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Acting Coach and Educator

"It's not enough to have talent. You must have a talent for your talent." ​--- Stella Adler​

 

I am passionate about acting technique and education. I am a professor of acting at Louisiana State University's School of Theatre and the Head of Undergrad Performance and author of Seven Pillars Acting. I own Actor's Studio of Orange County and opened the Seven Pillars Acting Studio in Los Angeles, which were where the technique was first developed. For the past 18 years I have been coaching actors of all ages and levels of experience, leading workshops, writing curriculum, and continuing my studies as well. For those who want to act, from the novice to the working actor, technique training is a fundamental necessity, and I consider it my mission to help actors discover, cultivate, and own their craft.

Philosophy and Approach

"Acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances." ​ --- Sanford Meisner​

Acting is tranformation with ease and authenticity. I want actors to be themselves...in different circumstances. From authenticity comes true transformation and a physical ease that is essential and life generating. Through my teaching and training, I've developed Seven Pillars Acting, which comes directly from master teachers: Stanislavsky, Meisner, Grotowski, Declan Donnellan, among others, and is also inspired by the incredible teachers I've had the honor to study with: Vicki Hart (Meisner Extension, Tisch, NYU,) Richard Brestoff (UC-Irvine,) Robert Cohen (UC-Irvine,) Jo Spiller (College Station, TX,) and Louis Scheeder (Classical Studio, Tisch, NYU.) The Pillars aim to offer a cohesive path for the artist, providing him or her the necessary steps toward character transformation. It offers a firm structure and foundation for the artist, it helps him to mine his own personal depths, and it allows him explore the imagination's wild frontier. Truth be told, there are more than one roads to Rome, but a path must be forged before it can be adapted. I train actors to have ownership over their path, and it starts with the Pillars, but when coaching, intuition and impulse are a must. An actor's process must evolve into something personal, flexible and effusively creative.

Train with me!

I coach actors all over the world via Skype, FaceTime, Facebook, you name it. If you would like to start training with me, check out the options for packages. 

Private Coaching Services

  • Acting Technique

  • Audition Preparation

  • Scene Work

  • Voice and Speech

  • ​Acting the Song

  • Acting Training for Classical Singers

  • Career Counseling

What You Can Expect From Personal Coaching:

-Ownership of your Craft

-A Deeper Emotional and Imaginative Life

-The Confidence to Audition and Perform​​

-A Strong, Clear, and Expressive Voice

-The Allowance and Space to Experiment

-Expressive Empowerment

-A Sense of Your Own Authenticity

-The Ability to Dissect a Script

-A Judgement-free Environment

-The Love of Acting and Creation Itself!

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"Sonya is a fantastic teacher. She insists on very detailed work, but remains one of the most patient and kind people I've ever worked with. Since I started working with Sonya, I have begun to develop a solid process on how to tackle monologues, scenes, plays, and songs. With her help, I have begun to understand and employ the detailed techniques that are an actor's greatest tool. I would highly recommend working with her to anyone looking to improve their craft."

                                                       --- Lydia Hunter

"Amazing coach! She helped me deepen my knowledge and understanding of the character I was playing. She is super supportive and I learned a great deal. I definitely recommend this quality and nurturing studio in Orange County. I've taken classes at other studios in Los Angeles and they are way more expensive and I didn't grow as an actor. I'm glad I found ASOOC, what a relief."

                                                  --- Katrina Cabriero

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