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RESCHEDULED: This in-person conservatory class was previously scheduled for Monday, May 20, 2024 at the Silver Spring Civic Center. It has been rescheduled for Monday, June 24 at the SAG-AFTRA Washington-Mid Atlantic Local Office (7735 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 950, Bethesda, MD 20814). 

On-camera auditions are often difficult and intimidating. It is hard to do an inspiring read for a camera or disinterested reader. It's also difficult to get a good sense of the material and decide how to play a scene or character when you only have a few minutes to go over your sides. In this workshop, we will explore a technique for doing quick breakdowns of a scene and role with limited time, and a way of working off of the lines and suggestions in the script to bring the material to life, making your cold readings both fun and effective. In this workshop, Robert Epstein employs the principles of the Meisner Technique to create compelling performances in your cold reading auditions. 

Robert Epstein, known as DC's resident Meisner expert, has taught The Complete Actor's Training, his long-term program for actors, for over 30 years. Robert has performed roles on cable and network TV, and has directed DC film & theatre projects including "Adams Morgan: The Movie," as well as leading many workshops for the SAG-AFTRA Conservatory and the Actor's Center. 

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete the form below to RSVP; you must be logged in to RSVP. 

This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing (paid thru Apr. 30, 2024). No guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.

Please note that ADA requests must be received 72 business hours before the start of the event. 

When trying to secure voice work, your demo can be your strongest marketing tool, or it may be why you keep getting passed over. A strong, fairly-recent demo can wedge your foot in the door and get you on the 'short list' for the job. By listening to and discussing examples, we will talk about common mistakes many actors make that could be jinxing your opportunities. We will work on how to find and spotlight your best tricks and how to strike a balance between consistency and versatility. 

Ken Slobodkin is  a Creative Service Director, Audacy Virginia and CEO, the Voice Actor's Place Demo Production. For more than 40 years, "Slobo" has muttered foolish nonsense into microphones as a radio sidekick, newscaster, morning show host, imaging voice and producer. He has crafted sound design for TV and film comedy for Premiere Radio Network, and produced at both the Studio Center and Earwork Audio. He has also been a talent coordinator with Voice Talent Warehouse in Las Vegas. Ken's all-time favorite role was as the voice of Rod Roddy for "The Price is RIght Live" show. He recently became 'Star-Trek-struck' recording lines with Kate Mulgrew for the latest Trek video game. Captain on the bridge! Boston-born (the accent still comes out every so often), Ken enjoys karaoke, audio plug-ins, and walking the Virginia Beach boardwalk with partner and fellow empty nester Marcia. 

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete the form below to RSVP; you must be logged in to RSVP. 

This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing (paid thru Apr. 30, 2024). No guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.

Please note that ADA requests must be received 72 business hours before the start of the event. 

Character voice is typically associated with animation and video game work, but the manipulation of voice and speech is just as applicable to our work in VO, Audiobooks, and on-camera. In this course, we'll look at many of the manipulatable facets of speech and apply them to some character copy examples. We'll talk about the difference between character and character voice, define the primary expectations of character voice, explore physicalization and facial manipulation as rough tools for character voice creation, and then work through changing several facets of speech through exercises. We'll end by applying what we've learned to a few character sketches from animation. Through it all we'll have a lot of fun!

Keith Flippen, a film/TV/VO actor for 30+ years, is the owner of the Actors' Place, Inc. in Fredericksburg, VA. He has taught camera and on-mic acting for 20 years through his studio as well as Speech, Voice, and Dialects for Old Dominion University from 2004-2021. In the last year, his audition coaching clients have booked projects for Netflix, Hulu, FX, a recurring guest star for the CW series Walker, and a recurring role in Fox's The Big Leap.

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete the form below to RSVP; you must be logged in to RSVP. 

This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing (paid thru Apr. 30, 2024). No guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.

Please note that ADA requests must be received 72 business hours before the start of the event. 

In this workshop, Anne Flosnik answers your questions about working in the exciting audiobook industry. WIth 27 years in the business and over 600 audiobooks in most genres to her credit, Anne will share her tips and tricks, as well as her experiences working in many segments of the industry, including working with audiobook publishers, on platforms such as ACX, and working with authors directly as a Narrator/Producer.

Flosnick has won audiobook awards and distinctions for both fiction and non-fiction narrators. Her awards include five Audie Nominations, three AudioFile Earphones Awards, and an American Libraries Association (ALA) Award. Anne created the "Narrator Uplift" House on Clubhouse, a bimonthly recorded show with audiobook industry and audiobook-adjacent guests. 

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete the form below to RSVP; you must be logged in to RSVP. 

This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing (paid thru Apr. 30, 2024). No guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.

Please note that ADA requests must be received 72 business hours before the start of the event. 

Deadline to RSVP is Mar. 18 at 12 noon PT.

This is a three week intensive course for performers under the age of 18 only.

You must be available for the following dates in order to take this class:

• Wednesday, March 20 from 4:30pm - 6:30pm
• Wednesday, April 3 from 4:30pm - 6:30pm
• Wednesday, April 17 from 4:30pm - 6:30pm

Once you are registered for this initial prerequisite course on March 20, you will be automatically registered for the rest of the dates listed above. 

Class Limit: 20

Location: Online via Zoom

Instructor: Cynthia Bain

Description:

Join the SAG-AFTRA LA Conservatory for Cynthia Bain’s Young Actor Studio Signature Scene Study Class!

This virtual three week course of Cynthia Bain's Young Actor Studio Signature Scene Study Acting Class for Young Performers is dedicated to nurturing the creative potential of aspiring actors by providing a supportive and enriching environment for them to explore and refine their craft. By taking a deep dive into script analysis and character analysis, they believe in empowering young performers to discover their unique voice, fostering a deep appreciation for the art of acting. With a focus on goal setting, positive achievements, and replacing can't with can - Cynthia Bain's Young Actor Studio instills confidence that extends beyond the stage. Their mission is to cultivate a community where passion meets skill, where collaboration thrives, and where each participant can learn professional acting and life skills in a safe, supportive environment.

• Learn script analysis and deep character analysis. 
• Learn goal setting, positive achievements and replacing can’t with can.
• Learn professional acting and life skills in a safe, supportive environment.

Please note: You will receive your Zoom information the day before the class from SAG-AFTRA LA Local. If you have trouble joining the Zoom meeting, please email webhelp@sagaftra.org or call (855) 724-2387.

Members must have a registered Zoom account in order to participate. You must use a Zoom account with the same email address that was submitted with the RSVP. 

Members will be expected to engage with professionalism and courtesy.

Questions? Please email conservatory@sagaftra.org.

This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing (paid thru Apr. 30, 2024). No guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.

Please note that ADA requests must be received 72 business hours before the start of the event. 
 

SAG-AFTRA is holding national wages and working conditions (W&W) meetings in preparation for the 2024 SAG-AFTRA National Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting (Network Television Code) negotiations. The Network Television Code is the agreement covering non-dramatic programs, daytime serials, variety, quiz, game, reality, talk, news, sports programs and promotional announcements and it expires on June 30, 2024.

In order for you to be as informed as possible, SAG-AFTRA will start the W&W process with a presentation of The Landscape of Broadcast Network Programming on Thursday, March 21, 2024. Please join us to learn how the industry is changing and the impact those changes are having on our membership. This presentation will help you understand the current state of the industry under which SAG-AFTRA will be negotiating the Network Television Code. 

Proposals for this negotiation are developed through the involvement of members like you. Make your voice heard, attend and participate in this very important process.

When: Thursday, March 21, 2024 10 am - Noon PT / Noon - 2 pm CT/ 1 - 3 pm ET

Where: The presentation will be held by Zoom. You must have a registered Zoom account to participate. RSVP below. You must be logged in to RSVP.

Schedule: (You only need to RSVP once to attend any or all national meetings.)

Singers - Tuesday, March 26, 3-6 p.m. PT/5-8 p.m. C/6-9 p.m. ET 

Dancers - Thursday, March 28, 3-6 p.m. PT/5-8 p.m. C/6-9 p.m. ET 

Stunts - Monday, April 1, Noon-3 p.m. PT/2-5 p.m. CT/3-6 p.m. ET 

VO/Promo - Tuesday, April 2,  Noon-3 p.m. PT/2-5 p.m. CT/3-6 p.m. ET 

Diversity - Date TBD (Please check sagaftra.org/netcode2024 for updates)

If you cannot attend a W&W meeting or caucus, please make sure your voice is heard. You may submit proposal recommendations by email at networkcode2024@sagaftra.org. Recommendations must be received by Friday, April 11, 2024.

W&W meetings are open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing (paid through April 30, 2024). No guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.

ADA requests may be included on your RSVP form below. Please note that ADA requests must be received 72 business hours before the start of the event. 

We are continuing our great 2024 with our second Coffee Connection meeting in the Michigan Local. We will again be focusing on honing our cold read skills.   

The January session proved very popular and filled up quickly. Space will be limited to the first 20 RSVPs so be sure to register right away.  

WHERE: Productions Plus, 30600 Telegraph Rd #2156, Bingham Farms, MI 48205

WHEN: Thursday, March 21, 6-8 PM

Coffee and light refreshments will be provided.

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete the form below to RSVP; you must be logged in to RSVP. If you RSVPed previously but were put on the waitlist, your attendance will be prioritized for this event.  

This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing paid through April 30, 2024.

Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.

ADA requests may be included on your RSVP form below. Please note that ADA requests must be received 72 business hours before the start of the event. 

In celebration of Women's History Month, the Women in the Arts & Media Coalition will continue its yearly Women Arts Day — in collaboration with their member organizations including SAG-AFTRA, NYWIFT and WomenArts.

This year's films will include Finding Her Beat, a documentary about female Taiko drummers, and Gone Before Your Eyes, a scripted short about an aging painter.

There will be a talkback after the films with Finding Her Beat Director/Producer Dawn Mikkelson, Director/Director of Photography Keri Pickett, and Producer/Principal Participant Jennifer Weir, and with the Writer/Director of Gone Before Your Eyes, Cara Yeates.

After the films and talkbacks, there will be food, drink, and networking. As every year, the event will be free, sponsored by the Coalition and the participating organizations.

Click here for details and to RSVP for this FREE event at a third party site.

The products and services noted herein are provided as an informational service to SAG-AFTRA members and are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Any questions must be handled by the provider. This information is not intended to serve as an endorsement nor is any warranty or guarantee implied.

We're excited to have SAG-AFTRA National Director, Background Contracts Stephanie Perry join us virtually to give an educational presentation about the terms and conditions of Schedule X, Part l, that applies to the Albuquerque Background Actor Zone established under the 2022 Netflix Agreement.

This agreement provides for much production work coming to the Albuquerque market this year! Learn your rights as a covered union background actor. Stay informed of best practices so you may claim what is owed to you under the agreement. Bring your questions and get the answers on all aspects, including:

• What is the applicable background actors' daily wage? 
• What is an adjustment versus a bump?
• When must a background actor be upgraded as a principal performer? 
• What should a background actor do if they feel unsafe?

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete the form below to RSVP, you must be logged in to RSVP.

The event is only open to SAG-AFTRA members. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.

ADA requests may be included on your RSVP form below. Please not that ADA requests must be receieved 72 business hours before the start of the event.

Nothing moves without the crew! And as our on-set co-workers head into negotiations with the AMPTP next week, they need our #SagAftraStrong support, so let’s join them this Sunday for a rally in the Valley! 

IATSE, Teamsters, IBEW, OPCMIA, LiUNA! and UA showed up on our picket lines during our historic 118-day strike. Now let’s show up for them!

These folks build the sets, drive the trucks, design the wardrobe, put up the lights, keep the electricity flowing and edit our scenes. They deserve to know just how much their hard work means to us.

Importantly, our solidarity with our union siblings will ensure a more sustainable future for everyone who works in film and television.

This Sunday, show the employers that our crew has the full support of everyone in the industry. The bigger the crowd, the bigger the impact! 

There will be speakers — including SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland! Music! And a chance to reunite with all your friends from the picket lines.

Wear your SAG-AFTRA gear (no strike shirts) and join us for the “Many Crafts, One Fight” rally in the Valley, this Sunday. The rally is open to all of Hollywood labor as a show of solidarity and support for their success in this year’s bargaining cycle.

They make our scenes. Let’s help them be seen!

When: Sunday, March 3, 2024 10a.m. - Noon

Where: Woodley Park (Section 1)
             6076 Woodley Ave. Encino, CA 91316

SAG-AFTRA shirts are available in advance at 5757 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 130 this Tuesday - Friday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Show your membership card. A limited number of shirts will be available at the rally.

SAG-AFTRA does not seek to induce or encourage anyone to cease working, or to refuse to pick up, deliver, handle or transport any goods.