For more than two decades, Company of Rogues has been supporting Calgary’s film and theatre industries by training actors in the art of authentic performance. Founded in 1996, the company immediately filled a void by providing progression training in the style of a New York-based acting studio, with a primary focus on film. According to co-founder and owner Joe-Norman Shaw, film is an intimate medium that requires a different execution than traditional stage acting.
“The camera is like a voyeur – it comes in and wants to see your thoughts and feelings,” he says. “You need to project a deeper level of emotional authenticity, to make every single moment absolutely truthful and heartfelt, because the camera will pick it up.”