It is a resource for Acting Coaches and Educators to set up and maintain a respectful learning environment that helps everyone – teachers, coaches, students and clients – to focus on their craft without fear of humiliation, harassment, discrimination and bullying. A respectful learning environment allows for positive and constructive feedback, providing support for the learner, and giving confidence to the educator or coach in their approach and methodology. It allows everyone to bring their best and be their best, to learn and to thrive.

This Guide is also designed to help Acting Coaches and Educators implement the goals and commitments set out in The Code of Conduct for Acting Coaches and Educators. Adherence to The Code represents a commitment to foster a respectful learning culture of consent-based interactions that prevent harassment, discrimination, bullying and violence. Acting Coaches and Educators who agree to the Code are expected to develop policies and practices in accordance with the Code.

In the last few years, #MeToo has allowed people to share their stories and experiences of harassment and bullying in the stage and screen industry. The silence was broken on what went on behind the casting doors without consent; in hotel rooms, backstage, in classrooms, studios and in one-on-one coaching sessions. The industry responded with a Code of Conduct, workplace training, policies and procedures. Reporting mechanisms and counselling services were put in place. Remedial and discipline procedures revised.

There is still much to do. For the acting schools, programs and coaches, putting in place the policies and support systems may be challenging, particularly outside of a larger institutional environment. That’s where this Guide can help.

This is a Guide for Acting Coaches and Educators as well as a Guide for students and performers.

If you are an Acting Coach or Educator, there are tips and best practices in this Guide to help you set up a learning environment and guard against behaviour that can be a barrier to learning.

“I wish I had known what gaslighting meant, what narcissism meant, and what to watch out for in an abusive teacher. I wish I had known the difference between ‘tough notes’ or ‘tough love’ as a disciplined teaching approach, versus actually abusive teaching methods.”

If you are a student or performer looking for an Acting Coach or Educator, reading this Guide will help you to know what to expect, what is okay and what is not okay. It can help you make informed choices when seeking acting classes, coaching sessions or assistance with audition self-tapes, by giving you a better understanding of what is expected of a quality educator.

“I wish I had known that these instructors are just people. In starry eyed innocence I think we have a tendency to put them up on a pedestal and feel that they can do no wrong. It’s devastating when they do.”

There is a lot of information in this Guide. Information is power. Sharing the words and voices of the performers, coaches and educators who have contributed to this Guide is intended to help correct the imbalance, to share the “power” in a learning environment. Teachers and coaches have power, but so must the students and performers to speak up, to express what they need and how they feel. Both need trust and respect – power together – to achieve growth and learning.

Like all good resources, we hope you will refer to this Guide frequently.

Acting Coaches and Educators may want to read the Guide or refer to sections of it when setting up curriculum and communicating to students and clients what to expect from a course or through a coaching session. There are best practices and “red flags” that you may want to check regularly as you reflect on your own feelings and the feedback you receive from students and performers.

Students and performers, use this Guide when you are looking for an Acting Coach or Educator, or are currently taking a course or working with a coach. Check the references for the educator and coach against the expectations and experiences you will read in this Guide.

Whether you are an Acting Coach, Educator, student or performer in a coaching or audition environment, this Guide is a reminder that you are not alone. If something doesn’t feel right for you, it likely doesn’t feel right for others. If you feel you need more information, there are resources for you. Check out the Resource page and follow the links. And, if you find other sources and sites that you think would be helpful, let us know.

In the fall of 2020, a group of educators, coaches, performers, agents and casting directors met to discuss what could be done to establish clear expectations and accountability for Acting Educators and Coaches. It was not the first time for this conversation.

Since 2017, Got Your Back (GYB), has been leading efforts to establish standards and guidelines for acting teachers and coaches. Got Your Back, was an initiative started by Thalia Gonzalez Kane and Martha Burns to create opportunities for people in theatre, film and television to come together in a safe place to learn from each other.

In 2018, GYB members Jennifer Wigmore and Neil Silcox along with Sarah Robbins conducted a National Acting Training Survey with over 500 educators and students. Their findings led to the first Actors Educators Conference in 2019, where participants engaged in discussions and workshops to gain practical skills, share experiences and insights. Recommendations from the conference included setting up an Association to provide oversight, guidance and resources for Acting Coaches and Educators.

The Association of Acting Coaches and Educators (AACE) is in its early stages of development. The Code of Conduct and Guide are living documents. We are deeply appreciative of the educators, coaches, performers, agents and casting directors who have worked on the Code and Guide and who will be taking the next steps to promote and distribute these resources.

To offer feedback on the Code and Guide please contact – aacesteeringcommittee@gmail.com

We encourage all Educators and Coaches who would like to become signatories to the Code of Conduct to contact aacesteeringcommittee@gmail.com.