Though its deadline for fall-session enrollment has passed, the Hollywood Conservatory has extended its admission deadline for Back Stage readers until Sept. 21. To apply, visit http://www.sag.org/branches/hollywood/hollywood-conservatory, download the application, and write "Back Stage" legibly at the top of it.
Located on the American Film Institute campus and open to all SAG members in good standing, the conservatory is broken up into fall, winter, and spring sessions—each two to three months—as well as a summer seminar weekend that takes place near the end of July. The sessions comprise a wide variety of classes—including commercial video, cold reading, and improvisation. Class size for many of the workshops ranges from six to 10 actors. Even sweeter is the price: For a $25 membership fee, you're in.
The conservatory brings together a wide variety of actors, coaches, casting directors, and other industry professionals. Acting teacher Howard Fine, who has coached A-listers such as Brad Pitt and Salma Hayek, has contributed for several years and is an indication of the high caliber of training one can expect. "The conservatory is an important function of the union," says Fine. "The conservatory addresses every aspect of the actor as an instrument and every phase of the actor's career—from audition technique to commercial technique to comedy improv. It's pretty much a one-stop shop for what an actor might face."
The conservatory also offers an opportunity to work with AFI student filmmakers, as program participants can audition for AFI student films. Director Donald Petrie ("Miss Congeniality," "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days") attended AFI as a young filmmaker and has participated as a student and instructor in the conservatory. He sees the relationship between the conservatory and AFI as mutually beneficial: "It was a huge advantage to us to be able to use SAG actors. We got a pool of professional actors, and it's great for them because they got to work with new, up-and-coming directors on parts that they might not get cast in otherwise." He adds that the collaboration facilitates the establishment of great professional relationships, noting he has cast actors he met through the conservatory. "Having worked with them, frankly, it saved me the time to audition," Petrie says. "I would be directing 'L.A. Law' and need Juror No. 5 or the member of the board of directors of such and such, and I'd be able to say, 'Hey, call Phil, he'd be great for that.' I think for directors but even more so for actors, it's a great place to network."
Despite the reasonable price, the number of actors participating remains surprisingly low, though that's something the program's proponents hope will change. Fine says, "I've encouraged a number of my students to enroll in the SAG Conservatory, because they're SAG members and they're not availing themselves of all of their resources. Once they realize it, it's like, 'Wow, this was right under my nose the whole time.' "