Program Reviews

I was a film student at Berridge programs for two summers. I only wish they had this longer program when I was 20! I learned so much and it has made me the working filmmaker I am today. I met amazing people, staff and students, and I now have a network of collaborative, amazing people that I can call upon to help me produce, act, write, and film scripts. I received incredible support from staff who really supported me in finding my authentic creative voice. This is a great program for the creative and also the technical side of filmmaking! Something that is incredibly unique about this program is that you walk away with your own work and an understanding of yourself as an artist.

The setting is amazing, and you couldn't ask for a better place to film. It's perfect for telling any kind of story. The chateau is full of history and can appear ancient or modern. The scenery is beautiful and any film you make will be impressive and unique.

The food is also amazing! They have a private chef who makes different meals every day and the food is fresh and local. The trips are also amazing!! You see things that you would never be able to see if you went to France by yourself.

I can't recommend this life changing program enough.

Spending my summer at the Berridge film program was one of the most valuable experiences of my life. I got opportunities to learn and grow I couldn’t have gotten anywhere else. Berridge made me a better filmmaker, actor and person really. I can’t believe how much I learned about film in just one month. Having the opportunity to write and direct my own short film with a crew of people and my teachers to help me was amazing! I recommend this program to anyone who’s thinking about it and I’m so jealous that their gap year program is only getting started now!

I went to this program when I was 16 and it was the first time that I had really done anything on my own, away from my family and everything else in my life. I was also only just beginning to get interested in the art of filmmaking.
Before coming to Berridge I had a very narrow view of the world as I had never had a strong influence in my life that pushed me towards creativity and I had no concept of what the pursuit of art really looked like. I remember being very overwhelmed when I first arrived at the chateau, however, everyone there welcomes you like you are immediately a part of this huge artistic family. By the end of the program I felt that my entire view of the world had completely changed. You are surrounded by such an authentic part of the french countryside and by artists from all around the world, and you are taught to express yourself and to be emotional with everyone there. It opens you up to this extremely profound world that was (for me at least) something that I never imagined could exist. Berridge sparked a beautiful chain of events in my life.
I am now 20 years old, and I am studying filmmaking and pursuing my art in the image of the talented and amazing people that I meant at Berridge. I still look up to everyone one of them.

Berridge was such a transformative program for me as an artist and person! Staying in a chateau in the French countryside was the most magical setting to create art, make friends, and memories to last a lifetime. The artist conservatory structure of the program got me super prepared for classes at my conservatory-style college, The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, in Los Angeles, where I am almost done earning my BFA in Musical Theatre. I felt comfortable during my first semester at college because my training at Berridge prepared me for what was being taught. The staff and students are so kind, and professional, and create a strong sense of community where you can just be yourself. I highly recommend this program!

Berridge is the perfect place to grow as an artist and person. You get to try new things every day and learn from professionals that want to help and support you throughout the process. Everyone is so invested in the work that the energy is contagious and inspiring.
The staff is very welcoming, the chateau is beautiful, and the food is delicious! If you want to make friends, act, dance, sing, meditate, sit around a campfire, this is the place to be.
Each class is so different that you will never have a dull moment.

Btw, you also get to go on weekend field trips around Normandy!

I still talk about this summer in Normandy, almost 10 years after the fact. The core classes are incredibly in-depth and rightfully challenging, and the sense of community and camaraderie among me and my classmates was unlike anything I've ever experienced! The teachers and staff are so supportive and earnest, and they are truly invested in each and every individual student. Every class was a delight. Not to mention the surrounding countryside is so overwhelmingly beautiful!! (Please go on bike rides around the area when you attend — I wish I had explored a bit more when I was there!) Spending a month in a chateau in Normandy, while receiving a conservatory-style theatre education and making excursions around the north of France, is an experience I will never forget.

I attended Berridge for three summers, from 2012 to 2014, and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. The first summer, I was only 15 years old, and was traveling overseas by myself for the first time. I had a history of homesickness at other programs, but at Berridge the staff was so welcoming and made sure to seek me out right away to help me feel more at home.

Compared to other theater programs, Berridge is unique in that the faculty and students are truly excellent while also fostering a completely supportive and non-competitive environment. There are no cast lists or cattiness, and the teachers truly believe that everybody is talented and deserve to express themselves. (This is not always true at other high-level theater conservatories!) They also work with you on your own projects and goals. For example, before attending Berridge, people had told me that I was a good actor, but all my characters tended to have very high voices. My voice was high in real life, and it got even higher when I projected my voice as I performed. I acted in a lot of plays in high school, but a busy rehearsal schedule doesn't leave time to work on larger problems like that, and I thought I would have to wait until I could take a voice class in college to figure out how to lower my voice. On the first day of classes at Berridge, one of my teachers gently pointed out that my voice was high because I wasn't breathing enough. Another teacher taught me about five different places I could allow my voice to reverberate from (head, nose, mouth, chest, and belly) and taught me exercises to help me access the chest and belly voices, which had previously been totally inaccessible. I still use those exercises as a warm up every time I act or do any kind of public speaking. As a result, I was able to play a much greater variety of roles in high school and college.

In my third summer at Berridge, I was an artist-in-residence, and got to create my own project. I acted in my favorite play, Proof by David Auburn, alongside a fellow classmate and three of my teachers, one of whom also directed us. It taught me so much and was such a joy to get to act opposite professional actors.

I also was introduced to improv comedy at Berridge and encouraged for the first time to feel like I was good at it. I ended up performing in an award-winning improv group at Yale. I am now in medical school and will likely be teaching medical improv next year.

It is hard for me to express how important attending Berridge was for my growth, both as a performer and a human being. From performing cue-script Shakespeare on the heart-shaped lawn to Saturday talent nights in the barn to twilight walks in the Normandy countryside, my memories of Berridge are still tinged with a warm glow 7-9 years later. It was a time when I felt extremely supported, engaged in my craft, and free to express myself without judgement. I hope to go back someday and I could not recommend it more highly.

The five core classes (On Camera, Shakespeare, Acting Techniques, Contemporary Performance and Movement) were extremely engaging, and I learned a great deal working with a specialist in each subject. The Musical Theatre elective was fun, thorough, and wide-ranging, and, like the electives, it helped me to prepare for productions in the coming year. The community at Berridge is incredibly warm and cooperative, fostered through open mics, campfires, and excursions to Mont St Michel, Omaha Beach, and the Bayeux Festival. This helped to make these classes as enjoyable and instructive as they were, and to make my time with the program so memorable. I'd very highly recommend the program to anyone with an interest in the performing arts.

I have thought about this program everyday since I got home 5 years ago. It is so scary to move overseas for a summer, but the reward is priceless. Not only was I introduced to conservatory-style theatre education, I also made friends that mean so much to me. Also, the staff is the most supportive and loving group. I left Berridge feeling more confident in my ability as an actor and as a person; it was one of the most important experiences of my life. If this program is an option for you, definitely go!

Join this program if you want to come out with powerful cinematic skills. Don't think about it twice. Literally. There are programs out there that have purely technical classes, others that are just theory, etc. This program will teach you how to THINK, WRITE, and DIRECT, like a true filmmaker. They teach you the importance of imagery and emotion, while getting hands-on experience at the same time. You are dealing with genuine industry professionals that will teach you how to behave on set and ways to be successful in this industry. Completely worth it.