Acting Workshop Returns to DAC

Back by popular demand: Connecting with the Camera Workshop returns to the Darien Arts Center with Professional Actors Matt Porretta and Nick Sadler

The Darien Arts Center, darienarts.org, will once again be providing a unique opportunity for burgeoning actors in middle school and high school to study with accomplished professional actors, Matt Porretta and Nick Sadler. “Connecting with the Camera: The Keys to Delivering Truthful Acting on Camera” an intensive two day workshop, returns to the DAC due to popular demand after a successful run last fall.  The workshop will cover invaluable techniques and trade secrets for performing on camera in film, television, and commercials. Participants will learn the fundamentals of acting on set, including being believable, being relatable, where to focus, eye lines, audition techniques, and much more, while using professional acting scripts. At the end of the workshop participants will receive a digital copy of their work.

Fun and insightful real world stories from veteran actors Matt Porretta and Nick Sadler compliment the learning experience. Matt Porretta, a native Darienite, has spent much of his professional life alternating between Broadway and Los Angeles. His big break came when he was cast in the role of Marius in the national tour of Les Miserables, eventually landing on Broadway. He subsequently landed the part of Will Scarlet O’Hara in Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and Brooks recast him in his next film, Dracula: Dead and Loving It. Porretta had a recurring role on 90210 playing Dan Rubin and later returned to Broadway where he played Count Ludovic in James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s Passion. Back in Los Angeles, he starred in the title role in TNT’s The New Adventures of Robin Hood.

Nick Sadler is a Juilliard trained actor who has worked in film, television, and theater for the past 20 years with such esteemed artists as Barry Levinson, Joel and Ethan Coen, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Danny Glover, Bill Paxton, Michael Douglas, and Elizabeth Ashley. As a writer and director, Nick’s work has aired on HBO, Cinemax, Canal Plus, and has screened at Denver, Slamdance, Deauville, Hamptons, and Sundance International Film Festivals. Nick is also the founder of Present Actor Workshop.  As an educator and private teacher, he has helped students and professionals at all stages of their careers in theater, film, and television.

"The camera is the unseen character that the best actors know how to play with, keeping it invisible and the performance intimate. We use an approach that is both technical and organic to develop the tools to best attain this balance," says Sadler. "This is a fun and engaging experience that takes the mystery out of the work."

“Connecting with the Camera: The Keys to Delivering Truthful Acting on Camera” will take place on February 1st and 8th from 10am to 1pm.  Class size is limited, so early registration is recommended. For more information, or to register go to darienarts.org. For questions call (203) 655-8683.

Founded in 1975, the Darien Arts Center (DAC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing visual and performing arts programs and events for the community. The DAC offers educational programs in Dance, Visual Arts, Music & Theatre, & special events & live theatre performances by DAC Stage. Private donations, grants, tuition fees & ticket sales fund the DAC, which is located at 2 Renshaw Road, behind the Town Hall. For further information, call (203) 655-8683 or visit darienarts.org.