There’s a new acting school in Cochrane, aimed at providing a wide array of interests to explore, depending on what aspect of theatre appeals to clients of almost all ages.
Jenny Austin ran a pilot program in the spring and decided it was working, so she opened her studio space on 1st Street this summer. Fall classes are now going full speed ahead.
Austin is a professional actor, singer and stage manager. She grew up around Cochrane and Bragg Creek, and moved back to Cochrane in 2021. She is a graduate of the Canadian College of Performing Arts and holds a Bachelor of Arts in theatre from the University of British Columbia.
She is passionate about working with young people and inspiring them to create and love theatre.
Austin’s love of acting was sparked in grade 2, as an indirect result of her being naturally shy.
Her school was putting on a play, and the teacher chose some outgoing students to be the leads, while the rest sang in the chorus. There were no auditions, no asking if people were interested, and the precocious students were chosen to perform in the play.
Austin remembers being upset she wasn't even considered because she didn't make much noise.
That’s when the passion was formed.
“I’ve just always wanted to be an actor,” she said. “There’s something about being a shy person and getting to channel my feelings through a character, it kind of makes it a safe space to be yourself, ironically. It’s my way to make my voice heard in a way that I feel comfortable.”
And it can be challenging, which is good for character development.
“You have to work through all that, (and) it can be quite rewarding,” she said.
Austin said adolescents can often face so much peer pressure to be cool, so acting classes can be particularly important, as they provide an outlet.
“Playing games and being silly – but everybody’s doing it . . . accessing that fun side of yourself, it’s so beneficial for them.”
Austin noted that her classes are not just geared for aspiring actors. They also provide a means of exploring other aspects of theatre, like production.
Participants create a play over the course of the program, and there is a performance at the end.
Drama classes are available for ages 5 to 7, 8 to 10, 11 to 13, and 14 to 17.
Musical theatre is broken down a little differently: 5 to 8, 9 to 12 and 13 to 17.
The adult sessions are an hour a week for seven weeks; kids go for 14 weeks.
Classes are broken down into Acting for Film and TV, Improv, Shakespeare, Adult acting, Musical Theatre, and Advanced Acting.
Austin started her own formal acting classes at age 10, and eventually went to the University of BC for a theatre degree, then on to the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria, BC.
Her professional experience has led her across Alberta, BC, Ontario and Italy, performing and running workshops in schools. She also works as an artist-in-residence in schools, working with students to create and perform their own plays from scratch in one week.
For more information go to sleepinggiantstheatre.com.
