I founded Actorium with the purpose of creating an environment where people can discover and immerse themselves in the art of acting; a place to grow and develop creatively through this beautiful, fun, interesting, and life-changing art form.
I think of Actorium as a place for people to inspire and to get inspired and grow, not only as an actor but personally – as I think the two go together. It is not only an actor’s training centre but also a community with a strong culture for daring authenticity, humour, warmth, and openness.
What I have learned through acting and have used as a core principle of Actorium is to never lose sight of the truthful basis of your art and the reason you started in the first place.
Instructor – Olivia Nelson
What draws me to the acting process is the unique opportunity to delve into the vastness of the human experience and express it as authentically as possible. As actors, we practice the opposite of what most people initially think, and that is being real, and lowering the masks we tend to wear in our day-to-day lives. This has been the biggest gift for me personally – to actually stop acting in my own life! The more truthful I can be in front of a camera, the more the audience gets to be up-close and personal with their ‘real’ selves.
This process has allowed me to grow as a person in numerous ways, such as feeling more connected and creative in my life. When I’m not acting, I miss the aliveness it brings me and the ability to be of service by stretching the edge of my vulnerability – it really is the craft that keeps on giving.
Filming and Editing – Rebecca Dumbrille
I’ve always been been drawn to the arts. I studied visual arts in University at Emily Carr and towards the end of my undergrad, I started working at Actorium, an acting school with a strong focus on the art of acting and a culture of diversity and inclusion.
When I was younger, I never saw myself reflected in the media and so this was deeply satisfying, and it was there that I really fell in love with film as a format. I have spent the past three years honing my skills on camera, editing and colour grading.
My interest is in capturing the human experience through colour and movement, and my goal is to make stories that show the true diversity of our world so that other young people can have the experience of seeing themselves reflected in media.
Graphic Designer – Liz Wurzinger
Liz Wurzinger BA studied Graphic and Media Design in her homeland Austria before relocating to Vancouver in 2011. She enjoys the brain-wrecking concept and idea-finding process of each project as much as the obsessive crafting of fine layouts. Liz has recently been helping to refine Actorium’s visual language.
Advisory Board Members
Academy Award-winning Producer Fred Roos (IMDb) has worked with some of Hollywood’s most gifted filmmakers and actors over the last four decades, producing some of the most unique films of our time. Roos’ long-term collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola includes producing the Academy Award-winning Best Picture The Godfather Part II and the Academy Award-nominated Best Pictures Apocalypse Now, The Godfather, Part III, and The Conversation (winner of the Palm D’Or at Cannes).
Other films Roos has produced with Coppola include One From the Heart, The Outsiders, Rumble Fish, The Cotton Club, Gardens of Stone, New York Stories, Tucker: The Man and His Dream. He has also worked as Executive Producer on Youth Without Youth, Tetro, and Twixt. Among Roos’ other producing credits are… more on Mr. Roos.
Illuminating her films with inspired performances from actors is a hallmark of Martha Coolidge’s IMDb work – from her documentaries to her remarkable pioneering achievements in features, television, and the internet.
A consummate filmmaker, she is known as an “Actor’s Director”. From Robert Duvall and Halley Berry, to Geena Davis and James Gandolfini, her actors give some of their best performances. Her cornerstone hit comedies Valley Girl and Real Genius put her on the map and launched the careers of Nicholas Cage and Val Kilmer. Coolidge also exceeds genre and is known for her powerful dramas: notably Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, which was nominated for eleven Emmy nominations, winning five, including Halle Berry, who also won a Golden Globe, the SAG Award, and two NAACP Awards; Rambling Rose, nominated for two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes and won three, out of five; and the IFP Spirit Awards for Best Director and Best Picture.
Coolidge’s TV movies and episodic include CSI, Sex and the City, The Glades, and If These Walls Could Talk which earned her a second DGA nomination for Best Director. Coolidge continues to serve on the boards of the DGA, the Academy of Motion Pictures, the AFI, and Women in Film, and was elected as the first woman President of the Director’s Guild of America in 2001.
Mr. Kemeny (IMDb) is a Vancouver-based businessman who has worked as Executive Producer on several feature films. His credits include Saving Lincoln, Return to Byzantium: The Art and Life of Lilian Broca, and When Do We Eat?
Earlier in his career, Horatio was a software development manager and entrepreneur. He is still involved in the industry, directing a number of technology companies. He brings his diverse and substantial business background as as well as a considerable interest and support of the arts to Actorium.
When I signed in the Intro class, I had absolutely no idea about what Actorium was. I did not know what to expect, although I had been slightly familiar with the Meisner Technique. All I wanted was to start an acting class as soon as possible after landing in Vancouver. Now, after finishing the class, I can say that I have found the place where I want to work on becoming an actor.
Just wanted to thank you and tell you how much I am enjoying your class! I come in usually tired and stressed from my day and feel empowered, enlightened, and invigorated. I am very serious about excelling and being an amazing actor. Last class, I was blown away with the meditation with the belly breathing and baby analogy. It hit me really deep, especially when you said a baby doesn’t laugh or cry from its head! WOW!!! I mean, it all seems common sense but with all my 46 years of emotional bandages and coping mechanisms it has been buried. I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your class and you giving back to the community and being so awesome!! I feel very grateful to be in your class and know I will develop deeply under your guidance. I feel like I am growing daily from your classes. I am a Leader and will definitely keep challenging myself and classmates to be better. Isn’t that what life is about?
Thank you for your thoughts, observations, and advice. It is a surreal experience for me being in your acting classes. I have lived my life inside a sort of straight jacket and blindfolded. I have known something was very wrong but I did not know how to help myself. I could not explain how this is working but over the last six months, I have felt a loosening from what binds me, which is such an incredible relief, but with it I feel sadness also. I can not emphasize enough how limited I have been due to my fears and my thought processes. Michelle, I am so deeply thankful for this painful and joyful process. I am sorry so much time has past in my life, but thankful there is some left.
I wanted to extend my thanks for facilitating my learning/growing over the past few months. I’ve discovered so many things that have eluded me in my acting process for years. My audition yesterday was kind of like the culmination of what I’ve gone through in your class up to this point. It was nice to go into a very intimidating audition with solid tools and the confidence to know that I can “go there” if I bring in my commitment and focus. I felt so free! As I was moving through the audition, I was keenly aware of the other person and kept my focus on them – it was like I was doing a Meisner exercise right there in the room – it was so cool.
I am really liking what I am learning in Intro and want to continue with Foundation. In fact, I went to an open audition and used the grounding and connection with my partner in the cold read scenes I did. Yeah! And I just found out that I got the part! 🙂
Thank you for keeping us on our toes. I really have been learning a lot coming to these classes, about myself and (not just) acting. It really feels so much better being in the actual moment rather than acting it out in a way we think it should be.
I have been taking acting classes now for a couple of months and it is changing me. At first when I was up on the stage, I felt rigid and self-conscious, unwilling to share my heart and emotions. Maybe I was willing but afraid. I find now that sharing is coming easier and that everything I share is reflected around me in the other participants. I am finding that the act of getting on stage is so opening and so freeing. I want to go deeper into it. It is just what I need to keep the juice of life going… Face fear… Face myself and share. Thank you to our instructors for embarking on this with your whole heart and taking us with you!!
Acting classes are paying off. I’m getting more assertive and witty! Ha ha! Just wanted you to know.
I have always been terrified of public speaking and have never even in my dreams wished to be in the limelight on any stage. The thought of taking acting lessons would have never occurred to me. But my instructor introduced this idea in such an intriguing way. She said this class was a safe place for those who wanted a chance to tiptoe out into the spotlight and thus explore hidden facets of their essence and personality. I’ve always been rather inhibited and not-quite-the-real-me in my range of expression in social settings so I thought this would be a potentially fun and cheap way to expand my range, as compared to say, sitting weekly on a therapist’s couch for months on end. Well, it’s only been four classes so far but holy moly! I could not have guessed how eye-opening and personally rewarding this experience would be for my inner development and self-knowledge. The instructor is guiding us starting from scratch using the Meisner training technique. Not only do I feel I have a better window to my authentic self (and what could possibly be more precious than that) but I also feel like I really have an inner eye and empathetic understanding of my fellow classmates which in so few hours with strangers is really incredible. I would urge anyone who resonates with me to try this course. Very highly recommended.
I want to express my appreciation for the opportunity to join the Meisner Intro Class. The attention, understanding and encouragement you give is communicated with such compassion and depth that makes one want to incorporate and excel. Even from the first workshop, there has been a shift in my interaction with others and awareness of how and what I communicate. I learn something new with each class and the experience stays alive within me until the next class. The activities/exercises feel like a return to our more natural selves before being told how to be, what to say, how to say it. I am reminded to check in with myself for authentic expression of my experience in the moment. Thank you for your brilliance in presenting this opportunity.
She inspires us to leap fully into a given exercise or character by encouraging us to overcome the personal barriers and inhibitions that hold us back. She reaches for real emotions in her students, and encourages us to find our most authentic performances. She strips away the mystique of acting, and provides a great working environment in which we can learn about ourselves, and about the craft of acting.
My coach, outside of class, noted a very grounded and open difference in my performance. My advice to anyone who works at Actorium is to listen closely to what is asked, let the ego go, allow the walls to fall, and be willing to grow.
Not only has the program allowed me to tap into my childhood bliss that I chose to let go of, but it also helped me look at places I blocked out within myself. I am becoming more whole and my relationships are becoming more authentic and honest. I am finding the program is helping me stay present and be more honest with everyone in my daily interactions. Rather than my habit of keeping my thoughts to myself, I’m able to share those feelings with people I trust and they make room for me. I have richer relationships because I’m able to recognize what I’m feeling and sense what others are feeling. I think the instructors have done a phenomenal job thus far. They do a great job of being inclusive to everyone who is there. I trust they know exactly who needs to work on which area and will tailor each class accordingly. I find they manage to tailor our classes specifically to each person’s unique needs. We all have different areas of strengths and weaknesses, and our instructors recognize what exercises will benefit us most to make a breakthrough.