eight: Repeat with a new scene/partner.

Note: This is not a beginner’s course, actors need to rehearse outside of the class to prepare scenes. This is for actors who want to have fun and explore without judgment. Actors are encouraged to stretch with characters they may not get cast as and re-examine or revive their process with support you deserve.

Questions? Email conservatory@sagaftra.org

These workshops are only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Conservatory members in good standing, no guests allowed. All performers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. These workshops are not intended to imply an endorsement of any individual or company by SAG-AFTRA. The information provided through these workshops is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for the advice of other industry professionals. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided through the workshop.

ADA requests must be received 72 business hours before the start of the event. 
 

** Registration for this event will open on Friday, Apr. 18 at 10 AM **

Deadline to RSVP is Apr. 30 at 12 noon PT.

Location: Online via Zoom

Instructor: Carrie Lynn Certa

Description:

Join the SAG-AFTRA L.A. Conservatory for 101 of Producing, taught by Carrie Lynn Certa!

This class will cover:

• The basics of producing
• Answering the age old question: What does a producer do?
• Starting at the end, in order to begin producing…
• Deliverables for your projects
• Legal obligations
• Formatting your script correctly
• Common mistakes in prep and scripts
• And more!

This course is the prerequisite for a larger, in-depth class.

Please note: You must use a Zoom account with the same email address that was submitted with the RSVP. You will receive your unique, non-transferrable Zoom link the day before the event from the SAG-AFTRA L.A. Local Conservatory.

If you have trouble joining the Zoom meeting, please email webhelp@sagaftra.org or call (855) 724-2387.

Members will be expected to engage with professionalism and courtesy.

Questions? Email conservatory@sagaftra.org

This workshop is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. No guests allowed. All performers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. This workshop is not intended to imply an endorsement of any individual or company by SAG-AFTRA. The information provided through the workshop is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for the advice of other industry professionals. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided through the workshop.

ADA requests must be received 72 business hours before the start of the event. 
 

This event has been cancelled.

Location: 2nd Floor Classroom, SAG-AFTRA Plaza 
           5757 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 220, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Instructor: John Ruby

Description:

Join the SAG-AFTRA L.A. Conservatory for On-Camera Drama & Comedy Class!

Students will learn how to make bold, creative choices to truly inhabit a character and bring the words on the page to life. This deep dive into emotions, relationships, obstacles and objectives will help open up the actor to spontaneity and working moment-to-moment. Putting all these tools together will allow them to book more work in television and film.

Members can choose sides from the following database:

• Conservatory Sides

Directions:
Please choose and prepare one scene as if for an audition; totally prepared, dressed for the part, off-book and adapted for a taped audition environment. Bring two copies of the sides, one for yourself and the other highlighted for the reader. Bring a flash drive or SD card if you'd like to take the takes home with you.

Questions? Email conservatory@sagaftra.org

These workshops are only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Conservatory members in good standing, no guests allowed. All performers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. These workshops are not intended to imply an endorsement of any individual or company by SAG-AFTRA. The information provided through these workshops is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for the advice of other industry professionals. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided through the workshop.

ADA requests must be received 72 business hours before the start of the event. 

Join us for the next performance in our San Francisco-Northern California Local Conservatory Screenplay Reading Series:  Desert Star News by Robert Haus

SYNOPSIS:  After a major-market anchorwoman wins a sexual harassment lawsuit, she quickly learns no other station in the country will hire her - except for a low-budget, ramshackle station in the middle of nowhere.

The main character, Brooke Pierce, is a former anchorwoman for a Pittsburgh television station. After rejecting repeated sexual demands from the news director, she was demoted to the noon newscast, ostensibly due to falling ratings.  She wins a sexual harassment lawsuit and arranges a settlement with the station. Brooke entrusts the settlement money to her father, the highly regarded owner of a Miami bond brokerage house.

But shortly after winning the suit, she is hospitalized with viral pneumonia. While recovering, she learns she has lost almost all of the settlement money and a good part of her life savings to a financial crisis. Nearly broke, she asks her agent to find an anchoring or reporting job. He tells her no other station will hire her. The station owners feel that any woman who would sue for sexual harassment must be trouble. They will not hire her under any circumstances.
After several months, she receives an offer of an interview. The owner of a low-budget, ramshackle station in the California High Desert town of Joshua Valley is willing to talk with her. Brooke flies out for an interview and finds a small, remote town baking in one hundred degree-plus heat. The station owner is new to the television business and is unaware of her lawsuit and its fallout. The news staff, save for the News Director/Anchor, is young and inexperienced.
Her interview is interrupted when the owner learns his News Director/Anchor has been killed in a car accident. Brooke helps the shaken young news staff assemble and deliver the night’s newscast. Afterwards, the owner offers her the position of News Director/Anchor.
Brooke accepts, and starts the new chapter of her life in the isolated, occasionally harsh, and often baffling desert town of Joshua Valley.

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete form below to RSVP. Please note that you must be logged in to RSVP. 

WRITER/FILMMAKER BIO - Robert Haus is a former professional musician, he also worked for several years as an award-winning television news producer and reporter.  In 2019, he retired after a distinguished career as a Public Information Officer with the California Department of Transportation.  His magazine articles appeared in Flight Journal and the California Transportation Journal.  His first book, "Diminished, Resolving to Major" was published this year.  He lives in Oakland, California.

This event is only open to active SAG-AFTRA members in good standing (paid through April 30, 2025 or Oct. 31, 2025). No guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.

ADA requests may be included on your RSVP form below. Please note that ADA requests must be received 72 hours before the start of the event.

Thursdays Bi-weekly

Teacher: Mia Christo

This class will introduce acting terminology, screenwriting, and genre and how that affects acting for the camera. 
This course will help students begin to develop a personal preparation system for an on-camera role and introduce them to the business of film and television. Filled with a mix of science and artistry this class focuses on bringing your best for the camera, and learn basic set etiquette.

RSVP: The registration form for this class will open below on Monday, April 21. 

Please bring your SAG-AFTRA member ID card, or digital card in the Member App for admittance. 

If you have questions about the class or need to request an accommodation please email us at ny.conservatory@sagaftra.org. 

This workshop is not intended to imply an endorsement of any individual or company by SAG-AFTRA. Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed are those of the individual guests, not of SAG-AFTRA. The information provided through the workshop is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for applicable professional advice. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided through the workshop.

This event is only open to SAG-AFTRA NY Conservatory Members.

Weekly

Teacher: Robert Goodman

Via mainstream acting theories and techniques, proven exercises and improvisation, students are exposed to the stylish and technical demands of camera performance. With emphasis on the ensemble and exposure, today’s audition obligations, to understanding how multi-media training relates to a 21st century actor, we will explore, challenge, and apply the vernacular, etiquette, discipline, and nuance of acting, and note how the process of storytelling applies to the actor. 

RSVP: The registration form for this class will open below on Monday, April 21. 

Please bring your SAG-AFTRA member ID card, or digital card in the Member App for admittance. 

If you have questions about the class or need to request an accommodation please email us at ny.conservatory@sagaftra.org. 

This workshop is not intended to imply an endorsement of any individual or company by SAG-AFTRA. Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed are those of the individual guests, not of SAG-AFTRA. The information provided through the workshop is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for applicable professional advice. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided through the workshop.

This event is only open to SAG-AFTRA NY Conservatory Members.

Thursdays Bi-weekly

Teacher: Evan Bass

Have you been daunted by self-producing or are you an old hat? Self-Producing 101 will delve
into everything pre-production, production, and post-production to give you a template for how
to be prepared at each level of your filmmaking. Featuring Q&As at the end of each session,
bring your notepads and questions and get ready to create your own work!

PART 4: EVERY QUESTION, FROM EVERYWHERE, ALL AT ONCE

• Any and all Self-Producing questions.
   

Topics to be covered in future sessions:

PART 5: DAVINCI RESOLVE EDITING -- DIVE INTO THE EDIT

RSVP: The registration form for this class will open below on Monday, April 21. 

Please bring your SAG-AFTRA member ID card, or digital card in the Member App for admittance. 

If you have questions about the class or need to request an accommodation please email us at ny.conservatory@sagaftra.org. 

This workshop is not intended to imply an endorsement of any individual or company by SAG-AFTRA. Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed are those of the individual guests, not of SAG-AFTRA. The information provided through the workshop is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for applicable professional advice. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided through the workshop.

This event is only open to SAG-AFTRA NY Conservatory Members.

Wednesdays Bi-weekly

Teacher: Jill Stern

Through the lens of the self-tape audition, we'll focus on what you can do to bring your work to the next level. Please bring a TV/Film scene not more than 2 minutes in length (about 2 pages). Up to 8 participants will have the opportunity to work on a scene.

RSVP: The registration form for this class will open below on Monday, April 21. 

Please bring your SAG-AFTRA member ID card, or digital card in the Member App for admittance. 

If you have questions about the class or need to request an accommodation please email us at ny.conservatory@sagaftra.org. 

This workshop is not intended to imply an endorsement of any individual or company by SAG-AFTRA. Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed are those of the individual guests, not of SAG-AFTRA. The information provided through the workshop is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for applicable professional advice. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided through the workshop.

This event is only open to SAG-AFTRA NY Conservatory Members.

Weekly

Teacher: Jon Freda

Exercises for playing the purpose of a scene by focusing on choices in scripted and unscripted scenarios.

RSVP: The registration form for this class will open below on Monday, April 21. 

Please bring your SAG-AFTRA member ID card, or digital card in the Member App for admittance. 

If you have questions about the class or need to request an accommodation please email us at ny.conservatory@sagaftra.org. 

This workshop is not intended to imply an endorsement of any individual or company by SAG-AFTRA. Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed are those of the individual guests, not of SAG-AFTRA. The information provided through the workshop is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for applicable professional advice. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided through the workshop.

This event is only open to SAG-AFTRA NY Conservatory Members.

Tuesdays Bi-weekly

Teacher: Marc Baron

Discussions will include delving deeper into the screenwriting process with new materials each meet. It's recommended to take the Introduction to Screenwriting. 
 

RSVP: The registration form for this class will open on Monday, April 21. Please bring your SAG-AFTRA member ID card, or digital card in the Member App for admittance. 

If you have questions about the class or need to request an accommodation please email us at ny.conservatory@sagaftra.org. 

This workshop is not intended to imply an endorsement of any individual or company by SAG-AFTRA. Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed are those of the individual guests, not of SAG-AFTRA. The information provided through the workshop is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for applicable professional advice. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided through the workshop.

This event is only open to SAG-AFTRA NY Conservatory Members.