The essential forces and circumstances that underlie human behavior – and character behavior – are the same, but the way this behavior manifests itself can differ widely form medium to medium, or from one kind of material to the other. How is television and film writing different from theater writing? How are the storytelling mechanics different in live and camera performances? And how do these differences inform what we must do as actors to tell those stories? This class is dedicated to helping the working actor carry over their strengths and talents in theater into camera work. How do we maximize on our theater training when tackling television and film work? And how do we build new skills that the medium requires? And how can we help ourselves get rid of patterns that stand in the way of truthful acting in general? Taught in a hands-on environment, the class involves scene work, camera work, script analysis, and guided peer to peer discussions.

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• Registration Prerequisite: Open to all actors who have prior actor training or experience.

Over the course of this three session workshop, we will go through the daunting task of finding the right monologue(s) for you. Then, using the Hagen technique, we will prepare the material for presentation.

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• Prerequisite: Open to all.

This workshop is designed for the training actor to investigate what is actually involved in obtaining a deep emotional connection with the character’s psychological reality. We will use contemporary scenes and monologues to develop this technique, as most casting today deals with contemporary reality. This approach is, however, applicable to classical material as well.

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• Prerequisite: Open to all.

Held online via Zoom: Over the course of this three-session workshop, Theresa will take you on a deep dive into the basic skills and valuable practices of cartoon and videogame voiceover performance. First, you will dip into the basics: common terms, valuable warm-ups and tricks, audition and performance techniques, differentiation from other areas of voice acting, what your voice brings to the table, and more. Then, you will put these into practice: character development, performing copy, and examining your versatility. You will be sent home with vocal homework and material to practice, and you will have the opportunity to perform an in-class expanded audition. You will present your copy, receive quick and specific direction, followed by notes and critique. Theresa Buchheister has directed hundreds of cartoons and video games, including Cartoon Network’s Pokémon XYZ, Nickelodeon’s The Winx Club, and Disney's Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese. As a performer, they have voiced cartoon characters on Pokémon, The Winx Club, Milly, and many more.

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• Registration Prerequisite: Open to all.

Experience HB Studio’s Premier Masterclass with Emmy-nominated actor Alex Hurt – focusing on how to prepare self-tape auditions for roles in the theater – from the audience of HB's First Floor Studio.

Observer Access offers the opportunity to attend this intensive masterclass and learn through close observation of Hurt's work with participating actors. Watch as Hurt helps actors develop a practical, personal process for preparing quickly without sacrificing spontaneity, work on how to enter demanding text, make strong choices, and build enough of a foundation to let go when the camera turns on. Topics explored will also include scale, framing, eyelines, physicality, stillness, and the relationship to the reader—finding a way to honor the size of theatrical material without “performing for the stage” on camera.

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• Please note: Observer Access is for observation only and does not include the opportunity to present or work on material
  
• Refunds will be issued only through Nov 21, two weeks prior to the class start date. Fees will apply.

"If a chicken is fed too much grain, its stomach becomes blocked, it gets indigestion, and it dies. That is what happened to our actors. They knew the play theoretically... but they could not play it because they were blocked by the burden of intellectual knowledge. Our ardor for the table led us to 'indigestion." - Konstantin Stanislavsky

Toward the end of his life, seeing how many of his actors were stuck in their heads, Stanislavsky, the creator of "tablework," abandoned many of his old ideas and made a radical shift. He devised a new system called Active Analysis or "the etude method." In this two part 5 week workshop, you'll learn an exciting rehearsal process that will bring you out of your head and into your body, and invite your most spontaneous, creative self to the party from day one.

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• Registration Prerequisite: Open to all

For actors who have English as a second language. The question “How do I make these words my own?” is at the core of the actor’s craft. If you are speaking English as a second language, you may encounter additional stumbling blocks like getting stuck in “translator” mode, feeling emotionally disconnected from the language, and fearing being misunderstood. This course is designed to help you bridge the gap between the text and the self by unlocking the full expressive power of the language skills you already possess. The class guides you through activities to fully access your natural and learned language tools so that you can express yourself more freely, listen more intently and contribute more meaningfully in English. Voice and movement exercises will uncover the expressive musicality and physical experience of embodied language. Through text analysis, table reading, and guided rehearsal, you explore the vocabulary, grammar, subtext and context of a given script. The goal is to develop your language skills on multiple levels with a focus on improving your ability to perform in English. All of this serves the actor’s calling to make meaningful connections with others through collaborative dialogue.

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• Prerequisite: Prior completion of one full term (10 weeks) of Speech 1

Esta clase, dirigida en Español, consiste en un programa dinámico de 10 semanas dividido en dos partes de 5 semanas. La clase indagará en las aplicaciones prácticas de la técnica de Uta Hagen discutidas en su libro “Un reto para el actor”. Se usarán los ejercicios de Uta Hagen como herramienta para enfrentar retos y desbloquear el proceso de ensayo; y se pondrán en práctica mediante el trabajo de escenas, monólogos o soliloquios extraídos a partir de obras hispanas contemporáneas. A través del análisis de texto, trabajo de mesa, y ensayos guiados, se trabajará en conseguir una conexión auténtica con las circunstancias del personaje, escogiendo las acciones más honestas acordes con las circunstancias y buscando la organicidad y liberación de los impulsos. Las escenas se presentarán en clase, y luego se trabajarán y presentarán de nuevo para explorar y aplicar los comentarios recibidos. Se espera, por parte de los estudiantes, investigación extensa, preparación y ensayos fuera de la clase. El curso está abierto a la comunidad hispana así como a los actores cuya segunda lengua es el español y quieran usar sus habilidades lingüísticas a varios niveles, mejorando su habilidad para actuar en español.

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• Libro necesario para el curso: Uta Hagen: Un Reto Para El Actor (Artes Escénicas)
• Requisito previo: Esta clase está abierta a estudiantes de todos los niveles que hablen español de manera fluida