Santa Ana : College Program to Help Student Actors Get Jobs

Rancho Santiago College is starting a new program in the fall to help drama students get jobs as actors after their studies.

Applicants must have some experience in theater and “be willing to spend 40 hours a week in classes,” program instructors said.

“We’re looking for individuals who are dedicated and who really want to be actors,” said Phillip Beck, a theater instructor at the community college. “The program will take a lot of time and work, so those who apply need to be serious about an acting career.”

The new two-year training plan is called “the professional actor conservatory program.”

Jerry McGonigle, a professional actor who teaches at Rancho Santiago, said of the conservatory program: “Each semester students will develop and refine skills they need to make it in the professional world. Included (in the program) are courses in acting methods, scene study, voice, dance, rehearsal and performance, career preparation, auditions, theater literature, acting for television--the list goes on.”