Micheal Torres

Acting Workshop 1 was the first theatre class I took at SFSU, and I'm amazed it didn't turn me off from the entire department. A bad first impression can ruin an entire college experience, and this class was a horrible first impression. Looking back on the class, I honestly cannot remember what we did for 3 hours a day, two days a week. We had one stupid project that took forever to get done. Then we worked on one monologue and, towards the dend of the semester, one scene. We stared at a wall while reciting our monologues over and over, he talked about his ex-wife, and we played basic improv games. A few people in the class liked the fact that that was all we did. But I didn't sign up for the class to simply have fun. I learned absolutely nothing in this class. And I certainly didn't grow in any way. In fact, I think this class may have even hindered my acting abilities. And I'm not at all alone in my opinions of Torres. I've discussed this with like-minded people in my class and his drecting class. If you're looking to play games and be bored for 6 hours a week all semester, take a class with him. Otherwise, wait for a different teacher.

This was one of the best classes of my college career. And MT is the best acting teacher I have ever had. He doesn't play favorites, he makes you feel comfortable when you are performing. He's big on games like part quirks and celebrity...but he also allows his students to decide what they want to do with the class time. Your grade is based on your monolgue and scene that you perform at the end of class.