25 Reasons to Give ‘Em a Studio Class

This month in our series of 25th Anniversary Top 25 lists, we're devoted to heart’s desires – those secret, low-register rumblings that lead one to what artistic director Beth Harper calls the living arts. Whether you’re buying for someone else or giving yourself the gift only you know you want, here’s the top 25 WANTs a studio class can answer.

Give me attention – Sometimes you just need an audience. Don’t inflict this need on your friends and family.

Give me space – An empty room is a place where anything can happen.

Give me voice – Finding your voice in the world can start in your belly.

Give me expression – So much to say, but where to start? How about with the script.

Give me presence – The study of performance puts us smack dab in the here and now.

Give me drive – Don’t let aimlessness set in after the holidays! Your studio class will set a short term purpose.

Give me humor – Theater reminds us not just to laugh at one another, but at ourselves. Studio classes beget belly laughs.

Give me a schedule – Wanting to act doesn’t always make it so. With a studio class, you’ll have one night a week, guaranteed.

Give me community –Start with a roomful of strangers, and watch yourself congeal into a group of people with unique shared experiences. The connections we make in an acting class can be surprising, illuminating and profound.

Give me a jolt – Need a jump start? Give yourself a place where you’ll be taken to task.

Give me sensitivity – Acting demands we stop and take each other in. Rediscover your Spiderman senses in a Studio Class, and learn to use them for good.

Give me listening and memory techniques – The study of acting requires an agile noggin. In a Studio Class you’ll focus on focusing, as well as retaining, before you go spouting.

Give me discovery –If necessity is the mother of invention, invention is the mother of amazement. You’ll wow yourself with what you find in your Studio Class explorations.

Give me a chance – Want to act, but not quite ready for auditions? Nobody can take a Studio Class away from you. Turn your rejection into resilience.

Give me time – Earmarking a specific time and place for your passion ensures there is room for it in your life. Studio Classes happen once a week.

Give me something to call my own – Acting study reminds us that we really are snowflakes: no one will ever have the same insights, discoveries, and experiences as you in a Studio Class.

Give me something lasting – Benefits of Studio Classes long outlive the 12 weeks of showing up. You’ll have takeaway skills that will stick in your mind for years to come.

Give me growth – Start in one place, end in another. That’s measurable.

Give me mentorship – Getting guidance lights the way.

Give me play – Remember making sand castles as a kid? Studio classes are like that, but without the sand.

Give me appreciation – You’ll never watch a play or performance the same way again.

Give me a refresher – Weather its been a few months or several years since you last hit the boards, everyone can do with a brushup from time to time.

Give me regretlessness – You didn’t run away to join the circus? It’s not too late. Studio Classes allow you to keep your day job – and no cleaning up after elephants!

Give me imagination – What’s in there? When was the last time you looked?

Give me joy – Nothing like performing. Nothing like performing. Nothing like performing.

And BONUS number 26?
Give me a BREAK! - Just say "blog" when you're registering and pay in full before January 15, and you'll receive a 20% discount on a Studio Class! More info on Studio Classes here.