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HB Studio and Eòlia Conservatory of Dramatic Arts Establish International Partnership

HB Studio is pleased to announce that we have teamed up with Barcelona-based drama school Eòlia Conservatory of Dramatic Arts to establish a student exchange and a joint devised theater ensemble with select students from both institutions.

Following our transition to virtual training, HB Studio sought to take advantage of opportunities to build bridges among the international community and establish a mutual exchange of work in the online space. HB Studio is also formalizing plans to partner with other international organizations, including Institut Ramon Llull, Drama School Mumbai, and the Rose Bruford School in London.

About Eòlia Conservatory of Dramatic Arts

Eòlia Conservatory of Dramatic Arts was founded in Barcelona in 2000 and is associated with the theater companies Tricicle, Dragoll Dagom, and The Galilei Project.

Eòlia is closely connected to both the national and international theatre arts scene and has professional training programs for actors, singers, playwrights, dramaturges, producers, dancers and musicians. These programs incorporate current and cutting-edge artistic techniques and are taught by renowned faculty active in the professional performing arts world. Alumni of Eòlia include many professional actors, dramaturgs, and directors working in Spanish and Catalan TV, film, and theater.

Eòlia is more than a theater school, it’s a living project—a space that offers students room to grow and an outlet for discovery, whether they are future professionals, professionals that seek to hone their skills, or people who don’t plan to go on to a career in the Performing Arts but seek to grow, learn, and have fun in the areas of theatre, dramaturgy, playwriting, singing or dance.

An alumna of both Eòlia and HB Studio, Spanish actress and HB Studio teaching artist Maria Fontanals initiated the partnership between the organizations.

“Art knows no boundaries,” said Fontanals. “As a fluent speaker of Spanish, Catalan, French, and English, I have come to understand the value of a multilingual and multicultural worldview. Having this partnership will build a strong artistic community that knows no borders.”

About the Devised Theater Ensemble

Two teaching artists and two students from each institution will collaborate together on a mentored, student-directed devised theater project that will culminate in a performance showcase. Eòlia faculty members Alexandre Fons and Mariona Esplugues and students Clàudia Hernández and Sara Font joined HB faculty members Paul Pryce and Ben Mehl and students Meytat Zehavi and Jandel Camilo to begin work on the project last month.

Josep Galindo, director at Eòlia, envisioned the project as an opportunity for artists to develop material that is uniquely personal through unimpeded creative freedom and generous mentorship.

“We want to give plenty of space for ideas to unfold,” said Galindo. “We don’t know where this journey will take us, rather we will discover it along the way.”

Through the process of sharing and generating together, the ensemble will shape a creative work and present it to audiences from both institutions when the artists feel it is ready.

About the Student Exchange

In addition to the devised theater project, HB Studio and Eòlia have established a free international exchange among five students. HB Studio students Chase Ramsey, Anna Cherkezishvili, and Gem Nelson began participating in a virtual 14-week directing class conducted by Galindo with other students from the Barcelona-based school, on Feb. 11.

The class proposes a process of preparation for a director beginning work on a play, exploring stage languages and systems of analysis. Students choose a play and design a staging for the project. The three were selected among a group of 20 students at HB Studio that had applied for the opportunity.

Students selected from Eòlia include Adriana Galicia and Mariona Esplugues. The two students will participate in a multilingual devised theater performance lab with 14 students from HB Studio. The lab is a collaborative and contemporary reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE with HB Studio instructor Pablo Andrade, which ends in a virtual presentation of their completed work.

Playing Together: Catalonia at HB Studio presents A.K.A. (Also Known As)

Institut Ramon Llull and HB Studio bring together artists from the award-winning play A.K.A. (Also Known As) for an HB Public Conversation

Institut Ramon Llull and HB Studio bring together artists from the award-winning play A.K.A. for a discussion about their intentions and creative process. Join us!

The talk will feature: Daniel J. Meyer (playwright), Montse Rodríguez Clusella (director) and Lluís Febrer (lead actor)

Moderated by HB Teaching Artist Maria Fontanals

HB Studio is pleased to partner with Institut Ramon Llull to present Playing Together: Catalonia at HB Studio, a special showcase of select Catalan plays followed by discussions with the artists, hosted by HB Studio. The series will feature screenings of three select plays, including English subtitles, followed by in-depth discussions with the artists about their work and creative process. A.K.A. is the first of the three plays that will be presented.

Please watch the play in advance of your attendance. The play will be available to those that RSVP to the event one week in advance of the talk. Details on how to stream the play will follow.

View the event program.

About A.K.A

A.K.A. tells the story of Carlos’ adolescence and invites you to play the role of judge as well as audience member. We are transported to a moment in which, through no fault of his own, his foundations, his roots, his identity begin to break down. Carlos was adopted through a, let’s say, less than legal process. Being adopted is not a problem for him because he feels local, he is local. But the critical eyes of others make him question his true identity. Maybe he is not totally who he has decided to be. Are we what we feel we are or what other people think we are? This is the question we explore in A.K.A. by revealing how these seeds take root in the life of Carlos.

Watch the trailer for A.K.A.

Meet the Artists

Daniel J. Meyer (playwright) is a theater director from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He completed Acting and Theater Direction at COSATYC/ANDAMIO in Argentina, courses at L’Obrador de la Beckett, Eòlia Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, and a postgraduate degree at the UB for Production. He is the author of the award-winning play A.K.A. (ALSO KNOWN AS) which has been translated in English, German, French, Greek, and will be translated in Polish, Romanian, Italian and Hindi.

He has directed and written all the works from Descartable Teatre: FUSELLS (an adaptation of SEÑORA CARRAR’S RIFLES by Bertolt Brecht), ABANS, and HISTORIA DE UNA REVENTADA ARGENTINA, among others. Other credits include: HISTORIA DE UNA REVENTADA (Versus Teatre, 2018); ABANS (Maldà Teatre, 2016 & Villarroel Teatre 2019); FUSELLS (Almeria Teatre, 2016); NESTEA CON VODKA (Café Salambó, 2013); COLA CON ANÍS (Café Salambó, 2013); DEFLACIONABLE (Nau Ivanow, 2012); DAIAN & GIGGY LIVE SEX (Fora de Temporada, Girona, 2011); DESCARTABLE (Nau Ivanow, 2011).

He has been the Assistant Director of Àngel Llàcer and Manu Guix for the last 10 years in musicals (SINGING IN THE RAIN, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, LITTLE PRINCE, GERONIMO STILTON, and more). He has also worked with Rosa Novell and Alexander Herold, among others.

A dramatic reading of his play SHOÀ was directed by Helena Pimenta at Sala Berlanga in Madrid. He is now writing and preparing three new plays to be released over the next year.

Montse Rodríguez Clusella (director) is a theater director and actress with a degree in Dramatic Art from the Theatre Institute of Barcelona. In theater, she has performed in ¿BAILAMOS? and ESPERANTO with Sèmola Teatre; FIGURES D’AIGU, RINCONETE Y CORTADILLO by Cervantes, RETALLS DEL TER, LA CELESTINA by Fernando de Rojas, ENTREMESES by Cervantes and Lope de Rueda, PRECIPICI by Monse Albàs, and COR by Montserrat Mas with CorCila Teatre; NITS DE SERRALLONGA by Marc Angelet with Agraïts d’Aguantar-nos; AVI RAMON and SOMNIS D’ALÍCIA by Víctor Borràs with Theatre Nu; DIES IRAE; EN EL RÉQUIEM DE MOZART with Marta Carrasco; TRANUITES CIRCUS and NÀUFRAGS/LA CASA DE L’ÀNIMA by Lluís Danés with Lluís Danés; (SIN) PECAT with Víctor Borràs; and DANCE TO DEATH by Alberto Velasco with La Caldera.

In visual arts, she worked in DELINCUENTES TORPES by Ángel de la Cruz; CUBICLES by Jair Domínguez and Sergi Prat; EL SUEÑO DE ELANOR and TRANUITES CIRCUS by Lluís Danés; LA CONJECTURA and CON UN SEIS Y CON UN CUATRO by Xevi Vila, to name a few.

She directed A.K.A. by Daniel J. Meyer; ANTÍGONES 2077 by Aina De Cos Estrada; CAIXES by Marc Artigau; RICHARD DE 3RD by À trois teatre; NOÈ HAC, #LIKE_UNFOLLOW, SÓC UNA MÀQUINA and SALVEU LES NOSTRES ÀNIMES by Gerard Guix; PUNXES A LA SORRA by Jordi Roca; and RETALLS DE TER by herself.

Lluís Ferbrer (lead actor) is an actor and model born in Menorca. He speaks English, as well as Spanish and Catalan.

His TV credits include MERLÍ, COM SI FOS AHIR and MAS DE 100 MENTIRAS. In 2020, he was part of the cast of the international feature film AMERICAN CARNAGE by Diego Hallivis, shot in English.

Over the past year he was cast as a new member of A.K.A. (winner of two Max Theatre Awards) which allowed him not only to act in Barcelona but to go on a Spanish tour. He is still on the project, working to explore new frontiers with his performance.

His training as an actor began at the early age of 15 at the Escuela de Arte Dramático de Menorca and the Universidad de Arte Dramático de las Islas Baleares. At the age of 17, he moved to Barcelona where he began to use his training as an actor for his first professional jobs. He studied in different schools such as Laura Jou Estudi per a l’Actor and Nancy Tuñon. He continued his training in Madrid at the Escuela Internacional del Gesto and Work in Progress.

He has also been part of several theater companies such as Assaltem l’Escenari, where he performed three shows at the Teatre Tantarantana or the improvisation company Impromagia.

Provided with support from the Noël Coward Foundation.

Fontanals, Maria

TEACHING STATEMENT:

“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being”
– Oscar Wilde

“The best way to teach anything is to make it fun and involve as many of the five senses as possible. The class is guided by the joy we all experience when acting and living in discovery. I believe in being patient with the process, having joy in the experience and celebrating being a human being and awakening to each moment of our existence. I am passionate about teaching and the performing arts. I believe in the power of integrative approaches for personal and professional growth. I enjoy working with people, and helping them grow through acting. As a fluent speaker of Spanish, Catalan, French and English, I have come to understand the value of a multilingual and multicultural worldview.”

BIO:

Maria Fontanals is an award-winning Spanish actress and a member of the Faculty Artistic Council at HB Studio, where she teaches Uta Hagen’s technique in both Spanish and English. Born and raised in Barcelona, Maria’s passion for theater was evident from a young age, as she put on dramatic performances with her siblings for their parents, embodying what Oscar Wilde’s said best.

Although she initially pursued a career in corporate finance, holding a BS in Economics from the prestigious Pompeu Fabra University, Maria’s passion for the performing arts never waned. While excelling in finance, she earned a BFA from Eòlia Conservatory of Dramatic Arts and appeared in numerous productions in Barcelona. Ultimately, Maria heeded the call of her artistic spirit, leaving the corporate world behind to study at New York’s HB Studio, where she completed the Core Training Program on a full scholarship. She is an alumni of the esteemed Hagen Institute and was a member of the HB Ensemble and she is also a member of the HB Artistic Council.

As a performer, Maria has graced both European and U.S. stages, working with acclaimed Off-Broadway theaters like Repertorio Español, Teatro Círculo, and Teatro SEA, Theater for the New City, Dixon Place, among others. Maria also toured Spanish Golden Age plays at the major classical festivals in Spain consolidating her presence in the Spanish theater scene. Her notable credits include LA MONJA ALFÉREZ (HOLA Award Nomination for Best Production), FUENTE OVEJUNA (HOLA Award Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress), LA DAMA BOBA, LA VIDA ES SUEÑO (ATI Award for Best Classical Actress), LA CASA DE BERNARDA ALBA, RADOJKA (Spanish Talía Award Nomination for Best Hispanic Production in NY) and TIERRA DEL FUEGO, the latter earning her an ATI Award for Best Actress and a HOLA Award for Outstanding Ensemble. She has also received accolades such as the Latin ACE Award for Best Drama Actress, the FUERZAFest Award for Best Actress.

Her screen work spans television and film, including SIX DEGREES OF MURDER (ID Discovery Channel), DISTANT INTERIORS (New York State International Film Festival), and THE MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE (winner of the Royal Film Award, 2018). Her voice over work includes the lead role in the well-known cartoons SUPER WINGS: BARCELONA BIRDHOUSE and she also lent her voice for the latest version of the video game PIONER in Spain.

Passionate about teaching, Maria believes in an integrative approach to acting, one that engages the senses and sparks discovery. Fluent in Spanish, Catalan, French, and English, she draws on her multilingual, multicultural perspective to create enriching learning environments. Whether on stage or in the classroom, Maria brings a deep commitment to personal and artistic growth, helping students unlock their potential through the transformative power of acting.

Maria Fontanals es una actriz que navega entre dos mundos: Barcelona, su ciudad natal, y Nueva York, donde se consolidó como actriz. Aunque su infancia estuvo marcada por la danza y el piano, desde muy joven sintió una profunda conexión con el teatro, una pasión que jamás la abandonó.

Mientras cursaba la carrera de Economía en la Universidad Pompeu Fabra de Barcelona, Maria mantuvo su compromiso con las artes escénicas, asistiendo a clases en Eòlia, la Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático de Barcelona. Tras finalizar su carrera en Economía, se adentró en el mundo corporativo, llevando una doble vida: economista de día, actriz de noche. Sin embargo, con el tiempo decidió seguir su verdadera vocación, dejando atrás su carrera en el ámbito empresarial para dedicarse por completo al teatro.

Su naturaleza curiosa, entusiasta, optimista y aventurera la llevó a Nueva York, donde fue becada por la prestigiosa escuela HB Studio. Durante dos años de formación intensiva, su talento fue reconocido, y actualmente forma parte del profesorado de HB Studio, donde enseña la técnica de Uta Hagen en Español y en Inglés. Asimismo, forma parte del Artistic Council de HB Studio.

Maria ha desarrollado una extensa y destacada carrera en Estados Unidos, trabajando con importantes compañías Off-Broadway como Repertorio Español, Teatro Círculo, IATI, Dixon Place, Theater for the New City, HB Ensemble Theater, y Teatro SEA, entre otras. Asimismo, Maria ha llevadoo varias obras del Siglo de Oro Español a los mayores fesivales de Teatro Clásico en España, consolidado su presencia en el panorama teatral español. Entre sus principales trabajos teatrales se encuentran a LA MONJA ALFÉREZ (HOLA Award Nomination for Best Production), FUENTE OVEJUNA (HOLA Award Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress), LA DAMA BOBA, LA VIDA ES SUEÑO (ATI Award for Best Classical Actress), LA CASA DE BERNARDA ALBA, RADOJKA (Spanish Talía Award Nomination for Best Hispanic Production in NY), TIERRA DEL FUEGO (ATI Award for Best Actress and a HOLA Award for Outstanding Ensemble), EL DIVÁN (por el que recibió el Premio ACE a la Mejor Actriz de Drama), y Seis (ganadora del Festival FuerzaFest 2017 y del Premio a la Mejor Actriz del Festival). El talento de Maria ha sido reconocido con numerosos premios, incluyendo el prestigioso Latin ACE Award como Mejor Actriz de Drama y Comedia, el HOLA Award como Actriz Destacada, entre otros.

En televisión y cine, María ha protagonizado proyectos como “SIX DEGREES OF MURDER” (ID Discovery Channel), Distant Interiors (New York State International Film Festival), y THE MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE (ganadora del Royal Film Award 2018). En voice over destaca su trabajo prestando su voz en la producción de dibujos animados SUPER WINGS: BARCELONA BIRDHOUSE y recientemente en el video juego PIONER para España.

María siente una profunda pasión por la enseñanza de la actuación. Cada clase es para ella una oportunidad de conectar con sus estudiantes, de compartir el conocimiento que ha adquirido a lo largo de su carrera y, sobre todo, de inspirar a otros a descubrir la magia del arte dramático. Al impartir la técnica de Uta Hagen en HB Studio, tanto en español como en inglés, Maria no sólo enseña habilidades técnicas, sino que también guía a sus alumnos a explorar su verdad interior y a llevarla al escenario. Su entrega es total, y su mayor satisfacción radica en ver a sus estudiantes crecer y transformarse a través del arte que tanto ama.