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Our program has a lot of room for growth as we offer fully comprehensive training for actors wishing to prepare for a professional career in LA or New York. All actors start in their appropriate acting class and all enrollment is ongoing – either continuing work in the current level or moving onto the next for more intense focus. Training at AZAA is individualized and growth in our acting program is dependent on the actors dedication and discipline. Students learn basic acting skills in our Foundations class, then learn discipline in our Technique class. Finally students with a clear sense of approach to the work can find their artist voice while acting at the highest level with specialized coaching in American Acting. There is no glass ceiling in our program as we seek to unlock artist potential and build confidence for the competitive industry.
AZAA also offers other ongoing focuses, such as improv, and welcomes improv training by itself, however, highly recommend both for actors and improvisors to improve their craft. Improv is also individualized coaching within a collaborative environment. Students get out what they put in, learning how to take risks with bolder and braver choices, students who wish to advance in improv get to our performance level where they explore improvisation as performance art, gaining on stage experience along with advancing skills in improvisation.
We feature regular specialty and guest artist workshops throughout the year and our opportunities are always in support of giving you comprehensive training options that could mirror conservatory training at a fraction of the cost. If at anytime during your enrollment you’d like to enroll in additional classes and specialty workshops you can do so on our registration page.
When students are enrolled in a single class they get to enjoy deeply discounted tuition to add our additional focuses. This includes our core classes of Improvisation, Shakespeare or any additional acting focus. These discounts to our students are often applied to specialty workshops throughout the year.
Students with flexibility in their schedules are encouraged to audit both our Sunday and Thursday Acting Technique before choosing their next core acting class. The coaches offer two different experiences for the actor giving you even more freedom to find the right class for you and where you are as an artist. You have the added value of observing the current students working and ensuring that you are ready to dive into the deeper training. You can set these observations up anytime while in Acting Foundations using our Make-Up/Audit forms and selecting First Class Audit.
Arizona Actors Academy has a comprehensive program. Students are offered additional classes at incredible tuition discounts to make it an affordable program that can mirror conservatory training at a fraction of the cost.
Students on a budget are also encouraged to try multiple classes while enrolled at AZAA and we welcome re-focused training. Communicating with your coaches and AZAA staff we can guide you to create the training experience that works for your artist self right where you are at and can adjust with your growth as an actor. The door to every coach and classroom would be open to your return and pick right back up where you left off.
Current students can change their enrollment anytime using our Current Student Change Form
- Register for another class “Return or Advancing Student”
- When moving up from Acting Foundations into our On-Going, Modular or Intensive Programs
- When switching from your “Core Class” to “Another”
- Add a Class
- Students can Add Improv anytime.
- Students can start Meisner or Advanced Method and add Acting Technique io Meisner for double the acting focus.
- Withdrawals
- Students can withdraw anytime.
- Withdrawals should be 30 days notice to avoid late penalties.
- There are no refunds for tuition paid.
Our classes are weekly and ongoing month to month, therefore you can mainly rely on having class every week, except when we take holiday breaks. We try to take off for most major holidays and and have a Winter, Spring and Summer break so that our dedicated ongoing students & coaches can enjoy larger breaks for vacations.
In the Spring our Sunday class unfortunately meets on many of the holidays such as Easter, Memorial Day, Mother & Father’s Day, we will sometimes adjust our four week schedule to three weeks for longer classes to offer some holiday relief.
Our calendar is available to view on google, as well as downloadable PDF form. Students who miss classes due to illness &/or travel would pursue our make-up options.
Expectations of our Students
We strive every day to create the safest creative environment for artistic development. This requires a working space of the highest integrity for personal risk taking and artistic exploration, both on and off the stage. We have the following expectations of students to uphold that standard.
Our Students will:
- Show respect for others: Our students will respect the rights and feelings of the other participants. Fighting, bullying, name calling, intimidations, bigotry of any kind, inappropriate language or any other form of emotional or physical abuse or unwanted contact directed to one another, Directors, Coaches, Staff, or Volunteers will not be tolerated.
- Maintain a Professional Focus:
• Cell phones should be turned off or switched to silence when entering the classroom. Please save any calls or texting for breaks. If you have a special situation such as a sick relative or work crisis and need to check your phone, let your instructor know before class starts.
• Absolutely no picture taking or recording during class without express permission and a photo release.
• No eating while actors are working.
• What goes on in class stays in class. To take creative risks, actors must feel safe. Respect your fellow classmates’ privacy.
• Be respectful and quiet while other actors are working and during feedback. One of the best ways to learn is from watching others!
There is only one acting coach. Do not critique other class members’ work in or outside of class. Kudos and encouragement are welcome but specific acting directions must come from AZAA staff and guest artists only.
• Do not comment on other actors’ work. This includes “are you okay?” etc. It must be understood that our work requires incredible vulnerability and courage. Emotion and vulnerability is to our medium as paint is to the visual artist. You will see the whole spectrum of human experience in our class. • Do not be concerned about an actor’s wellbeing because they are using their medium successfully! Respect the tears, rage, and laughter as part of the process and nothing more. - Respect our Theatre: Participants will respect the theatre facilities, costumes, props, sets, and all other Arizona Actors Academy and Theatre Upstairs property. They will pick up after themselves and work to keep the theatre and classrooms clean. If property is damaged participants will be held financially responsible for the replacement of such.
- Dangerous Items: Never use drugs, alcohol, or tobacco and none of these or weapons of any kind are permitted at the theatre.
- Displays of Affection: Do not engage in inappropriate public displays of affection. Our students and performers are expected to act as professionals on and off the stage at AZAA/Theatre Upstairs, and no unprofessional or suggestive conduct will be tolerated.
• Romantic relationships with other AZAA students is highly discouraged. Do not interfere with each other’s learning process.
• Conflicts that occur between students at gatherings outside of school/theatre events do not belong in our building or related events. No personal drama. The student will strive to maintain the integrity of a safe, creative environment to risk take and grow. If these conflicts occur, they are the responsibility of the parties associated and not ours. Retaliation or inappropriate behavior in response to personal relationships brought into our school/theatre events will not be tolerated. - Always be On Time: Show up to rehearsals, classes and performances on-time and ready to get to work with all necessary props, costumes, notes or scripts.
- Do not Leave Unless Dismissed: Do not leave the theatre during a class, show or rehearsal unless excused by an instructor/Director or when the instructor/Director dismisses the group.
- Dress Appropriately: Our students are expected to dress appropriately for all rehearsals and classes except where otherwise guided by the Director for a show’s costume or for specific program activity. Items with provocative, offensive, violent or drug related pictures or slogans will not be permitted. Appropriate foot wear is expected at all times.
- Never Discriminate: Discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability, age or on any other basis prohibited by law, is never allowed.
• Any student who believes that he or she has observed or has experienced prohibited behaviors should report these immediately to an instructor, the Artistic Director or our reports form on our website.
• Clear information on how to access our feedback/reports form will be shared before you have your first class.
We are open for live classes at Arizona Actors Academy. We will follow State & local guidelines.
- It will be up to you whether to wear a mask or not while attending classes and events.
- The choice to wear a mask or not until our country reaches herd immunity is up to each individual.
- No commenting on, shaming, deriding or judging of another’s choice to wear or not wear a mask will be tolerated.
- Please help us hold in place, with integrity, this space for creative expression and personal risk taking by fostering acceptance and understanding of your peers personal choice in this matter.
- Additionally we will operate at full capacity.
- By taking part in our classes you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19.
- Do not participate in any classes if you are feeling sick from COVID or other. Help us keep our community healthy.
- We have amazing Make-Up options for missed classes.
- We highly recommend students get vaccinated, however, it is not mandated.
For committed students we can assist with temporary payment extensions for students experiencing financial hardship. Once a student has attended three months of classes and is in good standing, we can offer temporary or ongoing work study options when available.
For In Person Classes
Most of our classes only require you to bring yourself on your first day. You will only need material prepped for your first class if you have been contacted directly from us about that. Otherwise, all you need to bring to your first day of class is a willing and open mind. Dress in comfortable clothes and shoes to prepare for movement. We also ask that you bring a water container for yourself to stay hydrated during class. We can offer refills but no containers.
Our core class enrollment, unless otherwise *specified is ongoing. Therefore you are automatically enrolled and billed every month. The tuition listed under each class is a monthly cost. Our billing schedule has tuition billed on the first of every month. Students can withdraw from classes with a 30 day notice and any enrollment changes, such as, adding classes or changing core acting class should be done by the 25th of the month. See our Terms and Conditions of Enrollment for full info. *Students in Acting Foundations, program modules and intensives have specified tuition commitments from two to six month durations.
Our class schedule is listed under our acting classes, our administrative hours are Monday-Friday 9am-4pm. Email is our best mode of contact. We do not hold office hours, if you wish to check out our facility and our class, please pursue an audit.
We welcome interested students to audit any of our classes to get a taste of our program. For new actors just getting started, we welcome you to try our Acting Foundations class before committing to our ongoing program. The class is full participation depending on class size. When time is limited, priority will go to enrolled students to participate first. For actors who are looking to advance their training and work at a new level, we welcome you to use your audit to observe our Acting Technique class to understand the foundation of our approach and the space we hold for our actors working at the highest level. You can also audit any of our improv and acting courses to ensure that our programs are the right fit for you and your artistic goals. The $25.00 payment made for your audit will be credited back to your tuition if you choose to enroll in our classes. For more questions about our audit option, please contact jacque@azactorsacademy.com.
Advanced Actors wishing to join:
- Meisner is an open class – recommended to Actors with a strong foundation (suggested 3+ mo. of Actor Training).
- Interested students can choose to audit the first two weeks of every open enrollment period.
- These dates are reflected when you select a date to audit.
- Auditors would have to enroll by Week 3 to continue the module.
- Acting Technique requires approval – we welcome any actor with a strong basic foundation in acting to pursue advancing right into one of our Technique classes. To do so we ask that you audit on Thursday night with our Coach Rachel Grimes. She will hold a brief assessment to ensure that you have the background that our Acting Foundations course holds necessary to be successful in Acting Technique. You can also audit Sunday’s class if the date is better, and reach out to pursue a phone assessment with Rachel for approval into the class after attending. It is important to us that you observe the class to ensure it’s the right fit for you.
Stay connected to other AZAA students and alumni via our Private Facebook Group. Get into the conversation with other Phoenix artists and peers and share resources, opportunities and meet-ups. This is a private group and you will need to request approval.
If tuition payment is not received by the 1st and you have not contacted us to discuss reasons for delay, you will receive a $5 late fee each day you are late. If your tuition is not received by the 5th of the month, we will automatically withdraw you from further classes. Re-enrollment will be subject to fees. Financial hardship options including payment plans are available.
Our location is:
4820 E McDowell Rd Suite 101, Phoenix, AZ 85008
Students can add classes, transfer core acting classes (for leveling up or setting a new home acting, improv class) and make withdrawals from any or all classes. Students can also use this form to make contact and payment info changes. Changes to your enrollment should be made by the 25th to be reflected on your next months tuition billing. Withdrawals should be made with 30 day notice to avoid any tuition penalties. See withdrawal below.
Our students can pursue Make-Up classes during their enrollment by auditing any of our other class focuses; Acting Technique, Improv for Actors and Improv for Performance. Some of these options are just observation and some offer opportunities to participate. The details on how to schedule your make-ups during your enrollment are provided after your first class.
We are not currently offering dedicated Zoom classes.
Our Meisner class is taught by Isaac Byrne who conferences into our studio from NY via Zoom allowing that class to be taken as a hybrid. Therefore, this class is open to any actors looking for online or remote options.
Additionally we have a Zoom Foundations class available with interest. We’d love to hear if you’d enjoy this opportunity and will offer it whenever demand justifies it. Contact us with interest.
~For ongoing students: We do not set up ongoing payment plans, however, we do allow you to contact us before the 1st to discuss a payment due date extension or payment plan over the month. This can be agreed upon by submitting a billing request through the student changes or emailing jacque@azactorsacademy.com your exact extension/pay plan request. We expect all students to catch up to our billing period but are happy to help when needed.
Payment is required upon registration.
- Full tuition payment.
- Your first month’s tuition will be covered and the ongoing billing will start with your next month’s tuition. If you have any credits for mid month enrollment, they will be applied to your next invoice.
- All payments are non-refundable.
- Credits can be pursued in accordance with our withdrawal policy.
We care greatly that our classes feel welcoming and safe to all. If you are experiencing any unpleasant interactions or have issues with fellow students or staff, please report to us. You can do so in person with your coach if you feel comfortable, or report via the website. This can even be done anonymously if you feel you may be in any danger. The submissions are delivered to AZAA leadership to ensure full accountability for every report. We take all feedback and every report seriously wether it is anonymous or not, and we will practice due-diligence by conducting proper investigations for any accusation. Sharing your contact info is encouraged to help us toward positive change in result of your report and/or feedback.
Our student resources are password protected. This password is shared with you after your first day of class. If you’ve started classes and have not received our password, please contact jacque@azactorsacademy.com.
Our student resources page is a one stop location for all the opportunities available to our students at AZAA. Password for this section of our website will be shared after your first day of class. On this page you can find all of the information included in the FAQ and more, such as links to our full library of online scripts and monologues, as well as links and info for new students, adding memberships for library and rehearsals. Our admin Jacque Arend is also available via email anytime you have questions about classes, website, schedule, enrollment and tuition billing. jacque@azactorsacademy.com
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Terms and Conditions Of Acting Foundations
You are enrolling into our eight-week Acting Foundations. Make sure you read all of our Terms and Conditions regarding your enrollment so you understand fully what policies and potential penalties you are agreeing to.
REGISTRATION | ENROLLMENT
- You are required to complete the form and signify your agreement to Payment Policies, Waiver of Liability and class Code of Conduct.
- Enrollment is for an eight-week rotation of our Acting Foundations course.
- All our communications are via email. It is important that you maintain contact.
- An active email address is necessary for you to receive your monthly billing invoices, tuition reminders and updates.
- Please notify us of any changes in contact information.
TUITION | INVOICING PLAN
- Tuition is $450.00 in total for the course, which can be broken up into two payments of $225.00.
- Choosing monthly will set up a second automatic payment from the date you registered.
- Use a credit/debit card account suitable for automatic withdrawals on the first.
- All tuition paid is non-refundable.
FINANCIAL HARDSHIP
- Please come to us if you are having financial difficulties and need payment extensions, pay-plans or other options of assistance.
TUITION PRICE
- Rates are subject to change.
REFUNDS & PRO-RATING TUITION
- Tuition is not pro-rated, refunded or discounted for classes missed, or when dropping from a class.
- Auditing and tuition payments upon registration are non-refundable.
- Missed classes can be redeemed via our Make-Up option.
WITHDRAWAL POLICY
- Students can withdraw within 14 days of their due date to stop further billing. However, all tuition payments made are non-refundable, including recurring.
RE-ENROLLMENT
- If you have to temporarily withdraw, you will be able to set up an automatic return to classes.
- You can re-enroll as a return student anytime and pick up where you left off.
- Any credit you may have from a late withdrawal will be applied to your return tuition.
INCLEMENT WEATHER OR INSTRUCTOR EMERGENCY
- In the event of inclement weather or emergency, we will send email notifications if classes are cancelled.
- Any cancelled classes will be offered a make-up class with ample time to adjust your schedule.
- If you are unable to attend a make-up class, AZAA cannot refund the original class. Please make every effort to attend the make-up class.
Terms and Conditions Of Ongoing Program
Your enrollment will carry over automatically each month until you choose to withdraw. You can withdraw at anytime keeping our 30-day notice in mind.
- Full tuition payment is required to register.
- Your tuition payment will be charged automatically every month on the 1st until you submit a withdrawal or enrollment change.
- Use a debit/credit card account for automatic payments to make your class payment.
- You can still withdraw or make changes anytime before the 25th to stop payment.
- Withdrawals within a 30 day notice will be a 50% tuition penalty of payment.
- Any tuition credits from audit/penalty or otherwise will be credited to your first automatic tuition charge or second month’s balance due.
- Students can pursue consideration for enrollment pauses via the Student Enrollment Change form on our website.
- Please contact us at info@azactorsacademy.com with questions and enrollment concerns.
- All tuition payments are non-refundable.
Terms and Conditions Of Modular Program
Your enrollment will carry over automatically each month of your Module duration. You will be automatically withdrawn after your three month commitment unless you re-enroll to continue your training. Meisner is a series of modules and ongoing training leads to Ongoing Advanced Meisner. You can withdraw at anytime keeping our 30-day notice in mind.
- Full tuition payment is required to register.
- Your tuition payment will be charged automatically every month on the 1st through your current three month module.
- Use a debit/credit card account for automatic payments to make your class payment.
- You can still withdraw or make changes anytime before the 25th to stop payment.
- Withdrawals within a 30 day notice will be a 50% tuition penalty of payment.
- Students will automatically be withdrawn after the three month duration unless they choose to re-enroll through our student change form.
- Modules are designed to be ongoing.
- Any tuition credits from audit/penalty or otherwise will be credited to your first automatic tuition charge or second month’s balance due.
- Students can pursue consideration for enrollment pauses via the Student Enrollment Change form on our website.
- Please contact us at info@azactorsacademy.com with questions and enrollment concerns.
- All tuition payments are non-refundable.
Acting Foundations:
If you selected monthly billing (or add improv), your second (or third) payment will be billed automatically one month from the date that you made your first payment. This second payment covers the completion of your Foundations course and billing discontinues.
Modular and Specialty Intensives:
Your tuition will be billed on the first of every month of course enrollment commitment.
Ongoing Tuition:
Students are billed automatically on the first until they withdraw. Students can make changes and billing extension requests anytime via the student resources. When in doubt, be sure to always contact jacque@azactorsacademy.com. We can help you set up late payment extensions, pay plans or make late changes. You can avoid unwanted fees and disruptions in enrollment with great communication.
Withdrawals should be submitted with a 30 day notice via the student change form. Grace periods are given to students within their first two months of enrollment as we understand that it is hard to determine whether you wish to continue the program without having a few classes first, in this case, you can withdraw up till the 25th of your second month of classes without penalty.
Students who withdrawal within 30 days notice will still be charged their tuition and can recover their payment as a credit for return tuition. We will hold your credit for up to one year from your withdrawal date. Under our financial hardship initiative, you can reach out to jacque@azactorsacademy.com to discuss resolution without burden by the 25th of the month.
As a small business we rely on monthly projections to operate. This policy is in place to protect us from unexpected loss when students decide to end enrollment during our tuition billing. We appreciate your consideration and compliance when choosing to withdrawal from your enrollment at the last minute. Students experiencing financial hardship should reach out to us before choosing to withdraw.
Students in good standing with AZAA and a dedication to their training can purue our work study positions for long-term (3 months & longer) class credit. We have positions ranging from mid-week cleaning to Social Media Marketing. Our work study options can offer a nice discount to class tuition and offer you on the job experience in a variety of skills needed. Other jobs; Webmaster, Videographer/Photographer, Web Marketer, Librarian, Prop Master, Facilities Manager.
Arizona Actors Academy is focused on adult programming and not offering classes for students under 18 years of age. If you or your child is a mature, focused teen actor age 16 or 17 that would like to begin working at an adult level, please contact info@azactorsacademy.com to inquire about setting up an assessment to see if our program is the right fit. Arizona has many great organizations focused on youth, we can give you recommendations if you drop us a quick email.