Instructors
First-rate performances begin with first-rate instructors
Jock MacDonald
Jock MacDonald has been the director of Carter Thor Studios East since 1999. He has been a professional actor for over 35 years and has been coaching and teaching acting throughout his career. In addition to his private acting classes and private coaching, Jock has taught acting at The University of Southern Maine, The University of Vermont and Ohio University. Jock has been coaching with Carter Thor Studios for 11 years working closely with the other two studio coaches, Alice Carter and Cameron Thor.
Jock has a B.A in theatre from the University of Vermont, an MFA in acting from Ohio University, a diploma in television acting from The Weist- Barron School in New York City, and a diploma in acting from the British American Drama Academy, Oxford University. In addition to coaching and teaching, Jock continues to work professionally as an actor, writer and director in film, television and theatre.
Cameron Thor
Cameron was raised in Malibu, California by writer/actress couple Larry and Jean Thor. Larry Thor had migrated from the Icelandic community of Gimly in Manitoba, Canada in the 1940’s to seek his fame and fortune in the heady days of radio. After a successful career at CBS Larry began teaching screenwriting at the University of California Los Angeles and it was in this setting of screenplays, actors, and writers that Cameron was raised.
Cameron began acting in the early 1980’s. In college he co-founded the avant-garde theater company The Actors Gang while pursuing a career as an actor. Over the next ten years Cameron worked in most every venue of the performing arts. He directed numerous plays including Sean Penn’s first stage production, he acted in a string of television shows, he opened in the lead production of “Three Sisters” at the Los Angeles Theater Center, and he has had roles in many films including “Jurassic Park,” A Few Good Men,” and others.
After a ten-year association working first as a student and then as a teacher with famed acting coach Roy London, Cameron began teaching on his own and was joined by his now partner, Alice Carter six months later. In the last several years the Studio has grown from a single focus on the art and craft of acting to a vibrant multi-level creative home for actors, directors, and writers. While keeping the center of his work the development and innovation of storytelling through acting, writing, and directing, Cameron has branched out into developing, producing and directing films. In the last three years he completed two feature directing assignments and a number of short films.
Alice Carter
Alice Carter is an actress, teacher, acting coach, philosopher, and director. Her acting career which includes performing in features such as: Young Guns, Gross Anatomy, and Dangerous Heart; television series and episodics; and theatre gives her solid professional experience. She combines her training (with Roy London, Stella Adler and others) and rigorous academic studies (she holds a degree in philosophy) in her work as an acting teacher and coach. She has been teaching and coaching for the past eleven years.
Her work with students is charged with intelligent analysis, practical tricks, and mysterious intuition. She imparts to each student his or her unique contribution to every role. As a teacher, she demands honesty, integrity and commitment from her students, and in the process helps them overcome personal barriers and unlocks performances that are alive, surprising, expanding, and fun.
She has directed numerous productions including Twelve Angry Men, Collected Stories, Hurlyburly, Cabaret, and most recently, Night of the Iguana. Her work with camera classes--a powerful tool for training actors in the technique of film--are consistently setting the industry standard. Ms. Carter is the co-founder of the Carter Thor Studio, and the architect of many of its most successful programs.
Isabel Farias
Isabel has worked as an actress, director and writer in theatre, television and film in Brazil, Canada and The United States. She's a founding member of the Graxa Theatre Group in Brazil and Holy Moly productions in Canada and U.S. She's dedicated to the art of storytelling and is passionate about sharing her knowledge and experience with other artists.
Isabel has been a member of Carter Thor Studios since she moved to Canada. She has trained with Jock MacDonald for over 5 years. They have acted, directed and written together in several different projects, and this collaboration created Holy Moly Productions.
As a result of all these experiences, Isabel Farias was delighted to accept the invitation to become one of the Studios' coaches.
Genevieve Cholette
Geneviève Cholette is a long time Carter Thor Studio East member and has been acting professionally for 15 years across Canada and in Europe. With other Carter Thor Studio East members, she went to Los Angeles several times to support movies that she was starring in and which received several nominations and awards.
At 19 years old, she was the co-founder of a very successful performing arts school in Montreal, Québec. In the past few years, in between contracts, she has been giving workshops all over Ontario through Theatre Action and has received several grants from the Ontario Arts Council to teach acting and musical theatre. She has been chosen for the second consecutive year for the new program: Artist in residence, also through the Ontario Arts Council.
Cheryl Quiacos
Stunt Actor, Cheryl Lynne Quiacos graduated from University of Toronto with a Bachelor's degree in Theatre and French. Cheryl has also trained in Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, and Boxing. With 10 years of competitive gymnastics training, and 15 years professional experience in the classical and contemporary dance field, she began her career as an accomplished stunt actor for film and television.
She has been the lead stunt double for actors: Tia Carrere on the action series, Relic Hunter and Vivica A. Fox on television series, Missing. Other credits include Starhunter, The Dresden Files, The Day After Tomorrow, Resident Evil: Apocalypse and Max Payne. Most recently, she was the movement coordinator for Vincenzo Natale's Splice starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley.
Cheryl is honoured to have the priviledge of teaching Action for Actors at "the most inspiring actors studio in Toronto", Carter Thor Studios East.
To view her stunt reel, please visit her website at www.cherylquiacos.com.
Bronwen Booth
After graduating from Boston University ’s theatre department with a BFA, Bronwen moved to New York where she trained with Wynn Handman, artistic director and founder of the acclaimed American Place Theatre. She later joined the cast of ABC’s “One Life To Live” for two years and subsequently moved to Los Angeles . There she studied with the renowned coach Roy London, until his passing. Having co-starred in a play with Cameron Thor, she easily transferred to his class.
Bronwen has worked professionally in Los Angeles , New York , Montreal , and Toronto . She has been working as an acting coach throughout her career including coaching the leads in TNT’s “Glory and Honor” and CBS’ “Jackie: A Life”, along with numerous other television and film projects. Bronwen now finds herself back home in New York City and is very happy to be there! Having coached numerous actors individually, Bronwen now looks forward to an on-going class environment.