Onalee Ames Film Studio was founded 25 years ago. Initially, I began teaching to support myself financially while auditioning. Over time, my role as an acting instructor led to a deeper understanding of human psychology. As a result, my motivation for pursuing this career has evolved significantly. Today, I teach primarily as a healing tool.
Acting coaching offers much more than just a paycheck—although a day on set can cover a year’s worth of classes. Acting provides relief from anxiety, depression, addictions, and so much more. Over the years, I’ve worked with a diverse range of people, including those who are homeless, individuals with criminal backgrounds, Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, lawyers, doctors, and even members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
In my experience, everyone can benefit from the power of working with their own emotions. I’ve witnessed profound changes in people as they release deep-seated emotions through the acting process. At one point, the studio had over 15 therapists referring their patients to us to help address some of their deepest wounds. While landing roles has contributed to the success of many of our actors, for me, the greatest reward comes from watching the transformation of students as they gain confidence and conquer anxiety.
Although acting classes are the core of our studio, we offer so much more. We have classes for kids and teens, acting for fun, creative classes, comedy classes, screenwriting, musical theatre for adults and kids, and master acting classes, to name a few.
This summer and throughout the year, we’re excited to host guest instructors such as the Oscar-winning cinematographer/director Steven Bernstein from LA, our own Aleks Paunovic of the TV series Van Helsing, Sean Garrity, Lara Rae, and many more. These A-list instructors will provide Manitobans with the tools to network globally and offer the same level of training as those from larger centers. These professionals understand the power of the creative process as a profound healing tool, and they are part of our studio because of their depth as instructors and as individuals. We also take pride in our new teacher-training program, which is our latest and most innovative offering.
One of our studio’s most popular classes, where students can start exploring their potential, is our summer film camp for both kids and adults. These sessions allow for full expression and provide valuable insights into how one might begin a career in the industry. Camps will be available to all in August.
While we aim to cultivate more talent for Manitoba’s film industry, we also take pride in helping individuals release emotions that might be more impactful than the final outcome itself. Come visit our studio this summer and stay tuned for our resident programs from Los Angeles. We can’t wait to meet your inner movie star!
Published in Style Manitoba Magazine • Summer 2023