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About the Coach:
Jock MacDonald has been the director of Carter Thor Studios East since 1999, currently coaching weekly film acting classes in Boston, Toronto, and Montreal. He has been a professional actor for over 35 years and has been coaching and teaching acting throughout his career. In addition to his private acting classes and private coaching, Jock has taught acting at The University of Southern Maine, The University of Vermont and Ohio University.
Jock has a B.A in theatre from the University of Vermont, an MFA in acting from Ohio University, a diploma in television acting from The Weist- Barron School in New York City, and a diploma in acting from the British American Drama Academy, Oxford University. In addition to coaching and teaching, Jock continues to work professionally as an actor, writer and director in film, television and theatre.
Carter Thor Studios East has two choices of classes:
SCENE STUDY CLASS
This class is with Jock MacDonald and focuses on scene study and scene analysis.
ON CAMERA CLASS
The on camera class coached by Jock MacDonald combines scene study and on camera work, creating a classroom environment similar to the real life experience of being on a set. New approaches are developed and applied to equip the actor with the necessary tools to be an extraordinary collaborative storyteller. This class has a 14 student maximum. Experienced actors only. Interview is required.
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The Montreal Studio has two classes:
SCENE STUDY CLASS
Tuesdays 6:00- 9:30
Fee: $250
ON CAMERA CLASS
Tuesdays 1:30 – 5pm
Fee: $280.00
Contact: montreal@thoreast.com
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The Toronto Studio has three classes:
Classes:
Wed Scene Study 6:00-10:00
Thursday on camera 1:30- 5:30
Thursday Scene Study 6:00 - 10:00
Contact: toronto@thoreast.com
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The Boston Studio has one class:
ONGOING WEEKLY SCENE STUDY
(Mondays 6-10pm)
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Our Emphasis:
The emphasis in our scene study classes is developing skills for film acting. You and a partner will be assigned scenes from a large library of film scripts according to the tools, skills, and areas each individual may be developing. Each scene is presented twice: the first work and the second work. In the first work, the actors present the scene without interruption and are given notes and observations to take away, work on and rehearse. In the second work, the teacher will stop and start the scene to make adjustments where needed as it goes along.
Our Expectations:
Students attend class once a week and are expected to rehearse with their scene partners outside of class time. Students are to be off book and provide any props and costume they may need. Six to eight scenes are presented in each class. Depending on course size you can expect to work on average four out of five classes. You should be prepared to work every week. A rotating roster is kept by the course producer to ensure fair participation for everyone in the course.
It is essential to be present for all of the classes, not just when you are scheduled to go up. Your participation, perseverance, and growth is universal. You are all teachers for one another. The instructor is the facilitator of your progress and is responsible for deepening and strengthening the knowledge and practice of your work. You are responsible for your motivation and commitment, and growth.
Mission
Our goal is to familiarize you with the language, intention, and tools of script analysis so that you will utilize them actively and aggressively in your scene study and in your professional work. You will explore and exercise tools such as goal, action, obstacle, inner object, substitution, inner monologue, doings, place, fourth wall, previous circumstance, and playable action.
The classes at the Studio remain intimate and intense, never betraying their original purpose. And while the breadth, reach, and size of the Studio has changed considerably in the last ten years, the philosophy that made the Studio so successful to begin with has not; the future belongs to the Artists. They are our Creative Heroes. Training them to be the best at what they do is the Carter Thor Studio’s deepest pleasure and highest purpose.
Products
Founded by Cameron Thor and Alice Carter following their work with legendary coach Roy London, the studio has been home to such actors as Christina Applegate, David Arquette, Drew Carey, Cameron Diaz, Faye Dunaway, Chris Klein, Johnathon Schaech, Sylvester Stallone, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Tom Welling, and many more.