Working on scenes from published plays and screenplays allows actors to learn all of the basic concepts of approaching a scene: defining objectives, breaking the scene down into beats, understanding the arc, pursuing your objective, playing actions, and working to overcome obstacles.

The Meisner Technique, an actor training technique developed by Sanford Meisner, one of the founding members of the instrumental Group Theater, is geared towards honing and actor’s ability to listen and respond truthfully to themselves and scene partners. The course begins with improvisational exercises, in which the actor's attention is engaged entirely with his or her partner's simple, real behavior, as opposed to character interpretation, script analysis, or direction. Once this foundation has been laid, the students apply this technique to scripted text.

The ability to improvise can never be underestimated when it comes to acting, especially on camera where there is usually very little rehearsal. Whether in comedy or drama, actors improvise well when they are fully engaged, listening to their partners, and releasing their inhibitions about failing. Through games and exercises, students learn how to live “in the moment”—free from anticipating or planning what to do next.

Speech focuses on the elimination of foreign accents and regional dialects by developing Standard American Speech. Using the International Phonetics Alphabet (IPA), the actor learns to correct habitual speech problems and prepare for future dialect study. The results include greater ease, clarity, and expression with text, and the ability to undertake a wide variety of roles.