Instructors    Sean Tucker (Adult Professionals, ACTercise & Little Professionals) Ottawa actor and ACTRA Member, Sean Tucker is a graduate of the University of Ottawa Department of Theatre. Sean is the founder and managing director of the New Ottawa Repertory Theatre (N.O.R.T.). He has appeared in various critically acclaimed plays, including, Pokey, On Any Monday Night, Strong Man's Weak Child and North Shore Fish. Sean has also worked with A Company of Fools and appeared in the Ottawa production of Tony & Tina's Wedding. Most weekends, he can be found performing on stage with Eddie May Mysteries. Most recently, he appeared in the Odyssey Theatre production of The Barber of Seville. Sean's favourite television credits include the NBC pilot, E.D.N.Y., The Comedy Network's, Butch Patterson and The Endless Grind and most recently, the new series Mann to Mann which is set to air on the New RO in February 2004.  His impressive film credits include, Guy X (Jason Biggs), A View of Terror/Night Light (Shannon Doherty), The Last Sign (Andie McDowell), Pokey, Hell Gig, Hacks (Ocnus Productions), and George Clooney's Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, which was re-released in theatres on August 1, 2003. Sean played a role in the television feature, 10.5 Apocalypse (Starring Dean Cain) and had a recurring role in the television series, Rumours. Currently, Sean is a series regular on the television series, Dr. Bethune (filming in Montreal).  He will also be flying to China for the last three weeks of filming. Sean's feature film Guy X premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on August 22 & 23, 2005.  For more details, go to: www.edfilmfest.org.uk/movies/show/guy_x/ Join other A.C.T. members to support Sean Tucker at the red carpet screening of his feature film, Guy X on September 22, 2005. Sean had a supporting role in this film alongside Jason Biggs, Natasha McElhone, Jeremy Northam & Michael Ironside.  Sean is currently in pre-production for 3 Day Weekend, a film that he wrote and is producing in Ottawa in 2008.   Claudia Jurt (Young, Teen & Adult Professionals, Young & Teen Audition Technique/Phase II, Young Movie Maker, ACTercise, Getting Started in Film & TV, etc..) A.C.T. President, Founder of Breathing Time Productions & Ottawa Casting  and ACTRA/CAEA Member, Claudia Jurt has appeared in numerous productions, including film, television, commercials, theatre and music & corporate videos. Some of Claudia's recent film credits include, Cucumber, Like Mother, Like Daughter, Maid of Honor, A Buck Ten, Painkiller, There's Something Wrong with Jake, Hell Gig, Parkwood Hills & Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter.  Some of her television credits are Hockey: A People's History and Naked Josh. Claudia has trained with Michèle Lonsdale Smith (The Lyric School of Acting), David Rotenberg (Pro Actors Lab), Rae Ellen Bodie (Pro Actors Lab), at TVI Actors Studio (Los Angeles), Sears & Switzer (Toronto), William Davis Centre for Actor's Study (Vancouver), ACTRA Ottawa, SIFT (Summer Institute of Film & Television/Booth Savage, Janet Laine-Greene), GCTC (Great Canadian Theatre Company), the University of Ottawa, and A Company of Fools. Before, her new direction in casting, Claudia spent a number of years working  for a successful local talent agency. In the past 6 years, Claudia has cast various Principal Roles and 1000's of extras for various projects, including, Feature Films Blades of Glory (Will Ferrel & Jon Heder), Decoys & Infamous (Tom Green), Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer; MOW's, The Watch (Clea DuVall), Binky (Janeane Garofalo), Trace Evidence (Amanda Detmer), House Sitter (Tori Spelling), Demons from her Past, The Rival, Black Widower (Kelly McGillis), Mind Over Murder (Tori Spelling), Sister in Law, A Teacher's Crime, Dead at Seventeen, My Daughter's Secret, The Rival, Christie's Revenge, A Killer Upstairs, The Perfect Neighbor, Saving Emily, Stranger at the Door, The Perfect Husband, A Woman Hunted (Alexandra Paul), A Lover's Revenge and many others; TV Series At the Hotel & Getting Along Famously (Colin Mochrie) and the mini-series H20 (Paul Gross) and The Tommy Douglas Story.  Claudia also cast the voices and video segments for the New Canadian War Museum and voices for Pinpoint Selling's NetAgents. Coming up in January 2008, Claudia will begin teaching 'Intensive Acting for the Camera' to the graduating class at St. Lawrence College in Brockville.        Matthew Stefiuk (Young & Teen and Little Professionals)        ACTRA member, Matthew Stefiuk recently appeared in a Principal role in the MOW, A Killer Upstairs, (airing on Lifetime and the Movie Network). Matthew has done numerous voices for the Comedy Network's animated series Kevin Spencer and the new Canadian War Museum (opening May 2005). Matthew has also appeared in numerous independent films and television shows, including Hold 'Em, Deadly Ritual, It's Getting Dark, Here and Now, The Couch, Our Incredible World: Diversity of Life, 92 Degrees, Death of a Bicycle and It Starts with S. Recent stage credits include, Silence of the Hams (BigTime Murder Productions), The Codfather (BigTime Murder Productions), Baby with the Bathwater (Sock 'n Buskin) and Trojan Women (Sock 'n Buskin). Matthew studied Acting for the Camera at A.C.T. (Acting For Cinema & Television), Voice with Thelma Farmer at Inside Audio, audition technique with Montreal Casting Director's, Aldo Tirelli, Andrea Kenyon & Shawn Roberts, Sketch Comedy with Joe Flaherty at the Humber School of Comedy, Acting at SIFT (Summer Institute of Film & Television) and the Organic Creative Process with John Strasberg (New York City). Matthew can be seen on-stage, performing stand-up comedy at Yuk Yuk's, Absolut Comedy, Wall Street and Oliver's. Matthew hosted 'Capital Kid Idol' in April 2005 at the Capital Parent & Kids Show. Most recently Matthew was cast in an MOW, Timebomb, directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal and filming in Montreal.     Meghanne Kessels (Audition Technique, Young & Teen Professionals: Phase II & Youth Scene Study) ACTRA & CAEA Member, Meghanne Kessels has been acting for over 10 years. Selected credits include interesting roles in film and television (Prank the Nation, Dead Like Me, On Guard: Holy Cow, A Buck Ten, Lies and Deception, Hacks, Jean's Fate, Naked Josh, H2O, Urban Myth Chillers, Decoys, The Endless Grind, Parkwood Hills), Theatre (Bench Seat, The Last Disciple of Abraham, Last Game, The Tempest, North Shore Fish, Romeo and Juliet, The Glass Menagerie, Jack, Mum's the Word, These Girls, etc.), and Musical Theatre (Awake, Jack and the Beanstalk, Into the Woods, Hamburger Heaven, etc.)  Meghanne has trained under Michèle Lonsdale Smith, David Rotenberg, at TVI Actor's Studio (Los Angeles), The Actor's Lab, , Sears and Switzer, ACTRA Ottawa, the Summer Institute of Film and Television & is a graduate of the University of Ottawa. Meghanne is looking forward to being ripped apart in the Canadian premiere of the feature Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer.  Meghanne is also working closely with A.C.T. founder Claudia Jurt in developing their first romantic comedy feature.   Rob Thompson (ACTercise & Video Production) Rob Thompson has worked as a writer, director and editor in film and video for over 15 years. His productions have won a variety of awards and appeared in festivals around the world. His work has been broadcast across North America on PBS, CTV, History, Vision and WTN.  He is currently developing a comedy/adventure series for CTV. See Rob's Actor Video Production Workshop description by clicking here.   From time to time, A.C.T. offers specialty workshops taught by teachers, directors and/or casting directors from across Canada & the US: Rae Ellen Bodie (Toronto) - Pro Actor's Lab (Voice) Sam Chwat (New York) - NY Speech Jim Donovan (Montreal) - Director Jacqueline McClintock (Montreal) - Meisner Technique David Rotenberg (Toronto) - Pro Actor's Lab Michèle Lonsdale Smith (Vancouver) Lyric School of Acting John Strasberg (New York) - John Strasberg Studios   Casting Directors Rosina Bucci (Montreal) - Elite Casting Sharon Forrest (Toronto) - Forrest & Forrest Casting Andrea Kenyon (Montreal) - Andrea Kenyon Casting Shawn Roberts (Montreal) - Andrea Kenyon Casting Vera Miller (Montreal) - Elite Casting Jennifer Pilon (Montreal) - Elite Casting Nadia Rona (Montreal) - Elite Casting and others...   ottawa acting, acting, acting schools, ottawa acting, drvision