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History

Our History

Acting Studio Chicago has the longest history of any professional acting training center in Chicago.

Founded in 1981, Acting Studio Chicago has been serving the Chicago theatrical community for more than four decades.

While in Los Angeles in the late seventies, Jane Brody, C.S.A., worked closely with Michael Shurtleff, the well-known teacher, casting director, and author of the actor’s “bible,” Audition. When she moved to Chicago, Jane was inspired to continue teaching his method and founded the studio.

Since 1995, Studio Director Rachael Patterson has continued to offer training based on the 12 Guideposts of Michael Shurtleff. Mastery of these principles augments instinct and talent with a practical set of skills. This clear-cut technique demystifies the actor’s process and offers a path to creative discovery through action. The Shurtleff Method compliments Stanislavski, Meisner, Uta Hagen, Stella Adler and other acting approaches. By using the Guideposts, our teachers share a common philosophy and a common language. A student’s work in one class is strengthened and deepened in subsequent classes due to this common approach. Our teachers, who have studied at Julliard, American Conservatory Theatre, DePaul, Northwestern, University of Illinois, and other training programs share a vocabulary and a specific way of approaching the text.

New Student Acting Seminar at the Acting Studio Chicago

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My first Actor's training I ever took was Intro to Shurtleff with Joshua, and On Camera Intro with Sarah Charipar. Both classes- because of the instructors- unlocked my brain into the world of immersing myself into imagination and critique of self. Because of ASC, I have been able to dive deep into an evolution of my auditions. Last year, I worked on a short film that was nominated for multiple film festival selections. I recently booked another short film, which begins filming next week. The current training with Christina [Gorman] allowed myself to be warmed-up and prepared for my booking. I'm extremely grounded in the fact that out of all training types I have received so far, ASC is a hidden gem of Chicago and possibly the U.S. Thank you ASC--I'm so happy to have learned everything I have so far from you. Best, John Stripe Tiggemann