Perspective can create new possibilities for you where you didn’t know they existed. When you view things from a set of new eyes, you’re steps ahead of the competition. When you walk into an audition and you need to stand out, when stagnant energy enters your creative space, that’s when you need perspective.  Perspective can create huge paradigm shifts!

One of our core beliefs at Benjy Dobrin Studios is progress and to infuse a new perspective into your creative work, is to add fuel to your fire.

That’s why we’re excited to announce our new 6 week “The Text In Action” workshop where you’ll gain a new perspective by using a specific set of unique exercises (some of them odd) that will challenge you to explore text in new ways, while encouraging you to take deeper, bolder actions to commit more fully to the script.

How can the Text In Action Workshop help you?

1. Script Analysis:  Everything starts with the script.The biggest mistake actors make is being too general with their choices. If you’re able to discover and fully understand the authors ideas and your characters “wants” and “emotional justifications” you’ll immediately set yourself apart from other actors.All students will actively participate in a variety of exercises designed to clarify your characters event, needs, and obstacles. You’ll leave with an understanding of how to capture all of the emotional colors and moments the author has given you.

2. Physical Freedom: The worst place anactor can act from is their head. In the workshop we’ll be focusing on proven strategies that get you out of your head and into your body. Creating physical actions and challenges are a fun and vital way to bring a greater understanding of your characters obstacles and relationships. These physical actions are critical to creating a bridge to the emotional colors, contradictions and needs of your character. When we are done, you’ll have access to explore material in a fresh, imaginative and emotionally authentic way.

3. Moment to Moment: Everyone talks about being in the moment, but few actually know how to improve this specific skill. As a result, being in the moment is often accidental.Each week I’ll share simple (but not always easy) and powerful improvisational exercises which develop your skill to truly listen and respond “moment to moment”, so you’re not just saying lines, but responding from your true instincts. For many this will be the most challenging and frightening part of the workshop. But if you play full out, it could be where the biggest breakthroughs come from. You’ll either leave with the breakthroughwhat holds you back.

4. Personalization: In order to create an authentic emotional life, actors must find a way to connect with their characters situations and circumstances. Every class you’ll learn specific exercises to hack into and amplify your imagination, ultimately bringing a rich emotional life to your work.When you finish the workshop, you’ll have gained several new tools and insights which will leave you feeling more creative, instinctual and powerful in your acting.

Workshop Details:

WHERE: Benjy Dobrin Studios 931 Santa Fe Dr #150, Denver, CO 80204
DATES: Saturday’s March 28th – May 2nd 2015
TIME: 11:30 – 2:30
CAPACITY: 15 students
COST: $225

reserve your spot email info@benjydobrin.com

Who’s teaching TheText In Action Workshop?

Kevin Cox is a professional actor living in Denver, Colorado. Most recently, Kevin booked a supporting role in the western series THE GUNSLINGERS. Earlier this year he was the first runner-up in a nationwide audition search for the lead role in the indie film THE DRIVER by Executive Producer, Forest Whitaker. Kevin has studied and worked in NY, Los Angeles and New Mexico. While in Los Angeles Cox landed roles in a variety of T.V. series including the CBS series TO HAVE AND TO HOLD, ABC’s SNOOPS and ARREST AND TRAIL created by LAW AND ORDER creator Dick Wolf. Along with his T.V. appearances Cox played a small part in the family action film DURANGO KIDS. Over the years Kevin has studied with some of the countries premier acting coaches Allan Miller, Suzanne Shepherd, George Morison, Paul Sills and Ellen Gerstein. He continues to sharpen his own acting skills by attending weekly workshops with Benjy Dobrin at Benjy Dobrin Studios.

To register for Benjy Dobrin Studios workshops, please contact info@benjydobrin.com

Workshop #1: Book the Room – Release the Audition

Saturday March 29th
9:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m
$100 for single workshop, or $170 for early registration for BOTH workshops

The first of two workshops, “Book the Room-Release the Audition” is a one day workshop geared towards coming to peace with the audition process from a business and emotional standpoint.  The more you’re in an audition room, the better your chances of booking. When casting starts to request you at auditions, that means you are making them look good and your chances of booking increase even more.  Booking the Room is a long-term audition strategy that helps actors put their best foot forward with casting directors, while also providing anxiety management and freedom. In this workshop you will learn strategies to make a positive impression that increase your influence past a single audition, giving you more opportunity to be IN the room. We will also address how to shake off a challenging audition to regain your rhythm. Like athletes, actors can improve their results by building up their mental game. Discover ways to build your resilience and lengthen your perspective while nurturing your craft.

Workshop #2: Learning To Hustle – The essential strategies to becoming and STAYING a working actor.

Saturday April 19th
9:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m
$100 for single workshop, or $170 for early registration for BOTH workshops

The second workshop, “Learning to Hustle- The Essential Strategies To Becoming and Staying a Working Actor” will be geared to those that would like to make a career out of acting.  One of the #1 things you can do for your acting business is to perfect “The Hustle”. A well-connected actor with rich relationships is often more cast-able than a more “talented” actor, but how do you get the right folks talking….and keep them talking about you? In this workshop, you will gain insight on effective marketing, networking, and communication methods that will enable you to cultivate relationships and leverage them into on-going opportunities. With a little bit of practice, and some shameless, (yet subtle) self promotion, every actor can learn to hustle, ultimately increasing their ability to get in and stay in the industry

Contact Benjy at info@benjydobrin.com for more information or to reserve your spot today!

We’re excited to announce our new, unique class, Improv for the Audition Room, with Michael Collins.

Basic audition preparation + Improv training = Actors that BOOK the gig.  In this new, dynamic class, you will learn to effectively utilize Improv skills to get ahead in the Audition room.

Each week will offer a different skill set designed specifically for the audition room.  Not your everyday improv class, this class will focus on the specific applications designed to help you get ahead and get the job.

• Week 1 – Preparation
• Week 2 – Presence
• Week 3 – Working the room
• Week 4 – Technical skills- Addressing the camera
• Week 5 – Choices
• Week 6 – Adjustments

Learn how to be prepared to make those last minute choices, don’t wing it, improv it!

Be a prepared actor and be ready for the unexpected. Don’t be like this guy:

Not only will you you become a better auditioner, you’ll also be excercising your improv skill sets, making you a more relatable and hireable actor!

This new class will strengthen your skill sets and make you a more valuable actor overall!  Don’t miss the opportunity!

Day:  Monday, March 24th

Time:  6:30 to 10pm

Length of Class:  6 consecutive weeks

Price:  $225

Contact Benjy Dobrin at info@benjydobrin.com for more information or to reserve your spot today!

I recently came across an article that perfectly illustrates this most interesting phenomenon. Read below.

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“George Clooey and Noah Wyle shared a lot of things, at the start. They shared a break—being cast on a show that became as popular as ER. They shared the advantage of being the charismatic characters on a show anchored dutifully by Anthony Edwards. They shared an interest in liberal causes. They even wound up sharing an assistant, Angel. She worked for Wyle for two years; now she works for Clooney, and she knows better than anyone what made them, in the end, so different.

It wasn’t just the course—the outcome—of their careers. It wasn’t just the fact that Wyle never really made it to the movies and Clooney never looked back once he left television. It wasn’t even that Wyle didn’t get lucky and Clooney did.

It was that Clooney became a guy gracious enough to ascribe all that came to him as a matter of luck—while holding an ingrained conviction that nothing is ever
really accidental.

“It was a hard, hard job, ER. We were working sixteen-hour days, five days a week. We were learning Latin, you know, to do the show. But you knew that you were never going to get a second chance to introduce yourself to a wide audience. And I was thirty-three. I wasn’t the young one there; I was the oldest one there. So I knew this was my opportunity. I think all the actors were given a bit of an opportunity that summer on a film. I think every one of them was given an opportunity. And I think most of them were so exhausted from the work that they wanted their summer off.

“In fairness, they were also doing a lot. I had the smallest part in the show. And when [Robert Rodriguez’s] Dusk till Dawn came around . . . well, it was a great part for me, because it was a complete departure. And that movie changed everything for me, temperaturewise. It made it so I was going to be allowed to do some films, you know?”

It was one of the choices that Clooney made and Wyle didn’t. But it wasn’t the most important choice. The most important choice was the choice not to do something—the choice not to make a choice that Wyle eventually did.

“George made a conscious decision not to have a family, because he was hungry,” Angel says. “Also, Noah was young and could take things for granted. George never did. George paid cash for all his houses, because he thinks that will protect him if it all goes away. Look, Grant Heslov is his writing and producing partner now. But he also is the guy who, when they were first starting out together, lent George a hundred dollars so that George could have his publicity stills made. That kind of thing still really matters to George.”

You can read the full article Here.

Never take any opportunity you are given for granted.  There’s no luck involved, just preparation of your craft for the moment that opportunity comes around.  It’s in these moments of opportunity that careers are made!

Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.- Mary Lou Cook

Creativity is the cornerstone of who we are as human beings.  As children, we sat in a chair and imagined it being a throne fit for a king or a princess.  A stick became a magical wand yielding powerful spells, a scepter in the hands of a benevolent king and sometimes even a sword for a knight.  It goes without saying that we were born creative.

In this technology driven society we now live in, it’s important to keep our children engaged and creative instead of on their I-Pads, phones or computers and what better way to engage our children than to have them create worlds and characters from thin air, through acting?

Acting is an extension of our innate creative childhood and we’re excited to announce our next session of acting classes for your teens and tweens.

This year, we have two excellent summer camps as well as our ongoing Monday night workshop that are geared toward furthering your teen and tween’s skill set!

Camp #1- Putting On A Show Summer Camp

Students will audition and be cast in various scenes from film and theater.  They will learn to conduct themselves in an audition setting, explore what it means to fully develop a character and work as a cast to put on a show!  Camp will culminate with a full scene showcase on the last night of camp, for family, friends, and fellow actors.

– Students will be divided into two groups according to age.  Students age 7-11 will be in Group A and students age 12-16 will be in Group B

Day: Monday-Friday

Time: 9:00am-12:00pm

Dates: June 22nd, 2015 – July 3rd, 2015

Where:  Benjy Dobrin Studios- 931 Santa Fe Drive Suite 150, Denver, CO.  80204

Ages: 7-16

Tuition: $300 per camper

Space is limited!  Please email Benjy Dobrin at  info@benjydobrin.com to register today!

Camp #2- Theater Dance

Students will learn dance moves and choreography seen in musical theater.  Students will then learn group choreography to classic and contemporary musical theater numbers.  Camp will culminate with a dance showcase in the evening of the last night of camp.  This class will be taught by Dance Coach Miko Khan.

Day: Monday-Friday

Time: 9:00am-12:00pm

Dates: July 27th, 2015 – July 31st, 2015

Where:  Benjy Dobrin Studios- 931 Santa Fe Drive Suite 150, Denver, CO.  80204

Ages: 11-16

Tuition: $180 per camper

Space is limited!  Please email Benjy Dobrin at  info@benjydobrin.com to register today!

Ongoing Teens and Tweens Workshop

In this exciting and highly creative on-going workshop,  Dani Payne will engage your children and spark their imaginations to create new worlds and exciting characters.

BDS:  How would this workshop benefit teens and tweens?

Dani Payne:  This class is geared specifically for our younger actors in the teen and tween range.  The class aim is to teach each student at their individual level through a highly creative process.  Whether they have been acting for years or are just starting out, they are taught a specific, behavior-based, process that will allow them to create 3 dimensional characters and have a lot of fun in the process.

BDS:  What are some of the subjects you will cover throughout this workshop?

Dani Payne:  We will be playing a lot of fun and creative improv games that will expand the teen’s and tween’s imagination and allow them to create characters on the spot teaching them to think on their feet.  These improv games will also teach them to listen to their scene partners, which is an important relationship skill-set that can be carried throughout life.  We will then be working on breaking down specific scenes that will be given to them in class.  They will be taught a process for bringing the character to life and presenting real people in a real place.  Some of these include playing around with different objectives that the character is trying to achieve, experimenting with various behavioral techniques, and different tactics for their fully formed characters to achieve a specific goal within the scene.  We will also work on cold read techniques that will allow the actors to present an interesting scene even when not memorized.

BDS:  What will the Teen’s and Tween’s leave with at the end of this workshop?

Dani Payne:  Not only will they leave with new friends and a freshly inspired imaginations, they will also leave with a better understanding of how to review a script and take a character from mere words on a page to a living, breathing, and believable person in a real place.  They will also have lots of fun in a safe and creative environment.

When:  Classes begin June 1st, 2015

Time:  6:30pm – 9:00pm

Length of Class:  The On-Going Workshop will be offered in 6 week intervals with students welcome to come and go with a 6 week commitment. 

Where:  Benjy Dobrin Studios- 931 Santa Fe Drive Suite 150, Denver, CO.  80204

Space is limited!  Please email Benjy Dobrin at  info@benjydobrin.com to register today!

About the Instructor:  Dani Payne

Dani Payne began her acting career in Vancouver, BC while working on her undergraduate degree in Media Communications and Theater.  Upon moving back to Denver, she began studying at Benjy Dobrin Studios, but has over 10 years of acting training.  She also studied vocal performance for three years at Vocal Intensive Studios.  She served a season as the Junior High play director at Front Range Christian School and has worked as a substitute drama teacher and artistic consultant for many of their high school productions.  She has conducted several artistic workshops for those in the corporate sector looking to improve public speaking, event hosting, and dramatic presentations.  Dani has worked in the film, television, and theater scene here in Denver and is currently represented by W-Talent.

 “In other acting classes you hone your instrument, in Mark’s REEL Acting you put it to the test! I loved every minute of this class, and learned so much!  Whether you’ve been on set or not, Mark show’s you everything you need to take your performance from practice to reality.”- Sara Salazar

“The camera photographs what’s there.”-  Jack Nicholson

If the camera photographs what’s there, how do we present the best of what we have?

Like anything in life, acting in front of a camera is a learned skill set. So, what do we look for when acting in front of a camera? What do we do? What questions do we ask ourselves before and during our performance and what questions do we ask of others around us? Where do we look and what is the terminology we need to know in order to understand the direction that is given to us?

In Mark Grove’s “Reel Acting” class, we’ll explore these questions and much more. “Reel Acting” will be a 6 week workshop designed for those students interested in TV and film acting.

This 6 week workshop was not designed to replace your on-going training with your acting coach. “Reel Acting” was designed to work symbiotically with what you’re learning from your acting coach in order to create a seamless on-going training to “Reel Acting” workshop experience.

“Mark’s Reel Acting class is the perfect place for any actor to learn the ins and outs of acting for film.   His weekly, progressive approach makes it simple to digest each lesson in small bites without losing anything in translation.  His passion for film, positive outlook on being a part of the film industry and warm, infectious personality make you want to take his class over and over again.  If you would like to learn how to act for the camera from a Hollywood pro, I highly recommend his Reel Acting class!”- Jason Siebold

BDS:  Why should an actor take this class and who is it for?

Mark Grove: This will truly prepare an actor to work in a collaborative environment that is very “Set-like” being given a scene to take from beginning to end and pushing it to perfection.  Each session is delivered in a boot camp fashion..no fluff…just solid techniques and information that better prepare the actor for work in Television and Film.  This class is designed for any acting student interested in TV and film acting.

BDS: What are some of the subjects you will cover throughout the class?

Mark Grove: We will cover Scene analysis, character analysis, taking direction, mastering movement in front of the camera, fundamentals of physical conflict, actually shooting the scenes with complex angles, and taking criticism of ones work

BDS: What will the actors leave with at the end of the 6 week series?

Mark Grove: They will leave with the ability to really bring the scenes together in all aspects and have a really good video representation of their work. This class will reinforce whatever on going training the actor is receiving by placing the actor in an environment where they must learn to bridge the gap between theory and practical application when acting for a camera.

When:  Class Begins Monday, September 29th

Time:  From 6:30pm to 10pm

Length of Class:  Every Monday for 6 consecutive weeks

Where:  Benjy Dobrin Studios- 931 Santa Fe Drive Suite 150, Denver, CO.  80204

Tuition:  $250

Send an email to info@benjydobrin.com to reserve your spot.

About the instructor Mark Grove:

With an extensive background in martial arts, Mark Grove began his career in the 80’s as an actor and action performer. But his creative energy could not be contained and he began studying all aspects of special effects, becoming well versed in pyrotechnics, prosthetics, firearms, and mold-making. In time, all of this combined knowledge propelled him into a variety of positions, including; stuntman, firearms handler, fight arranger, prosthetic make up artist, stunt coordinator, pyrotechnician, special effects supervisor, and second unit director.

   

^{Kevin hails from Philadelphia, PA. and Grand Rapids, MI. but has lived in Denver since 1975. He’s been taking formal acting lessons at BDS for over 5 years after being in a nostalgic rock band for 30 years.}

^{“The rock band helped forge my acting identity, and ability to play, because we did many tribute acts. I did a mean Eddie Van Halen, Keith Richards, George Harrison and Tom Jones as well as a few others. I also love ventriloquism and have four puppets. I bill myself as the world’s worst ventriloquist.”}

^{We’ll be the judge of that Kevin, care to bring your puppets to class and let us be the judge?}

^{All joking aside, Kevin finds inspiration all around him wildstar gold.}

^{“I find inspiration in music, art, the Universe. I especially love it when inspiration comes from the unexpected. I want to leave an imprint on somebody, anybody. I have a passion for acting. I can feel it, it’s almost palpable”}

^{Kevin has 2 roles that he calls his favorites. The first is the role of Edgar Lehman in “Mind’s Eye” where he worked with actor Dean Cain of “Lois and Clark” fame, Natalie Distler from “Rescue Me”, Aaron Perillo from “True Blood” and a few other well known actors. It was recently picked up at the American Film Market festival and may soon have a distribution deal.}

^{The second role is Jakob in“Teddy Boy”. There are only 3 actors in the film and the character of Jakob is quite dark. The film is currently in post production.}

^{More recently, Kevin just finished filming “RONDO” and is performing in his first play “Marry Me, Viva Las Vegas” beginning March 2014. Kevin will be playing an aging Elvis impersonator who runs a wedding chapel in Vegas.}

^{“I had never taken an acting lesson before I met Benjy at the DCPA. I had no prior training, but everyone knows how to act, right? No! To act is to not act. Benjy taught me to analyze the script and the character. To take the words from the script and explore them. To improvise. To take chances. To fail. To use my instinct. To use my experiences in a positive, healthy way. To trust myself. To narrow down and pinpoint my acting objective. I thank the universe I met Benjy. I am still learning and will always be studying. Benjy gave me the road map, and for that, and my fellow students, I will always be eternally grateful.”}

Danett was born and raised in Denver and is married to another BDS rockstar, Miles Wartes.  Together they have a 2 ½ year old son, Sebastian, who has proven that the terrible 2’s are no myth.  Miles and Sebastian are her constant inspiration as Sebastian keeps her on her toes and her husband Miles never lets her give up.

Although her heart has always been in the arts, she spent a few years in and out of college and realized her heart wasn’t in it.  It wasn’t until after dropping out of college for the third time that she decided it was time to be honest with herself.  That’s when she decided to seriously pursue a career as a professional actor and dancer.

“I’ve been performing in one way or another since I was five. My parents still have home videos of me dancing and imitating famous people. I didn’t fully commit to a career in the arts until 2009. That was the year I took my first class with Benjy at the DCPA. I was so nervous the first day of class that I almost didn’t go. Thankfully I didn’t chicken out and taking that class has been the best decision of my life!”

Indeed Danett.  We’ve all seen the amazing talents you possess and are so fortunate that were able to witness your growth.

Ultimately, she loves acting because it’s fun and it gives her a chance to play.

“It is so liberating to get to play characters that aren’t who I really am. One day you get to be the crazy psycho killer and the next I get to be a bad ass lawyer and at the end of the day you get to go home and just be you.”

Danett isn’t only an amazing actor, she’s also an amazing dancer and has studied jazz and hip hop but her love lies in ballet.  She also recently started taking voice lessons from another BDS rockstar, Dani Payne and is hoping to soon be the coveted triple threat!

She’s currently in a play with the Su Teatro theater company called “La Pastorela” after coming off her theatrical debut in “Mestizo”, also for Su Teatro.  Along with her theatrical aspirations, she, along with her husband, son, two younger sisters and her father have booked a National commercial that will air during the Super Bowl!  Way to go Danett!

“Ever since I first met Benjy at the DCPA my acting career has never been the same. I initially started taking acting classes to improve my character development in ballet, but after my first class I knew that I would be taking my acting skills a whole lot further than ballet. His coaching and techniques have given me the confidence to audition for anything and everything, plays, short films, commercials and talent agencies. It’s been five years since I took my first class with Benjy and since then I’ve booked several commercials, short films, plays and last year I was signed by an agent. To this day I still attend Benjy’s classes because, as and artist, you never stop learning, you never stop growing and with Benjy’s guidance I am able to learn and grown in the best possible way.”

You’re awesome Danett and we look forward to seeing more from you.  Keep rocking it!