The official training system of ABCT
The Bean Method
Acting. Culture. Characterization.
A culturally grounded actor-training system created by Anthony Bean from more than five decades of work in Black theater. It is not a shortcut to fame. It is a structured path to lasting craft.
What Makes It Different
- I
Truth Before Performance
Actors pursue emotional and behavioral truth instead of imitation or performance tricks.
- II
Culture as Foundation
The work honors lived experience and cultural authenticity, so every story is told with integrity.
- III
Discipline Over Impulse
Students build professional habits, rehearsal discipline and repeatable technique that last a career.
- IV
Character from the Inside Out
Performers build fully realized people, never stereotypes, shortcuts or guesswork.
Why This Method Matters
Technique alone is not enough.
The Bean Method grew from a simple observation: technique without cultural grounding produces actors who can perform but cannot fully carry a story.
It brings together craft, cultural memory, discipline and authorship, and trains the whole actor: voice, body, listening, and responsibility to the story. It has been tested on ABCT’s stage for twenty-six seasons.
Why the field is paying attention
- How do we train actors in both technique and cultural responsibility?
- How do young performers build discipline in an era of speed and shortcuts?
- How do community-based theaters develop professional-level artists?
The question is no longer whether this work is needed, but how widely it will be adopted.
The Method on Stage
This is what the training looks like in performance: emotional truth, cultural grounding and characters built from the inside out, carried by ABCT’s company of actors.
- Gem of the Ocean, 2007
- Fences, 2015
- The Mountaintop, 2013
- A Christmas Carol, 2014
- For Colored Girls, 2012
- The Amen Corner, 2012
What Students Learn
- Work with emotional and behavioral truth
- Separate identity from audition outcomes
- Handle rejection without self-destruction
- Navigate typecasting intelligently
- Maintain professional rehearsal discipline
- Honor culture without stereotype or harm
- Balance faith, family and artistic calling
- Measure success beyond applause
Who It’s For
- Emerging actorsseeking serious training
- Working performersrefining their craft
- Youth artistsbuilding a foundation
- College-bound studentspreparing for theater programs
- Educators & directorsdeveloping actors
- Schools & community programscommitted to culturally grounded training
Taught through ABCT classes, workshops and structured programs.
Serious actors train.Committed actors endure.Disciplined actors last.
How to Start
- 1
Pick a class
Every ABCT class is taught in the Bean Method. Start where you are: beginners, working actors and young people all have a place.
- 2
Register online
Each class has its own sign-up form on the Acting Classes page. Not sure which fits? Call (504) 862-PLAY (7529).
- 3
Come to your first session
Your class location is confirmed when you enroll. Come ready to listen, work and commit to the story.
- Beginning Acting Workshop8 weeks · Tuesdays 7–9 PM$400
- Advanced Scene Study12 weeks · Thursdays 7:30–10 PM$475
- Monologue Mastery6 weeks · Saturdays 2–4 PM$250
- Improv & Comedy8 weeks · Wednesdays 7–9 PM$300
- Voice & Movement6 weeks · Sundays 1–3 PM$250
- Youth Theater Program, ages 12–1710 weeks · Saturdays 10 AM–12 PM$300
Schedules and prices as listed on the Acting Classes page. Private coaching is available by consultation.
The Bean Method Book Series
The Bean Method is coming to print in three volumes. Pre-order to be notified as soon as each book is available.
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Volume I · Foundation
Acting, Culture & Characterization
Truthful behavior, listening, objectives and cultural grounding, with an emphasis on discipline and presence.
Coming soon · Pre-order open
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Volume II
Teaching Manual
For instructors, directors and teaching artists: structured exercises, classroom sequencing and tools for putting the method to work.
Coming soon · Pre-order open
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Companion
Student Manual
A guide for actors committed to the work: reflection, structured practice and guided discipline.
Coming soon · Pre-order open
What Artists Are Saying
Wendell Pierce
The Wire, Suits, Treme
Anthony Bean was his first acting teacher, and his exercises demanded emotional truth.
Irma Thomas
The Soul Queen of New Orleans
Credits Mr. Bean’s understanding of story, culture and performance, from their work together on Irma Meets Etta.
Edward Buckles Jr.
Filmmaker, HBO’s Katrina Babies
Says the method and his years at ABCT changed and saved his life. Discipline, cultural grounding and emotional truth still shape his work.
Jeremiah Craft
Girls5eva, Luke Cage, The Last O.G.
The discipline and truth he learned at ABCT prepared him to navigate the industry.
Ready to Train with Purpose?
The training that shaped past generations is open to the next.
Register for classes, or become a monthly donor and help fund programs for young artists in New Orleans.