INTERNATIONAL ACTORS STUDIO

ALEX KUZ

RULES AND PRINCIPLES OVERVIEW

1. ATTENDANCE – This is a true indicator of your commitment. ACTING IS A FULL TIME JOB AND LOTS OF HOME WORK. Attendance is mandatory. This is ongoing class and enrollment is month to month. If you are not planning to take next month class, please submit written note two weeks prior. Class starts at 7pm. Please arrive a few minutes prior. It is acceptable that you come late, or leave early for any professional cause. Your absence will be excused and credited only in case of professional reasons such as auditioning or working for TV, FILM or THEATER (written notes with name, place and date/time it started are required). In that case it is your RESPONSIBILITY to inform us as soon as possible. Contact phone/fax is 818-231-8908. Please be professional (consider this class as your work on the set) and respect your fellow actors.

EACH CLASS IS UNIQUE AND A GIFT CREATED BY YOUR TALENT, ENERGY AND CONTRIBUTION.

Use your everyday routine as a source for creating and perfecting your skills; create your life. Don’t use “being too overwhelmed with your daily routine” as an excuse to skip the class. Use your everyday life’s “overwhelming problems” as a source and catalyst for your acting. Learn to transform negative energy to POSITIVE AND CREATIVE one. Real life is not a source of conflict with acting; it is a very true source of it.

Acting is about sharing. Learn to share not only your joy and humor, but also pain, grief, frustration (all your emotions, i.e. simply your everyday life experiences) with others.

ACTING IS A GROUP EXPERIENCE- put your energy to create, promote and move forward. Your fellow actor is your best partner. Create your team, network of people you enjoy working with.

2. CLASS FEES – are due at the first day of attended class (full amount - $100) and are placed in the collection box. Please be accurate and precise because there will be no reminding. (Late fee will be imposed).

You are permitted to skip the class only because of acting job/audition (see rules stated above) or serious sickness. Phone calls with following written notice are accepted.

In case if you must drop out of class due to acting job, you’ll get a credit refund for the number of classes you missed.

DON’T MISS CLASS because of “financial problems” case. Talk to us. I am sure we can come up with some solution.

3. PARKING. There is valet parking for $12/month or there is plenty of space in the area on Cole Ave., Wilcox Ave, N. Cahuenga Blvd.

4. Please provide the copies of the scenes/monologues to each teacher before you do the scene in class. It will be much more productive if we’d have time to prepare. The best way is to fax them prior the class.

Alex Kuz Ph/Fax: 818-980-2049

4. READING LIST – any work of Stanislavsky, “The Method as a system for today’s actor”, “Acting Truths and Fictions” by Lawrence Parke, “Audition” by Michael Shurleff, “Acting for the Camera” by Tony Barr, “Creating a Character” by Moni Yakim, “In Character” by Christopher Vener, “On the Technique of Acting” and Lessons for the Professional Actor” by Michael Chekhov, “ The Actor’s Checklist” by Rossary O’Neill, “Voice and the Actor” and “The Actor and the Text” by Cicely Berry, “How to Make it in Hollywood” by Linda Buzzel, “Making a Good Scrip Great” by Linda Seger, “Stella Adler on Ibsen, Strindberg and Chekhov”, “Performing Chekhov” by David Allen.

5. RECOMMENDED PLAYWRIGHTS – Chekhov, Ibsen, Shaw, Wilde, Strindberg, Pirandello, O’Neill, Brecht, Durrenmatt, Williams, Miller, Saroyan, Wilder, Beckett, Pinter, Albee, Ionesco, Sarter, Osborne, Sam Shepard, David Mamet, Tom Stoppard.

6. CLASS – AND HOMEWORK. Biggest part of our life is based on commitment, discipline, will-power and readiness. Our code of conduct is based on the following agreements that are empowered in the class:

-Be precise and impeccable with your words

-Don’t take any critique personally and only as a positive directions and guidance to improve

-Don’t make assumptions and better ask, talk and make everything clear

-Just Do your Best and never regret. There is always way and chance to do BETTER

-Feel free to express yourself the way you feel, be honest to yourself and others

-Time is very precious. Be constructive, not destructive.

We want you to feel about class as a place of freedom, sharing and joy. There is no need to suppress yourself here.

A minimum of two monologues, in different genres and styles, should be always ready to work on, in case your partner is suddenly unavailable, so your work will continue. A minimum of two scenes (one of them is Chekhov or Ibsen to work on with Svetlana Efremova) is also required to work on in different classes and not to be mixed with teachers. Scene study is more productive (reflect and develop techniques for auditions, rehearsals and performing). Always be specific in your work, generalization is a killer. Acting is a very practical and physical skill. It is great to know theory but you have be able to go up there and show/perform. Don’t waste anybody’s time (including yours), so take as less time as possible to prepare after previous performers.

You will be invited to express your opinion on somebody’s work, please be as much constructive and positively developing the best results as possible.

Remember: Class is a place of experiencing, experimenting, trials and errors, nothing to be ashamed of.

Stanislavsky said: “Actor’s success is 10 percent of talent and 90% of homework”.

Take notes in the class and keep your diary.

7. AUDITING – Any casting directors, agents, managers and producers, etc. are very welcome in the class as a positive feedback and support in your career. Please clear it with us for better results. Your friends/protégés are welcome to audit one class for free. If he/she signs up for the class you’ll get 50% discount for the next month. Please be as open and personal with everyone in the class to create friendly, humorous, positive, creative and sharing atmosphere.

8. QUESTIONS? – Raise your hand. The only “dumb” question is the one that remains unasked.

Thank you very much for sharing your passion, your commitment, and your invaluable personal contribution. If out of more than 6 billion people population on the Earth we had a chance to meet you, may be it is not just coincidence.