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  • Shanga Parker: Movement (4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28)

    Shanga Parker: Movement (4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28)

    Lucid Body House 230 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY, United States

    In-Person Workshop SHANGA PARKER: Movement 4-Week Workshop Dates & Times Friday, April 7, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Friday, April 14, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Friday, April 21, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Friday, April 28, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Lucid Body House, 230 Lexington Ave About the Workshop Actor, director, and NYU and Columbia faculty member Shanga Parker joins The Actors Center for the first time for a movement workshop over four Fridays in April. This workshop engages the work and teachings of Tadashi Suzuki combined with Shanga's work both in the classroom and in the profession. Through a finite number of both open and form-based rigorous exercises, the work focuses on the connection of the foot with the floor, building strength in the lower body and expressing via the entire body, not with the face. Strong concentration and physical ease are called upon to do the exercises. When participants push themselves physically—past what they know they can do—they dig deep and access parts of themselves vital in the creative process. When everyone is engaged in the same physical exercises, each person’s individual humanity is revealed. Sessions run Fridays from 10am-1pm. About Shanga Parker Shanga Parker trained as an actor, learned directing, and has taught all kinds of acting. He acts professionally for television, film and theatre. He is an Arts Professor at NYU and Director of the Tisch Summer High School Program. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Columbia MFA Acting Program and at the Iceland University of the Arts. He is a member of SAG/AFTRA and AEA. He has an undergraduate degree from Brown University and an M.F.A. in Acting from UC San Diego. Register Now Participants Enrollment is limited to 16 participants. Comments/Queries

  • CoLab: Singing Space (5/1)

    Singing Space (6/5)

    COMPANY COLAB SINGING SPACE A Space to Explore Song Dates & Times Monday, June 5, 2023 – 1:00pm-4:00pm Houghton Hall 22 East 30th Street Hosted by Ka-Ling Cheung and Alison Cimmet About the Event Members Ka-Ling Cheung and Alison Cimmet are hosting a ‘Singing Space’ on Monday, June 5, 1:00pm-4:00pm. Singers of all levels (as well as those who consider themselves non-singers) are welcome! Try out some repertoire, prepare an audition, work on your nerves, or just have fun! Participants will work individually on the song of their choice. An accompanist will be provided. Each participant will choose how to spend their allotted time and if/how they would like feedback from the group. There will be no teacher and facilitators Ka-Ling and Alison will ensure a supportive atmosphere. Observers are welcomed and encouraged! If there is enough interest, the hope is that this will become an ongoing offering in the fall. About Company CoLabs Company CoLabs are a series at The Actors Center that offer a framework for collaborative explorations and community programming among company members. Company members host or facilitate projects—play reading groups, explorations of new material or approaches, writing labs, devising work, field trips, retreats—in short, anything inspiring to explore among peers. CoLabs offer creative outlets to explore work you might not otherwise have the opportunity for, while continuing to share resources and deepen connections among our Actors Center community. Register Now Comments/Queries

  • Jaclyn Backhaus: Writing (4/18-5/23)

    Houghton Hall Arts Community 22 East 30th Street, New York, NY, United States

    In-Person Workshop JACLYN BACKHAUS: Writing 6-Week Workshop Dates & Times Tuesday, April 18, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, April 25, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, May 2, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, May 9, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, May 16, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, May 23, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Houghton Hall Arts Community 22 East 30th Street About the Workshop Playwright, screenwriter, and teacher Jaclyn Backhaus returns to The Actors Center for a writing workshop over six Tuesdays in April and May. In this 6 week course, we will work to build on ideas and maybe even early pages that we've started of a first-draft full-length play, and learn ways to engage in a long-form writing process. We'll engage in prompt exercises, read each other's work, and learn how to architect a sustainable and joy-making writing process that springs from skillsets we have built in our acting work. Time inside and outside of class will be utilized for the writing process. Come ready to write, read, and delight in playwriting. Sessions run Tuesdays from 10am-1pm. About Jaclyn Backhaus Jaclyn Backhaus (she/her) is a playwright and screenwriter hailing from Phoenix, Arizona. Her plays include Wives, Men on Boats, and India Pale Ale, all of which premiered Off-Broadway. Her screenplay Preeti Popped It was part of 1497's annual South Asian Screenwriters Lab, and she is currently in development on several projects for TV. She resides in Ridgewood, Queens. You can learn more about her work at jaclynbackhaus.com. Register Now Participants Enrollment is limited to 12 participants. Comments/Queries

  • Erica Fae: Movement (5/4, 5/11, 5/18)

    Erica Fae: The Body on Set (5/4, 5/11, 5/18)

    In-Person Workshop ERICA FAE: The Body on Set 3-Day Workshop Dates & Times Thursday, May 4, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, May 11, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, May 18, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Houghton Hall Arts Community, 22 East 30th Street About the Workshop Filmmaker, performer, and teacher Erica Fae joins The Actors Center for the first time for a workshop exploring energetic flow in subtle physical practice. In this workshop over three Thursday mornings in May, participants will take on physical practices that both enliven and bring consciousness to the energetic body. They will then apply this subtle, internal physicality to film work in either short scenes or monologues. Using energetics to ground character and circumstance frees up the mind and helps the actor stay connected in the often fast-paced and barely-rehearsed world of on-camera work. Sessions run Thursdays from 10am-1pm. About Erica Fae Writer, director, performer, and teacher Erica Fae brings radical stories from history to stage and screen. Her first feature To Keep the Light (inspired by women lighthouse keepers in the 1860's) won the Fipresci Prize, among other festival awards, and is currently on Amazon Prime. Her original plays include A Girl Joan, Saved Again and by Him, and Take What Is Yours (with Jill A. Samuels). As actor, she's had recurring roles on HBO's Boardwalk Empire and Doll & Em, Netflix's Partner Track, and has performed in numerous films and plays. Erica also teaches Physical Acting at Yale's David Geffen School of Drama, and is in development on her second feature film. Register Now Participants Enrollment is limited to 14 participants Comments/Queries

  • Migdalia Cruz: Writing (5/5, 5/6, 5/7)

    Migdalia Cruz: Writing (5/5, 5/6, 5/7)

    In-Person Workshop Migdalia Cruz: Writing 3-Day Weekend Workshop Dates & Times Friday, May 5, 2023 – 12:00pm-4:00pm Saturday, May 6, 2023 – 12:00pm-4:00pm Sunday, May 7, 2023 – 12:00pm-4:00pm Houghton Hall Arts Community, 22 East 30th Street About the Workshop Award winning playwright, lyricist, translator, and librettist Migdalia Cruz returns to The Actors Center for a writing workshop in May, titled Finding a Method to Your Madness. Come and write with Migdalia as she teaches you to reclaim your history and use your ancestors and memories to ground your characters in the truth as only you know it—in a voice that is fiercely unique and innately poetic. Over 3 days, participants will write in a group setting, sharing their raw voice and thereby honoring the sacred space created. The method Migdalia will share was passed on to her from her mentor, María Irene Fornés. Sessions run Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 12pm-4pm. About Migdalia Cruz Migdalia Cruz is a Bronx-born, award-winning, multi-platform, playwright, lyricist, translator, and librettist of more than 60 works for stage, radio, film, TV, and podcast, performed in 150 venues in 40 cities in 12 countries. An alumna of New Dramatists, her awards include: NEA, McKnight, NYSCA, TCG/Pew, and she was named the 2013 Helen Merrill Distinguished Playwright. María Irene Fornés nurtured her at INTAR and Latino Chicago gave her a home as their playwright-in residence. She is a master teacher of playwriting with the Fornés Institute, various universities, and professional theater schools. She was co-chair of the DGF Playwriting Fellows 2020-21; mentors the NYC Latinx Playwrights Circle; and was recently commissioned by Clubbed Thumb, The Flea, INTAR, and Kitchen Dog (Dallas). 2021-23 productions: Selections from Telling Tales (Ratones, Arena, Jesús & Fuego) in Spanish, with performer, director, Elisa Bocanegra in Medellín Colombia; Macbeth & Fishtank @Magic Theatre in a workshop with The Blueprint and PlayOnShakespeare, April 2023; Macbeth translation @Shakespeare In Detroit, August 2023; Dinner With Dee @Kitchen Dog (Dallas), June 2022; a PlayOnShakespeare translation of Macbeth (Sunderland, England) @TheatreSpaceNorthEast, Aug 2021, and in 2022@USD/Old Globe (San Diego), and is now a podcast @Next Chapter Podcasts; Yorick's Last Laugh @Shakespeare Dallas, 2021. Her translations of Macbeth & Richard III were published by ACMRS Press. Migdalia was featured in Fifty Key Figures in LatinX and Latin American Theatre, published by Routledge, February 2022. Register Now Participants Enrollment is limited to 14 participants Comments/Queries

  • Migdalia Cruz: Writing (5/5, 5/6, 5/7)

    Migdalia Cruz: Writing (5/5, 5/6, 5/7)

    In-Person Workshop Migdalia Cruz: Writing 3-Day Weekend Workshop Dates & Times Friday, May 5, 2023 – 12:00pm-4:00pm Saturday, May 6, 2023 – 12:00pm-4:00pm Sunday, May 7, 2023 – 12:00pm-4:00pm Houghton Hall Arts Community, 22 East 30th Street About the Workshop Award winning playwright, lyricist, translator, and librettist Migdalia Cruz returns to The Actors Center for a writing workshop in May, titled Finding a Method to Your Madness. Come and write with Migdalia as she teaches you to reclaim your history and use your ancestors and memories to ground your characters in the truth as only you know it—in a voice that is fiercely unique and innately poetic. Over 3 days, participants will write in a group setting, sharing their raw voice and thereby honoring the sacred space created. The method Migdalia will share was passed on to her from her mentor, María Irene Fornés. Sessions run Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 12pm-4pm. About Migdalia Cruz Migdalia Cruz is a Bronx-born, award-winning, multi-platform, playwright, lyricist, translator, and librettist of more than 60 works for stage, radio, film, TV, and podcast, performed in 150 venues in 40 cities in 12 countries. An alumna of New Dramatists, her awards include: NEA, McKnight, NYSCA, TCG/Pew, and she was named the 2013 Helen Merrill Distinguished Playwright. María Irene Fornés nurtured her at INTAR and Latino Chicago gave her a home as their playwright-in residence. She is a master teacher of playwriting with the Fornés Institute, various universities, and professional theater schools. She was co-chair of the DGF Playwriting Fellows 2020-21; mentors the NYC Latinx Playwrights Circle; and was recently commissioned by Clubbed Thumb, The Flea, INTAR, and Kitchen Dog (Dallas). 2021-23 productions: Selections from Telling Tales (Ratones, Arena, Jesús & Fuego) in Spanish, with performer, director, Elisa Bocanegra in Medellín Colombia; Macbeth & Fishtank @Magic Theatre in a workshop with The Blueprint and PlayOnShakespeare, April 2023; Macbeth translation @Shakespeare In Detroit, August 2023; Dinner With Dee @Kitchen Dog (Dallas), June 2022; a PlayOnShakespeare translation of Macbeth (Sunderland, England) @TheatreSpaceNorthEast, Aug 2021, and in 2022@USD/Old Globe (San Diego), and is now a podcast @Next Chapter Podcasts; Yorick's Last Laugh @Shakespeare Dallas, 2021. Her translations of Macbeth & Richard III were published by ACMRS Press. Migdalia was featured in Fifty Key Figures in LatinX and Latin American Theatre, published by Routledge, February 2022. Register Now Participants Enrollment is limited to 14 participants Comments/Queries

  • Migdalia Cruz: Writing (5/5, 5/6, 5/7)

    Migdalia Cruz: Writing (5/5, 5/6, 5/7)

    In-Person Workshop Migdalia Cruz: Writing 3-Day Weekend Workshop Dates & Times Friday, May 5, 2023 – 12:00pm-4:00pm Saturday, May 6, 2023 – 12:00pm-4:00pm Sunday, May 7, 2023 – 12:00pm-4:00pm Houghton Hall Arts Community, 22 East 30th Street About the Workshop Award winning playwright, lyricist, translator, and librettist Migdalia Cruz returns to The Actors Center for a writing workshop in May, titled Finding a Method to Your Madness. Come and write with Migdalia as she teaches you to reclaim your history and use your ancestors and memories to ground your characters in the truth as only you know it—in a voice that is fiercely unique and innately poetic. Over 3 days, participants will write in a group setting, sharing their raw voice and thereby honoring the sacred space created. The method Migdalia will share was passed on to her from her mentor, María Irene Fornés. Sessions run Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 12pm-4pm. About Migdalia Cruz Migdalia Cruz is a Bronx-born, award-winning, multi-platform, playwright, lyricist, translator, and librettist of more than 60 works for stage, radio, film, TV, and podcast, performed in 150 venues in 40 cities in 12 countries. An alumna of New Dramatists, her awards include: NEA, McKnight, NYSCA, TCG/Pew, and she was named the 2013 Helen Merrill Distinguished Playwright. María Irene Fornés nurtured her at INTAR and Latino Chicago gave her a home as their playwright-in residence. She is a master teacher of playwriting with the Fornés Institute, various universities, and professional theater schools. She was co-chair of the DGF Playwriting Fellows 2020-21; mentors the NYC Latinx Playwrights Circle; and was recently commissioned by Clubbed Thumb, The Flea, INTAR, and Kitchen Dog (Dallas). 2021-23 productions: Selections from Telling Tales (Ratones, Arena, Jesús & Fuego) in Spanish, with performer, director, Elisa Bocanegra in Medellín Colombia; Macbeth & Fishtank @Magic Theatre in a workshop with The Blueprint and PlayOnShakespeare, April 2023; Macbeth translation @Shakespeare In Detroit, August 2023; Dinner With Dee @Kitchen Dog (Dallas), June 2022; a PlayOnShakespeare translation of Macbeth (Sunderland, England) @TheatreSpaceNorthEast, Aug 2021, and in 2022@USD/Old Globe (San Diego), and is now a podcast @Next Chapter Podcasts; Yorick's Last Laugh @Shakespeare Dallas, 2021. Her translations of Macbeth & Richard III were published by ACMRS Press. Migdalia was featured in Fifty Key Figures in LatinX and Latin American Theatre, published by Routledge, February 2022. Register Now Participants Enrollment is limited to 14 participants Comments/Queries

  • Heidi Miami Marshall: On-Camera Audition Lab (5/8-5/18)

    Zoom Workshop HEIDI MIAMI MARSHALL: On-Camera Audition Lab 4-Day Workshop Dates & Times Monday, May 8, 2023 – 12:00pm-2:00pm ET Thursday, May 11, 2023 – 3:00pm-5:00pm ET Monday, May 15, 2023 – 12:00pm-2:00pm ET Thursday, May 18, 2023 – 3:00pm-5:00pm ET This workshop will take place on Zoom. This workshop is open to all company members to observe. About the Workshop Acting coach, director, and casting director, Heidi Miami Marshall, returns to The Actors Center for four days facilitating a deep dive look at the audition process, beyond the technical or “techniques.” From Heidi: “This group always inspires me with your commitment and (already) well-honed talents. Just because there's a pending strike, we don't stop. We keep digging in so that you fall (deeper) in love with the process of auditioning and auditioning. I love to activate your confidence in on-camera work.” Sessions run two Monday afternoons 12pm-2pm and two Thursday afternoons 3pm-5pm. All company members are invited to attend. There is room for 4 actors to work during each session. Working participants are asked to prepare a 2 page scene that fulfills your area of interest or challenges. About Heidi Miami Marshall Heidi Miami Marshall’s career has spanned over 25 years as an acting coach, film and theater director, casting director, and acting studio owner. Her entire career informs her director’s eye and influences her aesthetic for working with actors. Originally, Heidi was the lead casting director at Telsey + Co. for the Broadway musical Rent, as well as for 70+ projects in theater, film, TV, commercial, and voiceover. Now, as owner of a top acting studio, she’s coached countless actors into roles for film, TV, and theater. She is frequently hired by directors and production studios to prep actors for auditions, screen tests and performance. Heidi has expert understanding in all the layered needs of casting and what gets actors hired. Her acting clients have appeared on screens big and small, from network TV to indie film to blockbuster hits. Her clients’ range of talent includes new actors to Emmy award-winning. As a director, Heidi has received awards and fellowships for her directing in theater and film, most notably AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women and The Drama League. Recent films directed by Heidi include S.P.I.C., Muscle, and upcoming feature American Bubble (written by Johnny Sánchez and Khalil Kain, and starring Jade Pettyjohn, Julianne Nicholson, Dave East, J. Alphonse Nicholson). Register...

  • Jaclyn Backhaus: Writing (4/18-5/23)

    Houghton Hall Arts Community 22 East 30th Street, New York, NY, United States

    In-Person Workshop JACLYN BACKHAUS: Writing 6-Week Workshop Dates & Times Tuesday, April 18, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, April 25, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, May 2, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, May 9, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, May 16, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, May 23, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Houghton Hall Arts Community 22 East 30th Street About the Workshop Playwright, screenwriter, and teacher Jaclyn Backhaus returns to The Actors Center for a writing workshop over six Tuesdays in April and May. In this 6 week course, we will work to build on ideas and maybe even early pages that we've started of a first-draft full-length play, and learn ways to engage in a long-form writing process. We'll engage in prompt exercises, read each other's work, and learn how to architect a sustainable and joy-making writing process that springs from skillsets we have built in our acting work. Time inside and outside of class will be utilized for the writing process. Come ready to write, read, and delight in playwriting. Sessions run Tuesdays from 10am-1pm. About Jaclyn Backhaus Jaclyn Backhaus (she/her) is a playwright and screenwriter hailing from Phoenix, Arizona. Her plays include Wives, Men on Boats, and India Pale Ale, all of which premiered Off-Broadway. Her screenplay Preeti Popped It was part of 1497's annual South Asian Screenwriters Lab, and she is currently in development on several projects for TV. She resides in Ridgewood, Queens. You can learn more about her work at jaclynbackhaus.com. Register Now Participants Enrollment is limited to 12 participants. Comments/Queries

  • Erica Fae: Movement (5/4, 5/11, 5/18)

    Erica Fae: The Body on Set (5/4, 5/11, 5/18)

    In-Person Workshop ERICA FAE: The Body on Set 3-Day Workshop Dates & Times Thursday, May 4, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, May 11, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, May 18, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Houghton Hall Arts Community, 22 East 30th Street About the Workshop Filmmaker, performer, and teacher Erica Fae joins The Actors Center for the first time for a workshop exploring energetic flow in subtle physical practice. In this workshop over three Thursday mornings in May, participants will take on physical practices that both enliven and bring consciousness to the energetic body. They will then apply this subtle, internal physicality to film work in either short scenes or monologues. Using energetics to ground character and circumstance frees up the mind and helps the actor stay connected in the often fast-paced and barely-rehearsed world of on-camera work. Sessions run Thursdays from 10am-1pm. About Erica Fae Writer, director, performer, and teacher Erica Fae brings radical stories from history to stage and screen. Her first feature To Keep the Light (inspired by women lighthouse keepers in the 1860's) won the Fipresci Prize, among other festival awards, and is currently on Amazon Prime. Her original plays include A Girl Joan, Saved Again and by Him, and Take What Is Yours (with Jill A. Samuels). As actor, she's had recurring roles on HBO's Boardwalk Empire and Doll & Em, Netflix's Partner Track, and has performed in numerous films and plays. Erica also teaches Physical Acting at Yale's David Geffen School of Drama, and is in development on her second feature film. Register Now Participants Enrollment is limited to 14 participants Comments/Queries

  • Heidi Miami Marshall: On-Camera Audition Lab (5/8-5/18)

    Zoom Workshop HEIDI MIAMI MARSHALL: On-Camera Audition Lab 4-Day Workshop Dates & Times Monday, May 8, 2023 – 12:00pm-2:00pm ET Thursday, May 11, 2023 – 3:00pm-5:00pm ET Monday, May 15, 2023 – 12:00pm-2:00pm ET Thursday, May 18, 2023 – 3:00pm-5:00pm ET This workshop will take place on Zoom. This workshop is open to all company members to observe. About the Workshop Acting coach, director, and casting director, Heidi Miami Marshall, returns to The Actors Center for four days facilitating a deep dive look at the audition process, beyond the technical or “techniques.” From Heidi: “This group always inspires me with your commitment and (already) well-honed talents. Just because there's a pending strike, we don't stop. We keep digging in so that you fall (deeper) in love with the process of auditioning and auditioning. I love to activate your confidence in on-camera work.” Sessions run two Monday afternoons 12pm-2pm and two Thursday afternoons 3pm-5pm. All company members are invited to attend. There is room for 4 actors to work during each session. Working participants are asked to prepare a 2 page scene that fulfills your area of interest or challenges. About Heidi Miami Marshall Heidi Miami Marshall’s career has spanned over 25 years as an acting coach, film and theater director, casting director, and acting studio owner. Her entire career informs her director’s eye and influences her aesthetic for working with actors. Originally, Heidi was the lead casting director at Telsey + Co. for the Broadway musical Rent, as well as for 70+ projects in theater, film, TV, commercial, and voiceover. Now, as owner of a top acting studio, she’s coached countless actors into roles for film, TV, and theater. She is frequently hired by directors and production studios to prep actors for auditions, screen tests and performance. Heidi has expert understanding in all the layered needs of casting and what gets actors hired. Her acting clients have appeared on screens big and small, from network TV to indie film to blockbuster hits. Her clients’ range of talent includes new actors to Emmy award-winning. As a director, Heidi has received awards and fellowships for her directing in theater and film, most notably AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women and The Drama League. Recent films directed by Heidi include S.P.I.C., Muscle, and upcoming feature American Bubble (written by Johnny Sánchez and Khalil Kain, and starring Jade Pettyjohn, Julianne Nicholson, Dave East, J. Alphonse Nicholson). Register...

  • Heidi Miami Marshall: On-Camera Audition Lab (5/8-5/18)

    Zoom Workshop HEIDI MIAMI MARSHALL: On-Camera Audition Lab 4-Day Workshop Dates & Times Monday, May 8, 2023 – 12:00pm-2:00pm ET Thursday, May 11, 2023 – 3:00pm-5:00pm ET Monday, May 15, 2023 – 12:00pm-2:00pm ET Thursday, May 18, 2023 – 3:00pm-5:00pm ET This workshop will take place on Zoom. This workshop is open to all company members to observe. About the Workshop Acting coach, director, and casting director, Heidi Miami Marshall, returns to The Actors Center for four days facilitating a deep dive look at the audition process, beyond the technical or “techniques.” From Heidi: “This group always inspires me with your commitment and (already) well-honed talents. Just because there's a pending strike, we don't stop. We keep digging in so that you fall (deeper) in love with the process of auditioning and auditioning. I love to activate your confidence in on-camera work.” Sessions run two Monday afternoons 12pm-2pm and two Thursday afternoons 3pm-5pm. All company members are invited to attend. There is room for 4 actors to work during each session. Working participants are asked to prepare a 2 page scene that fulfills your area of interest or challenges. About Heidi Miami Marshall Heidi Miami Marshall’s career has spanned over 25 years as an acting coach, film and theater director, casting director, and acting studio owner. Her entire career informs her director’s eye and influences her aesthetic for working with actors. Originally, Heidi was the lead casting director at Telsey + Co. for the Broadway musical Rent, as well as for 70+ projects in theater, film, TV, commercial, and voiceover. Now, as owner of a top acting studio, she’s coached countless actors into roles for film, TV, and theater. She is frequently hired by directors and production studios to prep actors for auditions, screen tests and performance. Heidi has expert understanding in all the layered needs of casting and what gets actors hired. Her acting clients have appeared on screens big and small, from network TV to indie film to blockbuster hits. Her clients’ range of talent includes new actors to Emmy award-winning. As a director, Heidi has received awards and fellowships for her directing in theater and film, most notably AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women and The Drama League. Recent films directed by Heidi include S.P.I.C., Muscle, and upcoming feature American Bubble (written by Johnny Sánchez and Khalil Kain, and starring Jade Pettyjohn, Julianne Nicholson, Dave East, J. Alphonse Nicholson). Register...

  • Jaclyn Backhaus: Writing (4/18-5/23)

    Houghton Hall Arts Community 22 East 30th Street, New York, NY, United States

    In-Person Workshop JACLYN BACKHAUS: Writing 6-Week Workshop Dates & Times Tuesday, April 18, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, April 25, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, May 2, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, May 9, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, May 16, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, May 23, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Houghton Hall Arts Community 22 East 30th Street About the Workshop Playwright, screenwriter, and teacher Jaclyn Backhaus returns to The Actors Center for a writing workshop over six Tuesdays in April and May. In this 6 week course, we will work to build on ideas and maybe even early pages that we've started of a first-draft full-length play, and learn ways to engage in a long-form writing process. We'll engage in prompt exercises, read each other's work, and learn how to architect a sustainable and joy-making writing process that springs from skillsets we have built in our acting work. Time inside and outside of class will be utilized for the writing process. Come ready to write, read, and delight in playwriting. Sessions run Tuesdays from 10am-1pm. About Jaclyn Backhaus Jaclyn Backhaus (she/her) is a playwright and screenwriter hailing from Phoenix, Arizona. Her plays include Wives, Men on Boats, and India Pale Ale, all of which premiered Off-Broadway. Her screenplay Preeti Popped It was part of 1497's annual South Asian Screenwriters Lab, and she is currently in development on several projects for TV. She resides in Ridgewood, Queens. You can learn more about her work at jaclynbackhaus.com. Register Now Participants Enrollment is limited to 12 participants. Comments/Queries

  • Erica Fae: Movement (5/4, 5/11, 5/18)

    Erica Fae: The Body on Set (5/4, 5/11, 5/18)

    In-Person Workshop ERICA FAE: The Body on Set 3-Day Workshop Dates & Times Thursday, May 4, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, May 11, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, May 18, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Houghton Hall Arts Community, 22 East 30th Street About the Workshop Filmmaker, performer, and teacher Erica Fae joins The Actors Center for the first time for a workshop exploring energetic flow in subtle physical practice. In this workshop over three Thursday mornings in May, participants will take on physical practices that both enliven and bring consciousness to the energetic body. They will then apply this subtle, internal physicality to film work in either short scenes or monologues. Using energetics to ground character and circumstance frees up the mind and helps the actor stay connected in the often fast-paced and barely-rehearsed world of on-camera work. Sessions run Thursdays from 10am-1pm. About Erica Fae Writer, director, performer, and teacher Erica Fae brings radical stories from history to stage and screen. Her first feature To Keep the Light (inspired by women lighthouse keepers in the 1860's) won the Fipresci Prize, among other festival awards, and is currently on Amazon Prime. Her original plays include A Girl Joan, Saved Again and by Him, and Take What Is Yours (with Jill A. Samuels). As actor, she's had recurring roles on HBO's Boardwalk Empire and Doll & Em, Netflix's Partner Track, and has performed in numerous films and plays. Erica also teaches Physical Acting at Yale's David Geffen School of Drama, and is in development on her second feature film. Register Now Participants Enrollment is limited to 14 participants Comments/Queries

  • Heidi Miami Marshall: On-Camera Audition Lab (5/8-5/18)

    Zoom Workshop HEIDI MIAMI MARSHALL: On-Camera Audition Lab 4-Day Workshop Dates & Times Monday, May 8, 2023 – 12:00pm-2:00pm ET Thursday, May 11, 2023 – 3:00pm-5:00pm ET Monday, May 15, 2023 – 12:00pm-2:00pm ET Thursday, May 18, 2023 – 3:00pm-5:00pm ET This workshop will take place on Zoom. This workshop is open to all company members to observe. About the Workshop Acting coach, director, and casting director, Heidi Miami Marshall, returns to The Actors Center for four days facilitating a deep dive look at the audition process, beyond the technical or “techniques.” From Heidi: “This group always inspires me with your commitment and (already) well-honed talents. Just because there's a pending strike, we don't stop. We keep digging in so that you fall (deeper) in love with the process of auditioning and auditioning. I love to activate your confidence in on-camera work.” Sessions run two Monday afternoons 12pm-2pm and two Thursday afternoons 3pm-5pm. All company members are invited to attend. There is room for 4 actors to work during each session. Working participants are asked to prepare a 2 page scene that fulfills your area of interest or challenges. About Heidi Miami Marshall Heidi Miami Marshall’s career has spanned over 25 years as an acting coach, film and theater director, casting director, and acting studio owner. Her entire career informs her director’s eye and influences her aesthetic for working with actors. Originally, Heidi was the lead casting director at Telsey + Co. for the Broadway musical Rent, as well as for 70+ projects in theater, film, TV, commercial, and voiceover. Now, as owner of a top acting studio, she’s coached countless actors into roles for film, TV, and theater. She is frequently hired by directors and production studios to prep actors for auditions, screen tests and performance. Heidi has expert understanding in all the layered needs of casting and what gets actors hired. Her acting clients have appeared on screens big and small, from network TV to indie film to blockbuster hits. Her clients’ range of talent includes new actors to Emmy award-winning. As a director, Heidi has received awards and fellowships for her directing in theater and film, most notably AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women and The Drama League. Recent films directed by Heidi include S.P.I.C., Muscle, and upcoming feature American Bubble (written by Johnny Sánchez and Khalil Kain, and starring Jade Pettyjohn, Julianne Nicholson, Dave East, J. Alphonse Nicholson). Register...

  • Beth McGuire: Idiolect (5/20 and 5/21)

    Beth McGuire: Idiolect (5/20-5/21)

    In-Person Workshop BETH MCGUIRE: Idiolect 2-Day Workshop Dates & Times Saturday, May 20, 2023 – 12:00pm-4:30pm Sunday, May 21, 2023 – 12:00pm-4:30pm Houghton Hall Arts Community, 22 East 30th Street About the Workshop Vocal coach, dialect coach, teacher, and company member, Beth McGuire, returns to The Actors Center with a weekend devoted to Idiolect. From Beth: “For folks who are unfamiliar with the term Idiolect, it is the particular way in which one speaks. In my experience, when an actor is in service to a script there is nearly always a transformation in relation to how they speak. Sometimes it can be quite clear because a dialect is required in relation to where the event takes place. Other considerations can be status, gender, age, and tactical i.e. code shifting.” Over two days, Beth will guide participants in exploring the psycho-physical relationship we have with our own idiolect, as well as looking at questions of how the understanding of this cellular relationship can be liberating in terms of transformation, and encourage a robust embodiment in relation to accent and dialect work. Areas of investigation will include: experiential anatomy, breath and vibration, articulation of phonemes, prosody, vowel and consonant systems and their relationship to each other and finally, the transformation of sound into image as spoken in ‘the word’.  Sessions run Saturday and Sunday 12:00pm-4:30pm. About Beth McGuire Beth McGuire has worked as a vocal and accent/dialect coach both on and off Broadway, in regional theatre, and in film and television for over 30 years. She was on the Yale School of Drama faculty for over 20 years and recently joined the faculty of Juilliard Drama Division. Beth lives in NYC and has a private practice teaching and coaching. Her book, African Accents: A Workbook for Actors, is the first practical comprehensive analysis of the genre.  Some of Beth’s most recent theater projects include, He Brought Her Heart Back in a Box by Adrienne Kennedy, at TFNA, directed by Evan Yionoulis, and Twelfth Night at the YRT, directed by Carl Cofield. One of her favorite projects on Broadway was A Streetcar Named Desire with Blair Underwood, Nicole Ari Parker, and Daphne Rubin-Vega, directed by Emily Mann. Some of her most recent media projects include Us directed by Jordan Peele, Marvel’s Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, both directed by Ryan Coogler, and the video game, Marvel’s Avengers: War for Wakanda. Beth also co-teaches a training program for professionals and rising professionals in accent, dialect and phonology coaching with her colleague Jane Guyer Fujita. Beth received her M.F.A....

  • Beth McGuire: Idiolect (5/20 and 5/21)

    Beth McGuire: Idiolect (5/20-5/21)

    In-Person Workshop BETH MCGUIRE: Idiolect 2-Day Workshop Dates & Times Saturday, May 20, 2023 – 12:00pm-4:30pm Sunday, May 21, 2023 – 12:00pm-4:30pm Houghton Hall Arts Community, 22 East 30th Street About the Workshop Vocal coach, dialect coach, teacher, and company member, Beth McGuire, returns to The Actors Center with a weekend devoted to Idiolect. From Beth: “For folks who are unfamiliar with the term Idiolect, it is the particular way in which one speaks. In my experience, when an actor is in service to a script there is nearly always a transformation in relation to how they speak. Sometimes it can be quite clear because a dialect is required in relation to where the event takes place. Other considerations can be status, gender, age, and tactical i.e. code shifting.” Over two days, Beth will guide participants in exploring the psycho-physical relationship we have with our own idiolect, as well as looking at questions of how the understanding of this cellular relationship can be liberating in terms of transformation, and encourage a robust embodiment in relation to accent and dialect work. Areas of investigation will include: experiential anatomy, breath and vibration, articulation of phonemes, prosody, vowel and consonant systems and their relationship to each other and finally, the transformation of sound into image as spoken in ‘the word’.  Sessions run Saturday and Sunday 12:00pm-4:30pm. About Beth McGuire Beth McGuire has worked as a vocal and accent/dialect coach both on and off Broadway, in regional theatre, and in film and television for over 30 years. She was on the Yale School of Drama faculty for over 20 years and recently joined the faculty of Juilliard Drama Division. Beth lives in NYC and has a private practice teaching and coaching. Her book, African Accents: A Workbook for Actors, is the first practical comprehensive analysis of the genre.  Some of Beth’s most recent theater projects include, He Brought Her Heart Back in a Box by Adrienne Kennedy, at TFNA, directed by Evan Yionoulis, and Twelfth Night at the YRT, directed by Carl Cofield. One of her favorite projects on Broadway was A Streetcar Named Desire with Blair Underwood, Nicole Ari Parker, and Daphne Rubin-Vega, directed by Emily Mann. Some of her most recent media projects include Us directed by Jordan Peele, Marvel’s Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, both directed by Ryan Coogler, and the video game, Marvel’s Avengers: War for Wakanda. Beth also co-teaches a training program for professionals and rising professionals in accent, dialect and phonology coaching with her colleague Jane Guyer Fujita. Beth received her M.F.A....

  • Company Party (5/21)

    Company Party (5/21)

    Company Event COMPANY PARTY About the Party Sunday, May 21, 2023 – 6:00pm-9:00pm 7 E 20th Street, Apt. 5F Hosted by Polly Adams Hosted generously by company member Polly Adams, join us as we gather and celebrate the end of our 2022-2023 season! While snacks and drinks are provided, we encourage guests to bring food and drink as well. All company members are invited to attend. Looking forward to seeing you all! RSVP Comments/Queries

  • Jaclyn Backhaus: Writing (4/18-5/23)

    Houghton Hall Arts Community 22 East 30th Street, New York, NY, United States

    In-Person Workshop JACLYN BACKHAUS: Writing 6-Week Workshop Dates & Times Tuesday, April 18, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, April 25, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, May 2, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, May 9, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, May 16, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, May 23, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Houghton Hall Arts Community 22 East 30th Street About the Workshop Playwright, screenwriter, and teacher Jaclyn Backhaus returns to The Actors Center for a writing workshop over six Tuesdays in April and May. In this 6 week course, we will work to build on ideas and maybe even early pages that we've started of a first-draft full-length play, and learn ways to engage in a long-form writing process. We'll engage in prompt exercises, read each other's work, and learn how to architect a sustainable and joy-making writing process that springs from skillsets we have built in our acting work. Time inside and outside of class will be utilized for the writing process. Come ready to write, read, and delight in playwriting. Sessions run Tuesdays from 10am-1pm. About Jaclyn Backhaus Jaclyn Backhaus (she/her) is a playwright and screenwriter hailing from Phoenix, Arizona. Her plays include Wives, Men on Boats, and India Pale Ale, all of which premiered Off-Broadway. Her screenplay Preeti Popped It was part of 1497's annual South Asian Screenwriters Lab, and she is currently in development on several projects for TV. She resides in Ridgewood, Queens. You can learn more about her work at jaclynbackhaus.com. Register Now Participants Enrollment is limited to 12 participants. Comments/Queries

  • Dawn-Elin Fraser: Voice (6/10 and 6/11)

    Dawn-Elin Fraser: Breath & Self-Calibration (6/10-6/11)

    In-Person Workshop DAWN-ELIN FRASER: Breath & Self-Calibration 2-Day Workshop Dates & Times Saturday, June 10, 2023 – 11:00am-1:00pm Sunday, June 11, 2023 – 11:00am-1:00pm Ripley Grier, 520 8th Ave, 16th Floor About the Workshop Voice, speech, and dialect coach, and NYU faculty member Dawn-Elin Fraser returns to The Actors Center for a weekend workshop June 10-11. Based on the work of Ilse Middendorf and Jeffrey Crockett, the goal of this practice is self-calibration. The actor can sense and notice what’s going on in their system in real time, assess where they would like to be in the next moment, and curate a series of exercises to take them there. The first day will be an introduction to some key principles and exercises and the second will be putting them together into different 'recipes' for different contexts. Sessions run 11:00am-1:00pm on Saturday and Sunday. About Dawn-Elin Fraser Since moving to New York to be the founding Head of Spoken Voice and Speech for the New Studio on Broadway at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Department of Drama, Dawn-Elin has worked professionally as a Speech, Dialect, and Text coach on Broadway (Parade, Once on this Island, What the Constitution Means to Me, Waitress), Off-Broadway (Shakespeare in the Park,The Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Signature Theater), regionally (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, RoundHouse Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theater, American Repertory Theater) and on national tours. Additionally, she is the creator/director of the Coaches of Color Initiative, a free program to train more BIPOC dialect coaches. She is the North American dialect coach for all companies of Hamilton and is a member of both Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) and the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA). Register Now Participants Comments/Queries

  • Dawn-Elin Fraser: Voice (6/10 and 6/11)

    Dawn-Elin Fraser: Breath & Self-Calibration (6/10-6/11)

    In-Person Workshop DAWN-ELIN FRASER: Breath & Self-Calibration 2-Day Workshop Dates & Times Saturday, June 10, 2023 – 11:00am-1:00pm Sunday, June 11, 2023 – 11:00am-1:00pm Ripley Grier, 520 8th Ave, 16th Floor About the Workshop Voice, speech, and dialect coach, and NYU faculty member Dawn-Elin Fraser returns to The Actors Center for a weekend workshop June 10-11. Based on the work of Ilse Middendorf and Jeffrey Crockett, the goal of this practice is self-calibration. The actor can sense and notice what’s going on in their system in real time, assess where they would like to be in the next moment, and curate a series of exercises to take them there. The first day will be an introduction to some key principles and exercises and the second will be putting them together into different 'recipes' for different contexts. Sessions run 11:00am-1:00pm on Saturday and Sunday. About Dawn-Elin Fraser Since moving to New York to be the founding Head of Spoken Voice and Speech for the New Studio on Broadway at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Department of Drama, Dawn-Elin has worked professionally as a Speech, Dialect, and Text coach on Broadway (Parade, Once on this Island, What the Constitution Means to Me, Waitress), Off-Broadway (Shakespeare in the Park,The Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Signature Theater), regionally (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, RoundHouse Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theater, American Repertory Theater) and on national tours. Additionally, she is the creator/director of the Coaches of Color Initiative, a free program to train more BIPOC dialect coaches. She is the North American dialect coach for all companies of Hamilton and is a member of both Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) and the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA). Register Now Participants Comments/Queries

  • Finn Caldwell: Puppetry

    Finn Caldwell: Puppetry (6/12)

    In-Person Workshop FINN CALDWELL: Puppetry 1-Day Workshop Dates & Times Monday, June 12, 2023 – 1:00pm-5:00pm Houghton Hall Arts Community, 22 East 30th Street About the Workshop Olivier Award-winning puppet designer and director of puppetry and movement Finn Caldwell joins The Actors Center for a one day workshop exploring storytelling through puppetry. Participants will create puppets using kraft paper and masking tape, and then, with guidance from Finn, consider principles of breath, focus, and weight in order to bring their puppets to life. Equipped with a short piece of Shakespearean text and their own physicality, participants will animate their creations and explore puppetry as an extension of the body. About Finn Caldwell Finn Caldwell is a director, designer, puppeteer, and actor. He won an Olivier Award for Best Set Design and was nominated for Best Theatre Choreographer for his work on Life of Pi, as well as recently receiving a Tony Award nomination. He is co-artistic director of Gyre & Gimble, a theater company specializing in puppetry, where his co-director/puppet designer credits include The Four Seasons: A Reimagining (Shakespeare’s Globe); The Hartlepool Monkey (UK Tour), and The Elephantom (National Theatre/West End). His puppet co-designer/director credits include Life of Pi (West End/Broadway),The Grinning Man (Bristol Old Vic/West End), The Lorax (Old Vic) and Running Wild (UK Tour). His work as director of puppetry and movement includes The Ocean at the End of the Lane (National Theatre/West End), Angels in America (National Theatre/Broadway), Shrek: The Musical (West End), The Light Princess (National Theatre), and War Horse (National Theatre/West End/International Tour). Finn trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has taught at schools, colleges and universities both nationally and internationally, as well as numerous theatre institutions including: National Theatre Learning, RSC, RADA, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Register Now Participants Comments/Queries

  • Study Hall: Weekly Writing Space

    Study Hall

    COMPANY COLABS Study Hall Friday Mornings Dates & Times Friday, September 8, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, September 15, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, September 22, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, September 29, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 6, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 13, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 20, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 27, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, November 3, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, November 10, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, November 17, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, December 1, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, December 8, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, December 15, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET On Zoom Hosted by Rebecca Harris About the CoLab Are you feeling that back to school vibe? Do you find yourself buying blank notebooks and 10 packs of rollerball pens? Perhaps you would like to write a play to perform or your add a chapter to your memoir? Maybe you need to apply for a grant for your short film? Or just do some of that onerous paperwork that comes with adulting? Rebecca Harris continues hosting Study Hall, a series of informal gatherings for company members to work on writing projects (or other tasks) you have in development. The idea is to support each other’s progress by providing consistent time, space, and community, to use as you see fit. The group will meet Friday mornings on Zoom from 9:00am-11:00am. In each of the sessions, there will be a quick (optional) check in at the beginning. You can feel free to share an intention for the time (or not.) And then work, cameras on or off. Then reconvene around 10:45am to report back or check out, which is also optional. Please come and go as you wish and feel free to use the time and accountability in the way that best serves your artistic purposes. About the Series Company CoLabs are a series at The Actors Center that offer a framework for collaborative explorations and community programming among company members. Company members host or facilitate projects—play reading groups, explorations of new material or approaches, writing labs, devising work, field trips, retreats—in short, anything inspiring to explore among peers. CoLabs offer creative outlets to explore work you might not otherwise have the opportunity for, while continuing to share resources and deepen connections among our Actors Center community. RSVP Now Comments/Queries

  • Study Hall: Weekly Writing Space

    Study Hall

    COMPANY COLABS Study Hall Friday Mornings Dates & Times Friday, September 8, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, September 15, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, September 22, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, September 29, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 6, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 13, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 20, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 27, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, November 3, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, November 10, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, November 17, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, December 1, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, December 8, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, December 15, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET On Zoom Hosted by Rebecca Harris About the CoLab Are you feeling that back to school vibe? Do you find yourself buying blank notebooks and 10 packs of rollerball pens? Perhaps you would like to write a play to perform or your add a chapter to your memoir? Maybe you need to apply for a grant for your short film? Or just do some of that onerous paperwork that comes with adulting? Rebecca Harris continues hosting Study Hall, a series of informal gatherings for company members to work on writing projects (or other tasks) you have in development. The idea is to support each other’s progress by providing consistent time, space, and community, to use as you see fit. The group will meet Friday mornings on Zoom from 9:00am-11:00am. In each of the sessions, there will be a quick (optional) check in at the beginning. You can feel free to share an intention for the time (or not.) And then work, cameras on or off. Then reconvene around 10:45am to report back or check out, which is also optional. Please come and go as you wish and feel free to use the time and accountability in the way that best serves your artistic purposes. About the Series Company CoLabs are a series at The Actors Center that offer a framework for collaborative explorations and community programming among company members. Company members host or facilitate projects—play reading groups, explorations of new material or approaches, writing labs, devising work, field trips, retreats—in short, anything inspiring to explore among peers. CoLabs offer creative outlets to explore work you might not otherwise have the opportunity for, while continuing to share resources and deepen connections among our Actors Center community. RSVP Now Comments/Queries

  • Grace Zandarski & Jessica Wolf: Body, Breath, and Voice (9/11)

    Jessica Wolf & Grace Zandarski: Body, Breath, and Voice (9/11)

    In-Person Workshop JESSICA WOLF & GRACE ZANDARSKI: Body, Breath, and Voice Season Opening Workshop Dates & Times Monday, September 11, 2023 – 1:00pm-5:00pm Gibney: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center 280 Broadway, Studio H – Entrance at 53A Chambers About the Workshop Acclaimed teachers and Yale faculty members Jessica Wolf and Grace Zandarski return to The Actors Center to begin the 2023-24 season with a one-day workshop devoted to body, breath, and voice. This workshop is an invitation to heighten your sensory awareness and rediscover the buoyancy and balance that come from a connected whole-body. Without realizing it, we tend to move through the world holding onto excess pressure, putting strain on our bodies, breath, and voice. Fueled by our ongoing, coordinated breath, we can re-engage with our environment with greater ease and a renewed sense of our movement and vocal potential. The workshop runs Monday from 1pm-5pm, followed by the company party from 6pm-9pm. About Jessica Wolf & Grace Zandarski Jessica Wolf, AmSAT, has been teaching the Alexander Technique for 45 years and is currently a Professor in the Practice of Acting at Yale School of Drama, where she established the first Alexander Training curriculum in 1998. She is also a certified Laban Movement Analyst. Jessica is the founder of Jessica Wolf’s Art of Breathing, a certification program for Alexander Technique teachers based in her own technique, which integrates principles and procedures developed from her work in respiratory science and education. In 2013, Jessica published the Art of Breathing: Collected Articles and created the first three‐dimensional animated film of the respiratory system, which has since been translated into Spanish, Chinese, and German. She is currently in development of her next book. Other faculty appointments include the Aspen Music Festival, The Juilliard School, SUNY Purchase, Circle in the Square Theater School, Hunter College, Sarah Lawrence College, and the Verbier Music Festival. Jessica coaches performing artists who appear on‐ and off‐Broadway, and in films and television. Her work is recognized internationally and she travels giving workshops to performers, teachers, and healthcare providers. Grace Zandarski is Associate Professor Adjunct and Associate Chair of the Acting Program at Yale School of Drama where she has taught Voice since 2002 and currently serves as Head of Voice and Text. Her NYC coaching credits include Mike Nichols’ Death of a Salesman and Betrayal, Blackbird, and Cabaret on Broadway, Off- Broadway: The Dance and the Railroad (Signature,...

  • Company Party (9/11)

    Company Party (9/11)

    Company Event COMPANY PARTY About the Party Monday, September 11, 2023 – 6pm-9pm 7 East 20th Street, Apt 5F Hosted generously by company member Polly Adams, join us as we gather and celebrate the start of our 2023-24 season, as well as welcome new members to our company! All company members are invited to attend. Due to the size of our company, we unfortunately can't accommodate guests or children. While snacks and drinks are provided, we encourage you to bring food and drink to share as well. Looking forward to seeing you all! RSVP Attending Comments/Queries

  • Weekly Community Space

    Weekly Community Space

    Company CoLabs Community Space Tuesday Mornings Dates & Times Every Tuesday – 11:00am-12:30pm ET Launch Zoom Link Meeting ID: 837 0411 7798 Passcode: 374737 Hosted by Jodie Lynne McClintock About the CoLab Started three years ago at the height of the Covid-19 lockdown as a way to connect, it has continued weekly as a family of actors navigating the changing landscape of our times. Here you will find a supportive, safe virtual space where artists in our company bring their stories, concerns, questions, recommendations, and inspirations in a free-wheeling but facilitated discussion. With no set agenda, we delve into whatever is of interest or concern in any given week. We explore what it means to be an actor and what place our art holds in the world.  People suggest balm for body and soul while walking hand-in-hand along the actor’s way. About the Series Company CoLabs are a series at The Actors Center that offer a framework for collaborative explorations and community programming among company members. Company members host or facilitate projects—play reading groups, explorations of new material or approaches, writing labs, devising work, field trips, retreats—in short, anything inspiring to explore among peers. CoLabs offer creative outlets to explore work you might not otherwise have the opportunity for, while continuing to share resources and deepen connections among our Actors Center community. Comments/Queries

  • Study Hall: Weekly Writing Space

    Study Hall

    COMPANY COLABS Study Hall Friday Mornings Dates & Times Friday, September 8, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, September 15, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, September 22, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, September 29, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 6, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 13, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 20, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 27, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, November 3, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, November 10, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, November 17, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, December 1, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, December 8, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, December 15, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET On Zoom Hosted by Rebecca Harris About the CoLab Are you feeling that back to school vibe? Do you find yourself buying blank notebooks and 10 packs of rollerball pens? Perhaps you would like to write a play to perform or your add a chapter to your memoir? Maybe you need to apply for a grant for your short film? Or just do some of that onerous paperwork that comes with adulting? Rebecca Harris continues hosting Study Hall, a series of informal gatherings for company members to work on writing projects (or other tasks) you have in development. The idea is to support each other’s progress by providing consistent time, space, and community, to use as you see fit. The group will meet Friday mornings on Zoom from 9:00am-11:00am. In each of the sessions, there will be a quick (optional) check in at the beginning. You can feel free to share an intention for the time (or not.) And then work, cameras on or off. Then reconvene around 10:45am to report back or check out, which is also optional. Please come and go as you wish and feel free to use the time and accountability in the way that best serves your artistic purposes. About the Series Company CoLabs are a series at The Actors Center that offer a framework for collaborative explorations and community programming among company members. Company members host or facilitate projects—play reading groups, explorations of new material or approaches, writing labs, devising work, field trips, retreats—in short, anything inspiring to explore among peers. CoLabs offer creative outlets to explore work you might not otherwise have the opportunity for, while continuing to share resources and deepen connections among our Actors Center community. RSVP Now Comments/Queries

  • Company Meeting (9/18)

    Company Meeting (9/18)

    COMPANY EVENT 2023-24 Opening Company Meeting Dates & Times Monday, September 18, 2023 – 5:00pm-6:30pm ET Launch Zoom Link Meeting ID: 817 8976 7244 Passcode: 253888 About the Event Please join us for our 2023-24 opening company meeting. Most excitingly, we will welcome and introduce many new members of our company. We will also discuss the year ahead and artistic program plans, attend to company business, as well as update you on The Actors Center’s  ongoing strategic planning process. You're warmly invited to come reconnect with each other as we start a new year. The Zoom meeting starts at 5:00pm ET. RSVP Attending Comments/Queries

  • Justine Williams: Acting as Play (9/19-9/29)

    Justine Williams: Acting as Play (9/19-9/29)

    In-Person Workshop JUSTINE WILLIAMS: Acting as Play 4 Weekday Mornings Dates & Times Tuesday, September 19, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Friday, September 22, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, September 26, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Friday, September 29, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Alchemical Studios 50 W 17 St, 12th floor, Studio 2 About the Workshop Actor-creator, director and educator Justine Williams returns to The Actors Center for a four day workshop devoted to acting as play. In this workshop, Justine will guide participants through a series of games, play and improvisatory exercises designed to reconnect with our playful impulses. Through these exercises, participants will build a set of tools from the world of play/games to support bringing characters and performance texts magnificently to life. The first week will focus on opening through play and building a shared vocabulary, and in the second week, participants will bring their discoveries and tools to characters and texts that they are excited to explore through the lens of play. Sessions run Tuesday and Friday mornings from 10am-1pm. About Justine Williams Justine Wolf Williams is an actor-creator, director and educator working across performance and film. Through her creative work, she seeks to evoke (and invoke) a sense of playfulness, pathos and poetic possibility. Her performance work has been developed/presented at venues ranging from seedy backroom bars to NY’s snazziest stages and artistic institutions, and her cinematic work has premiered at New Directors | New Films, Woodstock Film Festival, Maryland Film Festival, Rotterdam International Film Festival, and more. Since 2013, she’s been on faculty at the David Geffen School of Drama (YSD) where she teaches play, creative process and collaborative strategies, and facilitates the development of new plays. She runs a thriving coaching practice, and makes her home between Brooklyn and Paris. Register Now Participants Enrollment is limited to 16 participants Comments/Queries

  • Weekly Community Space

    Weekly Community Space

    Company CoLabs Community Space Tuesday Mornings Dates & Times Every Tuesday – 11:00am-12:30pm ET Launch Zoom Link Meeting ID: 837 0411 7798 Passcode: 374737 Hosted by Jodie Lynne McClintock About the CoLab Started three years ago at the height of the Covid-19 lockdown as a way to connect, it has continued weekly as a family of actors navigating the changing landscape of our times. Here you will find a supportive, safe virtual space where artists in our company bring their stories, concerns, questions, recommendations, and inspirations in a free-wheeling but facilitated discussion. With no set agenda, we delve into whatever is of interest or concern in any given week. We explore what it means to be an actor and what place our art holds in the world.  People suggest balm for body and soul while walking hand-in-hand along the actor’s way. About the Series Company CoLabs are a series at The Actors Center that offer a framework for collaborative explorations and community programming among company members. Company members host or facilitate projects—play reading groups, explorations of new material or approaches, writing labs, devising work, field trips, retreats—in short, anything inspiring to explore among peers. CoLabs offer creative outlets to explore work you might not otherwise have the opportunity for, while continuing to share resources and deepen connections among our Actors Center community. Comments/Queries

  • The Writer’s CoLab

    The Writer’s CoLab

    COMPANY COLABS The Writer's CoLab Wednesday Mornings Dates & Times Wednesday, September 20, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Pier 57, 25 11th Ave, Seahorse Room Wednesday, September 27, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, October 4, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, October 11, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, October 18, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, October 25, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, November 1, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, November 8, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, November 15, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Houghton Hall Arts Community, 22 E 30th St, 3rd Floor, The Booth Studio Hosted by Emily Kratter, Lena Kaminsky, and Rebecca Harris About the CoLab The Writer’s CoLab is a space where members can gather to write and share pages. Writing can often be isolating and working from home can be distracting. Our hope is to establish a designated space to work collectively each week, making the writing process more communal, offering accountability, and creating an opportunity to hear work aloud. The first 90 minutes of the meeting will be devoted to independent work. You are welcome to use that time however you’d like. There will be three prompts offered at the beginning of each session to inspire if needed. The second 90 minutes will be devoted to sharing, and reading. Each week, three people will have the opportunity to sign up for a 30 minute slot to use according to what is most helpful for their process. In most cases, the writer will assign roles for their pages, the pages will be read aloud, and if desired, the writer can ask for a round of feedback based upon their specific questions and needs. If you are not writing, but would like to join for the second half of this gathering to participate or listen to the shared work, you are more than welcome. Sessions run Wednesday mornings from 10am-1pm. About the Series Company CoLabs are a series at The Actors Center that offer a framework for collaborative explorations and community programming among company members. Company members host or facilitate projects—play reading groups, explorations of new material or approaches, writing labs, devising work, field trips, retreats—in short, anything inspiring to explore among peers. CoLabs offer creative outlets to explore work you might not otherwise have the opportunity for, while continuing to share resources and deepen connections among our Actors Center community. RSVP Now Comments/Queries

  • Erica Fae: Emotional/Physical Integration (9/21-10/26)

    In-Person Workshop ERICA FAE: Emotional/Physical Integration 6 Thursday Mornings Dates & Times Thursday, September 21, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, September 28, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, October 5, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, October 12, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, October 19, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, October 26, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Gibney: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center 280 Broadway, Studio D – Entrance at 53A Chambers About the Workshop Teacher, director, performer, and writer Erica Fae returns to The Actors Center for a workshop focusing on emotional and physical integration. Over six weeks, participants will investigate the body as a vehicle for deep transformation, a container of emotional experience, and an elegant tool in articulation. Erica will begin with physical training practices based on the work of Jerzy Grotowski to awaken and deepen an already-innate connection to mind, heart, and body integration. Erica will guide participants in expanding their emotional life through full-body training, working with image as a source and tool, and unpacking innate patterns or habits in the body. We will parse out experience, observations, and judgements within the work, seeing how the body can be a roadmap towards specific choices in our work. Sessions run Thursday mornings from 10am-1pm. About Erica Fae Writer, director, performer, and teacher Erica Fae brings radical stories from history to stage and screen. Her first feature To Keep the Light won the Fipresci Prize, among other festival awards, and is currently on Amazon Prime. Her original plays include A Girl Joan, Saved Again and by Him, and Take What Is Yours with Jill A. Samuels. As actor, she's had recurring roles on HBO's Boardwalk Empire and Doll & Em, Netflix's Partner Track, and has performed in numerous films and plays. Erica teaches Physical Acting at Yale's David Geffen School of Drama and is in development on her second feature film. Register Now Participants All participants are asked to attend all sessions. Participants must be able to attend the first two sessions, while limited conflicts can be accommodated in subsequent weeks. Comments/Queries

  • Study Hall: Weekly Writing Space

    Study Hall

    COMPANY COLABS Study Hall Friday Mornings Dates & Times Friday, September 8, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, September 15, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, September 22, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, September 29, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 6, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 13, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 20, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 27, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, November 3, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, November 10, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, November 17, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, December 1, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, December 8, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, December 15, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET On Zoom Hosted by Rebecca Harris About the CoLab Are you feeling that back to school vibe? Do you find yourself buying blank notebooks and 10 packs of rollerball pens? Perhaps you would like to write a play to perform or your add a chapter to your memoir? Maybe you need to apply for a grant for your short film? Or just do some of that onerous paperwork that comes with adulting? Rebecca Harris continues hosting Study Hall, a series of informal gatherings for company members to work on writing projects (or other tasks) you have in development. The idea is to support each other’s progress by providing consistent time, space, and community, to use as you see fit. The group will meet Friday mornings on Zoom from 9:00am-11:00am. In each of the sessions, there will be a quick (optional) check in at the beginning. You can feel free to share an intention for the time (or not.) And then work, cameras on or off. Then reconvene around 10:45am to report back or check out, which is also optional. Please come and go as you wish and feel free to use the time and accountability in the way that best serves your artistic purposes. About the Series Company CoLabs are a series at The Actors Center that offer a framework for collaborative explorations and community programming among company members. Company members host or facilitate projects—play reading groups, explorations of new material or approaches, writing labs, devising work, field trips, retreats—in short, anything inspiring to explore among peers. CoLabs offer creative outlets to explore work you might not otherwise have the opportunity for, while continuing to share resources and deepen connections among our Actors Center community. RSVP Now Comments/Queries

  • Justine Williams: Acting as Play (9/19-9/29)

    Justine Williams: Acting as Play (9/19-9/29)

    In-Person Workshop JUSTINE WILLIAMS: Acting as Play 4 Weekday Mornings Dates & Times Tuesday, September 19, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Friday, September 22, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, September 26, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Friday, September 29, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Alchemical Studios 50 W 17 St, 12th floor, Studio 2 About the Workshop Actor-creator, director and educator Justine Williams returns to The Actors Center for a four day workshop devoted to acting as play. In this workshop, Justine will guide participants through a series of games, play and improvisatory exercises designed to reconnect with our playful impulses. Through these exercises, participants will build a set of tools from the world of play/games to support bringing characters and performance texts magnificently to life. The first week will focus on opening through play and building a shared vocabulary, and in the second week, participants will bring their discoveries and tools to characters and texts that they are excited to explore through the lens of play. Sessions run Tuesday and Friday mornings from 10am-1pm. About Justine Williams Justine Wolf Williams is an actor-creator, director and educator working across performance and film. Through her creative work, she seeks to evoke (and invoke) a sense of playfulness, pathos and poetic possibility. Her performance work has been developed/presented at venues ranging from seedy backroom bars to NY’s snazziest stages and artistic institutions, and her cinematic work has premiered at New Directors | New Films, Woodstock Film Festival, Maryland Film Festival, Rotterdam International Film Festival, and more. Since 2013, she’s been on faculty at the David Geffen School of Drama (YSD) where she teaches play, creative process and collaborative strategies, and facilitates the development of new plays. She runs a thriving coaching practice, and makes her home between Brooklyn and Paris. Register Now Participants Enrollment is limited to 16 participants Comments/Queries

  • Rashaad Ernesto Green: Improvisational Filmmaking (9/23 & 9/24)

    Rashaad Ernesto Green: Improvisational Filmmaking (9/23 & 9/24)

    In-Person Workshop RASHAAD ERNESTO GREEN: Improvisational Filmmaking Weekend Workshop Dates & Times Saturday, September 23, 2023 – 11:00am-3:30pm Sunday, September 24, 2023 –11:00am-3:30pm 68 Jay Street, Brooklyn, Suite #502 About the Workshop Filmmaker, actor, and company member Rashaad Ernesto Green returns to The Actors Center for a weekend workshop devoted to improvisational filmmaking. Rashaad will guide participants through a series of exercises designed to engage a sense of play and provide an entry point to the process of filmmaking. The first day will be geared towards instinctual scene/story creation, where participants will be asked to think on their feet while shooting films within a limited amount of time. The second day will allow participants the option of more prep time as they become more familiar with the available spaces and surrounding areas. Throughout, participants will deepen their understanding of framing and storytelling. We will review the completed exercises and celebrate each other's creations toward the end of each session. Sessions run Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 3:30pm. About Rashaad Ernesto Green New York native Rashaad Ernesto Green is a graduate of Dartmouth College, NYU Tisch Graduate Acting Program and NYU Graduate Film School, and winner of Film Independent Spirit’s Someone to Watch Award. His most recent feature, Premature, premiered at Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by IFC Films (www.prematurefilm.com). Rashaad's first feature, Gun Hill Road, also premiered at Sundance and received nationwide distribution (www.gunhillroad.com). His television directing credits include episodes for Marvel, Netflix, Showtime, Hulu, NBC, Fox, Warner Bros, VH1 and BET. He’s been supported by the Sundance Institute, Tribeca Film Institute, Cinereach, Film Independent, IFP, HBO, NBC, Time Warner, Warner Bros, Humanitas New Voices, Jerome Foundation, NALIP and NHFA. Rashad is currently in development with MGM/Amazon on a feature film entitled ’68. Register Now Participants Enrollment is open to 16 company members. All participants are asked to attend both sessions in full. Comments/Queries

  • Rashaad Ernesto Green: Improvisational Filmmaking (9/23 & 9/24)

    Rashaad Ernesto Green: Improvisational Filmmaking (9/23 & 9/24)

    In-Person Workshop RASHAAD ERNESTO GREEN: Improvisational Filmmaking Weekend Workshop Dates & Times Saturday, September 23, 2023 – 11:00am-3:30pm Sunday, September 24, 2023 –11:00am-3:30pm 68 Jay Street, Brooklyn, Suite #502 About the Workshop Filmmaker, actor, and company member Rashaad Ernesto Green returns to The Actors Center for a weekend workshop devoted to improvisational filmmaking. Rashaad will guide participants through a series of exercises designed to engage a sense of play and provide an entry point to the process of filmmaking. The first day will be geared towards instinctual scene/story creation, where participants will be asked to think on their feet while shooting films within a limited amount of time. The second day will allow participants the option of more prep time as they become more familiar with the available spaces and surrounding areas. Throughout, participants will deepen their understanding of framing and storytelling. We will review the completed exercises and celebrate each other's creations toward the end of each session. Sessions run Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 3:30pm. About Rashaad Ernesto Green New York native Rashaad Ernesto Green is a graduate of Dartmouth College, NYU Tisch Graduate Acting Program and NYU Graduate Film School, and winner of Film Independent Spirit’s Someone to Watch Award. His most recent feature, Premature, premiered at Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by IFC Films (www.prematurefilm.com). Rashaad's first feature, Gun Hill Road, also premiered at Sundance and received nationwide distribution (www.gunhillroad.com). His television directing credits include episodes for Marvel, Netflix, Showtime, Hulu, NBC, Fox, Warner Bros, VH1 and BET. He’s been supported by the Sundance Institute, Tribeca Film Institute, Cinereach, Film Independent, IFP, HBO, NBC, Time Warner, Warner Bros, Humanitas New Voices, Jerome Foundation, NALIP and NHFA. Rashad is currently in development with MGM/Amazon on a feature film entitled ’68. Register Now Participants Enrollment is open to 16 company members. All participants are asked to attend both sessions in full. Comments/Queries

  • Justine Williams: Acting as Play (9/19-9/29)

    Justine Williams: Acting as Play (9/19-9/29)

    In-Person Workshop JUSTINE WILLIAMS: Acting as Play 4 Weekday Mornings Dates & Times Tuesday, September 19, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Friday, September 22, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, September 26, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Friday, September 29, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Alchemical Studios 50 W 17 St, 12th floor, Studio 2 About the Workshop Actor-creator, director and educator Justine Williams returns to The Actors Center for a four day workshop devoted to acting as play. In this workshop, Justine will guide participants through a series of games, play and improvisatory exercises designed to reconnect with our playful impulses. Through these exercises, participants will build a set of tools from the world of play/games to support bringing characters and performance texts magnificently to life. The first week will focus on opening through play and building a shared vocabulary, and in the second week, participants will bring their discoveries and tools to characters and texts that they are excited to explore through the lens of play. Sessions run Tuesday and Friday mornings from 10am-1pm. About Justine Williams Justine Wolf Williams is an actor-creator, director and educator working across performance and film. Through her creative work, she seeks to evoke (and invoke) a sense of playfulness, pathos and poetic possibility. Her performance work has been developed/presented at venues ranging from seedy backroom bars to NY’s snazziest stages and artistic institutions, and her cinematic work has premiered at New Directors | New Films, Woodstock Film Festival, Maryland Film Festival, Rotterdam International Film Festival, and more. Since 2013, she’s been on faculty at the David Geffen School of Drama (YSD) where she teaches play, creative process and collaborative strategies, and facilitates the development of new plays. She runs a thriving coaching practice, and makes her home between Brooklyn and Paris. Register Now Participants Enrollment is limited to 16 participants Comments/Queries

  • Weekly Community Space

    Weekly Community Space

    Company CoLabs Community Space Tuesday Mornings Dates & Times Every Tuesday – 11:00am-12:30pm ET Launch Zoom Link Meeting ID: 837 0411 7798 Passcode: 374737 Hosted by Jodie Lynne McClintock About the CoLab Started three years ago at the height of the Covid-19 lockdown as a way to connect, it has continued weekly as a family of actors navigating the changing landscape of our times. Here you will find a supportive, safe virtual space where artists in our company bring their stories, concerns, questions, recommendations, and inspirations in a free-wheeling but facilitated discussion. With no set agenda, we delve into whatever is of interest or concern in any given week. We explore what it means to be an actor and what place our art holds in the world.  People suggest balm for body and soul while walking hand-in-hand along the actor’s way. About the Series Company CoLabs are a series at The Actors Center that offer a framework for collaborative explorations and community programming among company members. Company members host or facilitate projects—play reading groups, explorations of new material or approaches, writing labs, devising work, field trips, retreats—in short, anything inspiring to explore among peers. CoLabs offer creative outlets to explore work you might not otherwise have the opportunity for, while continuing to share resources and deepen connections among our Actors Center community. Comments/Queries

  • The Writer’s CoLab

    The Writer’s CoLab

    COMPANY COLABS The Writer's CoLab Wednesday Mornings Dates & Times Wednesday, September 20, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Pier 57, 25 11th Ave, Seahorse Room Wednesday, September 27, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, October 4, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, October 11, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, October 18, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, October 25, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, November 1, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, November 8, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, November 15, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Houghton Hall Arts Community, 22 E 30th St, 3rd Floor, The Booth Studio Hosted by Emily Kratter, Lena Kaminsky, and Rebecca Harris About the CoLab The Writer’s CoLab is a space where members can gather to write and share pages. Writing can often be isolating and working from home can be distracting. Our hope is to establish a designated space to work collectively each week, making the writing process more communal, offering accountability, and creating an opportunity to hear work aloud. The first 90 minutes of the meeting will be devoted to independent work. You are welcome to use that time however you’d like. There will be three prompts offered at the beginning of each session to inspire if needed. The second 90 minutes will be devoted to sharing, and reading. Each week, three people will have the opportunity to sign up for a 30 minute slot to use according to what is most helpful for their process. In most cases, the writer will assign roles for their pages, the pages will be read aloud, and if desired, the writer can ask for a round of feedback based upon their specific questions and needs. If you are not writing, but would like to join for the second half of this gathering to participate or listen to the shared work, you are more than welcome. Sessions run Wednesday mornings from 10am-1pm. About the Series Company CoLabs are a series at The Actors Center that offer a framework for collaborative explorations and community programming among company members. Company members host or facilitate projects—play reading groups, explorations of new material or approaches, writing labs, devising work, field trips, retreats—in short, anything inspiring to explore among peers. CoLabs offer creative outlets to explore work you might not otherwise have the opportunity for, while continuing to share resources and deepen connections among our Actors Center community. RSVP Now Comments/Queries

  • Erica Fae: Emotional/Physical Integration (9/21-10/26)

    In-Person Workshop ERICA FAE: Emotional/Physical Integration 6 Thursday Mornings Dates & Times Thursday, September 21, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, September 28, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, October 5, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, October 12, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, October 19, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, October 26, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Gibney: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center 280 Broadway, Studio D – Entrance at 53A Chambers About the Workshop Teacher, director, performer, and writer Erica Fae returns to The Actors Center for a workshop focusing on emotional and physical integration. Over six weeks, participants will investigate the body as a vehicle for deep transformation, a container of emotional experience, and an elegant tool in articulation. Erica will begin with physical training practices based on the work of Jerzy Grotowski to awaken and deepen an already-innate connection to mind, heart, and body integration. Erica will guide participants in expanding their emotional life through full-body training, working with image as a source and tool, and unpacking innate patterns or habits in the body. We will parse out experience, observations, and judgements within the work, seeing how the body can be a roadmap towards specific choices in our work. Sessions run Thursday mornings from 10am-1pm. About Erica Fae Writer, director, performer, and teacher Erica Fae brings radical stories from history to stage and screen. Her first feature To Keep the Light won the Fipresci Prize, among other festival awards, and is currently on Amazon Prime. Her original plays include A Girl Joan, Saved Again and by Him, and Take What Is Yours with Jill A. Samuels. As actor, she's had recurring roles on HBO's Boardwalk Empire and Doll & Em, Netflix's Partner Track, and has performed in numerous films and plays. Erica teaches Physical Acting at Yale's David Geffen School of Drama and is in development on her second feature film. Register Now Participants All participants are asked to attend all sessions. Participants must be able to attend the first two sessions, while limited conflicts can be accommodated in subsequent weeks. Comments/Queries

  • Study Hall: Weekly Writing Space

    Study Hall

    COMPANY COLABS Study Hall Friday Mornings Dates & Times Friday, September 8, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, September 15, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, September 22, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, September 29, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 6, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 13, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 20, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 27, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, November 3, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, November 10, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, November 17, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, December 1, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, December 8, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, December 15, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET On Zoom Hosted by Rebecca Harris About the CoLab Are you feeling that back to school vibe? Do you find yourself buying blank notebooks and 10 packs of rollerball pens? Perhaps you would like to write a play to perform or your add a chapter to your memoir? Maybe you need to apply for a grant for your short film? Or just do some of that onerous paperwork that comes with adulting? Rebecca Harris continues hosting Study Hall, a series of informal gatherings for company members to work on writing projects (or other tasks) you have in development. The idea is to support each other’s progress by providing consistent time, space, and community, to use as you see fit. The group will meet Friday mornings on Zoom from 9:00am-11:00am. In each of the sessions, there will be a quick (optional) check in at the beginning. You can feel free to share an intention for the time (or not.) And then work, cameras on or off. Then reconvene around 10:45am to report back or check out, which is also optional. Please come and go as you wish and feel free to use the time and accountability in the way that best serves your artistic purposes. About the Series Company CoLabs are a series at The Actors Center that offer a framework for collaborative explorations and community programming among company members. Company members host or facilitate projects—play reading groups, explorations of new material or approaches, writing labs, devising work, field trips, retreats—in short, anything inspiring to explore among peers. CoLabs offer creative outlets to explore work you might not otherwise have the opportunity for, while continuing to share resources and deepen connections among our Actors Center community. RSVP Now Comments/Queries

  • Justine Williams: Acting as Play (9/19-9/29)

    Justine Williams: Acting as Play (9/19-9/29)

    In-Person Workshop JUSTINE WILLIAMS: Acting as Play 4 Weekday Mornings Dates & Times Tuesday, September 19, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Friday, September 22, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, September 26, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Friday, September 29, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Alchemical Studios 50 W 17 St, 12th floor, Studio 2 About the Workshop Actor-creator, director and educator Justine Williams returns to The Actors Center for a four day workshop devoted to acting as play. In this workshop, Justine will guide participants through a series of games, play and improvisatory exercises designed to reconnect with our playful impulses. Through these exercises, participants will build a set of tools from the world of play/games to support bringing characters and performance texts magnificently to life. The first week will focus on opening through play and building a shared vocabulary, and in the second week, participants will bring their discoveries and tools to characters and texts that they are excited to explore through the lens of play. Sessions run Tuesday and Friday mornings from 10am-1pm. About Justine Williams Justine Wolf Williams is an actor-creator, director and educator working across performance and film. Through her creative work, she seeks to evoke (and invoke) a sense of playfulness, pathos and poetic possibility. Her performance work has been developed/presented at venues ranging from seedy backroom bars to NY’s snazziest stages and artistic institutions, and her cinematic work has premiered at New Directors | New Films, Woodstock Film Festival, Maryland Film Festival, Rotterdam International Film Festival, and more. Since 2013, she’s been on faculty at the David Geffen School of Drama (YSD) where she teaches play, creative process and collaborative strategies, and facilitates the development of new plays. She runs a thriving coaching practice, and makes her home between Brooklyn and Paris. Register Now Participants Enrollment is limited to 16 participants Comments/Queries

  • Maribeth Fox: Self Tape Lab (10/2&10/3)

    Maribeth Fox: Self Tape Feedback (10/2 & 10/3)

    In-Person Workshop MARIBETH FOX: Self Tape Feedback 2 Weekday Mornings Dates & Times Monday, October 2, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, October 3, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Actors Theatre Workshop 145 West 28th Street, 3rd Floor This workshop is open to observers. All company members are invited to attend. No RSVP needed to observe. About the Workshop Casting director Maribeth Fox joins The Actors Center for the first time for a series of Self Tape Feedback sessions. Self Taping can feel like acting in a vacuum with so little feedback from casting. Prior to each session, Maribeth will assign 8-10 actors a scene to self tape. We’ll review the tape in the session and she will give you notes from every aspect—from technical improvements to thoughts on scene structure—making your tape stand out from the noise. Sessions run Monday and Tuesday morning from 10am-1pm. About Maribeth Fox Maribeth Fox has worked with Laura Rosenthal Casting for fifteen years and has had the privilege of working alongside major talents like Todd Haynes, Paolo Sorrentino, Oren Moverman, Joachim Trier, Ed Burns, Mindy Kaling, Anton Corbijn, and Lisa Cholodenko as well as up and coming feature directors, Guy Nattiv, Olivia Newman, & Paul Downs Colaizzo. Favorite credits include Olive Kitteridge and Mildred Pierce both for HBO, Jay-Z’s music video for Smile, Wonderstruck with Todd Haynes, A Quiet Place, Modern Love for Amazon and Liz Garbus’ narrative feature debut, Lost Girls. Two of her three films at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival broke sales records, Late Night and Brittany Runs A Marathon. Most recent credits include Sharper for Apple TV, directed by Benjamin Caron, Bottoms, produced by Elizabeth Banks, Murder Mystery 2 with Happy Madison, and the upcoming A Different Man from Killer Films and A24. Register Now Participants Enrollment is open to 16 company members. Participants should endeavor to be there both days in full, but slight conflicts can be accommodated. Comments/Queries

  • Leigh Kilton-Smith: In Conversation (10/2)

    Leigh Kilton-Smith: In Conversation (10/2)

    Speaker Series LEIGH KILTON-SMITH: In Conversation with Erik Liberman Dates & Times Monday, October 2, 2023 – 7:00pm-9:00pm Actors Theatre Workshop 145 West 28th Street, 3rd Floor Open to All Company Members About The Event Los Angeles based teacher and acting coach Leigh Kilton-Smith joins Erik Liberman and members of the company for an evening of conversation about her work and career. For 35 years, Leigh has maintained a balance between classroom work at her studio in LA, and being an in-demand acting coach on sets around the world. She is in New York for the month of October to work with The Actors Center and teach privately. Her work is reflected in dozens of award-winning performances in notable projects, including Oppenheimer, Elvis, Vengeance, Manchester by the Sea, White Lotus, Burlesque, Anne Boleyn, Murder Mystery, Queen & Slim, Iron Man, Aladdin, White Boy Rick, and the forthcoming True Detective directed by Issa Lopes, Doug Liman’s The Instigator, Cary Fukunaga’s Masters of the Air, and Jamie Lloyd’s West End revival of Sunset Boulevard, starring Nicole Scherzinger. Collaborators include: B.J. Novak, Jodie Turner-Smith, Lukas Gage, Austin Butler, Guy Ritchie, Casey Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Kathryn Hahn, John Leguizamo, Tony Goldwyn, Gabrielle Union, Desi Lydic, Zac Efron, Diane Lane, and Sam Rockwell. Producers, writers, directors, and actors alike have sought her input. According to Leigh, “Any creative who is confident enough in their own craft that they willingly welcome an opinion not their own, is my kind of visionary,” adding, “I am not the right teacher for everyone… I’d say the one thing that sets me apart is that I have spent an enormous amount of time in the trenches, crafting performances in real time, on set… I love Actors and I love my job.” RSVP to Attend Comments/Queries

  • Maribeth Fox: Self Tape Lab (10/2&10/3)

    Maribeth Fox: Self Tape Feedback (10/2 & 10/3)

    In-Person Workshop MARIBETH FOX: Self Tape Feedback 2 Weekday Mornings Dates & Times Monday, October 2, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Tuesday, October 3, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Actors Theatre Workshop 145 West 28th Street, 3rd Floor This workshop is open to observers. All company members are invited to attend. No RSVP needed to observe. About the Workshop Casting director Maribeth Fox joins The Actors Center for the first time for a series of Self Tape Feedback sessions. Self Taping can feel like acting in a vacuum with so little feedback from casting. Prior to each session, Maribeth will assign 8-10 actors a scene to self tape. We’ll review the tape in the session and she will give you notes from every aspect—from technical improvements to thoughts on scene structure—making your tape stand out from the noise. Sessions run Monday and Tuesday morning from 10am-1pm. About Maribeth Fox Maribeth Fox has worked with Laura Rosenthal Casting for fifteen years and has had the privilege of working alongside major talents like Todd Haynes, Paolo Sorrentino, Oren Moverman, Joachim Trier, Ed Burns, Mindy Kaling, Anton Corbijn, and Lisa Cholodenko as well as up and coming feature directors, Guy Nattiv, Olivia Newman, & Paul Downs Colaizzo. Favorite credits include Olive Kitteridge and Mildred Pierce both for HBO, Jay-Z’s music video for Smile, Wonderstruck with Todd Haynes, A Quiet Place, Modern Love for Amazon and Liz Garbus’ narrative feature debut, Lost Girls. Two of her three films at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival broke sales records, Late Night and Brittany Runs A Marathon. Most recent credits include Sharper for Apple TV, directed by Benjamin Caron, Bottoms, produced by Elizabeth Banks, Murder Mystery 2 with Happy Madison, and the upcoming A Different Man from Killer Films and A24. Register Now Participants Enrollment is open to 16 company members. Participants should endeavor to be there both days in full, but slight conflicts can be accommodated. Comments/Queries

  • Weekly Community Space

    Weekly Community Space

    Company CoLabs Community Space Tuesday Mornings Dates & Times Every Tuesday – 11:00am-12:30pm ET Launch Zoom Link Meeting ID: 837 0411 7798 Passcode: 374737 Hosted by Jodie Lynne McClintock About the CoLab Started three years ago at the height of the Covid-19 lockdown as a way to connect, it has continued weekly as a family of actors navigating the changing landscape of our times. Here you will find a supportive, safe virtual space where artists in our company bring their stories, concerns, questions, recommendations, and inspirations in a free-wheeling but facilitated discussion. With no set agenda, we delve into whatever is of interest or concern in any given week. We explore what it means to be an actor and what place our art holds in the world.  People suggest balm for body and soul while walking hand-in-hand along the actor’s way. About the Series Company CoLabs are a series at The Actors Center that offer a framework for collaborative explorations and community programming among company members. Company members host or facilitate projects—play reading groups, explorations of new material or approaches, writing labs, devising work, field trips, retreats—in short, anything inspiring to explore among peers. CoLabs offer creative outlets to explore work you might not otherwise have the opportunity for, while continuing to share resources and deepen connections among our Actors Center community. Comments/Queries

  • The Writer’s CoLab

    The Writer’s CoLab

    COMPANY COLABS The Writer's CoLab Wednesday Mornings Dates & Times Wednesday, September 20, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Pier 57, 25 11th Ave, Seahorse Room Wednesday, September 27, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, October 4, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, October 11, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, October 18, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, October 25, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, November 1, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, November 8, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Wednesday, November 15, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Houghton Hall Arts Community, 22 E 30th St, 3rd Floor, The Booth Studio Hosted by Emily Kratter, Lena Kaminsky, and Rebecca Harris About the CoLab The Writer’s CoLab is a space where members can gather to write and share pages. Writing can often be isolating and working from home can be distracting. Our hope is to establish a designated space to work collectively each week, making the writing process more communal, offering accountability, and creating an opportunity to hear work aloud. The first 90 minutes of the meeting will be devoted to independent work. You are welcome to use that time however you’d like. There will be three prompts offered at the beginning of each session to inspire if needed. The second 90 minutes will be devoted to sharing, and reading. Each week, three people will have the opportunity to sign up for a 30 minute slot to use according to what is most helpful for their process. In most cases, the writer will assign roles for their pages, the pages will be read aloud, and if desired, the writer can ask for a round of feedback based upon their specific questions and needs. If you are not writing, but would like to join for the second half of this gathering to participate or listen to the shared work, you are more than welcome. Sessions run Wednesday mornings from 10am-1pm. About the Series Company CoLabs are a series at The Actors Center that offer a framework for collaborative explorations and community programming among company members. Company members host or facilitate projects—play reading groups, explorations of new material or approaches, writing labs, devising work, field trips, retreats—in short, anything inspiring to explore among peers. CoLabs offer creative outlets to explore work you might not otherwise have the opportunity for, while continuing to share resources and deepen connections among our Actors Center community. RSVP Now Comments/Queries

  • Erica Fae: Emotional/Physical Integration (9/21-10/26)

    In-Person Workshop ERICA FAE: Emotional/Physical Integration 6 Thursday Mornings Dates & Times Thursday, September 21, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, September 28, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, October 5, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, October 12, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, October 19, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Thursday, October 26, 2023 – 10:00am-1:00pm Gibney: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center 280 Broadway, Studio D – Entrance at 53A Chambers About the Workshop Teacher, director, performer, and writer Erica Fae returns to The Actors Center for a workshop focusing on emotional and physical integration. Over six weeks, participants will investigate the body as a vehicle for deep transformation, a container of emotional experience, and an elegant tool in articulation. Erica will begin with physical training practices based on the work of Jerzy Grotowski to awaken and deepen an already-innate connection to mind, heart, and body integration. Erica will guide participants in expanding their emotional life through full-body training, working with image as a source and tool, and unpacking innate patterns or habits in the body. We will parse out experience, observations, and judgements within the work, seeing how the body can be a roadmap towards specific choices in our work. Sessions run Thursday mornings from 10am-1pm. About Erica Fae Writer, director, performer, and teacher Erica Fae brings radical stories from history to stage and screen. Her first feature To Keep the Light won the Fipresci Prize, among other festival awards, and is currently on Amazon Prime. Her original plays include A Girl Joan, Saved Again and by Him, and Take What Is Yours with Jill A. Samuels. As actor, she's had recurring roles on HBO's Boardwalk Empire and Doll & Em, Netflix's Partner Track, and has performed in numerous films and plays. Erica teaches Physical Acting at Yale's David Geffen School of Drama and is in development on her second feature film. Register Now Participants All participants are asked to attend all sessions. Participants must be able to attend the first two sessions, while limited conflicts can be accommodated in subsequent weeks. Comments/Queries

  • Study Hall: Weekly Writing Space

    Study Hall

    COMPANY COLABS Study Hall Friday Mornings Dates & Times Friday, September 8, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, September 15, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, September 22, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, September 29, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 6, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 13, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 20, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, October 27, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, November 3, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, November 10, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, November 17, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, December 1, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, December 8, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET Friday, December 15, 2023 - 9:00am-11:00am ET On Zoom Hosted by Rebecca Harris About the CoLab Are you feeling that back to school vibe? Do you find yourself buying blank notebooks and 10 packs of rollerball pens? Perhaps you would like to write a play to perform or your add a chapter to your memoir? Maybe you need to apply for a grant for your short film? Or just do some of that onerous paperwork that comes with adulting? Rebecca Harris continues hosting Study Hall, a series of informal gatherings for company members to work on writing projects (or other tasks) you have in development. The idea is to support each other’s progress by providing consistent time, space, and community, to use as you see fit. The group will meet Friday mornings on Zoom from 9:00am-11:00am. In each of the sessions, there will be a quick (optional) check in at the beginning. You can feel free to share an intention for the time (or not.) And then work, cameras on or off. Then reconvene around 10:45am to report back or check out, which is also optional. Please come and go as you wish and feel free to use the time and accountability in the way that best serves your artistic purposes. About the Series Company CoLabs are a series at The Actors Center that offer a framework for collaborative explorations and community programming among company members. Company members host or facilitate projects—play reading groups, explorations of new material or approaches, writing labs, devising work, field trips, retreats—in short, anything inspiring to explore among peers. CoLabs offer creative outlets to explore work you might not otherwise have the opportunity for, while continuing to share resources and deepen connections among our Actors Center community. RSVP Now Comments/Queries