Workshops

A Look at Classic and Contemporary Texts with Jessica Hecht and Igor Golyak – IN PERSON

Instructors: Jessica Hecht and Igor Golyak –

Held in person: 

Ukranian director Igor Golyak and actress Jessica Hecht take you on a 3-day deep dive into text analysis and the exploration of classic and contemporary dramatic text, considering the similarities and differences in American and Russian acting techniques. We will look at Chekhov’s THE SEAGULL as well a monologue by Sarah Ruhl from EURYDICE. Lastly, we will look at any Chekov monologue you would like to bring in for the last class.

Igor Golyak is the founder and producing artistic director of Arlekin Players Theatre & Zero Gravity (zero-G) Virtual Theater Lab in Boston. A global leader in the virtual theater movement, he is currently directing THE ORCHARD OFF-BROADWAY, a hybrid production (both live and virtual), featuring Jessica Hecht and Mikhail Baryshnikov…read more about Igor Golyak

Uta Hagen’s Acting Process (Carol Rosenfeld)

Presented by Carol Rosenfeld –

Held online via Zoom

An advanced, two-part workshop on Uta Hagen’s liberating process for actors, taught by Carol Rosenfeld, founding Director of the Uta Hagen Institute at HB Studio, who trained with Hagen herself.

“The knowledge that every day there is something more to learn, something higher to reach for, something new to make for others, makes each day infinitely precious”
“We must learn how to use our discoveries so that we can reveal all the fascinating human beings in dramatic literature within our reach.”
— Uta Hagen

“The principles, humanity and respect found in Hagen’s teachings are needed today more than ever… Hagen’s work empowers the actor in the best sense of the word – it is inclusive, practical, necessary, immediately relevant, today and ongoing.”
— Carol Rosenfeld

Uta Hagen’s approach to acting works. She challenges the actor to continually develop skill. She offers avenues of creativity that, with an open imagination and expanding sense of self, are unlimited. Her ongoing process of self-observation and self-discovery fortifies your ability to respond truthfully, dynamically, and vividly with fellow actors, releasing unpremeditated truthful behavior in performance. Over time, you find yourself creatively alive and present in process.

The Hagen approach, as found in her world-famous books, Respect for Acting and A Challenge for the Actor, returns you to an adventurous path of ongoing questioning. In Hagen’s practice, you live in continuous discovery, finding that everything in life is specific, detailed, and messy; that you never know what will happen next; that you are dependent on on others; and that being invested in others liberates you. These discoveries are as practical in our acting as they are profound in our lives.

Carol Rosenfeld developed this workshop using her personal experience of Hagen’s teachings to guide you to find yourself in any role and deepen your ongoing exploration of the play. Using Hagen’s exercises and the detailed processes found in Rosenfeld’s own workbook, Acting and Living in Discovery, you will find your own authentic identification with the character, and live fully through the circumstances of any play — not as a character, but as a living, breathing human being.

Sign up for either Part A or Part B independently, or join both for the full term:

PART A: Focuses on acting exercises from Uta Hagen’s A Challenge for the Actor.

PART B: Focuses on Entering the World of the Play, using Uta Hagen’s acting processes and Carol Rosenfeld’s book, Acting and Living in Discovery, as guides. Play TBD.

Required Reading:
A CHALLENGE FOR THE ACTOR by Uta Hagen
ACTING AND LIVING IN DISCOVERY by Carol Rosenfeld

You may join Part B without taking Part A:

Voice Over: Cartoons & Videogames (Theresa Buchheister & Ryan Downey)

Presented by: Theresa Buchheister and Ryan William Downey –

Held online over Zoom: 

Voice Over director Theresa Buchheister has directed and sound-engineered many cartoons and videogames, including Cartoon Network’s Pokémon XYZ, Hoopa and the Clash of Ages, Nickelodeon’s The Winx Club and Netflix’s World of Winx, Robocar Poli, Mily: Miss Questions, BoyGirlDogCatMouseCheese, and others that they cannot discuss because of NDAs! As a performer, Theresa has voiced cartoon characters on Pokémon, The Winx Club, Mily, and more. Voice actor Ryan William Downey has been heard on podcasts, audiobooks, in many plays and, most notably, on the Pokémon film and television series playing a variety of characters.

Online Teaching Statement from Theresa Buchheister and Ryan W. Downey: “The voice over landscape is always changing! While we are in a moment of great change, we can adapt, learn, and apply tried and true techniques to performance, professionalism, and pursuit. In our online workshops over Zoom, we will cover cover the essential basics, build on those basics with practices and techniques, work out our muscles on audition material, and delve into home studio set-ups. Voice over performance is unique and expansive. And more vital than ever.”

Over the course of this workshop, Theresa and Ryan 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. If time allows, further topics will be explored just as text analysis and demo reels.

This workshop is open to those with VO experience looking to sharpen and expand their audition and performance skills, as well as to performers who are new to VO looking for an introduction to the craft.

Purchase with Voice Over: Introduction in Fall 2024 for $15 off!

Quaid – Acting in Accent

This is an advanced workshop for actors who want to take their dialect work to the next level and explore the particular challenges of acting with an accent.  Rather than an instructional class that focuses on a specific dialect’s placement, signature sounds, and intonation, this workshop invites actors who are already proficient in an accent or dialect of their choice to start to bridge the gap to scene study.

Topics explored include research and rehearsal techniques, how to avoid stereotypes, finding freedom and flexibility, the issue of authenticity vs. intelligibility, and the challenge of accessing emotional life while speaking in an unfamiliar way.  Rather than seeing the dialect as a mask the actor wears, we will consider whether it’s possible to use it as a portal to new parts of ourselves, to bring our characters to fuller life.

Note: this class is appropriate for actors who speak English natively, but it is not appropriate for actors who are learning English as a second language.
*Please review registration prerequisites before enrolling (on the right-hand side of this page on desktop or below on mobile).