Welcome to the Actors Circle Theatre. We encourage you to take a look around our site to learn about our history and technique. Listed below are some frequently asked questions about auditing and enrollment. Should you have any questions that are not answered here or on the website, please feel free to call us at 323-882-6805 during our office hours, or e-mail us at actorscircle@actorscircle.net.
Frequently Asked Questions
AUDITING
Can I come and watch a class? Does that cost anything?
At Actors Circle Theatre, we invite students of all skill levels age 18 and up to come and watch each one of our classes once free of charge. Prospective students who are 16 or 17 years old may come to watch a class with a parent or guardian present. We suggest you make sure to see at least one Technique class and the Advanced Scene Study class. If you find that you would like to audit an entire semester, you may find details on doing so in the Class Description section of this website.
Do I need to make an appointment to watch a class? What do I do when I get there?
You do not need to make an appointment to watch one of our classes. Simply come to ACT, and fill out an “Auditor Card” located in the lobby of the theater. You must give this card to the instructor before the class for entry. You may then sit in the back row on either side of the theater to watch.
Do I need to watch the whole class when I audit? What if I am late?
You may watch part or all of the class when you audit. You may come late and leave early if you like. We ask that you do not enter during student work; please enter during clapping or between students. Please remember to fill out your auditor card and give it to the instructor for entry.
ENROLLMENT
Can I enroll and start whenever I want to?
ACT runs on an 11 week quarter system. Each week in a quarter is a carefully constructed and vital exercise. Given that, you must enroll and begin classes within the first three weeks of the quarter, otherwise you will need to wait until the next quarter begins to enroll. ACT has Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall Quarters.
What can I do if I miss the deadline to join a class?
In the case that you are too late to join the current semester, you may enroll in our unlimited auditing program. This allows you to watch all of our classes as often as you want for the duration of the semester, a potential 19 hours of class a week. Details are listed in our Class Description section.
Are there requirements for acceptance?
There is no audition or application process for acceptance into the Actors Circle Theatre program. However, you must be over 16 to attend ACT. The enrollment of students age 16 or 17 will be considered on a case by case basis, and requires the consent of a parent or guardian who has observed a class.
What class may I join as new student? Can I place out of the Technique Classes?
All new students, regardless of skill level, must begin study at ACT in one of our Technique 1 Classes. The only exception to this rule is when a student has previously studied with Mr. Mendoza privately or with Stella Adler herself. You may also take Shakespeare or Cold Reading at any time, even if you have not taken the Technique.
What do I need to do to enroll?
You may pre-register at ACT or online by filling out our pre-registration form and making a deposit of $50. This will reserve your space in the class of your choosing. Otherwise, you may register on the first day of classes with your first payment. In either case, you must fill out a contract on the first day of class.
Why is there $50 one-time setup fee?
When a new student comes to ACT, the office must create several new files for accounting and personal information. Because this only happens once in the student’s life at Actors Circle Theatre, you are only charged this fee one time.
What do I need to be ready for on the first day of class?
From a clerical standpoint you will need to make sure you have made your first payment and filled out your contract. From the artistic standpoint, all you need is a notebook and a pencil or pen.
What does it cost to watch the other classes once I am enrolled?
Enrollment at ACT means you can watch any class as much as you want to for free. That means a potential of up to 19 hours a week for the price of one class.
How come there is only one Technique class a week?
Actors Circle Theatre is built on the principle of individualized instruction. You will have homework every week. You will individually go up on stage every week. Mr. Mendoza will personally work with you each and every class. Keeping class sizes small and meeting once a week helps the student to get the maximum amount of information while feeling less overwhelmed. It also frees the student up to take in as many of the other classes as possible. Many Tech I and Tech II students attend several classes a week on top of their own demanding class workload.
Why do Technique I and II take class at the same time in the same room?
Stella Adler believed in the ancient Chinese proverb “You can not possibly know where you are going unless you see where you have been.” She and Mr. Mendoza built the class this way to saturate the actor in the Technique at all times. Students in Technique I are able to see what the fruits of their labor will begin to look like, while students in Technique II are able to take in much of the information they were not able to see or understand in their own Technique I experience.