Join Reed Birney, Tony Award-winning actor of stage (The Humans) and screen (Blue Film, Mass, The Menu, Silo, House of Cards), for HB Studio's inaugural Premier Masterclass. This two-day masterclass is a unique opportunity for actors at all stages of their career to receive hands-on direction and critique on material of your choice. Bring in a piece you would like to explore – whether it's a monologue, scene, audition piece, song, original work, etc. Mr. Birney will work with you to bring immediacy, truth, specificity, circumstance, and clarity to your performance, leaving you with greater confidence and inspiration to bring your acting career to the next level. 

• Learn more about the instructor
• Please bring: 
  • A short monologue, scene, song you would like to work on
  • Water and a snack
• Prerequisite: Open to all
• Refunds will be issued only through Sept 11, one week prior to the class start date. Applicable fees will apply.

Experience HB Studio’s inaugural Premier Masterclass with Reed Birney, Tony Award-winning actor of stage (The Humans) and screen (Blue Film, Mass, The Menu, Silo, House of Cards), from the audience of the HB Playwrights Theatre.

Observer Access offers the opportunity to attend both days of this intensive masterclass and learn through close observation of Birney’s work with participating actors. Watch as he offers direction, insight, and critique on monologues, scenes, audition pieces, songs, and original work, illuminating both the actor’s process and the choices that shape a performance. For actors interested in deepening their craft, sharpening their eye, and gaining insight into how an accomplished artist approaches performance, this is a rare opportunity to observe the work unfold in HB Studio’s intimate theatrical setting.

• Learn more about the instructor
• Please note: Observer Access is for observation only and does not include the opportunity to present or work on material
• Please bring: Water and a snack
• Prerequisite: Open to all
• Refunds will be issued only through Sept 11, one week prior to the class start date. Fees will apply.

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

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

An instructive, hands-on directing masterclass with two-time Tony Award-nominated director Leigh Silverman, whose Broadway work includes Suffs, Yellow Face and Violet along with over 60 world-premiere new plays and musicals. Explore what directors actually “do”: how they approach text, work with actors, communicate ideas and give notes. No previous directing experience required and designed for all theater makers (directors, actors, producers, stage managers, designers) interested in learning to direct.

• Learn more about the instructor
• Prerequisite: Open to all
• Refunds will be issued only through Sept 20, two weeks prior to the class date. Applicable fees will apply.

Experience HB Studio’s Premier Masterclass with two-time Tony Award-nominated director Leigh Silverman – whose Broadway work includes Suffs, Yellow Face and Violet – from the audience of the HB Playwrights Theatre.

Observer Access offers the opportunity to attend this intensive masterclass and learn through close observation of Silverman's work with participating directors. Watch as she explores with the class what directors actually “do,” how they approach text, work with actors, communicate ideas and give notes. Designed for all theater makers (actors, producers, stage managers, designers) excited to learn, this is a rare opportunity to observe the work unfold in HB Studio’s intimate theatrical setting.

• Learn more about the instructor
• Please note: Observer Access is for observation only and does not include the opportunity to work on material
• Prerequisite: Open to all
• Refunds will be issued only through Sept 20, two weeks prior to the class start date. Fees will apply.

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