Career Development

Singer, actor and vocal coach, Brian Lucas, will separate vocal fact from fiction and show you how to protect and develop your unique voice in this SAG-AFTRA Nashville Conservatory workshop. Participants will have the opportunity to perform a spoken or sung piece and receive specific feedback on their voice and customized exercises to enhance it. This workshop is for both actors and singers.

RSVP: Please RSVP below by Monday, May 6. You must be logged into your member account to see the RSVP form below. The SAG-AFTRA Nashville Studio is in back of our local office. Park in back or front of building.

We will have many more wonderful opportunities to follow and hope you will join us as often as possible. We also welcome your suggestions for additional workshops as well as being interested in workshops you may wish to provide!

If you are reading this on your member app, click here to RSVP. 

This workshop is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. Unfortunately, no guests allowed. All performers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. SAG-AFTRA members, PLEASE BRING YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD OR DIGITAL CARD ON YOUR APP (paid through April 30, 2019) FOR ADMITTANCE. This workshop is not intended to imply an endorsement of any individual or company by SAG-AFTRA. The information provided through the workshop is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for the advice of other industry professionals. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided through the workshop.

It’s the industry standard for recording software. At this SAG-AFTRA Nashville Conservatory workshop, Nashville singer, producer and engineer Jason Kyle Saetveit shows you the basics of Pro-Tools in our downstairs studio. While online tutorials can provide generic lessons, Jason will show you how to set up your own template on the actual software you can use for free as a SAG-AFTRA Nashville member!

RSVP: Please RSVP below by Thursday, April 25. You must be logged into your member account to see the RSVP form below. The SAG-AFTRA Nashville Studio is in back of our local office. Park in back or front of building.

We will have many more wonderful opportunities to follow and hope you will join us as often as possible. We also welcome your suggestions for additional workshops as well as being interested in workshops you may wish to provide!

If you are reading this on your member app, click here to RSVP. 

This workshop is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. Unfortunately, no guests allowed. All performers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. SAG-AFTRA members, PLEASE BRING YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD OR DIGITAL CARD ON YOUR APP (paid through April 30, 2019) FOR ADMITTANCE. This workshop is not intended to imply an endorsement of any individual or company by SAG-AFTRA. The information provided through the workshop is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for the advice of other industry professionals. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided through the workshop.

Did you know your local office has a self-tape video studio downstairs?  Join us for this hands-on SAG-AFTRA Nashville Conservatory tutorial where we’ll cover set-up and use of the camera and lights and what you’ll need to bring when self-taping. We’ll also cover tricks and techniques to help you make the most of your audition. Dress accordingly and bring your own SD card and leave with a slate shot for your website.

To provide individualized instruction, we're offering a four-hour window where interested members can come in at any point during that time period and receive individual or small group training on how to use our studio camera. Each session should not go beyond 30 minutes, but members are welcome to stay as long as they wish.  

RSVP: Please RSVP below by Monday, April 22. You must be logged into your member account to see the RSVP form below. The  SAG-AFTRA Nashville Studio is in back of our local office. Park in back or front of building.    

We will have many more wonderful opportunities to follow and hope you will join us as often as possible. We also welcome your suggestions for additional workshops as well as being interested in workshops you may wish to provide!

Viewing this on your app? Click here to register. 

This workshop is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. Unfortunately, no guests allowed. All performers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. SAG-AFTRA members, PLEASE BRING YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD OR DIGITAL CARD ON YOUR APP (paid through April 30, 2019) FOR ADMITTANCE. This workshop is not intended to imply an endorsement of any individual or company by SAG-AFTRA. The information provided through the workshop is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for the advice of other industry professionals. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided through the workshop.

This popular seminar, presented by the MORE Committee and taught by veteran character actor David Dean Bottrell (Modern Family, Boston Legal),  offers 10 innovative techniques to reframe the audition experience, and allow actors to always make strong, impressive work "in the room." Bottrell's new book Working Actor is being published by Random House.

When: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 16, 2019
(Doors open at 5 p.m.)

Where: SAG-AFTRA – Ken Howard Boardroom
1900 Broadway, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10023
Between 63rd and 64th Streets

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

Seeing this on your app? Please click here to log into the website and RSVP.

This workshop is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing — no guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome. SAG-AFTRA members, please bring your membership card or digital card in the member app (paid through April 30, 2019 or Oct. 31, 2019) for admittance.

This workshop is not intended to imply an endorsement of any individual or company by SAG-AFTRA. The information provided through the workshop is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for the advice of other industry professionals. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided through the workshop.

Current SAG-AFTRA members - $10 (Please bring your SAG-AFTRA Card to class); non-union - $40

To RSVP, click here. 

Many actors have heard of the Meisner Technique and of its famous “Repetition” exercises, but did you know the Meisner Technique is one of the most-used acting techniques in the industry today? 

The ranks of Meisner trained actors include:
Alex O’Laughlin, Scott Caan, Amy Shumer, Christoph Waltz, Diane Keaton, Grace Kelly, James Gandolfini, Jeff Goldblum, Jon Voight, Mary Steenburgen, Robert Duvall, Tom Cruise and many others.

It's obviously not possible to teach the entire Meisner Technique in one day…or even one month! But this workshop will teach you all about the technique AND, through the exercises, give you the ability to use some of the benefits of the Meisner Technique, in your work. You’ll develop a much greater ability to work off of other actors than with any technique you’ve ever used. 

Because we have so much ground to cover and due to the accelerated pace of this class, everyone should be prepared to work A LOT during this class. 

Questions? Please contact Mericia.PalmaElmore@sagaftra.org.

If you work on low budget shorts or features, want to work on low budget shorts or features, or want to make low budget shorts or features...this is the seminar for you!  Learn how to negotiate for yourself, what questions to ask, and how to go about signing a SAG-AFTRA contract if making  your own film.

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete the form below to RSVP. Please note that you must be logged in to see the RSVP form below. Seeing this on your app? Please click here to log into the website and RSVP.

This workshop is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. Unfortunately, no guests allowed. All performers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. SAG-AFTRA members, PLEASE BRING YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD OR DIGITAL CARD ON YOUR APP (paid through April 30, 2019 or Oct. 31, 2019) FOR ADMITTANCE. 

Parking is free in the evenings. Map.

More and more actors are being asked to put themselves on tape for an audition. This self-taping trend is exciting for some as you may be able to compete for roles when you’re not in townand it’s daunting for others who may not know what is needed or expected. Whichever way you feel, this seminar, held in cooperation with the University of New Orleans, is designed to help you capture your best performance by covering tips about lighting, sound, basic equipment, slating, readers, framing, readers, and more.

The seminar will be led by SAG-AFTRA member Sharon Garrison an actor, acting coach, director and producer based in Dallas. Sharon has been fortunate to be able to travel and work in a variety of markets across the country and embarked on an aggressive mission to raise the quality, feasibility and success of self-taped auditions. She is considered a pioneer in this field having been invited to present a SAG-AFTRA Foundation workshop on preparing for self-taping auditions in 2013. Come learn from experience and expertise! UNO acting students will be invited to observe.

This workshop is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing — no guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome. SAG-AFTRA members, please bring your membership card (paid through April 30, 2019 or October 31, 2019) for admittance.
 

Why should you be on social media at all these days? Scott & Bettina have both been active users of social media as it pertains to the entertainment industry, but both come from different perspectives. Are you a shrinking violet and not sure of how to start? Or are you focused and consistent with your branding and message? Do you want to get started on social media or are you a vet? Scott Ragle and Bettina Devin will show you the advantages and disadvantages and make suggestions as to what to embrace as well as what to avoid.

Note: Class size is limited to 12-15 participants.

RSVP: Please log in to your member account to view the registration form below to formally RSVP for this event.

• Participants will be randomly selected from those who register, with preference being given to those who have not attended Conservatory events within the past 3 months.

• As a courtesy to members on the waiting list, if you have reserved a space in this workshop and cannot attend, please cancel your reservation by April 19. Failure to do so may result in the inability to attend future workshops.

• We appreciate your enthusiasm to participate in conservatory classes, anyone who shows up without receiving written confirmation will not be granted access to the class.

• If you arrive late, it is up to the discretion of the teacher as to whether or not you will be admitted.

• There is no charge for this event.

Bettina Devin is a seasoned veteran of stage, small and large screen, voiceover and concerts, and remains a working actress/singer. Her classes include training for Acting, Singing, VO, Dialect and Accent Reduction. Most recent successes of her many working students include her longtime acting/singing student, Austin Scott, who now stars on Broadway as Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton, and Kristina Ho, who continues to coach privately with Bettina after 20 years, and can be seen in her series regular role of the comic relief character, “Betty” on the new Power Rangers series. Best known for her role as Idina Menzel's mom in the film version of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Rent (directed by Chris Columbus), Bettina is a busy working actress (as well as casting director and producer) in all aspects of the entertainment industry, with in-person group and private classes in Marin, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. She teaches all over the world via the internet. Learn more about Bettina Devin here.

Scott Ragle is an actor, casting associate, photographer, and passionate cyclist. He recently helped to cast local actors for the feature film Women Is Losers, and the multi-award-winning feature film Guitar Man. A member of SAG-AFTRA since 1997, Scott has worked exclusively in the Bay Area on numerous film, commercial and industrial projects. Onstage, he’s worked with Ashland New Plays Festival, Shakespeare & Co., We Players, SF Shakespeare Festival, Shotgun Players, Thrillpeddlers, and many more local theatre companies. This June, Scott is cycling from SF to LA in support of AIDS/Lifecycle, and raising funds for the SF AIDS Foundation and Los Angeles LGBT Center. Learn more about Scott here.

The SAG-AFTRA New England Local is teaming up with AAUW (American Association of University Women) and the Boston Mayor's Office of Women's Advancement to offer a salary negotiation workshop for women. Participants of this free two-hour session will gain confidence in their negotiation style through facilitated discussion and role-play.

• Identify and articulate your personal value
• Develop an arsenal of persuasive responses and other negotiation strategies
• Conduct objective market research to benchmark a target salary and benefits

AAUW's Work Smart Boston is a large-scale grassroots initiative to teach and empower 85,000 women by 2021 to confidently and successfully negotiate and help close the gender pay gap in Boston.

Note: Please bring a form of identification to the conservatory in order to check in with security at 20 Park Plaza.

Questions? Please email newengland@sagaftra.org or call our office at 617-262-8001.

The seminar is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing aged 14 & up, no guests allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome. You must bring your current membership card or digital card on the app for admittance (paid thru April 30, 2019). This workshop is not intended to imply an endorsement of any individual or company by SAG-AFTRA. The information provided through the workshop is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for the advice of other industry professionals. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided through the workshop.

James Cagney Boardroom – Lobby Level 
5757 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Parking will be validated. Light refreshments served.

Please join us for an evening with lauded TV showrunner Neal Baer author and New York Times best-selling author Merle Ginsberg.
 
Neal Baer has been the showrunner on ER, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Under the Dome and presently, on Netflix’s Designated Survivor. Baer earned a degree from Harvard Medical School before completing an internship in pediatrics at UCLA Medical Center. Among his many accomplishments, Baer co-established the Institute for Photographic Empowerment at USC’s Annenberg School of Communications, co-authored two works of fiction, taught photography to mothers with HIV and AIDS orphans in South Africa and Mozambique, produced several socially conscious documentaries and has written extensively on adolescent health issues. He now sits on the boards of several healthcare and social policy-related organizations.

Merle Ginsberg is an award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author who has contributed to many magazines and newspapers, including W, Women's Wear Daily, The New York Times Magazine, InStyle, Harper's Bazaar, Rolling Stone, and People.

Questions? Contact the SAG-AFTRA Industry Relations Department at (323) 549-6842 or Industry.RelationsAsst@sagaftra.org.

You must RSVP to attend. Spaces are limited.

If you are a member, log in to RSVP. If you are not logged in, you are required to enter your email twice to register successfully.

Seeing this on your app? Please click here to log into the website and RSVP.

This workshop is not intended to imply an endorsement of any individual or company by SAG-AFTRA. The information provided through the workshop is given for informational purposes and may not be a suitable substitute for the advice of other industry professionals. You should always use good judgment in these matters and should not act or refrain from acting based solely on information provided through the workshop.