Jake Beers caught the acting bug at a young age, and as he got older, he was scoring some top roles in high school performances.

He’d graduate from the Tamaqua Area High School in 2014, and take advantage of the Morgan Scholarship at Lehigh County Community College. But the acting bug never left him, he realized as he was interning at Walt Disney World.

“That kind of re-lit that fire of entertainment and things like that,” said Beers, West Penn Township.

He didn’t explore acting much after that - until he saw Outhouse Production Films was coming to Tamaqua.

“I thought, ‘You know what? If ever there is a time to get back into it, and try to rediscover this passion and love that I had for it, there’s no time like the present,” Beers said.

Beers recently completed a multi-week On-Camera Acting Workshop through Outhouse Production Films.

And just a few weeks ago, he found himself on the set of a New York feature film. While he can’t reveal too much, he said actor Seth Green was part of it.

“I wasn’t a principal actor, but just being able to see the process and be on a SAG (Screen Actors Guild) production set - that was super exciting,” Beers said.

The workshops, he said, “got the ball rolling” on his acting career. He is hoping to score more substantial roles, and recently had professional headshots taken. He’s also seeking out talent agencies for representation - yet another tip he learned from the workshops.

“Hopefully this is the start of a new chapter,” Beers said.

It’s one that he didn’t imagine would start in Tamaqua.

“This area is always going to be home. The people are wonderful. There is so much love here,” he said. “But when you think about the arts and acting, they’re not super-prominent (here).”

Seeing Outhouse Film Productions take up a home in Tamaqua, he said, is changing that.

“You think, ‘No. This isn’t a dream. There is a lot of work out there. You just have to be willing to get yourself out there,” he said. “The only thing separating myself from my dream is miles. There is not enough of them that can be there.”

Jin Choi, of Tamaqua, said acting has always caught his eye but he never had the chance to pursue it.

“But when I heard that (Outhouse Production Films) was bringing a studio into our town I couldn’t help but to jump in and join the workshop,” he said.

Choi is hoping to pick up some acting parts.

“That’s definitely the goal,” he said. “I’m hoping to take the opportunity and knowledge Outhouse Productions has provided for us to not only get work but to also follow a new and better path forward.”

Robert Morgalo, founder of Outhouse Production Films, said the recent workshops taught participants the basics of acting - and how to get work. He’s offered the workshops before in the Reading area, and has set another multi-day workshop for later this month.

“My biggest enjoyment is to show that them that you don’t have to live in New York or Los Angeles to get work as an actor in television and film,” he said. “You can do that right from Tamaqua, or right from wherever you are.”

He and Outhouse Productions will offer the Actors’ Workshop Series, which will meet on four Saturdays beginning Oct. 21 at The Perla Building, 105 W. Broad St., Tamaqua.

Through it, attendees will learn how to “dive in” and develop characters, he said.

Morgalo, an accomplished actor, producer and screenwriter, said the workshops are open to both beginners and those who have experience.

During the previous workshops, he said, he watched many of his “students” develop a new level of confidence. Some started shy and timid, he said, but left with elevated self-assurance.

Seeing attendees get work, he said, ”makes me feel like a proud papa because that’s the purpose.”

He also hopes to bring in a celebrity or two if their schedules allow.

“One of the guarantees is that you will have fun in these classes,” Morgalo said. “I can also guarantee that if you want to find work in this, you can. I can say this because there is work to be had.”

For more information, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/outhouse-production-films-actors-workshop-series-registration-709561075277