More Students Taking Acting Classes in Chicago, Thanks to More TV Productions

CHICAGO, Ill., – Chicago Fire. Chicago P.D. Empire.

In the last few years, Chicago has become home to three major television dramas, not to mention an influx of major film productions, and that proximity to star power has been fueling a surging interest in acting training.

Chicago has frequently served as the fictional setting for many TV shows, including ER, Early Edition, and Shameless, but those productions did the majority of their filming in Los Angeles and only shot exterior scenes in Chicago. But Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D. and Empire are shot entirely here, giving local actors an edge. And that, in turn, is creating a demand for both traditional and on-camera acting classes.

“For years, people didn’t even think about pursuing acting because it seemed so unrealistic,” says Andrew Gallant, co-founder of Green Shirt Studio, an acting and performance training center. “But with so many television productions around these days, people are starting to realize that it really is possible to make a living at it.”

Gallant says the increased interest in acting has been one of the reasons that their school was able to expand from a small warehouse space in Ravenswood to a large storefront space in Uptown. Green Shirt has seen a 25 percent increase in its number of students since it moved into its new space in September 2014.

Rachael Patterson, director of Acting Studio Chicago, says enrollment at her school has increased by about 25 percent, as well, over the last three years, which she attributes to the increase in television productions in Chicago.

Gallant says people often think acting is something you can do without any training – until they get on an actual set.

“People go on shoots as extras and background people and they get so excited by the process,” he says. “But often they don’t get much screen time, and they realize if they want to get bigger parts, they’re going to need official training.”

In fact, that’s exactly what happened to Reggie Ruivivar. In 2013, he was cast as an extra in the film Divergent, and he had so much fun with the cast and crew that he decided to give acting a try. “The experience prompted me to pursue a career in acting, and a couple of months after the film wrapped, I was taking classes at Green Shirt,” he said. “Background work is a great place to get acclimated to being on an on-camera setting.”

The story was similar for Jordan Kantola. Kantola, 25, said he had always been interested in acting, but didn’t start to take it seriously until he was cast as an extra in the 2012 film All You Can Dream, which was partially shot at his uncle’s farm in Michigan.

“When they put me in there and asked me to say a few lines, I felt really out of place,” Kantola said. “We had to do tons of takes to get it, and then all of a sudden a woman really yelled at me and got a reaction out of me, and they were like, ‘Cut! That’s perfect!’” and I was so taken aback,” he said. “When I got on set with people who did it for a living, I realized if I really want to be an actor, I can’t just ‘be’ and actor, I have to actively pursue it and study it.”

Patterson says the fact that more people are taking acting seriously in Chicago will bode well for even more television and film productions to want to shoot here.

“Acting is an incredible, competitive field, so the fact that there is more lucrative work ‘out there’ means that improving and sharpening skills can potentially pay off in increased audition opportunities and possible bookings,” Patterson says. “The more prepared and skillful the Chicago actor, the more production companies and producers from other markets get to know the breadth of talent and the level of skill that we have here.”

ABOUT GREEN SHIRT STUDIO

Green Shirt Studio is an acting school that specializes in Meisner technique, as well as other types of training – such as movement classes, voice classes, scene study classes, improvisation and yoga – to develop well-rounded actors. Founded by husband-and-wife team Andrew Gallant and Sommer Austin, Green Shirt Studio opened its first studio space in September 2014. For more information, please visit www.greenshirtstudio.com.

ABOUT ACTING STUDIO CHICAGO
Founded in 1981, Acting Studio Chicago has been serving the Chicago theatrical community for more than three decades. While in Los Angeles in the late ’70s, Jane Brody, C.S.A., worked closely with Michael Shurtleff, the well-known teacher, casting director, and author of the actor’s “bible,” Audition. When she moved to Chicago, Jane was inspired to continue teaching his method and founded the studio. Since 1995, Studio Director Rachael Patterson has continued to offer training based on the 12 guideposts of Michael Shurtleff. Mastery of these principles augments instinct and talent with a practical set of skills. This clear cut technique demystifies the actor’s process and offers a path to creative discovery through action. The Shurtleff Method compliments Stanislavski, Meisner, Uta Hagen, Stella Adler and other acting approaches. But by using the Guideposts, our teachers share a common philosophy and a common language. A student’s work in one class is strengthened and deepened in subsequent classes due to this common approach. Our teachers -- who have studied at Julliard, American Conservatory Theatre, DePaul University, Northwestern University, University of Illinois and other training programs -- share a vocabulary and a specific way of approaching the text. Acting Studio Chicago has been the most recommended professional training center in Chicago since 1981. For more information, please visit www.actingstudiochicago.com.