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Acting Course for Young People

A practical 10-week course to give ‘real-industry’ technical skills to young actors for stage or screen, from the first look at a new audition script to confidently walking onset and giving an authentic performance. 

Agents only want to see a young actor if:

COURSE FACT FILE:

MOVE BEYOND DRAMA GAMES.

Whether your future is in Stage or Screen acting, in order to get anywhere in the industry you must make the move from ‘performing’ to ‘acting’. This intensive course will use scripts, acting exercises from the greatest acting practitioners, cutting edge neuroscience tools, and a professional camera crew to teach you the actual craft of acting. You will learn skills that are normally reserved for second year drama school students. These can be used in stage or screen work. You will be given tools and worksheets to make self-tapes and auditions that are effective, authentic and all the while, more fun.

About your teacher

I’m Bryan Bounds (MFA Acting, University of Texas), an award-winning actor, screenwriter, director and teacher from Texas, based in Yorkshire since 1999. I’ve been an actor for over 40-years and I’ve worked with artists such as Colin Firth, David Tennant, Emily Watson, Elizabeth Moss and many more on stage, TV and film. And from what I’ve heard from frustrated parents, I’m probably the only acting teacher within a 100-mile radius from Harrogate who can teach young actors the craft. For the last ten years, I’ve taken my experience of professional acting and teaching and boiled down Actor training so that young people can learn it in a supportive, nurturing, fun but challenging course.

How does it work?

I have a solution for the young actor who’s been told to be more “naturalistic” in their acting. Behind that comment is an ignorance of what Acting actually is. 

So it’s time for serious young actors who haven’t had access to actor training to learn the techniques of Stella Adler, Uta Hagen, Sanford Meisner and my own exercises which I’ve specially developed for young actors. 

From the first session you’ll be working with dramatic text and learning how to dig deeper to unlock its drama.

And you’ll be learning the golden key to “naturalism”, which is using yourself: your imagination, your energy and your personality in a focused, imaginary way, connecting with your scene partner. Even if they’re not actually there! And we’ll specifically cover that technique.

Over these first five sessions, I’ll take you through exercises from my graduate training, which have helped hundreds of my students to get work, get a better agent and get into drama school. And I’ll make it fun, easy to understand, rewarding work. During the last sessions, you’re going to know how to treat the camera as your best friend, and you’ll have a roadmap of what to do with a new script and turn it into a great performance.

And you’ll walk away with a professionally produced showreel clip produced by the award-winning company BoundsFilms. What I’ll need from you is your commitment. Read on…

YOUR COMMITMENTS:

This course is for you, if you commit to:

It is not for actors who:

FAQs

How can I join the course?

First talk it over with your young actor and get their assurance that this is what they want. Then contact me at info@neuroacting.com for an interview over Google Meet or in-person at my studio in Huby, near the Weeton Train Station, outside Otley. Then enroll on the course on this website.

What if the student is neurodivergent or has learning challenges?

I’m renowned for my sensitive coaching (DBS certified), and I’ll work with your child’s needs. Many of my acting exercises have developed from working with neurodivergent students (their needs are very similar to children everywhere when it comes to focus, compassion and social skills). If your child has challenges learning text, we’ll give them plenty of techniques for getting the lines into their memory.

Is it actually any fun?

Definitely. Students enjoy working and playing with like-minded young people, and many are astounded how enjoyable it is just truly listening closely to another actor. We keep the activities varied, so that the ones that require sustained focus are balanced with out-there creative exercises, students also enjoy exploring more deeply their own personalities and strength. Parents will also appreciate that the sessions are held in a “digital detox closed quotes environment, so that the students are free to explore and develop their individualities.

Why so serious about the requirements for completing the exercises and learning the monologues or scenes?

Because, as Michael Caine says, “acting is b***dy hard work.” My goal is to prepare the young artist for what it’s like in the real world or in a performing arts school. And we’re successful at it. In the real world, you’re given a script a few days before the audition. Likewise, my students will regularly be given an acting exercise to prepare for the next week. Much like an agent or director, I will allow you to miss one of these opportunities. After that, they will be suspended, exactly as an agent would. It’s a painful lesson that I too had to learn early in my career!

For the monologue or scene, your child’s performance will be captured by a professional film crew so that you can use it as a self-tape. Previous students have gained agency representation on the evidence of their self-tapes. Consequently we require that your child learn the script completely before rehearsals began, so that we can help them deliver a professional performance.

How does this translate to the real world?

You’ll be able to:

  • Create winning self-tape auditions

  • Be comfortable and focused on a film set

  • Mastered the art of the monologue

  • Ace a cold script reading by finding clues that bring it to life

  • Know what a casting director wants and how to give it to them with confidence