ONGOING
3-Part Private Training Series to topple those personal stumbling blocks so that you see a noticeable up-level in your skills in the audition room and on set.
Athena gives customized training tailored to your individual needs and strengths. This one-on-one, 3-session sequence covers it all: improve the way you move on camera, figure out how to work the beats, bring the internal monologue to life, and whip your self-tape technique into shape.
This session focuses on marrying instinct to technique. Take who you are and bring it to the character to find the beats of the scene. You’ll work on an assigned scene that you receive ahead of time.
You’ll work on a scene of your choice. Find the behavior, physicality, and natural rhythm of the character. Bring the inner monologue to life—everything the character is thinking but not saying. Athena will guide you through how to shift between wide shots and close-ups.
Complete a self-tape scene and get Athena’s feedback from the perspective of a casting director. Then, work through your scene again in a callback scenario as well as an on-set performance scenario.
Q: Can I use the 3-Part Training Series for audition coachings?
A: No. The series is specifically designed as building blocks for your growth as an actor on camera. It includes exercises and assignments. For audition preparation, please schedule a private coaching session.
Q: How long do I have to use the series after signing up?
A: Please sign up for the series when you can do it in 3-4 consecutive weeks. The consistent momentum is useful for your growth.
Q: Can I bring in anything that I want to work on?
A: You get the chance to pick your own scene during Session 2 of this series! This series has a designed curriculum, and you will be given specific assignments for Session 1 and Session 3.
This series is for actors of all experience levels who want to express their authenticity on camera using technique and instinct. No matter where you are in your process, this training series is designed to uplevel your work, strengthen your self-tapes, and tackle your personal challenges. Sometimes, it’s easier to address unique hurdles one-on-one instead of in a class setting.
Athena’s training is good for:
This training series has a designed curriculum, but it can be a wonderful way to unearth missing elements in your on-camera acting process.
Acting on camera is fun! Athena takes a high-energy approach and encourages actors to embrace a sense of play because that’s where freedom lies. Develop your technical self-tape skills as well as your acting choices.
Get 3 specially designed training sessions with Athena and hone in on:
Go beyond what you think you can do on camera.
Athena Colón is a bilingual, native New York actress, teaching artist, and acting coach.
Athena Colón is a bilingual, native New York actress, teaching artist and acting Coach. Athena has worked as an independent teacher and coach in New York City for 10+ years. She has trained with former Telsey + Company casting director Heidi Marshall as a coach and joyfully prepares actors for screen tests and auditions. She is the recipient of the BRIO Grant from the Bronx Council of the Arts. While earning her BFA in Theatre from Long Island University–C.W. Post, she co-created a Suzuki-based performance, Third Child, which toured Italy, the Czech Republic, and New York City. Her recent TV credits include: THE GIRL ON THE BUS, NEW AMSTERDAM, BULL, Martin Scorsese’s VINYL, JESSICA JONES, and LAW & ORDER: SVU. When she’s not acting on stage or film, Athena facilitates acting classes and conducts theatre workshops in NYC. She proudly collaborates with Heidi Marshall Studio and DreamYard.
HEIDI’S ENDORSEMENT
Athena is a tremendous coach who will draw out your confidence and (re)energize your work. She has a loving, magic touch with actors. I often partner with Athena in the prep process for actors in screen tests and role prep (e.g., Hallie Bailey is starring as Disney’s live-action Little Mermaid after we walked her through all her intense screen tests!) Actors just adore Athena’s laser-focused, energetic coaching! Her classes are totally invigorating. They’re also super fun and incredibly informative—she brings ALL the insider, behind-the-scenes knowledge from actor to actor…things you’ll really want to know when you head to set! Athena has been around the block on so many TV sets. I really, really love for working artists to teach each other.
What was a difficult challenge for you as an actor?
Trusting my instincts on camera.
What was a crazy or silly moment on set for you?
My knee pads story! Basically, I was on set playing a nurse. This was my seventh gig as a co-star for a network show, and I figured, okay, I know how this works: arrive on time, be prepared, land on the mark, and make life easy for the director. In and out…simple, right? Not always.
In rehearsal on set, I was directed to kneel directly on the floor (with nothing under my knees) and perform chest compressions throughout the entire scene. I knew I had to do these chest compressions because (1) this is what I did in my audition, and (2) the action is written in the stage directions. Easy enough.
We’re shooting the same scene from different angles. About 45 minutes into shooting, I started to feel sharp pains in my knees. During a quick break while the crew was changing the camera lens, I ran into the bathroom, rolled up my nurse scrubs, and noticed huge bruises on my knees. I knew I needed to get off the floor and save my knees, but my note from the last take was to “make the chest compressions a little more intense.” The problem was that the more I did these chest compressions, the more my knees dug into the cement floor. And it hurt.
Panic mode set in. I couldn’t do my job. I started worrying about who I could ask for help. I decided to go through the chain of command and asked the PA who was working with the actors: “Hey, my knees are shot after doing all these takes. Can I get some knee pads?” After that didn’t work, I recognized someone in wardrobe from my fitting and made the same request. No go. Finally, I went up to the AD, which I usually try not to do. My motto was to be professional and make everyone’s life easy, but I was still in pain. The AD promised we only had two more takes. However, I did not have what I needed to do my job and perform these chest compressions without pain.
This was when I realized an actor can always ask for what they need on set to get the work done.
What is the most important quality or skill for an actor in the audition room?
Authenticity. Be yourself! Everyone else is taken.
What is the main thing you wish you knew then but that you only understand now?
There is no right way to do a scene.
What frustrates you as an actor in the current climate of filmmaking or of the business at large? How has this affected you directly?
Not enough roles for actors of color. We need diverse characters of different abilities, genders, orientations, and nationalities. The lack of opportunity has often discouraged me and kept me “small.”
What moment or experience as an artist do you feel most proud of?
The ah-ha moments! Like every time I help an actor break through a scene, or every time I work and can see a genuine connection to the character and circumstances.
Who do you really look up to in your field and why?
I look up to my resilient friends in the business. They are the people you’ll sit next to on the subway, and you don’t know their names, but they are incredibly gifted storytellers who never give up. They’re the artists who decide to keep going despite the odds.
What else do you teach at the studio?
Join the waitlist for any of these classes!
Hi Athena, thank you for your wonderful supportive energy. I simply wanted to let you know I applied for a role on actor’s access, got an audition, and got the role. The audition was via eco-cast self-tape on actors-access and I remembered the framing you taught me.
I got to know how terrific a coach Athena is when she helped me work on a pilot audition. She partners with you to find the truth and nuances of the scene and character, while also making sure the best of you is captured. Her work is rich and nuanced and fully supports the individual process.
I walked out of my audition feeling whole and happy and confident that I brought my best! Thank you for your coaching! It was SO valuable. In one short hour, you were able to break down the scene and help me fortify a strong emotional prep for a major audition.
Athena was brilliant at helping break down the moments in the scene and bring in more sides in the character along with the circumstances and reality of the world of the film. I felt confident and ready to work in the room, and trusted the work we’d done. The audition went great and I was able to do my best work.
It is so important to walk into a room feeling so prepared that you can deliver in any situation. Athena gets to the bottom of a text quickly. She recognizes your strengths to bring out a variety of colors and tactics to tell the story. I felt free working with her and really allowed myself to take risks in the audition room.
Full disclosure — please note that we do not guarantee that actors in these classes or workshops will be hired for any project that we might direct, produce, or cast. We teach and coach because we enjoy supporting and nurturing actors as you develop your personal process for auditioning, working and creating your own work.