Black Box Acting

The ACADEMY, our five-month acting conservatory, is Black Box’s most rigorous training program, designed for both already-working actors seeking process-based training and new-to-the-industry artists.

Applications for The Class of 2025 are now open and are being reviewed on a rolling basis. Our conservatory was established in 2012 and our alumni have been thriving in multiple markets and benefiting from our alumni network for over a decade now.

Students spend the first stage of training on The Black Box Method, our proprietary technique based in Meisner and Viewpoints. The second stage of the program focuses on application, preparing the ensembles for contemporary and classical theatrical work, audition technique, TV, film, and commercial work, and developing original content.

The conservatory culminates in the ACADEMY Industry Showcase, in which our actors rehearse and professionally film both scene work and monologues. Black Box then presents their work digitally to 300+ local and national agents, managers, casting directors, and other industry professionals across media. Students graduate with professional materials — headshot, resume, bio, and their filmed audition monologues — housed on individual actor webpages, along with our customized You Graduated, Now What? packet filled with templates for submission and audition tracking, guidelines for best practices, and other business-of-acting resources to ensure our graduates build on their momentum from showcase with the full institutional support of Black Box.

Since debuting this digital showcase format in 2020, we have propelled our graduates towards securing agency representation, booking roles in TV, film, and commercial projects, appearing on Chicago and regional theater stages, and making their own vital work.

Link in bio to learn more and start your application.

Process-based training ✅
Teaching staff ✅
Community ✅

If you’ve ever felt like you don’t know how to prepare and perform sustainably, the Black Box Method gives you not just a technique but a process to apply every time you work, whether on stage or on screen.

Loved revisiting these glowing words from ACADEMY grad 🥰

Last week, our conservatory students ended their theater section of Stage II with a field trip to to practice working in a 400 seat house. Thanks to our friends at Steppenwolf for letting our students play in the gorgeous Ensemble Theatre!

After playing a room that big, they’re switching gears completely today as they start their on-camera training with and .

Guess who is back?! aka ✨commercial casting director legend✨ from is back at BB a third time to teach her one day Commercial Intensive on Sept 14th. Spots are flying, grab yours today at the link in our bio.

Over the next couple weeks, we’ll be introducing you to our new teachers (keep your eyes on the feed tomorrow) but we’re also sitting on so much love for the senior teaching staff, we’re starting a series on them too.

Kicking us off, the one and only Eric Gerard aka aka Black Box co-owner and Artist Director.

Eric’s been seen on stage recently at and but most importantly is beloved by his students. He’s in the classroom right now teaching a sold out B1 — don’t miss your chance to take class with him next time he’s in the roster!

We can’t believe The 2024 ACADEMY is almost at the halfway mark in their 100 days of conservatory training 🥹

We also can’t believe these behind the scenes film stills took during last year’s showcase shoot were almost a year ago now!

So proud of these alumni and so excited for our current class and so grateful to our teachers for their generosity and passion training our conservatory students each summer.

If you, too, are looking for an ✨amazing experience✨ taking B1 with look no further, their next B1 starts on Saturday! Link in bio to enroll.

Can’t make the weekend class? and are co-teaching another section that starts Tuesday the 30th.

Core classes start at the end of the month and are filling fast ✨and✨ ( casting) is coming for a Q&A on the 22nd. Ready to train? Link for everything is in our bio.

It’s **all** happening in July at BB, stay tuned for plenty of class drops over the next week but first: you won’t want to miss these guest instructors popping in for Monday night Q&As.

July 8 the legend herself is back after her first Q&A sold out! She’ll be talking all things on-camera casting.

But don’t think we’re leaving theater casting out! July 22, the one and only of is coming to answer your questions too.

Q&As are in person at BB, $35. Link in bio to secure your spot!

Join us in welcoming our 14th conservatory ensemble:
The ACADEMY Class of 2024!

These incredible artists are embarking on 100 days of training. They’ll start their summer learning The Black Box Method, our proprietary acting technique rooted in Meisner and Viewpoints, applicable on stage and on camera. They’ll spend mid summer and early fall on practical application, diving into everything the industry will throw at them, from commercials to contemporary theatre scenes, Shakespeare to Sci Fi TV, monologues to making their own work. All the while, they’ll train in the business side of acting, working with our admin team to polish their materials, and come October, they’ll rehearse and shoot their showcase which will be used to introduce or reintroduce them to agents, casting directors, and directors across the region and in other markets nationwide.

But…for today, they’ll be Taking The First Thing (IYKYK) and working their very first hyper speeds.

Alumni, sound off in the comments and join us in welcoming our new ensemble.

Teacher line-up just dropped.

and are ready for all of you new BBers and M&M grads stepping into the core curriculum.

Continuing your training? is holding down B2: Power of Imagination!

Space is available but going fast (especially in the weekday classes). Link in bio to secure your spot.

Last chance! of is back with her final spring Q&A: Making the Most of the Chicago Market.

Space is limited (and going fast!) link in bio to secure your spot.

New to our Q&A series? It’s a lower price point offering to help you get in the room and get your questions answered. While you won’t be working up on your feet or getting individual critique the way you would in a Core Class or a Pro Series, it’s a great way to stay sharp when a full class may not be available in your schedule or your budget.

Same class, new schedule! For all of y’all asking for a once a week Melanin & Meisner, has you covered. Class starts April 22 and runs for 5 Monday nights. Grab your spot while you can, or apply for the We Free Us Scholarship, link in bio.

We’ve had a big uptick in career coaching requests recently, and then we realized some of you may not know that’s an option!

Whether you’re feeling stuck as a certain level, you’re trying to break into a new area of the industry, you’d like someone to review your materials, or you’re just starting out and don’t even know which questions to ask, career coaching is a great option.

All of our instructors offer this coaching and if you’re not sure who to work with, our Student Affairs Coordinator, Cynthia, can chat with you about your goals and who on staff would be the best fit.

Link in bio for all of our coaching and taping options.

👆link in bio for all the info & application access you need.

Go get ‘em!

🚨 NEW GUEST INSTRUCTOR🚨

Our Q&A series is designed to get you in the room with an industry expert who can answer all your burning questions without the time and financial commitment of a full class session.

And we have not one but two more Q&As coming up in late April and early May with agent !

Saturday, April 27 11a-1p | Actor as CEO
Saturday, May 11 11a-1p | Making the Most of the Chicago Market

Each section is $35 but if you’re enrolling in both, use the code GTG10 for $10 off. Link in bio!

⏰ APPLICATIONS DUE FRIDAY⏰

Everyone’s favorite info graphic is back and refreshed for the General Application Deadline. (We hope) everything you need to know is in the scroll but if you’ve still got questions or just, you know, want to talk to someone who has done the training, Student Affairs Coordinator, is ready to chat. Her info is on the last slide.

Remember, we only need the General Info Form on file to meet that Friday deadline and callbacks are already being scheduled as we review tapes so don’t want to submit!

If you’ve been thinking about investing in yourself and your training this summer, now’s the moment. Link in bio, that first form takes approx 10 minutes, you can take that leap right now while you’re eating lunch.

🖤🖤🖤

Sneaking a last ACADEMY resolution in under the wire, it’s not spring ✨yet✨ though it’s certainly in the air. Thank you for sharing.

And spring isn’t the only thing around the corner, the 2024 ACADEMY application deadline is too! March 22, mark it down and hop over to our pinned post to learn all you need to know about the application process and our conservatory training program generally.

📣 Finished B2 but haven’t signed up for B3 yet? This is your sign to finish The Black Box Method! is teaching B3 starting a week from tomorrow.

B1 lays your foundation in Meisner and Viewpoints.
B2 uses your Meisner and Viewpoints vocabulary to build the bridge to a script.
B3 is where is all comes together.

The end of your process is waiting for you (link in bio to enroll.)

Commercial skills need a brush up?

No one better to brush ‘em up than of . Jess is back by popular demand offering her one day commercial intensive on Saturday April 13 from 12-4.

Space is already going fast, link in bio to apply/enroll.

🗓️ ACADEMY Early Decision Deadline is one week from today so we thought we’d spend a little time answering all your questions about the program and the application process.

We hope you spend some time reading up but if you’re just in it for the early decision reminders, here’s the big one: to meet the 2.16 deadline, we only need your General Info Form on file! You’ll receive instructions for everything else automatically after submitting and that form itself takes about 10 minutes to complete, so fill out ✨today✨ and get a jump on your taping instructions. We’re excited to review your application!

Link in bio for the full 2024 logistics and application links for the General Info Form and the Financial Aid Application.