how to get on the disney channel | Los Angeles Acting Classes

Alexander Technique For Kids

August 11, 2016 Acting Classes

Alexander Technique For Young Actors

I have spent my weekends the past seven years working with the bright and precocious young performers at The Playground Los Angeles, Gary Spatz’s first-rate young actor’s conservatory here on Avenue of the Stars.

Gary has assembled a truly unique and dynamic staff of teachers to run a program that is the model for other acting schools for young people the worldover. It is an extreme privilege to be a part of it and more often than not, I learn more than I teach while working with my students and colleagues at the school.

My primary function as a teacher at The Playground is to teach the foundational acting technique that the conservatory offers in its curriculum for students from reading-age up to young adults. Working with students in this broad age-range affords me a fantastic view of the artistic and psychophysical developments as they occur in young performers as they grow up.

Acting Classes & Performers

acting classes for kids at the playground

August 11, 2016 Acting Classes

Acting and Performers in 2016

I remember when I moved to Los Angeles from Montana to pursue an acting career in the fall of 1999 like it was yesterday. I was eighteen years old and experiencing a considerable amount of culture shock. By that next spring after some good luck and a moderate amount of hustle, I had landed myself a commercial agent in Hollywood.

On the day that I signed my two year contract with my new agency, I was told that I needed two very important tools to get my commercial career off to a go start. The first was a good head shot and the second was “a cell phone”.

At that time near the turn of the century mobile phones and devices were not yet ubiquitous. Those who were alive and old enough to remember know that it was yet another significant crossroads for modern life. In 1999 not everyone had a cell phone yet and even personal computers were still making their way into the mainstream.

How To Get On The Disney Channel P.4

August 1, 2016 Acting Classes

Acting Classes: The Disney Channel Part 4

The Disney Channel and Nickelodeon audition thousands of kids every year for their new and existing projects. If your child wants to pursue this type of career path early in life, there are some foundational acting skills your budding actor can work on right now.

As the headteacher and Assistant Director of the Los Angeles acting school The Playground, I teach eleven classes a week and one of the hardest things I see my young actors try to learn is comedy.

In my past articles I talked about the young actor’s need for excellent articulation skills, comprehension of emotional words and the need to get physically active. Now I can talk about one of my favorite skills to learn; a staple for any child who wants to act on TV: Comedy.

How To Get On The Disney Channel P.3

August 1, 2016 Acting Classes

Acting Classes: The Disney Channel Part 3

Helping your child achieve their life goals of becoming a professional actor on television can often be confusing to navigate. Especially if they are hoping to one day audition for television show for the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon.

Knowing what clear steps to start working on right now regardless of where you live or what training you have access to can be empowering.

As headteacher and Assistant Director of the Los Angeles on- camera acting school The Playground, I see parents who support their child’s dreams and passions of a future in the film industry. However, upon beginning training here, parents realize their children are at a disadvantage in certain skill sets.

How To Get On The Disney Channel P.2

August 1, 2016 Acting Classes

Acting Classes: The Disney Channel Part 2

What do you do when you realize that your child’s dreams and passions are emotionally involved with wanting to act on television networks like The Disney Channel or Nickelodeon?

This is step two in a six-part series in which I will provide simple steps you can take right now wherever you live to actively start your child on the path to achieving this goal.

In the first article “Step One – Speaking Skills,” I gave suggestions for working with your budding actor to improve their diction prior to enrolling in an excellent on-camera like here at Gary Spatz’s Acting School. I also stressed that acting is a craft that can take years to master, and is as valid a pursuit as sports, arts, and academics.