Body Intelligence focuses on developing the physical and emotional intelligence of the actor. Class utilizes Allan Wayne Work exercises to build physical and mental stamina. These repetitive, circular exercises condition the muscles and break up fascial adhesions while unveiling emotional availability, eroding habitual tension and preventing injury. There are guided creative movement explorations, ensemble, partner and solo work that allow the actor to fully experience moving from their body’s impulses as opposed to being ‘in their head’ to make choices. The focus on embodiment work leads the actor to greater emotional access and safety. Class references concepts from Alexander Technique, Fitzmaurice vocal technique, integral anatomy, Lucid Body, meditation and modern dance.

• Learn more about the instructor.
• Prerequisite: Open to all.

This 5-week intensive introduces teens (ages 14-17) to physical acting, expressive movement, and silent storytelling. Each class builds skills in body awareness, character creation, and nonverbal communication — boosting confidence, focus and creative freedom in young actors. This class will include building skills in movement basics, silent expression, stage awareness, and body awareness. You will learn to move safely and clearly on stage and explore stage directions, entrances and exits. You will learn the art of communicating without words using gesture, emotion and visual expression. You will develop clear emotional expression, and practice readable gestures and facial expressions. We will practice building characters from the outside in, exploring how posture and rhythm create character. We will also practice the skills of finding occupation while waiting, silent storytelling, structuring a silent scene, and working within an ensemble.

• Learn more about the instructor.
• Registration Prerequisite: Open to all teens aged 14-17 years old.

This 5-session workshop focuses on some of the most commonly used dialects in the actor’s toolbox, British Received Pronunciation (“Standard British”) and Cockney. In this workshop, you will explore the signature sounds and intonation patterns of these two accents. Topics explored include research and rehearsal techniques, finding freedom and flexibility, and the challenge of accessing emotional life while speaking in an unfamiliar way. All actors will work on a monologue of their choosing, as well as very short scenes. Texts will be drawn from the works of playwrights including Oscar Wilde, Joe Orton, Nick Payne and Kwame Kwei-Armah. Essential for every actor, skills underlying British accents can be applied to characters and plays from around the world, reaching far beyond the UK. Due to the expanse of the colonial British empire, Standard British exerted large influence on African, Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian accents. Therefore, even today, non-native speakers of English are exposed to and learn English not with an American accent, but with a Standard British accent — meaning, a solid foundation in Standard British will equip you with skills for performing dialects from many cultures and nationalities across the globe.

• Learn more about the instructor.
• Registration Prerequisite: Open to all.

Held online via Zoom: The Fundamentals of an HB acting technique: Here, you develop the ability to respond truthfully, dynamically, and vividly with fellow actors and the ability to access sensory elements. You tap into the power of imagination and the reservoir of memory. You gain a working understanding of the terms: previous circumstances, destination, inner and outer objects, intentions, obstacles, and conflicts. You develop an awareness of the power, function, and dynamics of “place”, and learn to be in a state of discovery, which leads to actions. You develop tools of research and observation and you get comfortable improvising. You begin to measure yourself against professional standards and develop habits of discipline and a strong work ethic. Do understand that these practices take time to master. It takes about a year (20-30 weeks) at this level to really own the skills addressed. Further scene study or performance work will then take root in this fertile ground. 

• Learn more about the instructor. 
• Required reading: A Challenge for the Actor by Uta Hagen.
• Recommended viewing: Uta Hagen's Acting Class documentary. 
• Prerequisite: Open to all.

Held online via Zoom: This is an opportunity for beginning film actors with some film experience to learn the steps needed to prepare to work on a professional film set before the director calls, “Action!” and for the working actor with film experience to stretch, risk, and own their performance at an advanced level after the director calls, “Action!” Let’s integrate your imagination, voice, body, and acting techniques to allow your most truthful work to be seen by the intimate eye of the camera lens. We will practice the art of bringing all your acting skills together, with vulnerability, to be present on film. We will incorporate self-filming as an integral component of this course. Actors will experience creating work through the practice of filming themselves, in class and at home. Let’s find freedom, joy, and presence in the technical world of film. Expected rehearsal time outside of class: 3+ hours/week.

• Learn more about the instructor.
• New Students must: schedule a Zoom meeting with Lisa Pelikan prior to your first day of class. Email her at lpelikan@hbstudio.org.
• Prerequisite: Open to Acting Level 2 and up. New to HB? Submit online for level placement. 

This class offers actors the opportunity to use the full range of their craft while exploring how scenes of conflict are shaped through both dialogue and physical action. We will break down and rehearse scenes that require physical engagement with a partner, including fight choreography, staged intimacy, or moments of heightened physical tension, always in service of character, objective, and story. You will receive professional guidance and coaching in how to build complex physical and emotional scenes in a way that is clear, responsible, and repeatable. Emphasis is placed on communication, consent, and sustainable practices that protect both the actor and their partner physically and emotionally, while meeting the demands of professional rehearsal and performance. The goal of the class is for you to leave with a fluid, practical understanding of how to navigate challenging material involving physical conflict or intimacy. You will develop the ability to make specific, empowered choices and to clearly articulate and maintain agency and boundaries throughout the rehearsal and performance process. You will be offered a range of scenes to choose from, including Shakespeare, as well as classical and contemporary material from Broadway, film, and television. You are also encouraged to bring in scenes you would like to explore, including original work.

• Learn more about the instructor.
• Registration Prerequisite: Open to all.

A five-session monologue workshop for actors led by Richard Hoehler. His extensive experience creating, performing, and coaching monologues centers on an effective method of breaking through defenses to mine an actor’s unique qualities, and meld those with the character. In this workshop, you will learn and rehearse monologues that are ready for professional auditions as well as MFA auditions. FRONT ROW CENTER wrote of Hoehler’s monologue work: “There is nothing limited about it, not its timeliness, not the depth to which it touches us.”

• Learn more about the instructor.
• Prerequisite: Open to all.

Unlock your most powerful storytelling tool — your body. In this immersive 5‑week course for actors, you’ll dive into movement, spatial awareness, and the art of silent performance to transform the way you communicate onstage. Build magnetic physical presence, sharpen emotional clarity, and learn to command attention without saying a word. You’ll train as part of a dynamic ensemble, strengthen your nonverbal storytelling instincts, and finish with a polished silent showcase that highlights your expressive range and embodied craft.

• Learn more about the instructor
• Prerequisite: Open to all levels.