Workshops

This is a hands-on workshop, which includes scripted scene work, provides practical tools for film shoot preparation, script analysis during rehearsal, making strong choices for cold reading, finding the tempo of a scene and much more. It is designed to explore a practical approach to unlocking the secrets of any script for actors at all levels and help participants create a foundation for a way of working no matter what one’s approach or training may be. 

When: 6:30 – 9:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019
 
Where: Seydways Acting Studios (Native Sons Building)
414 Mason Street, 6th Floor, Suite 604 (Cross streets are Geary and Post)
San Francisco, CA 94102
Directions/Parking: Public transportation is available and encouraged. (BART and MUNI - Powell Street Station). Self-pay parking is available at the Sutter/Stockton or Ellis/O'Farrell garages.

Class size is limited to 35 members.

Cost: There is no charge.
 
RSVP: Email david.conover@sagaftra.org. Please include your name, phone number and SAG-AFTRA membership I.D. number.
 
Participants will be randomly selected from those who respond, with preference given to those who have not attended Conservatory events within the past months.
 
As a courtesy to members on the waiting list, if you have reserved a space in this workshop and cannot attend, please cancel your reservation by Monday, Jan. 21. Failure to do so may result in the inability to attend future workshops.
 
We appreciate your enthusiasm to participate in conservatory classes, but anyone who shows up without receiving written confirmation will not be granted access to the class. If you arrive late, it is up to the discretion of the teacher as to whether or not you will be admitted.

About Bobby Weinapple 
Bobby Weinapple is a professional actor, director and teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. On-camera credits include dozens of commercials, industrials and many independent films, as well as guest starring roles on Nash Bridges and Trauma and a featured role in La Mission with Benjamin Bratt. He has also worked at most of the region's major theatres, including the Tony Award-winning Berkeley Repertory Theatre, ACT and TheatreWorks. In 1996, he received a Drama-Logue Award for Principal Performance for his performance in Lady Be Good with 42nd Street Moon. As a teacher, he has been a faculty member for eight years with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, teaches Acting with Power at Stanford University Design School, and currently heads the San Francisco branch of Seydways Studios, one of the city's premier acting studios.

This workshop is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing — no guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome. SAG-AFTRA members, please bring your membership card (paid through April 30, 2019) for admittance.

About to sign a contract with your agent? Be fully informed of your rights before you sign on the dotted line! SAG-AFTRA’s Professional Representatives Department will hold an educational seminar on general service agreements or GSAs (i.e. the contracts that some agents have been using to represent our members instead of the standard Legacy SAG and/or Legacy AFTRA agency contracts). These GSA contracts are signed outside of SAG-AFTRA’s protection, and it is imperative that members have a working knowledge of what these contracts actually say before signing them—your professional future and your income may depend on it. Staff will also take this opportunity to address how these contracts may apply, and discuss what your options are. This educational seminar will be especially helpful to any member having trouble making sense of the complicated legal language contained in the GSAs that their agents have provided them. We look forward to seeing you all on January 16, 2019.

The event will not be taped, nor will any kind of recording device be permitted. Please bring writing materials or a laptop with you in order to take extensive notes.

RSVP ESSENTIAL

This workshop is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. Unfortunately, no guests allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome. SAG-AFTRA members, PLEASE BRING YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD OR DIGITAL CARD ON YOUR APP (paid through April 30, 2019) FOR ADMITTANCE.

Only those members who have received confirmation emails from SAG-AFTRA may attend, so please act quickly as seating is limited.

Please note that failure to cancel your reservation if you are unable to attend may impact your ability to take part in future events for this department.

Please direct all questions about this event to the SAG-AFTRA Professional Representatives Department at (323) 549-6745.

About to sign a contract with your agent? Be fully informed of your rights before you sign on the dotted line! SAG-AFTRA’s Professional Representatives Department will hold an educational seminar on general service agreements or GSAs (i.e. the contracts that some agents have been using to represent our members instead of the standard Legacy SAG and/or Legacy AFTRA agency contracts). These GSA contracts are signed outside of SAG-AFTRA’s protection, and it is imperative that members have a working knowledge of what these contracts actually say before signing them—your professional future and your income may depend on it. Staff will also take this opportunity to address how these contracts may apply, and discuss what your options are. This educational seminar will be especially helpful to any member having trouble making sense of the complicated legal language contained in the GSAs that their agents have provided them. We look forward to seeing you all on January 16, 2019.

The event will not be taped, nor will any kind of recording device be permitted. Please bring writing materials or a laptop with you in order to take extensive notes.

RSVP ESSENTIAL

This workshop is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. Unfortunately, no guests allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome. SAG-AFTRA members, PLEASE BRING YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD OR DIGITAL CARD ON YOUR APP (paid through April 30, 2019) FOR ADMITTANCE.

Only those members who have received confirmation emails from SAG-AFTRA may attend, so please act quickly as seating is limited.

Please note that failure to cancel your reservation if you are unable to attend may impact your ability to take part in future events for this department.

Please direct all questions about this event to the SAG-AFTRA Professional Representatives Department at (323) 549-6745.

About to sign a contract with your agent? Be fully informed of your rights before you sign on the dotted line! SAG-AFTRA’s Professional Representatives Department will hold an educational seminar on general service agreements or GSAs (i.e. the contracts that some agents have been using to represent our members instead of the standard Legacy SAG and/or Legacy AFTRA agency contracts). These GSA contracts are signed outside of SAG-AFTRA’s protection, and it is imperative that members have a working knowledge of what these contracts actually say before signing them—your professional future and your income may depend on it. Staff will also take this opportunity to address how these contracts may apply, and discuss what your options are. This educational seminar will be especially helpful to any member having trouble making sense of the complicated legal language contained in the GSAs that their agents have provided them. We look forward to seeing you all on January 11, 2019.

The event will not be taped, nor will any kind of recording device be permitted. Please bring writing materials or a laptop with you in order to take extensive notes.

RSVP ESSENTIAL

This workshop is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. Unfortunately, no guests allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome. SAG-AFTRA members, PLEASE BRING YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD OR DIGITAL CARD ON YOUR APP (paid through April 30, 2019) FOR ADMITTANCE.

Only those members who have received confirmation emails from SAG-AFTRA may attend, so please act quickly as seating is limited.

Please note that failure to cancel your reservation if you are unable to attend may impact your ability to take part in future events for this department.

Please direct all questions about this event to the SAG-AFTRA Professional Representatives Department at (323) 549-6745.

About to sign a contract with your agent? Be fully informed of your rights before you sign on the dotted line! SAG-AFTRA’s Professional Representatives Department will hold an educational seminar on general service agreements or GSAs (i.e. the contracts that some agents have been using to represent our members instead of the standard Legacy SAG and/or Legacy AFTRA agency contracts). These GSA contracts are signed outside of SAG-AFTRA’s protection, and it is imperative that members have a working knowledge of what these contracts actually say before signing them—your professional future and your income may depend on it. Staff will also take this opportunity to address how these contracts may apply, and discuss what your options are. This educational seminar will be especially helpful to any member having trouble making sense of the complicated legal language contained in the GSAs that their agents have provided them. We look forward to seeing you all on January 10, 2019.

The event will not be taped, nor will any kind of recording device be permitted. Please bring writing materials or a laptop with you in order to take extensive notes.

RSVP ESSENTIAL

This workshop is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. Unfortunately, no guests allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome. SAG-AFTRA members, PLEASE BRING YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD OR DIGITAL CARD ON YOUR APP (paid through April 30, 2019) FOR ADMITTANCE.

Only those members who have received confirmation emails from SAG-AFTRA may attend, so please act quickly as seating is limited.

Please note that failure to cancel your reservation if you are unable to attend may impact your ability to take part in future events for this department.

Please direct all questions about this event to the SAG-AFTRA Professional Representatives Department at (323) 549-6745.

James Cagney Board Room- Lobby Level
5757 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Parking will be validated. 

This workshop is perfect for singers auditioning for musical theatre roles or musical film projects. Attendees will learn how to get inside the truth and acting of your song, create a "scene" from your solo and feel connected and specific when singing. You will also acquire great tips on how to handle the musical audition room from the pianist, to focal points, and great tips for wonderful vocal production. These are topics we will cover:

1. How to really personalize the song and make it come to life as a fully developed scene in the room

• Monologue-ing and dialogue-ing your song
• How to keep the obstacles going during your song
• Learning how to paint the words so you are living in your full self-expression while singing

2. How to create the smoothest possible time in the audition room

• The Introduction
• Laying out music for the pianist
• Talking to the pianist for tempo and how to fix tempo problems mid audition
• The use of the breath and overcoming nerves, also how to correct vocal challenges and how not blow out your voice while practicing for an audition
• Using smart points of focus during your song
• Understanding how to embody the sound/style of different genres: Legit, Jazz, Pop/Rock, Country. This will be addressed depending on the songs the singers bring in to sing.

You must RSVP to attend. Spaces are limited.

Questions? (323) 634-8277

This workshop is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. Unfortunately, no guests allowed. All performers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. SAG-AFTRA members, PLEASE BRING YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD OR DIGITAL CARD ON YOUR APP (paid through April 30, 2019) FOR ADMITTANCE. 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.
 

When: 5:30-7:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 14, 2019
(Doors open at 5 p.m.)

Where: SAG-AFTRA – Ken Howard Boardroom
1900 Broadway, 5th Floor
(Between 63rd and 64th Streets)

• Confused or overwhelmed at tax time?
• Need help getting organized?
• Unclear on what is and isn’t deductible?

The new tax law has brought many changes to those in the entertainment industry.  This seminar will cover the new rules and help you prepare for the new filing season.

Sandra Karas is a member of SAG-AFTRA and AEA and an attorney in private practice in the areas of Tax, Estates, Trusts, Contracts and Business Law. She is also a working actor and currently serves on the SAG-AFTRA New York Local Board and as Secretary-Treasurer of Actors’ Equity Association. Karas also currently serves as the Site Coordinator of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program in New York and has been affiliated with VITA as a pro bono preparer and instructor for more than 30 years. She holds licenses in the areas of tax accounting, securities and investments, and the law, and is admitted to practice in all New York State courts, Federal District Court, United State Tax Court and the United States Supreme Court.

Registration required: Seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. This event is currently full. If you would like to try to attend this seminar on standby you can come to the office on Monday, Jan. 14 at 5:30 p.m. to be added to the standby list. Standby reservations will not be taken in advance.

This workshop is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. Unfortunately, no guests allowed. Parents/guardians of younger performers under 18 years old are welcome. SAG-AFTRA MEMBERS, PLEASE BRING YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD (paid through April 30, 2019) FOR ADMITTANCE. 

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.
 

When: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 5

Where: SAG-AFTRA
James Cagney Boardroom – Lobby Level
5757 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Parking will be validated.

Learn how to optimize every variable in your control to support high-level creative output. This workshop will cover topics such as the huge differences between auditioning and casting for the theatrical and commercial sides of the business, training and development, having a support network, nervousness and confidence, the entire process of casting through booking, online casting services, headshots, reels, branding, marketing, representation and so much more. 

Shaan Sharma, working actor, veteran commercial casting session director, acting coach, Backstage contributor and SAG-AFTRA Conservatory Committee member will be sharing game-changing information and strategies to successfully pursue a commercial and on-camera acting career. You’ll even pick up a few insider auditioning and casting tips. Sharma will expand upon his “4 Steps to Becoming a Working Actor” as well as his “The 4 Pillars of a Joyful Acting Journey.” To supplement this information, he will provide a FREE PDF copy of his book, Commercial Acting in L.A.: A Session Director’s Guide, as a gift to all attendees.

Due to mature language, this event is recommended for adults only.

You must RSVP to attend. Spaces are limited. To RSVP, click here.

Questions? Contact (323) 634-8277.

This workshop is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. Unfortunately, no guests allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome. All performers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. SAG-AFTRA members, PLEASE BRING YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD OR DIGITAL CARD ON YOUR APP (paid through October 31, 2018 or April 30, 2019) FOR ADMITTANCE. 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.