The Aquila Studio offers something rare: sustained scene-study training with one of the most decorated casting directors in the business. Deborah Aquila, a fifteen-time Artios nominee whose casting credits run from sex, lies and videotape and The Shawshank Redemption to La La Land, trained at the Stella Adler Conservatory, studying script analysis with Adler herself. She opened the current studio in early 2019, successor to the earlier Aquila Morong Studio.
Courses run in six-week Saturday cycles at The Lounge Theatres on Melrose, hybrid in-person and Zoom: Master Scene Study with Aquila and Joe Massingill (published at $600 in person, $500 on Zoom), Breaking It Down for script analysis, and Activating the Character, plus a weekend intensive master class every couple of months and private coaching. The teaching draws on Adler, Meisner, and Chekhov, oriented to professional film and TV work.
Admission is by materials submission, headshot, resume, and reel or self-taped monologues, rather than a live audition. Seven 2026 cycles were published at verification, running January through December. For actors who want casting-side eyes on their work every single week, this is the room.
Techniques taught
- Adler: Stella Adler's imagination-first approach: given circumstances and script analysis over personal memory.
- Meisner: Listening, repetition, and truthful response under imaginary circumstances, in the lineage of Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse teaching.
- Chekhov: Michael Chekhov's psychophysical approach: imagination, gesture, and atmosphere.
Class types
Enrollment and schedule
No live audition required, placement via submitted materials: headshot, resume, demo reel and/or self-taped monologues emailed to officeadmin@theaquilastudio.com. Schedule: 6-week cycles year-round; Master Scene Study Saturdays 1:00-6:00pm; 2026 cycles listed Jan through Dec; Weekend Intensive Master Class every couple of months over two days. Duration: 6-week courses; weekend intensive is 2 days.
Published pricing
| Program | Published price | Source, as of |
|---|---|---|
| Master Scene Study (6 weeks, in-person) | $600 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| Master Scene Study (6 weeks, Zoom) | $500 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| Breaking it Down (in-person / Zoom) | $450 / $400 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| Activating the Character (in-person / Zoom) | $450 / $400 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
Prices are the school's own published rates on the dates shown. We never estimate prices. Always confirm before enrolling.
Instructors
- Deborah Aquila, Founder / Master Scene Study, Weekend Intensive. Veteran casting director, Adler Conservatory-trained
- Joe Massingill, Instructor, Master Scene Study, Activating the Character
- 脡anna O'Dowd, Instructor, Breaking it Down, Activating the Character
- Jessica Aquila Cymerman, Instructor, Breaking it Down
- Henry Russell Bergstein, Instructor / coach. Listed on studio site
Location
Questions actors ask
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When was this information last verified?
Sources and verification
- The Aquila Studio, Home, accessed 2026-07-16
- Deborah Aquila bio, accessed 2026-07-16
- Master Scene Study, accessed 2026-07-16
- Classes, accessed 2026-07-16
Researched 2026-07-16, last verified 2026-07-16. Facts above come only from these sources. Anything we could not confirm is simply not shown. Report incorrect information or claim this listing if you represent the school.
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