This is a combined level class (beginning to advanced) 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 All.

This Level 1 acting class provides an introduction to the technique of living truthfully in front of the camera. You explore the fundamental elements of a grounded acting technique as they relate to the level of intimacy the camera demands. As you practice in front of the camera, you learn to stay open and work freely without hiding or acting for the lens. You develop the ability to listen and connect truthfully with a partner, letting that interaction guide your impulses. You discover the relevance of Uta Hagen’s exercises for on camera work – building the 4th wall, creating place, connecting with sensory aspects of the environment – and begin to understand the level of preparation, specificity, and simplicity the camera demands. 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 All.

This class employs the destructuring and restructuring processes of Fitzmaurice Voicework® devised by Catherine Fitzmaurice. An ongoing practice class for performers who have gained an embodied understanding of the fundamental principles of Fitzmaurice Voicework addressed in Level 1, and are seeking to develop a personal practice, apply these practices more deeply, and explore applications to rehearsal and performance. This class functions as a workout, giving you the opportunity to build synthesis with the different aspects of your acting work, and also to address specific individual problems and challenges arising from your efforts in performance and rehearsal, further exploring skills and incorporating speech, text, and movement. Working from your growing visceral and kinesthetic bodily awareness, you will continue working through your vocal and creative warm up, taking greater ownership of your practice. You are guided to work with greater ease, spontaneity, and intention, and with a deeper sense of truth. You will work with imagery, directed sound, and movement to communicate with intention. You will examine how intention relates to release and to the support of your voice, as you bring your vocal work to the effort to communicate and the desire to be heard. Learn what intention includes vocally, in terms of inner life and moment-to-moment work. Discover greater resonance and vibrancy, as you become aware of the space around you and consider the need to be heard in any circumstance, with any piece of text. Deepen your release of the jaw and neck and the body overall. Incorporate the expressive powers of articulation, sound, and resonance. You are guided to develop your own vocal practice and challenged to keep venturing beyond your comfort zone. You will explore texts and circumstances with an ever more complex sense of the layering of language, sound, form, and meaning. Participants are encouraged to bring to class a specific play or text, or specific aspects of your work that require integration, that you are working on. This includes body-based needs such as vocal alignment, physical variations to a character’s circumstances, and other needs that can be addressed through voice and movement work. You are encouraged to bring in all of your actor’s background preparatory work such as: text analysis, objectives, and circumstances of the character and of the play over-all. You are also asked to bring in specific questions and observations, relating to healthy vocal and physical expressivity, that arise as you practice and work.

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

This class is designed for actors with prior training (Acting Level 2 and above) who are interested in deepening their on-camera work while creating strong, usable material for a professional reel. This class will guide you through the process of selecting, developing, rehearsing, and filming short scenes that highlight your unique strengths and casting potential. We will work with material from film or television—or develop original scenes—with an emphasis on making you the central focus. We will explore how to tailor material that showcases your range and versatility, whether in dramatic, comedic, or mixed tones. Special attention will be given to creating clips that are concise, compelling, and effective for submissions on platforms such as Actors Access, personal websites, and auditions. The goal is for you to complete the term with two to three polished, recorded scenes that reflect different facets of your work and can be used as high-quality clips for your reel. In collaboration with videographer Horacio Rojas, the class will emphasize strong visual storytelling, incorporating thoughtful camera work and lighting to ensure a professional and cinematic result.

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

An introduction to the process of preparing and rehearsing a scripted text. Using Uta Hagen’s six steps as a guide, you will work to find authentic inner connection to the character’s details and circumstances and to choose truthful, effective and lively actions. A commitment to rehearse with partners outside of class is required.

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• Prerequisite: Open to all.

A hands-on course that teaches performers how to create high-quality headshots, self-tapes, and promotional images using only their smartphones. In today’s industry, actors constantly need updated photos and self-tape material—for auditions, casting calls, social media presence, and personal branding. This class is designed to give you practical tools you can apply immediately, without needing professional equipment. You will learn: how to use your phone’s camera like a pro; lighting techniques for indoor and outdoor shoots; how to take strong, flattering headshots; self-tape setup, framing, background & sound; editing tips for clean, polished photos; and how to create promotional & social media content that stands out. You will experience live demos and hands-on practice with small props and lighting tools, and you'll receive a downloadable guide with key takeaways.

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• Prerequisite: Open to all.

Over the course of this five-session workshop, Voice Over Director Theresa Buchheister will run you through a gauntlet of voiceover auditions, from cartoons to audiobooks to audio dramas to video games to commercials! So, even if you cannot attend all 5 weeks, you will get a workout! This workshop is open to those with VO experience looking to sharpen their audition skills, as well as to performers who are new to VO looking for an introduction to the craft. Theresa Buchheister has directed hundreds of audiobooks, cartoons and video games, including Cartoon Network’s Pokémon XYZ, Nickelodeon’s The Winx Club, and David Byrne’s audiobook How Music Works. As a performer, they have narrated countless audiobooks and textbooks, and voiced cartoon characters on Pokémon, The Winx Club, Milly, and many more.

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• Registration Prerequisite: Open to all.

The Playwright and the Actor: Anton Chekhov and his Nephew Michael Chekhov. This class explores transformation through the creation of Chekhovian characters using Michael Chekhov’s psycho-physical approach from To the Actor. Students will work with monologues from Anton Chekhov’s plays and short stories, expanding their repertoire with classical material. Training includes movement-based warm-ups and techniques such as Loyd Williamson’s Physical Process of Acting, Eight RASA Emotions, and the Six Viewpoints, helping actors develop physical freedom, expressive range, and deeper connection to inner life and ensemble work. We will also explore Chekhov’s tools for character and atmosphere—personal atmospheres, centers, imaginary body, and archetypes—leading to psychological gesture and transformation. Period style will be incorporated through movement, manners, costume, and character conditions to ground the work in its historical context.

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• Registration Prerequisite: Open to all.