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Acting classes are very popular not only among professional actors, but also among amateurs and even people who are very far from the theater. Many are misled by the name of the course. But in fact, the skills of managing one’s psychological state, mastering the body, voice and speech are of great importance not only and not so much for actors, but also for business people. However, all these skills are useful in everyday life.
Acting courses allow you to reveal your creative potential, develop communication skills, master the art of oratory, master the technique of speech and voice control. They have an extensive target audience both in terms of scope and age category. Such classes are held for children from preschool to adolescence. They allow you to create a basis for teaching a child at school, help him expand his horizons, develop his intellect and achieve great success. Acting helps children develop communication skills and contributes to the formation of their personality.
The second target group is future professional actors, directors, journalists and PR managers. At the same time, course programs that are intended for future specialists are usually based on the basic program of universities and do not require special education. They include training in the following disciplines: the basics of directing and acting, stage speech and oratory, choreography, make-up, plastic, etc. At the same time, like many universities, public speaking courses for professionals try to teach students not only author’s teaching methods, but also using the principles of teaching in well-known foreign and Russian theater schools. Such courses often offer their participants the opportunity to play roles in performances of “friendly” theaters and studios.
Courses of the third type are designed to improve the skills of those people who already have basic acting skills – for actors, directors, students of theater universities. They involve more complex work on bodily and psychological emancipation, the development of coordination of movements, attention and imagination, the ability to improvise, control one’s voice, etc. The program of such courses, in addition to the training itself, includes lectures and author’s master classes. The duration of the courses can be different – from several days of intensive work to several months.
In addition, specialized acting courses have recently appeared, which are positioned for a specific group of people (for example, for businessmen). In fact, the program of such courses is not much different from the usual one. It includes the removal of internal clamps, voice control techniques, oratory skills, the ability to listen and hear the interlocutor, the ability to speak correctly and beautifully, express one’s thoughts, and captivate other people.
Hosting your own acting classes can be a source of primary or secondary income, depending on how much time and money you can spend on your own business. If you do not have work experience and the necessary connections, then the best option is to open courses designed to teach children, adolescents and adults, but not at a professional level. The program of such courses includes the formation of correct (stage) speech, the removal of psychological blocks, overcoming the fear of public speaking, the disclosure of creative potential, general development, training in the skill of improvisation, and the development of self-confidence. Working with speech involves correcting diction, setting the voice, oratory, rhetoric, etc.
Such courses can be independent or go as a supplement to the program of existing courses and schools (for example, art or image schools). In the first case, when acting courses are created as an independent unit, as an opportunity for business expansion and development, it is worth considering the option of introducing additional programs (artistic, image, business etiquette, creativity development, etc.).
Ideally, classes in acting classes should be conducted, of course, by experienced teachers of this discipline. But in practice, in most cases, it turns out that the basics of acting are taught by recent graduates of acting universities, directors and even psychologists with speech therapists. This approach has several advantages. In particular, with a large number of teachers, each of whom leads their own direction, you can make a tighter schedule and, therefore, recruit more students. The average number of students in one group is 10-15 people. In addition, with more subspecialists, you will be able to offer better training.
For example, a psychologist is much more effective at helping to relieve fear of the stage and any other public speaking than an acting teacher. In turn, a speech therapist will help improve speech and correct diction. The director will best of all conduct practical classes in acting skills and introduce the participants to the “inner theatrical kitchen”. Theater graduates who are willing to work for a small salary are great with children and teenagers (often much better than more experienced and mature teachers), as they can easily approach them.
Acting classes can take a variety of formats. The so-called weekend courses are one-time classes and are similar in format to master classes. This form is ideal if you have narrow specialists in your staff. For example, students who have speech problems but do not need to complete a full acting course may attend separate classes with a speech therapist. The cost of one such lesson is from 500 rubles, and a separate master class – from 2 thousand rubles, depending on the duration, city, subject. Express courses last from 3-4 to 6-7 months. This is the most common version of acting courses.
As the experience of other entrepreneurs shows, it is most profitable to conduct courses lasting up to four months. According to their observations, the longer the courses, the more likely it is that the ardor of the participants and their desire to study will decrease over time. Partially to prevent the outflow of customers by the end of the training is possible by establishing a more favorable cost of the course (providing a discount) with full payment for the entire course. But this is not a panacea. In addition, most people prefer to pay monthly, albeit at a higher price. Long-term courses (from six months to a year or more) are more suitable for vocational training with the passing of sessions and the issuance of diplomas for professional retraining or advanced training. But we do not consider this format in the framework of this article.
There are also “correspondence” online acting courses. You can take these courses without leaving your home. Every day, subscribers receive a letter with a new task and a theoretical base. According to the organizers of such online trainings, this format allows you to avoid the feeling of discomfort and internal blocks when doing exercises. However, the effectiveness of such classes is still in great doubt, according to many experts. After all, one of the main goals of acting courses is precisely to eliminate those very internal blocks and clamps, to liberate a person. And this is difficult to achieve while sitting at home and communicating with the coach only through e-mail.
To conduct acting classes, you will need a room (or several rooms) for classes. They can be rented at the nearest leisure center or educational institution. Please note: the main room should be spacious enough so that 10-15 people can freely stay and move in it at the same time, without interfering with each other. It is desirable to have mirrors in this room (they will be required to work with both the acting coach and the speech therapist) and chairs (they can be moved to the wall during active classes).
The location of the studio depends on several factors. If you are going to conduct classes for business people, then it is best to rent a room in the city center. If the main audience is children, then a room in a large residential area is suitable, since not all parents are ready to take their children to classes on the other side of the city. Before opening, study the demand for your services in this area and the presence of direct and indirect competitors here (the latter include training centers, development and creativity studios, etc.).
The cost of acting courses is about 5-6 thousand rubles per month, based on 2-3 lessons per week (24 hours per month). The first lesson is usually free. On it you can get acquainted with other participants and with the teacher, evaluate the level of teaching and the program. A free trial lesson is one of the most effective ways to attract new clients. However, be prepared for the fact that some of the people who attended the first lesson will come purely out of curiosity, initially not intending to continue learning.
Don’t forget about advertising. The most effective way is to distribute leaflets to mailboxes in high-rise buildings in the area where your courses are located. Place ads in places where your target audience spends most of their time: for example, in the lobby of nearby schools (if you run classes for children and teenagers) or in business centers of the city (if you target a business clientele). It is also worth making your own website and creating groups on social networks, where photo reports from classes, work schedule, course description, information about teachers and contacts of your studio will be posted. Try to regularly update and improve your training program, offering new courses and new directions.
To open an acting studio, you will need from 200 thousand rubles. This amount includes the rent of the premises, the salaries of the employees for the first two months and the minimum promotion. It is better to open a studio in August – September. Payback periods are from 1.5 years.
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