The SAG-AFTRA Houston Conservatory is Here!

by Mykle McCoslin

The SAG-AFTRA Houston Conservatory kicked off its 2013 year early and in style with the SAG-AFTRA Houston Conservatory Soiree held on Sept. 26 at the beautiful Empire Lounge at the Marque, Citycentre. It was a packed house with more than 125 guests in attendance and it was the largest SAG-AFTRA event to date. Actors, writers, producers, directors, agents and Houston’s entertainment industry showed up dressed to impress to help launch the conservatory. Free conservatory memberships were given to the runners-up in our Best Dressed male and female prize of the night, and it was a great evening to celebrate all the exciting things the conservatory is bringing to Houston.

As a teaser, the conservatory offered a workshop titled On Your Mark, on Nov. 17. Local photographers, videographers and demo reel experts were on hand to inform our members and fans of current trends in headshots, demo reels and actor slates, as well as simple formatting of resumes. Although many of the actors attending were just starting out, SAG-AFTRA Houston Conservatory gave voice to the importance of being a union member and creating viable work.

More than 40 people attended the Houston Conservatory Franchised Agent’s Panel in February.

Our 2013 workshops include a franchised agents panel, a cold-reading workshop with Casting Director Dolores Jackson, a high-def makeup workshop with Victoria Callaway, voiceover and virtual audition workshops, a producers panel, and audio prompting workshop — just to name a few. 

Membership to the Houston Conservatory is $25 a year for SAG-AFTRA members. Conservatory members attend the workshops for free, with occasional nominal fees for traveling workshop presenters. A full calendar of events and an application to join the Houston Conservatory can be found here.

The SAG-AFTRA Houston Conservatory is a group of committed SAG-AFTRA members dedicated to providing unique and relevant educational workshops, seminars, readings and creative opportunities for Texas talent. Our mission is to provide professional training and industry networking opportunities that will help raise the level of professional talent, create locally produced industry opportunities and develop more work in Texas. 

It’s time for you take advantage of what the SAG-AFTRA Houston Conservatory has to offer and join today!

This item was originally featured in the April 2013 local newsletter.