This spring, students in Niagara College’s Acting for Film and Digital Media program capped off their studies with a showcase that proves the camera – and the future – is rolling.
On April 30, emerging actors debuted a sampling of their work to friends, family, industry guests and alumni at the First Ontario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines.
“Our actors have worked hard these past two years,” said program coordinator Lori Ravensborg. “Tonight is an opportunity to celebrate their work and showcase their talents to the greater community and share the amazing things happening in our program.”
President Sean Kennedy brought greetings and words of congratulations as students prepare to leave the nest of the College.
“I’m very proud of all of our Acting students and what you bring to our suite of creative programs,” said President Kennedy. “We look forward to hearing big things about you as you move forward, and I wish you all the best in your careers.”
Students showcased a curated selection from 14 projects; six in full, and excerpts from the remaining eight, from dramatic to comedic to commercial pieces and everything in between. The work demonstrated their versatility and authenticity as storytellers.
Students in the Acting program take courses in acting, voice, movement, and camera work, mastering editing, auditioning, green screen, screenwriting, and more through a broad range of experiential opportunities.
“We have installed the building blocks of the actor: trying to be in the moment, listening and answering, working off of your partner, having a point of view, allowing impulses, making choices, and breaking down the script to tell a story,” said Ravensborg.
Students flexed their skills in an especially challenging green screen assignment, writing and scripting two characters of themselves shot individually over multiple weeks. Actors play opposite to nobody, challenged to find the timing where their second character would fit into the script and respond authentically – repeating the same process again in the reverse.
“It’s an intricate and challenging process,” said Ravensborg.
Some of the work on display featured collabs with students in NC’s Broadcasting, Radio, Television and Film (BRTF) program, with many pieces filmed on campus.
For their capstone, groups of two to three actors collaborated to take a project from script to screen, including scripting, editing, filming, taking in feedback, editing again, and adding in special touches in post-production like music and sound effects.
“It was a massive effort, and I’m incredibly proud of the work that we’ve produced this year and all of our actors,” said Ravensborg.
President Kennedy and Ravensborg underscored just how valuable faculty mentorship is for students in the program, crediting the instructor team including Stephanie Jones, Kevin Gibson, Barbara Mantini, and Shaun Ferguson – many of whom balance their role as teachers with being working industry professionals.
“It takes a village for all of us to succeed in life, and I want to thank all of our amazing faculty for the support you provide to our students,” said President Kennedy.
NC’s future actors, writers, producers and directors will embark on their careers with an entrepreneurial spirit and confidence as storytellers. First, they will take the stage this June to graduate at the College’s Spring 2025 Convocation.
