About The Form Academy

A Space Where Presence Becomes Performance

Advanced acting students performing contemporary scene at The Form Academy

The Form Academy was born from 15 years of proof: non-actors don't need to become actors. They need to become themselves.

Founded by Cristian Bajora in Sacramento, California, The Form Academy brings a methodology forged in the fire of Bucharest's independent arts scene where over 1,000 students discovered that acting training isn't about the stage. It's about life.

This didn't start as a business plan. It started as a belief:

Everyone deserves to be seen. Everyone deserves to speak with power. Everyone deserves a place where vulnerability is celebrated, not feared.

From 2009-2023 in Romania, through TeenMedia Academy and Teatrul În Culise, that belief became a movement. Now, it continues here, in a new country, with the same fire.

Our Story

The Form Academy didn't start in Sacramento. It started 15 years ago in Bucharest, Romania — with one man's belief that acting training isn't just for actors.

Cristian Bajora founder and artistic director of The Form Academy Sacramento

Cristian Bajora

Founder, Artistic Director, Creator of The Seen Method

At 20, Cristian was directing television (Chiquititas, 2007) being one of Romania's youngest TV directors. But the screen wasn't enough. He wanted to work with real people, creating real transformation.

In 2009, he founded TeenMedia Academy — Romania's first acting school for non-actors. Not for aspiring celebrities. For engineers, therapists, lawyers, marketers — people who needed presence, voice, and confidence more than they needed to be on stage.

Over 15 years:

  • 1,000+ students trained

  • 96% recommendation rate

  • Students performed on Romania's National Theatre stage

  • It became more than a class. It became family.

In 2011, Cristian opened Teatrul În Culise (Behind-the-Scenes Theatre), a three-story cabaret venue in the heart of Bucharest. For 10+ years, it survived on zero state funding, running purely on ticket sales and audience loyalty.

100+ productions. Cult hits like Suicide Clinic (10-year run). Bold, intimate shows like The Blue Room and Imagine you are God.

Critics called it "raw, sincere, and irresistibly communal." Forbes Romania recognized it as essential to Bucharest's cultural identity. ARCUB (Bucharest's Cultural Authority) included În Culise's work in their European Capital of Culture application.

In 2021, during the pandemic, Cristian directed Superstar — a short film that won Best Film at Australia's Colortape Festival and screened in 40+ countries.

Cristian Bajora teaching at TeenMedia Academy Bucharest Romania 1000 students trained

Coming to America

In 2023, Cristian immigrated to the U.S. via EB-1 visa (extraordinary ability in the field of arts). Not to escape Romania. To expand the work.

TeenMedia proved the model. În Culise showed what independent theater could be. Now, the question: Can this translate to a new culture?

The answer: Yes. Because the need is universal.

Sacramento with its growing arts scene, its hunger for authentic spaces felt like the right soil. A place where The Form Academy could take root.

Teatrul În Culise Behind-the-Scenes Theatre Bucharest Forbes-recognized landmark
Cristian Bajora bringing The Seen Method from Romania to Sacramento California

What Drives Him:

Cristian doesn't care about fame. He cares about whether people leave different than they arrived.

His teaching style is rigorous but warm. Demanding but safe. He'll push you — not to break you, but because he sees what you're capable of before you do.

In His Own Words:

"My prizes aren't awards. My prizes are my audience. The students who return. The tears. The laughter. The moment someone realizes they don't have to hide anymore."

Cristian Bajora founder and artistic director of The Form Academy Sacramento

Our Mission

The Form Academy exists to:

Empower non-actors to discover presence, voice, and confidence through structured acting training
Create community where vulnerability is honored and transformation is supported
Teach The Seen Method a revolutionary approach to presence-first acting
Build a culture where being seen is not a risk, but a birthright

We believe art is not a luxury. It's a necessity. And everyone, regardless of experience, background, or fear, deserves access to tools that help them live more fully.

Voice liberation breath and resonance training The Seen Method

Our Values

AUTHENTICITY
We teach truth, not tricks. Every exercise, scene, and performance is rooted in genuine expression — no masks, no pretense.

COMMUNITY
Transformation happens in ensemble. We build groups where students support, challenge, and witness each other's growth.

RIGOR
This is not casual hobby work. We demand presence, commitment, and emotional honesty. Growth requires discipline.

ACCESSIBILITY
The Form Academy is for everyone. No auditions. No prerequisites. Just courage and willingness to be seen.

Emotional permission acting training safe container for authentic expression

  • I Found a Treasure Chest

    I signed up out of pure curiosity, wanting to discover a new world, a new experience, an artistic side to explore. By chance I attended one of the performances and I loved what I saw and experienced. What did I discover? A fairytale, a magical world I didn't believe existed. A place, an activity, and people who fill me with energy, goodwill, and joy. It's like I opened a treasure chest. It's rare these days to come somewhere, put in effort, and leave with a smile on your face.

  • We Could Move Mountains

    The people I met here are extraordinary and deserve every last drop of admiration and love. Even when all we have in common is passion for this work, it's enough to bring us together, as if we were soulmates. I find it fantastic that one thing makes you resonate with so many people in a spectacular manner, as if we could move mountains if we decided to.

  • I Discovered a Dream I Didn't Know I Had

    I discovered here a desire and a dream I didn't even know I had. And when they became reality, every particle of me felt euphoria for the first time, but also rebelled because I hadn't discovered it sooner. How could I when I had no idea I was longing for it? This is what this place represents for me: food for the soul.

  • This Is No Longer Just a Hobby

    For many of us, this is no longer just a hobby. It's life, truth, love.

  • A Safe Place to Discover

    I came here wanting to overcome shyness and fear of public speaking. What I found was so much more. This work helps you understand yourself and others. It's a place where you can explore without judgment, where you're encouraged to grow at your own pace.

  • We Celebrate Together

    The joy of our gatherings and the activities during workshops are responsible for the birth of this community. These classes continue after the sessions end, when we organize outings, parties, events, or extra rehearsals. Our greatest accomplishment? That we are a group united by love for this work, that we celebrate holidays and birthdays together, that we found each other to make this world more beautiful.

  • I'm Irreversibly in Love

    Have you ever discovered something so captivating that you fell irreversibly in love to the point where you can't imagine ever getting bored if you did it day after day? That's what happened to us. We're irreversibly in love with this work! And this sincere love rolls like a snowball and catches us in a whirlwind of enthusiasm. We saw ourselves agitated, involved, living intensely through each stage of creating the performance.

  • More Than I Expected

    I didn't dare to even dream that one day I would perform on stage. It was so far from me, I couldn't have let myself imagine it. I discovered here a desire and vision I didn't know I had. When it became real, I felt euphoria and also regret—why didn't I find this sooner?

  • The People Make the Difference

    This isn't just about learning techniques. It's about the people you meet, the connections you make, the way everyone supports each other. Even on hard days, you leave feeling lighter, more alive, more yourself.

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