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HB Studio



Prerequisite Required

in Acting

The Actor's Gymnasium

$460

with Mercedes Ruehl

Calendar Next session starts Sep 17, 2026 at 6 pm, runs for 5 weeks
1 additional session on Oct 22, 2026

This class is for actors who have begun to establish reliable technique and amass a serious résumé. We will continue to hone technique through exercises and we will concern ourselves with the power of rhythm, of silence, of synchronicity, and the random wellsprings that open when the actor is 100% present in the moment. You will receive a link to register for this class upon acceptance of your application. 

The Actor's Gymnasium

$460

with Mercedes Ruehl

Calendar Next session starts Sep 18, 2026 at 1 pm, runs for 5 weeks
1 additional session on Oct 23, 2026

This class is for actors who have begun to establish reliable technique and amass a serious résumé. We will continue to hone technique through exercises and we will concern ourselves with the power of rhythm, of silence, of synchronicity, and the random wellsprings that open when the actor is 100% present in the moment. You will receive a link to register for this class upon acceptance of your application. 

Scene Study 2

$685

with Michael Beckett

Calendar Next available session starts Sep 19, 2026 at 10:30 am, runs for 10 weeks

In Scene Study 2, you will apply the lessons of Acting 1 and 2 to the preparation, rehearsal, and presentation of scenes, focusing on contemporary realist plays (mid-20th century to present). Scenes are presented in class for critique, then reworked to explore and apply feedback. Technique exercises may be introduced diagnostically to address problems as they arise.

Scene Study 2

$685

with Seann Gallagher

Calendar Next available session starts Sep 19, 2026 at 12:30 pm, runs for 10 weeks

In Scene Study 2, you will apply the lessons of Acting 1 and 2 to the preparation, rehearsal, and presentation of scenes, focusing on contemporary realist plays (mid-20th century to present). Scenes are presented in class for critique, then reworked to explore and apply feedback. Technique exercises may be introduced diagnostically to address problems as they arise.

Acting 2

$675

with Michael Beckett

Calendar Next available session starts Sep 19, 2026 at 1 pm, runs for 10 weeks

In Acting 2, you continue developing the techniques from Acting 1, now applied toward scene work and the demands of crafting and scoring a role. You’ll use Uta Hagen’s object exercises to build habits of attention and unlock your rehearsal process. You’ll apply improvisation to the exploration of character and circumstances, and develop an approach to preparation. Among the skills you’ll practice: discerning beats, intentions, obstacles, and conflict; choosing actions; sensing the turning points in the text; substitution/personalization; endowment of sensory conditions; working with expectations and previous circumstances; finding immediacy in the give and take.

Scene Study - Studio Practice

$770

with Michael Beckett

Calendar Next available session starts Sep 20, 2026 at 10 am, runs for 10 weeks

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

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

Acting with the Camera 2-3 (Online)

$390

with Lisa Pelikan

Calendar Next available session starts Sep 20, 2026 at 1 pm, runs for 5 weeks
1 additional session on Oct 25, 2026

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. 

Scene Study 3

$685

with Michael Beckett

Calendar Next available session starts Sep 20, 2026 at 1:15 pm, runs for 10 weeks

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: 6+ hours / week





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