You apply advanced lessons in technique and text analysis to the preparation, rehearsal, and presentation of scenes from a range of contemporary and classic plays. The work may incorporate Modern (19th/early 20th century) and Classical texts, as well as heightened, non-linear, experimental and Contemporary material. Scenes are presented in class for critique, then reworked to explore and apply feedback. Extensive research, preparation, and rehearsal are expected outside of class. Skills: understanding and realizing the event of the scene; layering conscious and unconscious behavior; applying technique as a tool to solve challenges outside your comfort zone; transformation of self. Through extensive examination, research, and experiment, you discover and rediscover the level of action and commitment needed to fulfill the form and idea of the play. Expected rehearsal time outside of class: 3-6 hours / week

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• Prerequisite: Open to students placed at Acting Level 3 and up. New to HB? Submit online for level placement

Held online via Zoom: For playwrights who have a working craft, this advanced playwriting class focuses primarily on content, structure and criticism. It offers a place to try out skills and develop new material. The emphasis is on writing and rewriting scenes, one-act and full-length plays, with class readings as the goal. Offered in memory of beloved HB playwright extraordinaire, Donna deMatteo.

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• Registration Prerequisite: Open to all playwrights who are honing their craft, with experience writing scenes

Held online via Zoom: This is a practical voice over class for actors designed to acquaint you with the specific techniques involved in performing commercial voice over and radio copy. You will practice the basics of mic technique, acquire tools to discover the point of view demanded by the commercial copy, and will learn how to translate that understanding into a compelling performance at an audition or a recording session. You will also gain perspective on demo tapes, casting directors, agents and the audition process.

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• Registration Prerequisite: Open to all

Continuing with the foundation laid in Speech 1 you will develop and deepen your working knowledge of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as an essential and practical actor’s tool in service to the clarity of communication. Expanding upon this knowledge, this course will offer you the skills necessary to acquire a North American Accent as well as the skill sets needed to acquire other accents. You must complete one full term (10 weeks) of Speech 1 before taking this course. 

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• Recommended reading: Speaking with Skill: An Introduction to Knight-Thompson Speechwork by Dudley Knight
• Prerequisite: Prior completion of one full term (10 weeks) of Speech 1

This advanced scene study track is geared to the particular circumstances of working with the camera on film or video and assumes you are already well grounded in acting technique, text analysis, and contemporary scene work. The class will address the adjustment you must make to the intimacy and immediacy of film, so you become accustomed to doing your best detailed, honest, layered work under the watchful eye of the lens. You learn to manage the tough realities of the film or television job, developing strategies for applying your own technique to the demands of the set. We consider angles, lenses, distances, continuity, and your relationship to the composition of the scene. You learn to work more quickly and more intimately, and to prepare effectively for a performance situation in which it is little or no rehearsal and scenes often occur out of sequence. You learn to respect and understand the financial, technical, and time considerations that govern film production, and cultivate the absolute discipline required to meet them. You will receive video files of your on-camera footage at no extra charge, included within the cost of the class.

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• Prerequisite: Open to Acting Level 2 and up. New to HB? Submit online for level placement

For professional performers who desire to return to, or maintain an ongoing relationship with a dynamic and fertile state of learning. The goal: to use the specifics of language, action, subtext, circumstance, and relationships in order to connect with the work at the deepest most personal level. You are encouraged to push boundaries with the aim of building ever more complex characters and situations, allowing and exploring what is powerfully, unexpectedly revealed. Expected rehearsal time outside of class: 6+ hours / week

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• Prerequisite: Open to Acting Level Studio Practice (Level 4). New to HB? Submit online for level placement

For people who lean toward performing AND writing. Most of us have stories to tell; what makes a personal story dramatic? This workshop challenges the solo performer to discover and craft the dramatic structure of the solo play, not just what is on the stage, but what is on the page; with emphasis on imagination, characterization, story, and plot.

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• Prerequisite: Open to writers with some prior experience: either prior enrollment in a playwriting class or professional experience as a playwright

For actors who want to improve their acting skills through improvisation, this class amplifies the technique work in Level 1 and supports the work with scenes in Levels 2 and 3. The first session will be dedicated to the choices you need to make to structure a viable improvisation, with emphasis placed on circumstances, relationships, tension, and subtext. In the following sessions, you will improvise scenes and explore improvisation through games and exercises. There is no work outside of class. Through this inventive process, you develop immediacy, creativity and partnering skills, and hone your instincts for making productive dramatic choices. Actors of all levels are welcome.

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• Prerequisite: Open to All