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Acting and Performance Summer Institute

Prepare for a university theater program or career in the performing arts

Six students dressed in black stand in a dim performance studio with a black floor.

Hone your techniques and gain real-world experience in all aspects of the creative process of theater-making

The UCLA Acting and Performance Summer Institute is a three-week, intensive program for high school students in theater arts. The program encompasses performance training classes, movement-based techniques, and a final showcase where students create their own unique content through the devised theater process.

This program is designed for high school students with a commitment to the theater arts who seek the discipline and training required for participation in a university theater program or a career in the performing arts.

Fees and Payment Info

The program fee includes the unit fees for the UCLA coursework offered as part of the program and thus varies by UC student status. In addition to the program fee, students are assessed other campus and administrative fees during the summer. This is a summary of fees that commonly apply to the selected student type.

Actual tuition and fees are subject to change by the University of California. Visit the fees, payment, and financial aid section for important disclaimer, as well as more details on fees, payment instructions, and information on delinquency, refunds, and financial aid.

 

**MANDATORY HOUSING FEE** = $2,340
Students living in on-campus housing will be charged an additional housing fee.

 

Program Fee $4,120
Registration Fee $350
IEI Fee $61
Document Fee (for first-time Summer Sessions students) $50

Meet Your Instructors

Perry Daniel

Faculty

Perry Daniel has taught acting and movement for many years. During the summer as the program’s co-creative director, Daniel teaches and directs for the Acting and Performance Summer Institute (APSI). Previous APSI classes have included puppet design, mask technique, clowning, commedia dell arte, and improv comedy. Her primary focus is on creating original works through ensemble development and creative collaboration. She utilizes her background as a Pilates and Gyrotonic instructor to assist students in furthering their understanding of artistic exploration through physicality.

Daniel is also the program director and student supervisor for the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television’s Arts Bridge program, a national organization dedicated to providing arts education in LAUSD K-12 classrooms.

Her investment in performing arts, education, and outreach is evident in her diverse array of experiences. As an instructor, she has developed and taught movement-based acting courses in both New York and Los Angeles. She began her education outreach work in New York with The 52nd Street Project, a non-profit theater company committed to creative work with the youth in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. Her work with the Project led to a writing position with the production company Little Airplane for Nick Jr’s The Wonder Pets. While in New York, Daniel trained with Under the Table Ensemble Theatre (founded by Dell’ Arte International School of Physical Theatre alumni), participating in commedia and clown shows around the city. A supporter of Clowns Without Borders, she has toured with the South African chapter, providing humanitarian outreach and psychosocial relief through the art of playing.

As an extension of her commitment to arts outreach and education, Daniel wrote and directed Tall Tales for the Geffen Playhouse. The debut was followed by a two-month tour of LAUSD elementary schools.

Daniel received her BFA in theater from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and her MFA in acting from the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television. Her improv and sketch comedy training is courtesy of Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB), The People’s Improv Theater, and Denver’s Impulse Theater.

Among numerous stage and camera credits, favorite past roles include Arlecchino in Il Sogno d’Arlecchino, Valentina from Goldoni’s The Housekeeper, and Cyllene in the Getty Villa’s production of The Trackers. Daniel is also a member of the Los Angeles-based theater company Sacred Fools and an adjudicator for the Pantages Theater’s Jerry Herman Awards.

Vikas Adam

Faculty

Vikas Adam is an award-winning actor, voiceover artist, director, producer, and writer. Adam has a BFA in Theater from Syracuse University and an MFA in Acting from UCLA. As an educator, he has taught acting, voice, and movement-based studies from elementary to undergraduate levels. He was the program director for Junior Players, Dallas’ oldest non-profit youth arts organization. During his tenure, Adam worked closely with various school districts and recreation centers to implement free after-school visual and performing arts-based programming with working actors and artists.

Additionally, he annually co-produced PUPFest (a young playwright’s festival) with Kitchen Dog Theater as well as the third show in the Shakespeare Dallas Summer season which included a critically acclaimed Bollywood version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream which he also conceptualized, sound designed, and dramaturged.

As a teacher, Adam is constantly updating his curriculum and employs improvisation, movement, ensemble, and character-building exercises with an emphasis on ‘thinking outside of the box’ while building discipline and self-confidence.

Adam has narrated over 100 audiobooks by bestselling authors including Orson Scott Card, Manil Suri, M.M. Kaye, and C. Robert Cargill (screenwriter, Doctor Strange). He is the recipient of the prestigious Audie Award (the Oscars for Audiobooks) in Fantasy for his work on “Nice Dragons Finish Last”. His favorite theatre roles include Alceste in The Misanthrope, Orlando in As You Like It, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, and Ariel in the Tempest. Adam is currently on the Producing Committee for The Santa Clarita Shakespeare Festival and on the Advisory Board for Junior Players.

Image of Adam Vikas