One of the most unique things about First Take Acting School is the supportive acting class environment.  Most acting classes can be very competitive, and the class environment can be cold, and catty, and not supportive at all.  It’s every man for himself.  First Take acting classes are not like this.  The teachers at First Take really promote and help maintain a healthy and supportive class environment where the students encourage each other, not compete with each other.

Acting is hard.  And because as an actor, you are your instrument, it’s very easy for your self-worth to become attached to how well (or poorly) you’re doing.  This can affect an actor’s self esteem quite a bit.  This makes it all the more important to be in a learning environment where you feel safe and supported, not judged or criticized.  The First Take teachers and students are very sensitive to this fact. Find one of our classes in your area, acting schools San Jose, acting schools San Francisco, acting schools Los Angeles.

Sometimes acting can be extremely vulnerable.  Getting up in front of a class and having your feelings out there for all to see can be scary, but it is necessary for growth.  In order to do this and really grow, it’s important to feel safe.  Because of the sensitivity the classes at First Take have toward this, actors grow more quickly than in other classes, both professionally and personally.  This is another very unique and special thing about First Take.  Many students that study here will attest to the fact that they have also experienced a lot personal growth as well as growth in the craft of acting.  Because of this, the class feels like a comfortable place where you can be yourself, and feel supported.  It feels, in many ways, like a family.  This makes it much easier to learn.

The class environment at First Take is one of humility, where your journey and your growth as an actor is what’s important, not what you achieve or how good you are.  Here at First Take there are no beginning or advanced acting classes.  In any given class you will find students at various levels of experience.  You can be just starting out, or be a working actor.  This is really cool because the students that have been around for a while are really supportive and helpful to the ones just starting out, and as a beginning student that can be really special.

Whether you are just starting out in acting and looking for a great place to study, or you have a lot experience and want to come and learn more, come check out the best acting school in the bay area!!!!  Call First Take today!

Sign up for acting classes in Los Angles, acting classes in San Francisco or acting classes in San Jose.

Check out our YouTube Channel with feedback from our Students.

If you are interested in becoming a a working actor, sign up for acting classes at First Take today!

Acting is hard.  Contrary to what a lot of people think…acting is hard.  If this wasn’t true, the minimum pay rate on a union film or TV project probably wouldn’t be $800 a day.

Because acting is hard, it requires a lot of training and hard work.  If you want to be a good actor, you have to be in a good acting class.  Being good at acting, just like being good at any form of art, requires training, practice, and skill. If you wanted to be a ballerina, you wouldn’t take one ballet class in middle school and then go and audition for The New York City Ballet.  No.  You would find a school that could give you intensive ballet training and prepare you to work as a professional dancer.  First Take offers multiple, on-going acting classes in the Bay Area and acting classes in San Francisco & Los Angeles that prepare and train students to be professional actors.

For some reason people have this idea about acting that if you’ve taken a few theater classes, have the desire to succeed, and you look a certain way, you can just move to LA, get an agent, meet the right people,  and become a movie star.  This just isn’t true.  You have to be good at the craft.  You have to understand the business.  You have to be patient.  Becoming a working actor takes time.

First Take acting school offers a holistic approach to studying acting.  The classes at First Take encourage and help students establish a good work ethic which is required to get good at the craft of acting.  The classes also offer students a supportive class environment, knowledge about the business side of acting, including, how to market yourself, how to interact with agents and casting directors, how to behave on-set, how to maintain good business relationships, and even how to take good headshots.

If you are looking for a great place to study acting, and learn how to succeed as an actor, then First Take is definitely place for you!!  Contact us today and come check it out!

Sign up for acting classes in Los Angles, acting classes in San Francisco or acting classes in San Jose.

Check out our YouTube Channel with feedback from our Students.

If you are interested in becoming a a working actor, sign up for acting classes at First Take today!

For an actor, auditioning for a film or television show typically goes something like this…

You walk in to a small, usually drab room with blank walls.  In the room there is a desk, a chair, a camera, and a casting director.  They say “hi,” and ask you if you have any questions about the scene.  If you’ve done your homework, the answer is probably “no.”  They ask you to say your name for the camera, and then….it’s time to start the scene.

You are a witness for the defense being grilled by the prosecution.  Or perhaps a nurse, comforting a patient who has just been told she has six months to live.  Or maybe, you are terrified, crouched in the corner of a dark warehouse, hiding from a psycho-killer.  Or having an intensely romantic moment with the love of your life.   In reality, you are in a small drab room, reading the scene with a casting director who may or may not come close to resembling the other character in the scene, and who may or may not be reading the scene well.  You have no props, no set, and no other actors to help you.  Because of this, being able to imagine these things is key.

This is the biggest challenge an actor faces when auditioning.  It is the job of an actor to play the scene realistically, convincingly, and compellingly under these circumstances.  It is really hard to do!!  This requires an incredible amount of training, skill, and, of course, imagination.

Imagination is an actor’s most important tool.  To be successful in an audition situation like the one described above,  an actor must master using this tool.  Acting classes (San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angles) at First Take provide actors with the training they need to make this happen.  The method of scene study taught at First Take not only teaches actors how to break down and understand a scene, but how to use their imagination to put themselves in the circumstance of the scene and play it authentically.  This is hard to do.  The more “grown up” we become, the harder it is to use our imaginiations.  The things we imagine become more dull and less vivid.  First Take helps students keep their imaginations alive and imagine situations more vividly.  Students who are committed to the First Take method WILL get better at it and WILL learn to audition more successfully.   First Take is the only bay area acting school that has students working in film and television in the LA market.  This is a result of those students being committed to the First Take process of growing their imaginations and bringing the reality of who they are to every scene.  In class at First Take every actor recieves time and personal attention from their teacher to help them grow and become successful in this proccess.

Sign up for acting classes in Los Angles, acting classes in San Francisco or acting classes in San Jose.

Check out our YouTube Channel with feedback from our Students.

If you are interested in becoming a a working actor, sign up for acting classes at First Take today!

FIRST TAKE 4 KIDS!

Join us for a FREE introduction class on June 15th!

Get a feel for what the summer session for kids will offer.

June 15, 2010!

SPACE IS LIMITED! Sign up ASAP!

Summer Session Details:

Location: Jewish Community Center – Los Gatos, CA
Dates: July 6th- August 11th, 2010
Time: Tuesdays from 4-6 PM
Taught by: Kristin Burke

Jewish Community Center
14855 Oka Rd
Los Gatos, CA 95032

Classes are filling up fast!! Work with the acting coach that gets results!

Please call or email for more information:

Marta Madriz
First Take Office Manager
(925) 824-1212 | (310) 364-0525
firsttake@firsttake.org

Auditioning is a big part of an actor’s life.  So knowing how to audition well is VERY important.  First Take offers acting classes in San Francisco and acting classes in Los Angeles that teach actors how to audition well.  Acting in an audition for television or film is a unique experience that is much different than acting on an actual set, and that differs even from acting in most class environments.  The acting classes at First Take provide students with the skills they need to audition, and are structured in a way that helps actors get good at it.  Students that study at First Take will see improvement in their audition technique and ability to audition successfully.  Proof of this is that many students at First Take audition and book acting jobs regularly in LA!  This is a result of the unique training they have received at First Take.

When an actor goes into an audition, it is very important that they know what to expect, and that they are familiar with what it’s like to perform in an audition environment.  Because of this, part of the training process at First Take is participating in mock-auditions.  These are set up in the same way a TV or Film audition would be.  The teacher of the class acts as the casting director, and a student is assigned to be the “reader.”  The reader is the person in the audition room that reads opposite the actor auditioning for the role.  Then the participating actors leave the room and come in one by one to read for the role.  They are taught how to come in as if they were really auditioning for a role in a TV show or movie.  After everyone has “auditioned,” the teacher, with the help of feedback from the rest of the class, chooses who gets the role based on who had the best audition.  Students then have the opportunity to get feedback on how they did, and are given the chance to make adjustments and try again.  This is an incredibly valuable learning experience for the students, and helps them to become better actors! Check out our acting classes in San Jose & our acting classes in the Bay Area.

During this process the students not only become familiar with what it feels like to audition, but they also learn audition etiquette.  This includes how to properly introduce yourself, how to interact with casting directors, the do’s and don’ts of auditioning, and how to handle various challenging audition scenarios.  Having proper audition etiquette is very important and effects, in part, whether or not an actor’s audition is successful.  First Take teacher and founder Nancy Berwid’s experience in the industry really allows her to give accurate insight to her students about the audition process.  Also, the fact that there are working actors in most of the acting classes at First Take, gives students a rare opportunity to learn about how to audition from those who are doing it successfully.  This is something that is very unique to First Take, and you won’t find at other Bay Area acting schools.

Knowing how to audition well is essential to having a career as an actor.  If you desire to grow in audition technique, and become a working actor, First Take is the place for you!

First Take is the best acting school in the Bay Area.  Nancy’s style of teaching and the safe and supportive class environment make it an ideal place to study acting.  There are many reasons why First Take is the best, but perhaps the most compelling reason is the fact that First Take is the only acting school in the San Francisco area that has students currently working in Hollywood.

This is a big deal!  There are many actors who have been living in Los Angeles, studying acting for years that have never booked a professional acting job on a television show or in a film.  And yet Nancy has many students based in the Bay Area that have.  Why is this?  There are many reasons why, but the one I’d like to focus on now is that Nancy is very realistic about how high the bar is set for actors who want to work in the industry.  It is highly competitive, and casting directors expect very high-caliber work from an actor to consider them for a role on TV or in a film, or in some cases, to even grant them an audition.  Nancy is very much in touch with this and is very honest with her actors about where they stand. See how our actors are living in the Bay Area and working in Los Angeles.

It is extremely important to be aware of this as an actor.  Students in Nancy’s class are given a realistic vision of how high the bar is set to become a working actor, and where they are in relation to it.  This is a wonderful thing because it pushes the actor to work hard and grow in their craft.  It’s easy to look at Hollywood and think it’s all about image, or who you know, and these things are partially true, but in reality it is primarily about the quality of the work.  Students at First Take that work hard and apply the method Nancy teaches will grow as actors.  And that’s what taking an acting class is all about.

Sign up for acting classes in Los Angles, acting classes in San Francisco or acting classes in San Jose.

Check out our YouTube Channel with feedback from our Students.

If you are interested in becoming a a working actor, sign up for acting classes at First Take today!

Acting is an art which is inborn in many of us but it needs to properly nurture in order to make it fruitful. This is what acting classes San Francisco are engaged in, promoting new talents by guiding them in a proper manner. Most of the acting classes San Francisco have an all comprehensive acting course for the students so that they are ready to face the stiff competition of the film industry. The acting classes in San Francisco are conducted by knowledgeable and experienced professionals from the field and students always have the chance of getting good offers immediately after the completion of their courses. This is because most of the trainers have a good rapport and strong links to promote their in-house students and as a result, students get to reap the benefits of enrolling in a good school.

Why acting schools?
Keeping this fact in mind, it becomes extremely essential that the aspiring students should always choose a well-known and reputed acting class of San Francisco. However, before choosing an acting class San Francisco, you need to decide whether you wish to join a local theatre group, Broadway, TV serials or films and choose the school accordingly. Doing this will ensure that he not gets the best of training, exposure to the industry, placement offers but also gets to personally interact with some well-known personalities from the TV and film industry. Reputed schools often organize workshops and special seminars where some of the prominent personalities from TV and film world share their views about acting and students get a chance to meet them and gain a good knowledge about the acting profession…

San Francisco acting school auditions
However, seeking admission to their favorite acting class in  San Francisco might not be that easy for any aspiring actor, since all schools conduct auditions for screening the best from the lot. Usually, hundreds people fill up the auditioning form and appear for the final rounds at a time, but the learned jury only selects the best out of them. The jury comprises of in-house faculty members and sometimes even external professional trainers and experienced people from the industry are also called. These people judge the students on a several criteria like basic acting skills, expressions, body movements, stage confidence, camera friendliness and overall personality among others. Only those students who cross this initial level of screening and auditioning are allowed to join the acting class San Francisco for further grooming. So, anybody planning to join a reputed acting class in San Francisco should first aim and work hard to clear the audition round first.

One of the well-known acting classes in San Francisco is the First Take Acting Academy headed by Nancy Berwid who has a holistic approach to the art of acting. Nancy teaches the art of Method Acting to her students and has many successfully placed students in films, theatre and TV industry. The classes usually span for a period of eight weeks and students undergo rigorous training during the course. On completion, they get a Certificate and placement offers galore.

So, instead of spending some time trying to locate a good acting class of San Francisco on the internet, why not pay a visit to First Take Acting Academy and fulfill your dreams.

Hollywood is a place which is the dream destination of every aspiring or established star. Every film star wants to act in at least one Hollywood film, such is the craze of Hollywood film industry. And not all are lucky to realize their dreams, but acting lessons Hollywood is one of the dependable means of ensuring that you do land up a role in one of the Hollywood films. Hollywood, the ultimate destination for actors, has many acting schools spearing in close vicinity of the area; however, there are many fake ones as well. So before joining acting lessons in Los Angeles, one should always check the credentials of the institute and experience of the faculty members.

Acting lessons in Los Angeles
Hollywood is a place which has been luring aspiring actors from all parts of the globe and as a result, acting lessons Hollywood are not very difficult to obtain as there are many acting schools all around. These days, even reputed colleges and universities are also offering complete degree courses in acting, film-making and fine arts. These courses expose the children towards the art and intricacies of acting and nurture them to face the competitive Hollywood industry with confidence. The merit certificate from any of the reputed institute is extremely valuable and can really help the student in pursuing his career.

Apart from a degree certificate, what an aspiring actor needs is proper grooming and development of his acting skills. This can also be done at any of the professional acting schools or even from private classes by experienced film and TV personalities. Being a part of acting lessons Los Angeles becomes extremely essential because these acting classes have a good rapport in the film and TV industry and promote their in-house talents. So, the students get to land a role in one of the serials or films and do not have to struggle for long to get their first major break.

First Take Acting Academy
In order to seek good quality acting lessons in Los Angeles, students should always try to enroll themselves in good and reputed acting institutions like First Take Acting Academy. This acting school specializes in the Method acting form and is headed by Nancy Berwid. Students from this academy have been part of many successful TV serials, theatre houses as well as landed up with substantial roles in movies as well. Most of them have a very encouraging and interesting story to share, which you can find on the official website of the Academy.

This acting school has reasonable fees, talented faculty members, impressive credentials, dedicated and comprehensive learning programs and above all, a very hard-working and enduring trainer, Nancy Berwid. In case, you wish to join this acting school for good-quality and trusted acting lessons in Hollywood, you can try for the auditions which are held from time-to-time. Keep a close watch on the website to know about the next audition dates, casting calls and you may get a chance to land up a role in one of the forthcoming TV serials or films.

The Hollywood industry is a place where you see many upcoming and fresh talents struggling hard to make it in the big league of stars and everyday there are many people who visit the place with the dream of becoming a big Hollywood star. This dream can be realized if you learn to act Hollywood acting styles from any of the reputed acting schools. These days, there are many acting schools spread in all parts of the globe which allow people with an opportunity to learn the skills of acting and make a promising career. However, before joining any of these schools, one should be clear about his future path, for instance, whether he wants to host a show, act in TV serials, local theater groups or Broadway or wants to become a Hollywood star.

Los Angeles acting schools
Once the decision of the future path is carefully planned out, people need to enroll themselves in acting schools which impart specific lessons. For instance, a person trying to become a TV star should join acting schools which offer exclusive training for TV soaps only rather than joining a school which teaches theatre acting. Although, an actor should be aware of all forms of acting in order to become famous, yet each must have his own distinguishing style and area of specialization. There are many people who wish to learn about behind-the-camera work like art direction, camera, production design, lyric writing, script writing or direction, even they can enroll themselves in any of the reputed acting schools and start assisting the seniors. These learn to act in Los Angeles schools not only give the right exposure to students about the glamour world but also sometimes help them in landing a dream job or first break in one of the TV serials, films or theatre groups.

Hollywood acting auditions
Hollywood is a place which has seen many famous actors being a part of the industry and all carving a niche for themselves with their own individual styles. So, anybody attending the auditions for admission to acting schools should always remember to give their best original shot, rather than trying to copy the legends like Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Marlon Brando and the others. Also small things like confidence, good dialogue delivery, clarity of voice, pleasing personality and basic acting skills would help in impressing the judges since they would only choose the best of the lot. There are many people who have undergone many rounds of auditions and faced huge criticism before getting admission, so you should be prepared for it as well.

First Take Academy
Sheer hard work, patience, ability to take criticism and the will to succeed are the major traits which would make you survive in the stiff competition of the Hollywood industry. One of the academies which grooms actor with these traits to better results is the First Take Academy in Hollywood. Apart from acting skills, the academy also teaches students to learn the art of Method acting in Los Angeles. Check the official website of the academy and you can find a solution to your Hollywood dreams for sure.

San Francisco or popularly known Bay area is one of the most popular destinations for those seeking to enhance their acting skills as there are many reputed acting schools in the region. Acting school Bay Area has the distinction of being training many budding, fresh talents and having provided them with a promising career. Due to the close proximity to los Angeles, Hollywood district and San Francisco area, Acting school Bay Area have a huge popularity and are flooded by people of all ages aspiring to become big stars in the film or TV industry.

Bay Area acting school
In order to join a good acting school in Bay Area, it is extremely essential that you first prepare a list of reputed acting schools. Firstly, you would need to decide whether you wish to be a part of reality shows, TV serials and hosts, join Broadway or be a part of the Hollywood industry. Accordingly, you need to browse the internet for acting schools in Bay Area to see which of them offers the relevant courses.
These days, even some of the colleges and universities also offer degree programs in acting courses and interested people can seek admission in these four year degree courses. At the end of the academic courses, students get a good exposure about the intricacies of acting, history of film-making and get to know about the styles of famous actors in great detail. Apart from educational institutions, there are many private acting schools also where people can seek admission at any point in life, both young and old.

These acting schools in Bay Area are operated by experienced people from the world of television, theater or film industry. Since these people have a prior hand-on experience of the glamour world, they are able to teach their students in a much detailed way and can cite personal experiences as well. Also, these people have strong contacts with people from the industry which makes it easier for them to place their students in substantial roles in TV serials, theatres or films. Apart from teaching the various aspects of acting, students also get to know the details of script writing, camera work, production design, art direction and direction and can even try to make it big behind the cameras.

Bay area acting audition
However, in order to seek admission in one of your favorite acting school of Bay Area, you need to clear the audition round. Auditions for different roles in TV serials and for films are organized quite frequently and so you need to make sure that you keep a watch on the dates. Also, when you are appearing for one, be sure to act and over-act and impress the judges with your confidence, pleasing personality and acting skills.

First Take Academy
One of the well-known acting schools in Bay Area is the First Take Acting Academy, headed by Nancy Berwid, which specially focuses on the Method acting style among other types. The Academy has many successfully placed students who have added to the glory of the institution. You may check the credentials of it on the internet and watch for the starting date of the next batch.