Kelley Hirst

Not all of Onalee Ames’s students are completely new to acting. Take, for example, Kelley Hirst of Winnipeg, a stage veteran of some 35 years. Kelley says she became serious about film acting in about 2008 to 2009, but it wasn’t an easy transition. “I needed to have my ‘theatricality’ beaten out of me with a big stick!” she jokes.

To put it another way, “The difference between stage acting and film acting,” she explains, “is like the difference between a Great Dane dog and a Shih Tzu.”

It takes dedication. “We’re lifers in the Master Class,” says Kelley, “meaning we’re actors first, and secretaries, customer service reps second. It’s like Olympic athletes. There’s no just showing up on game day. They’ve been training, practicing, for hours a day long beforehand.” The training has paid off. Before studying with Onalee, Kelley had two or three auditions a year. Now she gets six to ten a month, and if she’s in two or three productions a year, she’s doing well.

“Onalee shows how you can take pain and trauma and turn it into art. She’s very intuitive about how to make your emotions real. She really cares. She’s ego-less. When she teaches, it’s not about her, it’s about us.”