Caroline Thomas' Total Theatre Lab: graduates testimonials

graduates testimonials

Stuart Mercer and Andrea Toselli in TTL production of Yes.

“Throughout all of my education, I have never had a teacher impact my life as greatly as Caroline. Caroline is an impassioned and perceptive teacher, devoting herself to the growth of every unique student. She creates a very intimate classroom where the most intense and personal work can develop. The work I did in her class has affected not only my acting, but my writing as well.”

– Tami Reynolds

“Caroline Thomas is a brilliant teacher with extremely keen instincts and insight. She creates a wonderful working enviroment that is challenging but fun, and she treats the students with great respect and invests herself into their grouwth.”

– John Cotugno

“Caroline Thomas helps me understand the true meaning of acting. Instead of just relying on craft I feel like I can ‘become the character.’ I always recommend her class whenever anybody asks me!”

– Zoe Saldana
Drumline, Co-starred with Brittany Spears in Crossroads, Nicolas Hytner's Center Stage; Getting Over Allison.

Susan May Pratt & Carl Olsen in
With or Without You, at the Total Theatre Lab.

“Caroline Thomas helped me tap into aspects of myself that I have now brought into my acting. She really encouraged me to get to know my true self, and to use my whole self for my acting. Caroline's sense memory is a wonderful way to bring your true feelings and emotions into your acting and with her guidance, she encourages you to explore new territory within yourself and use that for creating a character. She approaches everything in a positive yet insightful manner. She is a truly special lady.”

– Alicia Minshiew
can be seen these days hiding her pain beneath a veneer of rage and spite as Kendall in All My Children.

“Caroline has been a strong influence in developing my acting ability and shaping my career. Through her skillful training she has given me confidence and inspiration. Her guidance and understanding the nuances of script reading has been invaluable.

– Laura Prepon
That 70's Show, and the feature film Slackers.

"Finding Caroline was like discovering daylight. Studying with her has given me a solid ground from which to work on any script or play that comes my way."

– Susan May Pratt, whose credits include Hunger Point on Lifetime (“…the outstanding performance of Susan May Pratt as Shelly, who is not only anorexic but by turns paranoid, obsessive and hysterical. She is so convincingly flipped out while hospitalized for her eating disorder, you would swear she is channeling Sylvia Plath's institutionalized character in ‘The Bell Jar.’” – Los Angeles Times), Charms for the Easy Life on Showtime, Drive Me Crazy, Next to You, Edward Burns' No Looking Back, Centre Stage.

Sara Jeanne Asselin & Nat Cassidy in
Miles & Milo at the New York Fringe Festival.
photo: Dixie Sheridan

“Caroline's approach to acting is based in sincerity, honesty and truth. Her favorite six words: "What is REALLY going on here?" And she won't let go till you find it. She knows when you're true and she knows when you're not. She will tap into that part of you that separates the good actors from the GREAT actors. She will scare you, she will devastate you, she will enlighten you. I owe much of my technique as an actor to her.”

– Sara Jeanne Asselin

Gissel Restrepo

"I learned a lot from Caroline and from the other girls. I absolutely love acting and I think Caroline made me like it even more."

– Gissel Restrepo, at 13 years old

"It's fun.I get to act a lot and think and feel that I'm free."

– Rosa Ramirez, at 12 years old

Valentina de Angelis

"I think Caroline's class was very emotional and inspiring. She taught me how to go deep down inside and find certain emotions for the parts I played in scripts."

– Valentina de Angelis, at 14 years old

* visit the graduates spotlight page to read
what these former students are working on now!