Come in and take a seat...
Welcome to The Aquila Studio
STUDY TO GROW.
GROW TO WORK.
WORK TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS.
About The Aquila Studio
“It’s not the experiences, necessarily, that form us the most but what we do with them.”
When I was a young student studying at NYU and the Adler Conservatory, legendary teachers Stella Adler, Sondra Lee and Ron Burrus gave me and my fellow students the tools necessary to help turn experiences into valuable assets for character foundation building and development. They taught us the fundamental elements of script analysis, and how to apply them to the text at hand to truly experience the role. “Not only do we have to know the circumstances of the period, the literary aspects but also what’s hidden underneath;” to find the recognizable truth beneath the written words of a role, to their meaning. Add imagination to this recipe, “active imagination, not passive, taking your character by the hand and walking with them as if they are right beside you…” and you have the beginnings of craft. This is a process that will serve you in your life and in your work as artists, for the rest of your life.
These tools, this process - when inculcated with clear and positive reinforcement of passionate artists at work - is the basis of The Aquila Studio...where imagination comes to life. Because it is certainly not about tricks or shortcuts.
It’s about CRAFT.
A promise made is a promise kept. This work is now passed along to you, from those that enriched my life all those years ago.
The staff and instructors at The Aquila Studio stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter. In the tradition of the Adler experience, our goal is and has always been to create a safe environment “with the purpose of nurturing artists who explore and value all humanity”. To try to achieve that goal, we dig deep to tell the stories that help us grow and learn as human beings and artists. We are committed to examining and telling the stories that force us to face the inherent biases that exist in our institutions to help move our society past these injustices. We stand with the thousands and thousands of people who are screaming for an end to racism, intolerance and prejudice. The Aquila Studio is committed to help facilitate transformative change in our society, one story at a time. And we will walk however many miles it takes for that greater understanding. Let’s keep talking to one another as we try to build the bridges to support tolerance, kindness and love. I found this article, in particular, enlightening and moving and am respectfully sharing it with you all. We must and will work harder to be of service to the Black Lives Matter mission and imperative. We welcome any thoughts that you would like to share with us. This is your studio and we are on this journey together.
Here are some organizations who are on the front lines of the fight for justice in America that we are supporting. Please research which organizations are a fit for you! Feel free to share back to us as well:
Black Lives Matter – https://blacklivesmatter.com/
Black Visions Collective – https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/
Color of Change – https://colorofchange.org/about/
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund – https://www.naacpldf.org/
Community Bail Funds - https://www.communitybailfunds.com/
TAS stands with the AAPI people of this nation and around the world, against those that propagate hate and commit acts of violence. We are heartbroken, enraged and weary of the intolerance and violence against all POC. We denounce the recent tragedies in ATLANTA. In the face of these attrocities "thoughts and prayers" are, once again, not enough! We mourn the loss of these precious lives, as we must endeavor to educate ourselves about the origins of systemic discrimination. We can never shrug our shoulders and think that this is just 'the new normal.' We must be vigilent in expressing our outrage against suppression of any kind-violence, hate speech, the extreme right wing propaganda demonizing 'the other,' and the alarming growth of voter suppression now legalized by those who want to silence the voices of Democracy. Suppression is oppression which further endangers our vulnerable communities across the nation and the world.
We cannot remain idle or apathetic in the face of social injustice, racism, xenophobia and intolerance.
"An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. "
Please consider supporting the efforts of these important organizations:
Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta – https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org
AAPI Women Lead – https://www.imreadymovement.org
Stop AAPI Hate – https://stopaapihate.org
In solidarity,
Deb Aquila and Team TAS
Classes
Master Scene Study
In this class we will identify the themes at work in the plays and screenplays on which we work. From this foundation, we will enhance backstory, principles of time and place, specific emotional memory work and imagery as we endeavor to develop characterization.
Students will work, individually, with Deborah Aquila as they investigate the world of character building in safe, yet challenging sessions.
Scene Study Technique
This is a technique class with practical applications taught by Jessica Aquila Cymerman and Éanna O’Dowd. Whether you are new to The Adler technique or just want to deepen your work, this class is designed to push you creatively and intellectually. Our goal is to give you a foundation for your craft that will serve you professionally for the rest of your career.
We will be working with the fundamentals of text analysis and script interpretation, focusing on building a character. For those who want to strengthen specificity in scenes, and connect to their emotional engines. We will be covering techniques of Adler, Meisner, and Chekhov, and applying them to assigned monologues throughout the session. As this is a digital-based class for the coming months, we will be meeting weekly over video-conferencing.
Advanced Scene Study
This class applies the principles of script analysis with great specificity.
You will be led through a process that begins with the author’s intent and will take you through the collaborative effort that is building backstory and a fully realized, emotionally truthful character.
Emphasis will be placed on emotional memory and imagery from backstory preparation. We will get very detailed in how to apply this technique, always starting with the text and emotional “intention.”
The first class of this series is a two-hour lecture on the principles of script analysis, so bring your journals! There will be a short scene presented to highlight some of the concepts introduced.
Deborah Aquila will be presenting this lecture, with Troy Ruptash, during the first class. Troy Ruptash and Presciliana Esparolini will be the primary instructors for the rest of the session. Deborah will join as scheduling permits.
Students will work with Presciliana Esparolini and Troy Ruptash as they learn to apply the basics of text analysis to build emotionally truthful characters.
Private Coaching
All of our instructors offer private coaching/self-taping services. Private coaching is available for film, television, theatre and specific projects, including audition prep. Private coaching sessions will be coordinated upon inquiry.
Weekend Intensive Master Class: Script Analysis & Backstory
These Intensives are held once every couple of months, over a two-day period. Deborah Aquila leads examinations of the principles of script analysis as applicable to the everyday audition experience through student-presented scene assignments.
Using this specific plan of action will deepen your backstory, which will enhance your choices during the presentation of your audition, and deepen your approach to the work.
THE AQUILA STUDIO is excited to announce it is now welcoming demo reels and/or taped monologues for admission to classes, in lieu of in-person auditions. Materials are required for admission to the studio and placement within classes.Interested students are welcome to submit by headshot, resume, and a link to an online reel or self-tape at any time. If you're submitting a self-tape, please send a link to a 1-2 minute contemporary monologue that shows your strengths. (no Shakespeare, please).
Contact us.
7551 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046