Acting Classes

Seattle acting classes – now open for enrollment

I’ve taught acting classes and workshops in Seattle since 1998.  They’re offered every quarter, and held on the University of Washington campus.  My upcoming classes include:

• Class 101:  Beginning Acting (a fun, 4week introductory class — check out acting and see how you like it!)
• Class 102:  Intermediate Acting (for most students, the intermediate class is the next step after completing the beginning acting class)
• Class 103: Acting 103: The Next Step (a follow up to Intermediate Acting)
• Class 1020:  Let’s Make a Movie (students will act in an actual short movie in this class)
• Class 1030: Auditioning Workshop
• Class 1035: Acting for the Camera

For dates, times & registration information,  click the titles above, or click here.

Note: My Seattle acting classes are co-sponsored by the University of Washington’s ASUW Experimental College,  Classesandworkshops.com, and Seattle Acting Institute.

They are non-credit classes, and are open to the general public.  You don’t have to be a UW student to attend.

My background in acting

I’ve loved acting since I started doing it in high school.  I was lucky to have a wonderful drama teacher, Earl Kelly.  He was an extraordinary teacher who demanded excellence and created an environment where students could (and were expected to) learn, work their butts off, and treat any role, large or small, with absolute professionalism.  Some folks liked him and some didn’t.  In my estimation, he was an excellent teacher who got results.

I started out in his classes at Ballard High School, continued learning from him after I graduated, then went on to study with several other teachers, including several years studying improvisational acting with Roberta Maguire and others. 

Years later,  I ended up directing several stage productions in the Seattle Fringe Festival, then moved on to become an independent filmmaker.

In 1998, I began offering acting classes myself. In the years leading up to teaching, I had studied with a number of different teachers, and learned about a number of approaches, including those of Meisner and Stanislavski;  then, like many acting instructors, ended up creating an approach of my own, which incorporated some elements I had learned from other teachers, with insights and experiences of my own.

My classes meet in Seattle on the U.W. campus; they are sponsored by the University of Washington’s Experimental College and Classesandworkshops.com.  Some are co-sponsored by my media production company, Wonder Productions. 

Comments from former students:

“After just 2 classes with Nils, I auditioned for an independent film against actors with many years experience and I got the part. Nils teaches confidence and he freely shares his knowledge of the acting.” – Robert C., Actor (Hollywood)

* Most of my classes are held on or near the University of Washington campus (about five minutes from downtown).  I teach courses in a number of disciplines, including Seattle Filmmaking Classes, Seattle Writing classes, Seattle Acting Classes,  Seattle Art Classes,  Seattle Photoshop Classes, and more.

I also recommend the acting and performing classes below, taught by other instructors:

• Beginning Stand-Up Comedy – three meetings to practice and learn about standup, then a performance at a comedy nightclub in Seattle!
• Songwriting 101 – fun times! Learn how to write songs in this Seattle songwriting class.
• Improv 101 and Improv 102:  Seattle improv classes for beginners! (For those who love improvisational acting!)
• Voiceover 101: Voice Acting for Games, Commercials, Animation and More!  (Learn how to train and modulate your voice, and create characters with voice acting alone!)
• Accents and Dialects for Actors and Others! In this enjoyable intro acting class, you’ll learn how to speak realistically and convincingly as if you were from another part of the world! Open to everyone!