Acting for Stage and Screen
AboutThe Acting for stage and screen program at The Norwalk Conservatory of the Arts is designed for students who are serious about building careers in screen-based storytelling and performance.
Students train extensively for on-camera work, developing their skills in acting for film and television, voice over, screen performance, audition technique, and content creation while working with industry professionals from New York and Los Angeles. Training is built around the realities of today's entertainment industry, giving students direct access to professionals who are actively working in the field.
Students also benefit from opportunities to connect with agents, participate in an Los Angeles showcase, and build the professional relationships that are essential for launching a career in film, television, and digital media.
Because our faculty and guest artists continue to work professionally across the industry, students gain current industry insight, evolving best practices, and a clear understanding of what today's screen industry is looking for. By graduation, students leave with the skills, confidence, and professional experience needed to pursue opportunities across film, television, voice over, and emerging media.
Application Requirements
Admission to the Acting for Stage and Screen program is based on both academic readiness and artistic potential.
Applicants are required to submit an application, high school transcript (or equivalent), and complete an audition. The audition process is designed to assess each applicant's current skills, potential for growth, work ethic, and commitment to professional training.
Audition Requirements
-Two Monologues OR sides. Monologues should be cinematic in nature as well as contemporary.
Applicants are evaluated holistically. While prior training is beneficial, NOCO is equally interested in identifying students with strong potential, curiosity, professionalism, and a willingness to grow.
Students accepted into the program should be prepared for an intensive conservatory environment that emphasizes performance, collaboration, discipline, and professional development from the first semester onward.
Courses
Musical Theater
-
Semester One
Acting for the Camera 1 (3)
Dance (1)
Editing 1 (1)
Scene Study 1 (2)
Voice & Speech 1 (1.5)
Voice Over 1 (1.5)
Elective (1)
Dramatic Text & Context 1 (3)
Playwriting 1 (3)
Intro to Life (1)
Total: 18 Credits
Semester Two
Acting for Commercials 1 (2)
Acting for the Camera 2 (3)
Editing 2 (1)
Stage Combat 1 (1)
Scene Study 2 (2)
Voice & Speech 2 (1.5)
Yoga 2 (1)
Elective (1)
Fundamentals of Repetition 1 (3)
Business Administration (3)
Total: 18.5 Credits
-
Acting for the Camera 3 (1.5)
Voiceover 2 (1.5)
Dance (1)
Voice & Speech 3 (1)
Digital Performance 1 (2)
Gymnastics 1 (1)
Marketing (3)
Total: 11 Credits
-
Semester One
Acting for the Camera 4 (3)
Character Development 1 (1)
Dance (1)
Elective (1)
Meisner 1 (3)
Scene Study 3 (2)
Yoga 3 (1)
Fundamentals of Repetition 2 (3)
Finance (3)
Total: 18 Credits
Semester Two
Acting for the Camera 5 (3)
Gymnastics 2 (1)
Meisner 2 (3)
Stage Combat 2 (1)
Elective (1)
Scene Study 4 (2)
Voice Over 3 (1.5)
Economics (3)
History of TV/Film 1 (3)
Total: 18.5 Credits
-
Semester One
Acting for the Camera 6 (3)
Dance (1)
Yoga 4 (1)
Acting for Commercials 2 (2)
Stage Combat 3 (1)
Elective (1)
Accounting (3)
Entrepreneurship 1 (3)
Screenwriting 1 (3)
Total: 18 Credits
Semester Two
Showcase 1 (2)
Acting for the Camera 7 (3)
Scene Study 5 (2)
Yoga 5 (1)
Acting for the Stage 1 (3)
Elective (1)
Ethics 1 (3)
Statistics 1 (3)
Total: 18 Credits
Meet the Faculty
-
Anthony Depoto
Department Head
-
Devon Malik Beckford
Assistant Department Head
-
Lisa Lampanelli
Stand-up Comedy
-
Tim Gulan
Scene Study
-
Sophie Boyce
Screenwriting
-
Sean Dougherty
Acting for the Camera
-
NOCO accepts 18 students per year, per major.
-
Yes, Acting for Stage + Screen students can take weekly vocal lessons with our musical theater voice faculty for $927 per semester.
-
We accept students with varying ethnicities, religions, gender identities, sexualities, and disabilities into our programs.
-
All stage and screen students do both a New York and an L.A. showcase.
-
Approximately 65% screen training / 35% stage training
-
Absolutely, it is not only allowed, it is expected. This is an industry that is obsessed with youth, and it is our job to get you jobs, not keep you in college.
-
Yes! All students are allowed to audition for all shows. We have had Stage and Screen students leading mainstage musicals and plays in the past.
-
This is something that happens frequently at NOCO, and is encouraged. We have many different approaches, including the possibility to stay in class whilst off campus working. We have students who are at school in the day then performing on broadway in the evening.