Interview With
Rita Litton
ACTeen, was established in 1978, and is the nation’s first on camera acting program for teens. ACTeen takes dedicated pre-professional teens and pre-teens and turns them into technically proficient, versatile actors. We combine theatrical discipline with effective, spontaneous on-camera acting technique. Students learn to successfully perform in both film and theater with skill and professionalism. ACTeen is a respected industry leader with many awards. Our distinguished graduates have made successful careers in film, television, and the theatre. Many acquired their first representation through our industry showcases. For 35 years ACTeen has continued to evolve, by adding new courses, revising curriculum, and adding our specialized middle school program “ACTeen Juniors.” ACTeen stays imaginative in our dreams and ambitions for our students, so we can help them soar.
ACTeen is in the heart of New York City. We occupy the entire sixth floor of a midtown office building, near Rockefeller Center and the Broadway theater district. We utilize seven air-conditioned multi-camera studios, and we are within walking distance of all city transportation centers.
Perhaps you’ve heard the expression: “One picture is worth a thousand words”? Well, ACTeen students benefit enormously from the video playbacks which are a key part of the on-camera acting curriculum. ACTeen’s film courses use many common theater terms and exercises, especially those that concentrate on listening and responding to your partner ‘in the moment.’ After performing on-camera, students then analyze their work from the immediate video playbacks– an invaluable opportunity for students to distinguish between what they are feeling and what the audience sees! For many students ACTeen is their first professional acting school their bright inspiration for a life in the arts. While I feature a large and hopefully impressive roster of ‘Working Grads” on our web site, I am gratified that they continue to sustain careers, well beyond their teens. I believe their solid acting foundation was acquired at ACTeen, and this training helped them transition to adulthood.
We have 1, 2, or 4 week sessions—as well as a 6 week Saturday only program. Our first term begins late June and our last ends mid August.Fees start at $350 for one 6 session course, but full program fees (based on taking multiple courses full time) are discounted and costs vary from $1400 to $2900 depending on length of semester.
ACTeen instructors are adult working professionals from theater, film, and casting backgrounds, most of whom have been teaching at ACTeen for over eight years. Since the majority of our staff also teach at prestigious conservatories and universities, the students at ACTeen’s Summer Academies experience training comparable to that found at competitive BFA college theater programs . The ACTeen summer staff (about 25 in all) frequently comment on how rewarding it is to teach this age range to work with such bright, eager, and enthusiastic students!
To learn to act! To put that joyous creativity to work! ACTeen courses build confidence, creativity and and further artistic expression. Students have the opportunity to step outside themselves and ‘create characters’ from their unique point of view! We want our students to understand the acting process as they develop their voices, bodies and imaginations. They discover that a professional acting school offers training that exceeds anything they’ve experienced locally. A summer at ACTeen help teens decide if an acting future or college training program is right for them! In fact, of our high school seniors succeed in gaining acceptance to the most competitive college theater arts BFA programs in the country!
Typically we begin receiving Summer Applications in the mail around November 1, and have a ‘rolling admissions policy.’ We end enrollment when terms are full, sometimes as late as June 1. However early Tuition Discounts are incentives for early application, and the best way to insure widest elective options.
We want every student to have a fantastic experience. ACTeen summer students make firm friendships! They are supportive and encouraging to each other (after all, competition within the program is non-existent, —Everyone works every class and gets equal time and direction. Everyone improves…We give helpful critiques/evaluations to every student at the conclusion of our program, and we receive back their student questionnaires. Student or parent feedback is read carefully and confirms that teachersare doing a superb job, and that students are having an exciting, and enriching experience —regardless of their ultimate career goals! Do note that we don’t offer on site housing, transportation, or off site supervision. We do make housing referrals and recommendations for our accepted teen candidates at least 17-18 years of age by the summer. Housing is extremely competitive in NYC, and students requiring housing should plan to apply to ACTeen as early as possible. Alternatively, many students in our program travel with a parent/guardian, or stay with friends or family in New York City, or the ‘tri-state’ vicinity, commuting into Manhattan daily.
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