Acting Classes For Teens: Our Family's Salvation

By Author: Mel Bryson
Total Articles: 222
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I have twins, which is to say that I have two wonderful children who are blessings, but also extremely challenging. As a result of their identical looks, they have developed some pretty distinct personalities, I think as a way to make themselves feel different and special. Our daughter Marie is extremely outgoing and loud, to put it nicely, while Rose, the second born of the two is much quieter and reserved. The two of them are like night and day, yet when they are together, it's as if they can speak a language that only the two of them understand. They still often like to do activities together, especially activities that allow them to make new friends and be "apart" yet still involved in the same thing. That is how they got started with acting classes. Los Angeles, where we live, has exposed them to the world of acting all their lives, so it didn't surprise us when they wanted to give it a go.

When we first started looking into acting schools, Los Angeles suddenly seemed like an even bigger place than it actually is, just based on how many schools were out there offering different acting methods and program styles. ...
... We finally settled on a school that we thought would work for both of our girls. In fact, we were pretty excited about both of them learning this acting method. They also have an amazing set of acting classes for teens, which, if the girls stick with it, would really give them some amazing opportunities. After all, we live in LA, why not take advantage of all this city has to offer?

After a few months of classes, the difference in Rose and Marie was amazing. From the outside looking at them, they seemed to sort of normalize or equal out. Rather than one loud, one quiet, they both began to express themselves and share without either being too domineering. In fact, one of the greatest tricks we learned was that whenever Marie really started getting out of control or Rose seemed to be disappearing into her head, we only had to ask what they were working on in their acting classes and we usually got a live performance right then and there! I think that Marie is doing much better with her self control and that Rose's self confidence in her ability to speak up and express herself has risen exponentially. She's not living in her sister's shadow anymore, and neither is her sister seeking to distance herself by being wildly dramatic.

That said, I really couldn't care less if neither of them makes it in show-biz. Even if I never see their faces on TV, the big screen or on stage, I will know that money was well spent on those acting classes. They have learned more about communication, self expression and self control than I ever imagined they would. They've also gotten a taste of how much work goes into that kind of a career, which will keep them level-headed when those around them catch the Hollywood craze- something that usually burns out quite quickly these days. LA can be a tough place to make it, but I think the skills learned in acting school will help anyone with their life, whether they choose to act as a career or not.