Whistler Question - Get ready, set, act!
This article is about Canadian actor Neil Schell, who apparently is guest starring in a Stargate episode this spring:
From Whistler Question:
http://www.whistlerquestion.com/madi...1?OpenDocument
Get ready, set, act!
By Nicole Fitzgerald - Reporter
Acting classes offered by well-known acting coach whose students have enjoyed success. Want to be an actor? Acting coach and working actor Neil Schell says it is not as a far-off dream as some in Whistler may expect. After teaching a weekly acting class in Whistler for two years, Schell has helped seven of his students land agents in Vancouver, leading to work in the industry.
Whistlerite Leah Breen recently was cast in a regular role on a new animation series called Trollz. “It took a couple of years for that to happen, but she did it,” Schell said. “Anybody can be a professional. There is a place for everyone if you really want to do it.”
Schell begins offering his weekly acting classes Nov. 23, offering the opportunity for aspiring actors to learn about the craft and if they so desire, turn that passion into a budding career. Schell brings a long history of acting to his credit with roles in movies such as Catch Me If You Can and television series such as Cold Squad and Outer Limits. Watch out for him in Stargate this spring.
In addition to countless commercials for large, brand-name companies, he also opened and, for more than 10 years, ran The Actors’ Working Academy, an acting school in Gastown. The administrative side of running a school eventually took its toll and Schell left the school staffed with more than 12 acting coaches for the freedom of conducting workshops in B.C. and Alberta as well as putting in time in front of the camera.
Beginning students mix with more experienced students in his three-hour class every Wednesday, starting at 6 p.m. The class begins with warm-up exercises, including improvisation and/or dance, to get the body moving. Students then proceed to do monologue and/or scene work.
The script is the actor’s doorway to any character. The class will teach students how to access their characters by analyzing the script, breaking it down into the objectives their characters seek, the challenges they face and how they overcome them.
“The only thing you get as an actor is a script, a series of concepts,” he said. “You have to analyze it to find out what it is about and through various experimentation you will discover a character. The character will come to you and present itself if you work on it properly.”
Many acting schools take the old-school approach of breaking an actor down, then building him or her back up again, but Schell opts for a learning environment more conducive to enjoying the craft rather than being tortured by it.
“This not hard-core, heavy stuff,” he said. “I don’t break down actors because it is light. It is a lot of fun.”
Because of Schell’s experience in the business, he has garnered many contacts over the years, enabling him to put aspiring actors in touch with casting directors and agencies.
Whistlerites Don Stevenson, Frazer McGaw, Morgan McGaw, Hilary Carrall and Cayley Alexander have landed respected agents in Vancouver as well. Schell also helped prepare Stephanie Janyk to enter a two-year acting program in New York. “Oftentimes actors are hiding out in places, contemplating their dream and are afraid to admit it or to explore it more,” he said. “Those are the people I really like to help. I know exactly what that is like. I made some huge mistakes when I was younger. I don’t want anyone to go through it. That is why I started teaching other actors.”
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Morjana
SG1-Spoilergate
http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/SG1-Spoilergate/
Richard Dean Anderson Fans
http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/rdandersonfans/
Fans of Joe Flanigan
http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/fansofjoeflanigan/
From Whistler Question:
http://www.whistlerquestion.com/madi...1?OpenDocument
Get ready, set, act!
By Nicole Fitzgerald - Reporter
Acting classes offered by well-known acting coach whose students have enjoyed success. Want to be an actor? Acting coach and working actor Neil Schell says it is not as a far-off dream as some in Whistler may expect. After teaching a weekly acting class in Whistler for two years, Schell has helped seven of his students land agents in Vancouver, leading to work in the industry.
Whistlerite Leah Breen recently was cast in a regular role on a new animation series called Trollz. “It took a couple of years for that to happen, but she did it,” Schell said. “Anybody can be a professional. There is a place for everyone if you really want to do it.”
Schell begins offering his weekly acting classes Nov. 23, offering the opportunity for aspiring actors to learn about the craft and if they so desire, turn that passion into a budding career. Schell brings a long history of acting to his credit with roles in movies such as Catch Me If You Can and television series such as Cold Squad and Outer Limits. Watch out for him in Stargate this spring.
In addition to countless commercials for large, brand-name companies, he also opened and, for more than 10 years, ran The Actors’ Working Academy, an acting school in Gastown. The administrative side of running a school eventually took its toll and Schell left the school staffed with more than 12 acting coaches for the freedom of conducting workshops in B.C. and Alberta as well as putting in time in front of the camera.
Beginning students mix with more experienced students in his three-hour class every Wednesday, starting at 6 p.m. The class begins with warm-up exercises, including improvisation and/or dance, to get the body moving. Students then proceed to do monologue and/or scene work.
The script is the actor’s doorway to any character. The class will teach students how to access their characters by analyzing the script, breaking it down into the objectives their characters seek, the challenges they face and how they overcome them.
“The only thing you get as an actor is a script, a series of concepts,” he said. “You have to analyze it to find out what it is about and through various experimentation you will discover a character. The character will come to you and present itself if you work on it properly.”
Many acting schools take the old-school approach of breaking an actor down, then building him or her back up again, but Schell opts for a learning environment more conducive to enjoying the craft rather than being tortured by it.
“This not hard-core, heavy stuff,” he said. “I don’t break down actors because it is light. It is a lot of fun.”
Because of Schell’s experience in the business, he has garnered many contacts over the years, enabling him to put aspiring actors in touch with casting directors and agencies.
Whistlerites Don Stevenson, Frazer McGaw, Morgan McGaw, Hilary Carrall and Cayley Alexander have landed respected agents in Vancouver as well. Schell also helped prepare Stephanie Janyk to enter a two-year acting program in New York. “Oftentimes actors are hiding out in places, contemplating their dream and are afraid to admit it or to explore it more,” he said. “Those are the people I really like to help. I know exactly what that is like. I made some huge mistakes when I was younger. I don’t want anyone to go through it. That is why I started teaching other actors.”
|*|(*)|*|(*)|*|
Morjana
SG1-Spoilergate
http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/SG1-Spoilergate/
Richard Dean Anderson Fans
http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/rdandersonfans/
Fans of Joe Flanigan
http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/fansofjoeflanigan/
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