Learn the art of acting no matter experience

Whether stepping onto a stage for the first time or looking to deepen an established craft, performers of all experience levels are invited to explore the art of acting through “The Actor’s Toolbox,” a series of four-week sessions at Bennington Theater, 331 Main Street, this fall.

Led by Stephanie Phelan, a theatre professional with a BFA in playwriting and an MFA in acting and directing and experience both on- and off-stage, the series will introduce participants to a range of acting techniques designed to help performers create authentic characters and performances.

Drawing on the work of Konstantin Stanislavski, Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, and others, the classes will explore the tools actors use to connect with characters, scene partners, the theater space, and the text.

Participants will work with contemporary scenes and short plays, spending time exploring character development, text interpretation, and how to bring it all to life onstage. This is an opportunity to slow down, ask questions, and experiment in a supportive and collaborative environment.

Each four-week session will culminate in a sharing of scenes on the final day, giving participants the opportunity to put these lessons into practice and share them with an audience.

While the sessions are designed to build upon one another, each four-week session also stands on its own and offers valuable training for both returning participants and those joining for the first time.

“The Actor’s Toolbox” is about more than learning acting techniques. Actor training requires a person to be observant, present, and curious, not only about performance, but about how one experiences and responds to the world.

Each session will meet from 6:30 to 8:30 pm on Tuesdays. Session 1 will be September 15, 22, 29, and October 6; session 2 will be October 13, 20, 27, and November 3; and session 3 will be November 10, 17, 24, and December 1.

The fee for each session is $80. The series is open to performers of all experience levels. Participants do not need to have attended a previous session to participate. For more information or to register go to https://tickets.benningtontheater.org/event/the-actors-toolbox-cn2ngy?ut....