October 30, 2016

The studio was alive with Shakespeare, as Dakin Matthews opened our actors minds to the wonders of language. He shared his incredible insight and experience to the actors involved. Dakin will be back in December: don't miss it!

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One of our actors had this to say, "I wish I'd found out about him years ago. I walked away with a whole new way of approaching Shakespeare!"

October 23, 2016

Esteemed playwright [Red Light Winter, etc.] & TV writer [Vinyl, etc.] visited the studio for a one-day workshop with our actors.

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Here is what they had to say:
"Astounding. I am so beyond glad I signed up for it because I had the most wonderful experience and gained more than I could have hoped for."

"The workshop was fantastic and Adam was so generous."

"Thank you, Adam, for such an inspiring workshop yesterday, and for being so generous with your time and feedback."

October 10, 2016

We can't say enough about our faculty member, Reed Birney. We are so grateful he used his day off from his Tony Award-winning role in "The Humans" on Broadway, to teach this special Master Class. Actors presented prepared scenes and monologues. Reed has an incredible way of knowing what each individual actor needs and is able to bring out the best in them.

May 14, 2016

Actors learned to "tawk the tawk" of Brooklyn. This three-hour intensive covered one of the actor's most frequently used working-class urban dialects. In addition to vowels, consonants, and intonation, Amanda addressed the particular acting challenges posed by this dialect, including intelligibility and range of emotional expression. Suitable for writers such as Stanley, Guirgus, and Odets, as well as many contemporary film and television roles.

April 30, 2016

Co-Taught by Casting Director Jack Doulin [New York Theatre Workshop, Soho Rep] & Actress Marin Ireland [Tony-nominated, The Slap, Girls] What’s stopping you? We often get in our own way. This class investigated blocks that stand in the way of actors doing their best work in auditions from the perspective of a working actor and a casting director. Monologues and scenes were assigned to explore preparation, dealing with tension and connecting to impulses. There was discussion of ways to avoid the sabotage of self confidence and other subjects of concern.

October 21, 2015

This continuing series workshop was designed to give actors valuable and practical insight into what writers and directors need from actors when working on new plays. This workshop focused on the plays of Neil LaBute. ANDREW POLK has worked intensively with Neil LaBute for years as a producer, director and actor. Actors learned specific techniques for auditioning and acting in new plays.

More about Andrew Polk: As the founder and Artistic Director for 17 years of the Cape Cod Theatre Project (one of America's primary incubators of new plays), Andrew Polk's expertise in working with playwrights on new plays is formidable.

September 26, 2015

Accomplished Casting Director, Simone Reynolds, helped actors in this two-day workshop hone their audition skills. So often actors are puzzled when applying their talents to the on-camera audition. Simone gave them a process and strengthened their technique to be confident with the work they leave behind in an audition room. Mock interviews and taped on-camera auditions put each actor in real-life work scenarios.

May 15, 2015

There are several excellent playwriting workshops available, but they are chiefly focused on the writers. This workshop is seen from the actor's perspective. Each session is conducted by a director/playwright team OR director/actor team drawn from the current Off-Broadway and Broadway scene, who have worked together in the past. This creative team will provide unique insight on what is desired from the actor in the audition room & rehearsal hall. The scripts that the actors will work on will be drawn from both the produced and in-progress work of the playwright.

Past panelists include Sam Gold, Annie Baker, Will Eno, Bruce Norris, David Auburn, Pam Berlin, Amy Herzog, Adam Bock, Anne Kauffman, Ellen McLaughlin, Anna Ziegler, Lisa Rothe