🎠Core Acting Program
Beginners and New Actors
Beginners and New Actors
Your Journey Starts Here.
Build Skill, Confidence, and Craft.
One Level at a Time.
Arizona Actors Academy’s Core Acting Program is a progressive training path designed to meet you where you are – and take you where you want to go. Whether you’re a total beginner, a curious creative or a returning actor looking to deepen your craft, our three-level structure provides a clear, supported progression.Â
Estimated completion is 8 to 12 months. You set the pace!
Your Journey Starts Here.
Build Skill, Confidence, and Craft.
One Level at a Time.
Arizona Actors Academy’s Core Acting Program is a progressive training path designed to meet you where you are – and take you where you want to go. Whether you’re a total beginner, a curious creative or a returning actor looking to deepen your craft, our three-level structure provides a clear, supported progression.Â
Estimated completion is 8 to 12 months.
You set the pace!
All our classes are ages 18 and older.
Acting Technique
Where it All Comes Together
Your Tools:
Scene Study and Character Work
Textual Analysis
Rehearsal and Performance Techniques
🔹 Level I: Acting Foundations
In-Person Class
Meeting Wednesdays
6:00pm – 8:00pm or 8:30 depending on size
$225 per month | $450 Full Program
Instructor: Rachel Riggs
Open enrollment for beginning actors and you can begin anytime.
Start here. Build confidence, presence, and a love of the work.
Your first step as an actor.
This high-energy, welcoming class introduces new actors to the fundamentals of the craft in a fun and supportive environment. Through warm ups, group games, and acting exercises…, you’ll begin to build a foundational acting technique while reconnecting with the creative spark that brought you here.
🎯 Ideal for: Total beginners, returning actors looking for a reset, or anyone seeking a safe space to explore acting for the first time
You’ll learn to:
- Develop confidence and presence through group work and ensemble play
- Practice the fundamentals of acting: objectives, obstacles, and actions
- Build basic scene and monologue skills through guided exercises
- Cultivate focus, listening, and emotional honesty on stage
- Embrace risk, imagination, and your unique creative voice
Who This Class Is For:
- Total beginners with little or no acting experience
- Adults (18+) curious about acting or looking to try something new
- Returning performers who want a fresh start and reintroduction to the basics
- Individuals seeking a supportive, low-pressure space to build confidence
- Anyone who wants to explore creativity, communication, and presence
🔹 Level II: Acting Essentials
In-Person Class
Meeting Wednesdays
8:30pm – 10:00pm
$175 Two Pay | $350 Full Program
Instructors: Rachel Riggs and Maren Maclean Mascarelli
Open enrollment with approval and you can begin anytime.
Build your instrument. The creative core every actor needs.
This 6-week developmental class helps you deepen your connection to body, voice, and text while learning to work confidently in ensemble. It’s the bridge between exploration and performance – the place where expressive freedom meets growing skill.
🎯 Ideal for: Students who’ve completed Foundations or have prior acting experience
You’ll learn to:
- Embody physical awareness and emotional presence
- Free and strengthen your voice through breath and articulation
- Analyze text and explore character subtext
- Collaborate within an ensemble with trust and play
- Prepare for the demands of scene work and character development
Who This Class Is For:
- Students who have completed Acting Foundations
- Actors who feel emotionally ready but need more tools to work with text or character
- Individuals with prior acting experience who are “rusty” or disconnected from their body, voice, or ensemble work
- Performers transitioning from instinctive play to intentional craft
- Anyone preparing for the demands of scene work, character study, or professional training
🔹 Level III: Acting Technique
In-Person Class
MeetingÂ
Sundays 1:00pm – 4:00pm*
Thursdays 6:30-10:30pm*
$240 per month
Open enrollment with approval and you can begin anytime.
Where craft meets performance. Script work, character, and commitment.
This ongoing class is the culmination of our Core Program. Here, you’ll put your tools into practice through scene study, character development, and emotional truth. With individualized coaching you’ll begin to work like a professional actor.
Actors may move on to our ongoing advanced acting classes; Meisner, Scene Study and Relaxation & Sensory after meeting Acting Technique’s graduation goals (two monologues and one scene) for the course or stay and continue their development here.
🎯 Ideal for: Actors with strong foundational tools, ready for script and performance work
You’ll learn to:
- Break down scenes with clarity and precision
- Build layered, authentic characters from the ground up
- Use emotional truth and personal connection in performance
- Refine your technique for both stage and screen
- Rehearse with discipline and artistic purpose
Who This Class Is For:
- Students who have completed Acting Essentials (or comparable training)
- Actors ready to take on full scenes, in-depth script analysis, and character development
- Performers looking to refine their technique for stage and on-camera work
- Returning professionals seeking a disciplined training environment
- Anyone serious about taking their acting from exploratory to performance-ready
Thursdays – 6:30pm-10:30pm*
Instructor: Rachel Riggs
*End time is dependent on class size.
Sundays – 1:00pm-4:30pm*
Instructor: Maren Maclean Mascarelli
*End time is dependent on size.Â
Ongoing Shakespeare
We recommended that students by this level who wish to be competitive in the industry add Improv Mechanics, Ongoing Shakespeare and/or Stage Combat.
Tuition to add an additional focus is $150/monthly with our added program discount.
Other Offerings