Studio 58

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Studio 58

Studio 58 is an intensive theatre school located in Vancouver, British Columbia. A part of Langara College's Theatre Arts Program, the school offers professional theatre training for actors and production personnel. It is the only conservatory-style theatre training program in Western Canada. Studio 58 is a 3 year program for acting and a 2 year program for production.

The school operates its own theatre and presents 4 full-length productions annually. Professional directors and designers are hired to work on each production. Studio 58 productions are open to the public and reviewed by the Vancouver media.

1 The Program
2 Auditions
3 History
4 Faculty and Staff
5 Advisory Committee
6 References

[edit] The Program

An average day begins at 8:30 a.m. and finishes by 11:00 p.m. The daily routine includes classes, crew calls, rehearsals and the evening performances of our public shows. Working into the weekends in not uncommon. All students are required to take first year English.

Acting students take classes in Scene Study, Improvisation, Modern and Classical Text, Voice, Speech, Choir, Singing, Mask, Movement, Alignment, Period Dance, Tap, Writing, One-Person Shows (Solo Show), and Theatre Fundamentals.

All production students take acting in their first semester with the other 'A-Term' acting students (Voice, Acting I, Acting II, Joint Acting Class, Movement I, Movement II, Physical Theatre, Choir, and Voice). . In the second semester, the production students switch over and take production classes (Stage Management, Costume, VectorWorks, Design, Lighting, Sound, Set, and various other workshops throughout the semester.

[edit] Auditions

Studio 58 accepts up to 16 students a semester through auditions. Interviews and auditions are held during April and May across Canada in Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, and Montreal. An Audition Package with date and time of audition, as well as monologues, are mailed out after the next application deadline (March 15). Actors and production students audition together.

Candidates should expect group work, sight-readings, improv and prepared monologues. The group portion of the audition, candidates are asked to read a scene with a partner and present a short improvisation either solo or with a partner or group. Some written work is required. The individual audition, candidates are required to prepare 2 memorized monologues - one from the audition package we will mailed out, and one of self choice.

The program strongly recommends that all applicants be at least 19 years of age by the time of audition, as well as at least two years of either post-secondary education and other work experience.

Successful acting applicants are accepted for either September or January. Successful production applicants are accepted for January only. Acting Program students are required to be on backstage crews during the first three terms. Crew work takes place on evenings and weekends outside of classes. All production students take A-Term acting and then move on to production for B-Term.

Enrolled students are not allowed to participate in any professional or amateur theatre, film, TV, radio, commercial, print or performance work without permission of the Artistic Director. That permission is only granted to students in the 5 th or 6 th terms.

[edit] History

Studio began as a small Theatre arts course in 1965 and classes were first held on the King Edward Campus of Vancouver Community College. The department moved to new facilities on the Langara Campus in 1970 and began to be known as Studio 58 (referring to the room number of the theatre space).

Kathryn Shaw is the current Artistic Director of Studio 58. She was preceded by Antony Holland who was Artistic Director from 1965 to 1985. Jane Heyman from 1985-2005 was the Associate Director.

[edit] Faculty and Staff

Aaron Bushkowsky - Playwriting
Alison Kell - Acting
Brian Tate - Choir, Singing
Bruce Kennedy Technical Director
Carol Chrisjohn Production Manager
Catherine Lee - Movement
Chick Snipper - Movement
Dale Genge - Head of Voice
David Bloom - Solo Show
David Hudgins - Acting
Frankie Kerr - Tap
Ian Raffel - Speech
Jane Ellison - Alignment
Jane Heyman - Associate Director; Acting
Kathryn Shaw - Artistic Director; Acting
Lloyd Nicholson - Musical Director
Pam Johnson - Production
Ross Nichol - Production
Sherri Sadler - Publicist
Susan Hogan - Film & TV Audition/Acting
Wendy Gorling - Mask/Mime/Acting (Physical theatre)

[edit] Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee's role is to advise and act as liaison between Studio 58 and the professional community. The committee is primarily made up of professionals involved in theatre, film, television and related arts.

Following is a current list of members:

Bill Millerd - Artistic Director, The Arts Club Theatre
Bruce Ward - Agent, 21st Century Artists Inc.
Chappelle Jaffe- Executive Director, Playwrights Theatre Centre
Christopher Gaze - Artistic Director, Bard on the Beach
Del Surjik - Artistic Director, Pi Theatre
Diane Brown - Artistic Director, Ruby Slippers
Donna Spencer - Artistic Director, Firehall Arts Centre
Donna Wong - Agent
Elizabeth Ball - Artistic Director, Carousel Theatre
Garwin Sanford - Actor
Greg Yellenik - Technical Consultant
Ingrid Turk - C.A.E.A.
Jay Brazeau - Actor
Katrina Dunn - Artistic Director, Touchstone Theatre
Kim Collier - Graduate/Actor/Director
Pamela Hawthorn - Chair, Telefilm Canada
Patrick McDonald - Artistic Director, Green Thumb Theatre
Scott Bellis - Actor
Sid Kozak - Casting Director
Suzanne Ristic - Actor
Teri Woods-McArter - Forefront Productions
Tom Rowe - Pacific Motion Pictures
Trish Robinson - Casting Agent
Wayne Specht - Artistic Director, Axis Theatre
Rae Ackerman- Director of Vancouver Civic Theatres