Conservatory

Join the SAG-AFTRA NY Conservatory for Auditioning for the Camera with Ron Torgow.
Check-in at 1:45 p.m.

This class will cover:

• The Basics of creating a successful audition
• Improv
  • Commercials
  • Scenes
• Q & A
• Getting in front of the camera
  • Practical Exercises 
  • Class Participation/Volunteers

Please bring/prepare material. Some copy will also be provided.

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete the form below by 5 p.m. ET on Wednessday, April 26 to RSVP. Please bring your SAG-AFTRA member ID card, or digital card in the Member App (paid thru April 30, 2023) for admittance. 

Please note, masks are recommended and all members and guests who attend a meeting or event at a SAG-AFTRA office will need to confirm that they have been vaccinated and have received at least one booster through the use of the CLEAR Health Pass. This is a free app available for you to download on your smartphone. You may recognize CLEAR as its services are used by travelers in most major U.S. airports; and the free CLEAR Health Pass is used to validate vaccination for entry to stadiums and venues across the country. 

Here are the easy steps to get set up with CLEAR’s Health Pass:

• Download the free CLEAR app to your mobile device and tap the white Health Pass tile.
• Select ‘Have a code?’ and enter SAGAFTRAOFFICE.
• Easily enroll with your government issued ID or if you are already a CLEAR member, verify your identity with a quick selfie.
• Follow the prompts to provide proof of vaccination. Please allow 24 hours for CLEAR to validate your information.
• Upon arrival at a SAG-AFTRA office, reopen the CLEAR Health Pass and show your pass at check-in. Green is good to go!

If you need additional help with the app, contact CLEAR’s Member Care team directly in the CLEAR app, by calling 1-855-CLEARME (1-855-253-2763), or through email at memberservices@clearme.com. For any other questions, you can contact SAG-AFTRA at info@sagaftra.org or (855) SAG-AFTRA.

If you have questions about the event 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.

Last week the Hawaii Local posted an audition notice for video game voice actors. The project producers have offered to provide a short virtual (via Zoom) introduction for actors considering auditioning for the game. Think of this as a tips and tricks session for interested actors. For those wanting a deeper dive into the field of voiceover acting for video games, please consider joining the the workshop on May 6, Are U Game? The Business and Art of Video Game Voice Acting.

When:  Monday, April 24, 9-10 a.m. HT

Where: Online via Zoom (link provided after registration)

RSVP: Reservations are required by Sunday, April 23. Please complete the form below to RSVP; you must be logged in to RSVP. 

This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing (paid through April 30, 2023, or Oct. 31, 2023). 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 48 business hours before the start of the event. 

The Hawaii Local Conservatory Committee invites you to join one of the leading directors/producers in gaming to discuss how to build a lasting career in video game performance.

The video game Industry is growing faster than ever. Gaming is the highest-grossing media industry in the world and PCB Productions is one of the largest producers and directors of some of the most iconic video games.

Join PCB Production’s award-winning producer, director and CEO Keith Arem to develop your technical voiceover skills for video games. This two-hour intensive workshop will cover everything from auditioning to booking, studio etiquette, home recording, creating your reel and much more.

When: Saturday, May 6, 2023 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Where: Homer Maxey Center Conference Room

521 Ala Moana Blvd, 2nd Floor

Honolulu, HI 96813

A map of the location can be found here.

Look for a street called Channel St. coming off Ala Moana Blvd. Turn “Makai” on Channel and then take the FIRST RIGHT after the parking lot. It’s easy to miss this right turn so look for a sign that says HOMER A. MAXEY! Drive past the sign and follow the road until it ends. Park and enter the glass doors. We’re upstairs.

RSVP: Reservations are required by Thursday, May 4. Please complete the form below to RSVP; you must be logged in to access the form. 

This event is only open to paid-up Hawaii Local members in good standing (paid through April 30, 2023 or Oct. 31, 2023). 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 48 business hours before the start of the event. 

The Portland Local SAG-AFTRA Conservatory would like to invite you to a special one-day actors event.

When: Saturday, April 29, 8:30 am - 7 pm

Where: Oregon AFL-CIO, 3645 SE 32nd Ave., Portland, OR 97202.

Registration Price: $25 for SAG-AFTRA Members; $50 for Non-Members. Click Here to make payment(s).

RSVP: Fill out the form below to reserve your spot by Friday, April 21 at 5 pm PT. You must be logged in to see the form below. Workshop selections will be accommodated first come, first serve based on completed/pre-paid registration. You must also click here to make payment(s).

This event is in person, but the Local will also offer the option to view/listen virtually over Zoom.

Once you register for the event, please email portland@sagaftra.org to confirm whether you will be in person or virtual, to record which workshops you are planning to participate in, and whether you will be paying for an optional headshot session. See below for more information on head shots!

Schedule of events

8:30 am Doors Open

9 -10 am The State of the Film and TV Industry in Oregon with guest speakers.

9 -10:30 am Kristina Haddad - A Deep Dive into the Craft of Acting - from Stanislavski to Spolin

10 am - noon - Speed Networking with 8-10 PNW Talent Agents and Casting Directors. Each attendee will have approximately 90 seconds one-on-one with every agent and casting director to introduce themselves and share their headshot and resume. Please bring 8 to 10 copies.

10:30 am -noon - Scott Rogers - On-Camera Acting - Learn the ins and outs of working on-camera and how to avoid the 3 most common mistakes actors make when auditioning or working on-camera.

11 am - noon - SAG-AFTRA NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION - for members that have joined in the past several years or that want a brush up on Union basics.

Noon - 1 pm - NETWORKING & LUNCH (provided with pre-registration)

12:30 - 2 pm - Mary McDonald-Lewis - An Actor with 5 Accents is 5 Actors: Learn how to grow your team with Accents - a lecture on the four pillars of dialect acquisition.

2 -3:30 pm - Joseph Bertot - "Who am I?" What kind of performer do you aspire to be?

2 - 3 pm - Making your own Content - Panel with guest speakers

3 - 4 pm - Business of Acting - Panel with guest speakers

3:30-5 pm - Shelly Lipkin - Self-Tape Workshop

4-4:30 pm - Social Media and Your Career - presented by Katie Prentiss

4:30-5:15 pm - What the heck is a LOOP GROUP? A little-known revenue path in our industry. Presented by Rebel Loop founder Mike Vaughn

5:15 - 7 pm - AFTER PARTY (location TBD)

There will be two headshot photographers on-site doing 15-minute sessions with ONE look, and ONE edit for $25. If you are selecting this option, you must pay the photographer directly prior to the session. Please contact portland@sagaftra.org for more information.

ADA requests may be included on your RSVP form below. Please note that ADA requests must be received 48 business hours before the start of the event. 

How long has it been since you performed live? Do you have some material you’d like to try out? Have you wanted to expand your repertoire to include singing or stand up? Interested in trying out your audition pieces?

Welcome to the SAG-AFTRA WMA Conservatory Salon! You’ll work in a safe environment with your peers to discover what material works for you and what doesn’t. You can ask for constructive feedback or just give yourself the opportunity to work in  front of a live audience. The sky’s the limit on what you can bring to the group, so don’t be afraid to explore! Each participant will have a 10 minute slot for their piece including any feedback you’d like to hear.

Moderated by Nicole Hakimohn, SAG-AFTRA, AEA. Nicole moved to the WMA Local from the Michigan Local where she served on the board as the Legacy SAG VP and SAG-AFTRA First VP. She is excited to be able to serve on the WMA board to continue her service to her fellow members.

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

This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members of the Washington-Mid Atlantic Local in good standing (paid thru April 30, 2023, oe Oct. 31, 2023). 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 48 business hours before the start of the event. 

Learn about the art of audiobook storytelling from award-winning director and producer Paul Alan Ruben in this special conservatory offering. The purpose of this SAG-AFTRA audiobook workshop is to identify fundamental performance habits - both in fiction and non-fiction - that create compelling storytelling. Becoming a compelling and successful audiobook narrator, in both fiction and non-fiction, begins with recognizing that a storyteller's job is 100% acting, 0% voicing.

In fiction, the fundamental performance habits that will be addressed include identifying and playing point of view, playing the emotional stakes and matching them, playing the third-person narrator, speaking dialogue like real people, engaging the here and now, and using punctuation as your co-director. In non-fiction, these fundamental performance habits include understanding your performance outcome as the author’s  surrogate, owning your role as expert/teacher/persuader, and emotionally investing yourself in ‘wowing’ the listener with this fantastic story.

Ruben has directed and produced award-winning audiobooks for every major publisher since 1990. Ruben has received two Best Spoken Word Grammy Awards and the programs he has directed have received numerous Audiofile Earphone and APA Audie Awards, including last year’s Audie-winner, Lisa Flannigan, for Spinning Silver. Over his career, Ruben has conducted narrators’ workshops and coached numerous individual narrators. He has also cast and directed multiple first-time narrators, many of whom have become household names, including, Edoardo Ballerini, Oliver Wyman, Michael Crouch, Maggi-Meg Reed, Cassandra Morris, David Ledoux, Holter Graham and Kathleen McInnerney.

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

This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing (paid thru April 30, 2023, or Oct. 31, 2023). 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 48 business hours before the start of the event. 

Join us for our NextGen 2023 kick-off gathering and help SAG-AFTRA look ahead to the future. All 18+ Gen Z, Millennial, and Gen X performers, including both actors and broadcasters, should come out, meet face-to-face (at last), and see how we can improve work in our area in the months and years ahead.

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

This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing (paid thru April 30, 2023, or Oct. 31, 2023). 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 48 business hours before the start of the event. 

In this workshop, we’ll help group members in breakout rooms to get to know each other, share self taping experiences, and exchange contact information. Be prepared for your next audition with some experienced readers who can help you via Zoom or on the phone.

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

This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing (paid thru April 30, 2023, or Oct. 31, 2023). 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 48 business hours before the start of the event.