What is The Actors’ Company?
The Actors’ Company (TAC) is an advanced group of actors focusing on improvisational theater. Young artists who audition and are accepted into TAC work together not only to be better performers, but to become better, more rounded people. Our primary focus, improv, is a collaborative art form that challenges performers to jump into the unknown, take risks, and work intuitively while also flexing their comedy muscles.
What does being in The Actors’ Company look like?
The TAC Season lasts from August-May. TAC members meet every other week to practice various forms of improv. Members are challenged to go outside of their comfort zone to really grow alongside their fellow company members.
The company is broken into 2 separate groups defined by age and experience. The Junior company focuses on honing foundational skills and understanding how best to work with other performers while gaining an understanding of the basics of improv comedy and learning the basics of building a character. The Senior company continues building on those foundational skills while also introducing more complex material as members are introduced to long-form improv and storytelling structures.
Both companies come together 3 times a season to perform Improv events open to anyone and everyone to come and enjoy a night of improv comedy!
Additionally, TAC members have at least one outing a season that is included in their tuition. Previous outings include seeing professional productions of Fiddler on the Roof and Hadestown at the beautiful Fox Theater. Additional workshops and opportunities are often offered to TAC members to help supplement their growth as performers.
Furthermore, TAC students are the first group of performers who are approached for community performing opportunities that are brought to Suwanee Performing Arts. Previous opportunities include Jolly Holly Day and The Suwanee Day Parade, both presented by The City of Suwanee. Additionally TAC has been approached to perform at community fundraisers and other functions young actors may be needed!
Who can be in The Actors’ Company?
The Actors’ Company is structured to be catered to young performers in between the age range of rising 6th graders and rising 12th graders. If this does not include you but you still want to get involved in helping us develop our program. Please feel free to contact the program director with the information provided below!
How can I become involved?
The Actors’ Company auditions are routinely held in the middle of March to prepare for the upcoming season that begins in August. If you would like more information about how to get involved please contact the program director with the information provided below!
UPCOMING EVENTS
The Actors Company Spring Showcase
April 15th, 2023
6:00pm-7:30pm
Suwanee Performing Arts’ own improv troupe: The Actors Company presents a double-feature night of improv! We open with the Junior Company, presenting a series of familiar improv segments. Watch as our young improvisers use audience suggestions to create original stories for you right before your eyes! After a brief 10-minute intermission, stick with us to see our Senior Company present an all-new format. Sit back as a comedic Improvised Who Dunnit plays out before you. Utilizing audience suggestions, our improvisers work together to craft a narrative with twists and turns as we all work together to discover who is guilty of an o -the-wall crime. Join us for a night of laughs appropriate for all ages!
The Actors Company 2023-2024 Auditions
March 18th, 2023
Rising 6th – 9th Graders | 10:30am-11:30am
Rising 10th – 12th Graders | 12:00pm-1:00pm
Michael Slusher (Program Director)
Michael Slusher is the director and an alumni of The Actors’ Company. Being among the first members of the troupe when it was founded in 2014. Michael has since worked with a series of different performers while studying many different techniques in improv as well as honing his skills as a performer overall. Michael focuses on getting to know the individual performer and strives to help supplement them in their journey while using improv as a tool to help them explore themselves as performers and as a person. He believes improv is a great way for people get out of their comfort zone, learn to take risks, and to become comfortable with making strong choices while having fun along the way. Michael takes his knowledge of various improv techniques popularized by groups such as The Upright Citizens Brigade, Second City, and The Groundlings and builds a curriculum that challenges performers while also playing to their strengths.
Michael also works as an acting instructor for Suwanee Academy of the Arts. He works with students of all ages and guides them through various techniques to supplement their growth as performers. Additionally he directs Suwanee Academy of the Arts’ technical theater program AIM (Artist Intern Mentorship Program). With Suwanee Performing Arts, he has helped produced several shows for Community Arts Players of Suwanee as well as Broadway in the Park. He has worked as technical director, stage manager, production manager, a director and more in order to bring the community high quality productions.
TAC – PAST EVENTS
