10-Week Course
Acting Foundations
A structured introduction to acting technique for those beginning formal study or returning after a period away.
10-Week Course
A structured introduction to acting technique for those beginning formal study or returning after a period away.
Programme Overview
Acting Foundations is Drenovo's introductory programme — the course that forms the starting point for most students who come to us for the first time. Over ten weeks, it builds a working understanding of what acting involves and what the study of acting actually asks of a person.
The programme does not proceed from the assumption that students arrive with talent or a certain kind of personality. It proceeds from the assumption that acting is a discipline — one that develops through structured practice, careful attention, and a willingness to be honest about what is working and what is not. These are qualities that can be cultivated.
Across the ten weeks, students work with core techniques drawn from the Stanislavski system, including an introduction to given circumstances, objectives, and the analysis of action. They also engage with physical warm-up routines, listening exercises, and both prepared and improvised scene work. Each element builds on the one before it.
The first stage of any real technical training is simply learning what there is to learn — mapping the territory before trying to cross it.
Each week has a specific focus area, and sessions are structured to build coherently across the term. The following provides an outline of what students engage with over the ten weeks:
The opening sessions focus on how students use their bodies and breath in space. Many actors who have not studied formally carry significant physical tension — in the jaw, shoulders, chest, and hands — without being aware of it. These sessions introduce structured warm-up practice and begin the work of developing physical awareness.
Acting happens in relationship. These sessions introduce the Meisner repetition exercise and related work designed to shift attention away from self-monitoring and toward genuine engagement with the other person in the scene. This is difficult for many students, and it should be — it is asking for something quite different from everyday interaction.
Students are introduced to the concept of playing an objective — of understanding what a character wants and allowing that want to drive their physical and verbal behaviour. We work with short, well-written scenes that make clear demands on character motivation and inter-character conflict.
This section introduces a more structured approach to character — beginning with the given circumstances of a scene (who, where, when, what has happened before) and working outward from those circumstances to build a consistent internal logic for the character's choices. The aim is not to generate a costume or an affectation, but to understand why a character does what they do.
The final sessions bring together the technical threads worked on across the term. Students return to earlier scenes with new tools, and the group reflects on what has been learned — not only technically, but in terms of each person's individual process.
All Acting Foundations sessions are led by Marcus Hale, Drenovo's lead acting instructor, with input from other members of the teaching staff where relevant. Marcus teaches from a practice grounded in the Stanislavski tradition, but he does not teach it dogmatically. What students receive is a set of practical tools for approaching text and scene work — tools that can be adapted as their understanding grows.
Feedback is given in the session, immediately after exercises and scenes, and in brief individual conversations at the end of each class. The emphasis is always on what is specific and observable, not on general impressions or subjective judgments about talent.
Acting Foundations is well suited to students who have little or no prior formal training; adults who studied drama at school or in youth theatre and want to work at a more serious level; individuals who have some informal experience but want to develop a proper technical foundation; and students returning to acting after a period away.
Students who have already completed a structured acting course — whether at Drenovo or elsewhere — may benefit from beginning at a more advanced point. Similarly, individuals primarily interested in voice work or specific audition preparation may find that one of our other programmes is a better match for where they currently are. We are glad to discuss the right starting point for any prospective student.
We ask students to arrive on time, to engage fully with every session, and to take responsibility for the work they do between classes. This means keeping a journal, re-reading scenes and texts set for preparation, and bringing attention to what they notice about performance in their everyday lives — whether watching others work, observing how people communicate, or reflecting on their own experience in the studio.
This course will not work for students who attend intermittently, who are not willing to do the preparatory reading, or who expect progress to arrive without sustained effort. Acting, studied properly, is demanding. We treat students as adults who understand this.
Acting Foundations runs three times per year: January, April, and September. Both weekday evening and Saturday daytime sessions are offered. Class sizes are capped at fourteen students. Places are filled on a first-come, first-served basis after a brief introductory conversation with the lead instructor.
To request information about the next available intake, or to arrange an introductory conversation, use the contact form on this site or email us directly at [email protected].
We will respond within two working days and can arrange an introductory conversation before you commit to enrolment.
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