Dunes and bays in Stanhope, PEI

The acting workshops are designed to support, develop and inspire actors at all stages of development through practical, intensive, personalized training.

All of the workshop leaders teach, direct and act in North America’s leading training institutions and theatres. They are all committed to raising the standard of acting practice. They share values, and believe that straight forward, simple principles rigorously applied are the keys to achieving excellence and greatness.

Actors will develop many tools at the PEI Conservatory:

• Trust in Instincts – to learn how to develop instincts and responses

• Tenacity – to develop an unwillingness to ever say “that will do”

• Bravery in Performance – to abolish fear; to take the big leap

• Lateral Thinking – to discover that art should be both surprising and inevitable

• Ensemble Playing – to exercise generosity, and to say ‘yes” as the primary impulse

• Creative Speculation – to ask “What if?” and “I wonder why?”

• Reassessment of Risk - to fulfill the rigorous need to constantly reassess the stakes of any set of circumstances, and to ask "how close can this situation be to life and death and still be true to the text?"

• Connection to Breath and Voice and Body - to connect and remain engaged and relaxed throughout performance.

Applying Principles

Actors will begin each of the six days with a one-hour physical and vocal warm up. This is followed by an intensive voice or Learning Methods ™ class for the duration of the morning.

Each afternoon will include a four-hour scene study workshop/rehearsal. Each actor will be cast in at least one “two-hander” scene chosen specifically to develop the actor’s particular personal interest or challenge. These scenes will be chosen in advance from the world cannon of theatre literature. Particular focus will be placed on the plays of David French and Kent Stetson who will be available for discussion of the play and its characters in groups or individually throughout the week. Voice and movement coaches will attend scenework rehearsals to diagnose habits and restrictions. They will subsequently be available for private coaching sessions.

The week will end with a presentation of the scene to other participants in the conservatory.

Special Music Theatre Week

Actors with a special interest in music theatre can attend the week of August 1 - 7 for song coaching in master class with Boko Suzuki. The scenes chosen on this week will be from music theatre repertoire. Suzuki, currently the music director of Rent on Broadway, will coach musical performance in the Acting Workshop during this week.

Choose a Level

There are four levels of Acting Workshops. Contact The PEI Conservatory to find out more about the one that is right for you:

All participants are invited to audit any of the other workshops in the other disciplines at the conservatory. Social activities (beach parties, moonlight dinners, boat rides, theatre performances and concerts, golfing and fishing) can be organized throughout the week for participants to meet and discuss ideas across disciplines.

In keeping with the PEI Conservatory's commitment to quality, the Acting Workshops will be restricted to 8 actors per week. In this way, each participant will receive plenty of daily attention, personal direction and support.

All acting workshops take place on the campus of the University of Prince Edward Island. Established as the center for higher learning on the Island in 1804, this beautiful, intimate red-brick campus is close to the urban center of Charlottetown. With brand-new athletic facilities including two Olympic-size pools opened this year, the University of Prince Edward Island is located on the edge of town, a 20-minute drive to the white-sand beaches of the North Shore and a ten-minute drive from the harbour of Old Charlottetown.