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 a Spanish actress, member of the Artistic Council and faculty member at HB Studio where she teaches Uta Hagen’s technique. She is also the cofounder of Corezon, a successful and independent theatre and audiovisual company based in NYC. Maria was born and grew up in the beautiful city of Barcelona. Theater has been in her blood since early childhood. Her earliest memories began as a child doing in-home dramatic presentations with her three brothers for their parents. Maria understood instinctively what Oscar Wilde said best.
Maria began her career working in corporate finance following her graduation with a BS in Science in Economics from the world renowned Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. However, her interest in theater never waned. While working, she nurtured her acting avocation by earning a Bachelors in Fine Arts from Barcelona’s Eòlia Conservatory of Dramatic Arts and performing in several theater productions in Barcelona. Ultimately, her inner voice nagged relentlessly prodding her to leave the security of her corporate post and pursue her passion for acting in earnest. She set out for New York’s prestigious HB Studio, to pursue the Core Training program in acting (awarded for a scholarship). Once immersed in the HB Studio’s intensive study of acting, and exhilarated by the inspirational professionals teaching the experiential curriculum, she finally found her groove! She was part of the HB Ensemble and is proudly part of the Hagen Institute alumni.
As an actress, Maria has worked with renowned Off Broadway theaters such as Repertorio Español, Teatro Círculo, IATI, The Brick, Dixon Place, Theater for the New City, Russian Arts Theater, HB Playwrights Foundation, Teatro SEA, to name a few. She has an extensive experience on stage in the United States and Europe. Select theater credits include: LA DAMA BOBA, LA VIDA ES SUEÑO (Summer 2022 touring in Spain), LA CASA DE BERNARDA ALBA, TIERRA DEL FUEGO (Winner of an ATI Award for Best Actress and an HOLA Award for Outstanding Ensemble), EL ESPACIO ENTRE MEDIAS, CITY GIRLS AND DESPERADOES (Co-starring with Austin Pendleton and Julie Atlas Muz), EL DIVÁN (Winner of a Latin ACE Award for Best Drama Actress), ACUÉRDATE DE MI (Winner of an ATI Award for Best Drama Actress), SEIS (Winner of five FUERZAFest Awards including Best Play and Best Actress and three HOLA Awards including Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor), OLEANA, BRILLIANT TRACES (Selected project for the HB Rehearsal Space Residency projects), BALM IN GILEAD (at HB Playwrights Theatre), KING LEAR, DANCING AT LUGHNASA, and MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM.
Recent TV/film includes: SIX DEGREES OF MURDER (Lead actor at the ID Discovery Channel) – DISTANT INTERIORS (New York State International Film Festival) – THE MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE (winner of the Royal Film Award 2018) – LATINER (2015 Selected Official for the Latino Short Film Festival) – SUPER WINGS: BARCELONA BIRDHOUSE (lead voice over).
Within the past years, among others awards, she has been awarded the national Latin ACE Award for Best Drama and Comedic Actress – HOLA Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor – ATI Award for Best Actress – FUERZAFest Award for Best Actress.
Maria Fontanals es una actriz a caballo entre dos ciudades: Barcelona, donde nació, y Nueva York, donde creció como actriz. Aunque su infancia está marcada por la danza y el piano, ya desde muy pequeña se siente atraída por el teatro. Esta pasión no la abandona nunca, ni cuando inicia sus estudios de Economía en la Universidad Pompeu Fabra de Barcelona, carrera que compagina con las clases nocturnas de arte dramático en Eòlia, Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático de Barcelona. Por exigencias del guión, al finalizar su carrera de Economía se incorpora a una gran empresa, trasladando esta dualidad estudiantil a la vida laboral: economista de día, actriz de noche. Al cabo de unos años, dice adiós a su carrera en el ámbito corporativo para centrar todos sus esfuerzo y energía en el teatro.
Su personalidad – curiosa, entusiasta, optimista y algo aventurera – la lleva a poner rumbo a Nueva York. Becada por la prestigiosa escuela HB Studio, inicia dos años de formación que suponen un reconocimiento a su talento. Actualmente forma parte del profesorado de HB Studio donde enseña la técnica Uta Hagen en español.
Maria tiene una larga trayectoria profesional en los Estados Unidos estando involucrada en importantes compañías Off Broadway como Repertorio Español, Teatro Circulo, IATI, Dixon Place, Theater for the New City, xRussian Arts Theater, HB Ensemble Theater, Teatro SEA, entre otras. Sus principales trabajos en teatro incluyen: LA DAMA BOBA, LA CASA DE BERNARDA ALBA, LA VIDA ES SUEÑO (próximamente de gira 2022 en España), TIERRA DEL FUEGO (ganadora del Premio ATI a la Mejor Actriz de Drama y el Premio HOLA por Destacado Elenco), EL ESPACIO ENTRE MEDIAS, CITY GIRLS AND DESPERADOS (co-protagonista con Austin Pendleton y Julie Atlas Muz), EL DIVAN (ganadora del Premio ACE por Mejor Actriz de Drama), ACUÉRDATE DE MI (ganadora del Premio ATI a la Mejor Actriz de Drama), SEIS (obra ganadora l Festival Fuerza Fest 2017 y ganadora del Premio a la Mejor Actriz del Festival), OLEANA (estrenada en Puerto Vallarta, Mexico), BRILLIANT TRACES, BALM IN GILEAD, EL REY LEAR y SUEÑO DE UNA NOCHE DE VERANO entre otros.
Su trabajo en TV/film incluye: SIX DEGREES OF MURDER (protagonista ID Discovery Channel) – DISTANT INTERIORS (New York State International Film Festival) – THE MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE (ganadora del Royal Film Award 2018) – LATINER (2015 Selected Official for the Latino Short Film Festival) – SUPER WINGS: BARCELONA BIRDHOUSE (protagonista voice over).
Maria ha sido galardonada con el prestigioso premio de la Asociación de Críticos del Espectáculo de New York (Latin ACE Award) como Mejor Actriz de Drama y Comedia, también ha recibido el Premio del Hispanic Organization Latin Actors (HOLA Award) como Actriz Destacada, el Premio ATI como Mejor Actriz de Microteatro y Premio FuerzaFest como Mejor Actriz, entre los más destacados.