throughline SCRIPT ANALYSIS & SCENE STUDY

learn the analysis skills to take on an entire role

THROUGHLINE SCRIPT ANALYSIS enables actors to make specific, actable choices for leading roles in full length plays.

There are two ways to take this class:
• Full Participant
• Active Auditor

FULL PARTICIPANT LEVEL 
Working in pairs, each full participant and their partner take on substantial lead roles from a full length play. You'll analyze your entire role using Practical Aesthetics script analysis,* and bring in scenes of increasing length, starting at 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, then 20 minutes—culminating in an invited zoom performance. Each team works in class 6 out of the 10 classes. *No prior experience with Practical Aesthetics is required, but all Full Participants should have previous scene study training. 

Working on longer scenes builds the stamina and concentration you need to take on leading theater roles. Throughline work is also very effective when large film roles are shot out of sequence, because you'll know the story and your choices so deeply that you can focus fully on what part of the story you're telling now.

I’ve taken a lot of acting classes in a variety of settings, and while they're always a blast, I've never learned more or walked away with more practical tools than with you in this Throughline course.  
—Jennifer Lear, Philadelphia Actor

ABOUT PRACTICAL AESTHETICS
Practical Aesthetics is the acting technique and theater philosophy we teach at the Atlantic Acting School in New York City. The technique demystifies the process of acting with a clear series of analysis steps that can be applied to any scene. The hallmark of PA is that we identify the one most essential objective/action for a character in a scene. We then "put all our money" on that one choice, which makes for thrilling, unexpected, and truthful moments with our partner(s). PA is not a style; it can be applied to any theatrical genre. Telling the story truthfully in the moment, with our whole selves, is the goal. Throughline work with Practical Aesthetics extends those scene analysis principles to the whole play, which enables actors and directors to deeply unify their performances and production. Then, artistic "jobs" are clearly defined, and all artists in a production can fully engage in telling the same story, together.

STAGING
You'll fully stage your scenes in this class, with input and direction from me. The staging principles we will use—composition, cause and effect, specific prop use, focus, physical storytelling, and partner awareness—will serve you in your future stage and film/TV work.

ACTIVE AUDITOR LEVEL
Auditors attend all classes and participate actively in discussions. All auditors can complete a "paper project" throughline analysis of a play of their choice, and can send their in-progress analysis in for feedback at any time. Auditors can have varying levels of previous experience, and should have strong interest in the subject matter. Auditors have been actors, acting and opera teachers, writers, and directors. Classes are recorded, so you can make them up if you miss a class, but full attendance is encouraged as much as possible.

Very thankful to have had throughline work in my tool box for this [new play] project. The playwright continued to develop the script during rehearsal, and the throughline work was like a compass I had with me. So wherever he took us, I felt I had such a solid foundation of how I was approaching the story and character. —Jamahl Garrison-Lowe, NYC Actor

THROUGHLINE SCRIPT ANALYSIS OUTCOMES
• Have the skills to analyze and make active choices for an entire role
• Learn to unify that role within the vision of a particular director and production
• Use staging techniques to collaborate with directors and vividly tell your story

CLASS FEATURES
• 12 Full Participant actors | 6 projects max
• Full Participant actors work in 6 out of the 10 classes
• Invited Zoom performance of final scenes in the last class
• Unlimited feedback on analysis choices or Full Participants and Active Auditors between classes

KAREN KOHLHAAS is a founding ensemble member of the Atlantic Theater Company and a senior teacher at the Atlantic Acting School where she developed the first and second year Script Analysis curricula for Atlantic’s Conservatory and NYU programs. She has been a master teacher of Practical Aesthetics for over 30 years. She teaches her own online classes in monologues, cold reading, scene study, and directing, and is the author of three books on monologues and auditioning. Full bio