Our fall session of classes will begin the week of September 18, 2006. Course descriptions available below. ACTING DIRECTING AND AUDITIONING PHYSICAL THEATRE VOICE PLAYWRITING SPECIAL WORKSHOP ACTING ACTING—BEGINNING LEVEL Instructor: Andrew Hurteau A basic understanding of the fundamentals of acting via a Stanislavski-based practice is developed in this 10-week class. Through exercises and scene work, students are introduced to the elements of dramatic action, text analysis and character development, as well as tools for releasing inhibitions and expanding vocal and physical range. Can be repeated. Andrew Hurteau has been acting and teaching since he graduated from the American Conservatory Theater. He has performed with Cal Shakes, Berkeley Rep, Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, Aurora Theatre Company and throughout the Bay Area. Andrew teaches at A.C.T., the Academy of Art University and the Nueva School. Dates: Tuesdays (9/19, 9/26, 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 10/31, 11/7, 11/14, 11/21), 7–9PM Tuition: $280.00 EMERGING ARTIST SERIES—BEGINNING/INTERMEDIATE LEVEL Instructors: Deborah Eubanks (voice), Greg Hubbard (movement), Andrew Hurteau (improv) Immerse yourself into the world of a theatre artist. Enhance and improve your acting by studying vocal, movement and improv techniques. Beginning and/or intermediate students will have an opportunity to focus on each of these disciplines. By systematically working through a series of creative vocal warm ups and exercises, students will begin to access a richer musicality and expression in their natural speaking voices, along with an understanding of the anatomy and physiology of their vocal machine by working with famous speeches and poems. Learn to connect to your physical impulses and develop your powers of selectivity. Popularized by Anne Bogart’s SITI Company, the Viewpoints will change the way you think about your tools as an actor, while pushing you to expand your physical vocabulary and encouraging you to work off of what’s happening in the moment. Next, students explore improv through theatre games, acting and storytelling exercises and basic scenes. Concentrate on developing listening skills and accepting offers to facilitate creative and dynamic scenes. Deborah Eubanks majored in Theater Arts at Harold Pinter Studios (England). She has performed with BBC’s Hugh Stoddard and designed and implemented workshops with Stephen Hawking’s Company at Covent Garden Arts Center (Cambridge). She has written and directed for London’s Age Exchange, created and produced two teen operettas and has been teaching and directing in Bay Area for sixteen years. She has taught A.C.T., S.F Shakes and U.S.F. Greg Hubbard has taught at Cal Shakes, SF Shakes, Marin Theatre Co., Marin Shakes, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, TheatreWorks and New Conservatory. Greg has a B.F.A. in Acting from U.C. Santa Barbara and an M.F.A. in Directing from Ohio Univ. Local directing credits include productions of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, The House of Blue Leaves, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Country Wife. Greg is the Casting Associate at A.C.T. Andrew Hurteau has been acting and teaching since he graduated from the American Conservatory Theater. He has performed with Cal Shakes, Berkeley Rep, Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, Aurora Theatre Company and throughout the Bay Area. Andrew teaches at A.C.T., the Academy of Art University and the Nueva School. Dates: Thursdays (9/21, 9/28, 10/5, 10/12, 10/19, 10/26, 11/2, 11/9, 11/16, 11/30), 7–9PM Tuition: $280.00 ACTING SHAKESPEARE—ALL LEVELS Instructor: Andy Murray Experience how the study of the technical aspects of Shakespeare’s language can empower your acting. Explore the full range of expressive possibilities, breathe life into the text and make yourself a dynamic speaker. Develop your potential physically, vocally and imaginatively. The class will cover all aspects of literal and poetic meaning including rhetoric, rhythm (verse, iambic pentameter, scansion, phrasal movement), figures of speech (metaphor, antithesis, rhyme, puns, alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, repetition), prose, dialogue and soliloquy. Most importantly, you will learn how to marry the technical elements to imaginatively chosen actions while working on monologues and scenes. Andy Murray has played leading roles at Cal Shakes, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, SF Shakes as well as A.C.T., Berkeley Rep, San Jose Rep, Seattle Rep, Magic Theatre among others. He has taught at Vista College and Cal Shakes where he is also an Associate Artist. Dates: Mondays (9/18, 9/25, 10/2, 10/9, 10/16), 7–10PM Tuition: $190.00 ACTING—INTERMEDIATE Instructor: Marvin Greene Students analyze and perform scenes straight from dramatic literature. Special emphasis is placed on encouraging the actor to focus their intelligence and imagination on making dramatically effective choices by playing provocative actions, discovering the event within the scene and finding creative obstacles. Prerequisite: Prior acting experience or previous acting classes that stressed the fundamentals of text analysis, beat breakdown and character objectives at the School of Theatre or another reputable theatre studio. Can be repeated. Marvin Greene is a professional actor and has performed with major regional theatres such as A.C.T., Aurora Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre and San Jose Rep. Marvin has been an instructor at A.C.T. since 1994 and also teaches at U.C. Berkeley and at the Academy of Art College in SF. Dates: Tuesdays (9/19, 9/26, 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 10/31, 11/7, 11/14, 11/21), 7–10PM Tuition: $330.00 ACTING CHEKHOV INTENSIVE—INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED LEVEL Instructor: Andy Murray The plays of Anton Chekhov are regarded as some of the greatest ever written. They explore the full range of human experience—love, despair, absurdity, longing, jealousy, ecstasy, and give us moments which are at the heart of why we go to the theatre—jolts of visceral connection. Forget the inconsequential conversations and passivity, these people hurl themselves at life and fight for the things they need with their last breath. Students will work on scenes from several of the plays and we’ll find choices and actions which will bring these complex characters to full life. Prerequisite: Prior acting experience in an intermediate level class. Andy Murray has played leading roles at Cal Shakes, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, SF Shakes as well as A.C.T., Berkeley Rep, San Jose Rep, Seattle Rep, Magic Theatre among others. He has taught at Vista College and Cal Shakes where he is also an Associate Artist. Dates: Saturdays (9/23, 9/30, 10/7, 10/14) 11AM–2PM Tuition: $160.00 PREPARING TO BE SURPRISED: PRACTICAL TECHNIQUES FOR ADVANCED ACTORS Instructor: Anthony Fusco This work is based on a simple philosophy: Spontaneous behavior is more interesting than planned behavior. Learn how to bring the feeling of “real life” into your work, shake up your approach and actually be surprised by your own acting. Through text analysis, monologues, scene study and improvisation, learn simple and powerful tools that can be used in rehearsal and performance, in any medium, without disrupting the work of colleagues. Due to the emphasis on monologues and scene study, students should be prepared to devote at least a few hours per week outside of class to rehearsal. Please have a short, contemporary monologue memorized and ready to work on for the first day of class. Space is limited and by audition only. Please call 510.647.2978 to set up an appointment. Anthony Fusco has performed on Broadway, off-Broadway and at many regional theatres including A.C.T., The Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, A Traveling Jewish Theatre and Cal Shakes, where he is an associate artist. His work has been honored with the Bay Area Critics Circle award as well as several Dean Goodman Choice awards. He has also taught and directed for A.C.T.’s M.F.A. and Young Conservatory programs. Anthony graduated from The Juilliard School and studied with The Barrow Group School (NYC). Dates: Saturdays (10/21, 10/28, 11/4, 11/11, 11/18, 12/2, 12/9, 12/16), 11AM–2PM Tuition: $300.00 THE REHEARSAL PROCESS: FROM SCRIPT TO STAGE—PROFESSIONAL LEVEL Instructor: Roni Dengel This course will help the actor hone skills absolutely necessary for the entire rehearsal process—from analyzing text, to unearthing character hidden beneath words, silences and actions, to exploring complex motivations and making strong, daring choices that make the scenes sizzle. We will use strong Stanislavsky-based technique to enable the actor to imagine, justify and experience everything the script demands. We will also deal with common obstacles to fully realized character work: physical tension, self-consciousness, inability to trust one’s instrument, lack of concentration, etc. Scenes and/or monologues will be assigned each week and actors will be expected to fully commit to the entire six week series, out of professional consideration for their scene partners. To apply for this workshop, actors must send a resume of previous training and professional experience to school@berkeleyrep.org or mail it to Berkeley Rep School of Theatre / Nevo Education Center / 2025 Addison Street / Berkeley, CA 94704. Roni Dengel has enjoyed a long, successful career as an actress, playing leads on Broadway and in regional theatres throughout the USA, as well as in scores of prime time television drams. Before coming to Berkeley Rep, she was a master teacher at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City and The Actors Centre in London’s West End, where she also directed plays of Tennessee Williams and Anton Chekhov. She is the Founding Artistic Director of the award-winning CharActors Theatre Company and The Working Actor professional theatre studio, both in New York City. Dates: Mondays (9/18, 9/25, 10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23), 6–9PM Tuition: $350.00 MASTER CLASS IN SCENE STUDY AND CREATING CHARACTER—PROFESSIONAL LEVEL Instructor: Roni Dengel This Master Class for professional actors will focus on the techniques, demands and discoveries necessary for advanced character development. We will concentrate on creating and sustaining physical adjustments, many-layered psychological conflicts and fully experienced emotional truth in every scene. The work will stimulate the actors’ access to sense memory and emotional recall and stretch the creative imagination through improvisation and carefully chosen substitutions. We will also deal with moments of difficulty and common obstacles to creating character. Scenes will be assigned each week and actors will be expected to fully commit to the entire six week series, out of consideration for their scene partners. To apply for this workshop, actors must send a resume of previous training and professional experience to school@berkeleyrep.org or mail it to Berkeley Rep School of Theatre / Nevo Education Center / 2025 Addison Street / Berkeley, CA 94704. Roni Dengel has enjoyed a long, successful career as an actress, playing leads on Broadway and in regional theatres throughout the USA, as well as in scores of prime time television drams. Before coming to Berkeley Rep, she was a master teacher at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City and The Actors Centre in London’s West End, where she also directed plays of Tennessee Williams and Anton Chekhov. She is the Founding Artistic Director of the award-winning CharActors Theatre Company and The Working Actor professional theatre studio, both in New York City. Dates: Mondays (11/6, 11/13, 11/20, 11/27, 12/4, 12/11), 6–9PM Tuition: $350.00 BACK TO TOP DIRECTING AND AUDITIONING PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP FOR ACTORS AND DIRECTORS WITH TONY TACCONE Instructor: Tony Taccone This four day intensive will cover the process of the audition, the callback and the rehearsal, respectively. On the third and fourth days, students will focus on “the rehearsal” which will examine the process and application thorough script analysis. Students are asked to read Hamlet and a new contemporary play and prepare a 10-minute presentation of one of these plays to the class. Come prepared with two contrasting monologues (one and half minutes each). Class limited to 14 students. To apply, please submit an acting resume to: Berkeley Rep School of Theatre / Nevo Education Center / 2025 Addison Street / Berkeley, CA 94704, or e-mail a resume to school@berkeleyrep.org. Tony Taccone is the artistic director of Berkeley Rep, where he has worked since 1988 and served in his current position since 1997. His most recent directorial credits include the world premiere of David Edgar’s Continental Divide for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Rep, Birmingham Rep (UK), the Barbicon Theatre (UK) and the La Jolla Playhouse, and Sarah Jones’ Bridge and Tunnel in New York City. He has directed more than twenty-five plays for Berkeley Rep including Surface Transit, Homebody/Kabul, Culture Clash in AmeriCCa and The Oresteia. Before coming to Berkeley Rep, Mr. Taccone served as the Artistic Director of Eureka Theatre in San Francisco. He has also worked at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arizona Theatre Company, San Jose Rep and Yale Rep. He had the great honor of co-directing the world premiere of Angels in America at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Dates: December 11–14, 7–10PM Tuition: $190.00 AUDITION INTENSIVE Instructor: Hector Correa Prepare yourself for your next audition, whether it’s for the TBA’s, grad school or a local theatre company. The sole focus of this class is in-depth audition work with special emphasis on making the most engaging, dramatically-compelling choices possible. Prerequisite: students must have at least one prepared monologue to work on as well as prior acting training and/or experience. Hector Correa is an area actor, director and teacher. He has appeared at A.C.T., Berkeley Rep, Theatre on the Square, Marin Theatre Company, SF Shakes, Magic Theatre and Eureka Theatre. Mr. Correa has directed numerous productions and has also appeared with the Kennedy Center, Off-Broadway and various rep companies around the country. Film and TV credits include America’s Most Wanted, Common Threads and Beverly Hills Cop III. Dates: Mondays (9/18, 9/25, 10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 10/30, 11/6, 11/13, 11/20), 7–10PM Tuition: $330.00 ONE-ON-ONE AUDITION COACHING Don’t be caught unprepared for an upcoming audition. Berkeley Rep faculty are now offering actors the opportunity to work on contemporary and classical monologues. Make choices that you feel confident about. Be directed by and collaborate with working professionals. Please call the School of Theatre at 510.647.2972 to schedule a coaching session. Dates/Times: To be scheduled with the instructor Tuition: $60.00/hour BACK TO TOP PHYSICAL THEATRE LABAN MOVEMENT FOR ACTORS Instructor: Adam Kenyon Venker Movement is our most direct and pervasive means of communication. One simple action, a shift in weight, can immediately reveal a character’s entire world, thought and feeling. Rudolf Laban articulated a rich and expressive framework for creating eloquent movement and harnessing its power. This ten week course will provide students with a detailed and comprehensive introduction into Laban’s work. By focusing on the unique demands of theatrical performance, we will develop creative inroads into Laban’s work with Body, Effort, Shape and Space. Each of these categories offers a treasure trove of insights, practices and applications certain to support and strengthen the actor’s craft. Areas of special emphasis include: character development, creating an articulate body, embodying textual elements and accessing Laban’s Effort actions, states and drives. Prerequisite: Prior acting experience in an intermediate level class. Adam Kenyon Venker is a Bay Area actor, dancer, improvisor and clown. He is a certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement and teaches movement, acting and performance at the Clown Conservatory, The San Francisco Actor’s Center and Moving On Center. Mr. Venker is a graduate of the Clown Conservatory (2002) at the Circus Center of San Francisco, a member of Pacific Playback Theatre and holds a Master’s Degree in Philosophy, Cosmology and Consciousness from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Dates: Wednesdays (9/20, 9/27, 10/4, 10/11, 10/18, 10/25, 11/1, 11/8, 11/15, 11/22), 7–10PM Tuition: $330.00 STAGE COMBAT—RAPIER AND DAGGER Ages 16 to adult Instructor: Dave Maier Don’t just act, Fight! Increase your versatility as a performing artist. Learn theatrical swordplay with an emphasis on safety and telling the story of the fight. Layer acting principles over fight techniques to create the illusion of violence and support the playwright’s intensions. Students will rehearse and perform a Shakespearean scene containing theatrical violence. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to take a skills proficiency test for recognition as an actor combatant with Dueling Arts International. Dave Maier is an Associate Instructor with Dueling Arts International. He has choreographed fights for A.C.T. (Mainstage and M.F.A. program), Berkeley Rep, Crowded Fire, S.F. Playhouse and The Shotgun Players, among others. He has trained with Dueling Arts International and the Society of American Fight Directors. As the Outreach Coordinator at Berkeley Rep School of Theatre he has taught stage combat workshops throughout the Bay Area. He has also taught for the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, Cal Shakes, Seattle Rep, Intiman and Seattle Children’s Theatre. Dates: Mondays (10/30, 11/6, 11/13, 11/20, 11/27, 12/4, 12/11, 12/18), 7–9:30PM Tuition: $280.00 BACK TO TOP VOICE CABARET: A PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP Instructor: Billy Philadelphia Cabaret is an intimate and personal art form. It’s about the lyrics of great songs and the stories they tell. In this course, under the tutelage and piano accompaniment of a well-known cabaret artist, perform several songs of your choice. The repertoire of cabaret is wide-ranging; choose songs from The Great American Songbook, musical theatre, pop, rhythm-and-blues, country and even original tunes. The emphasis in this class is more on presentational style and emotional subtext than on vocal technique. Beginners are welcome. Come prepared to perform at the first class. Our last session is a recital for friends and family. Billy Philadelphia is a musician, singer, musical director, composer, actor and teacher. As a cabaret artist he frequently performs with his wife, Meg Mackay, and they have recorded 3 CDs. He has taught at UC Extension and was one of the faculty at the First Cabaret Conference at Yale University in 2003. Last year his show, Hoagy, which debuted in San Francisco in 1987, was remounted at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami, to rave reviews. Dates: Wednesdays (9/20, 9/27, 10/4, 10/11, 10/18, 10/25, 11/1, 11/8, 11/15, 11/22), 7–10PM Tuition: $330.00 VOICE FOR BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS Instructor: Deborah Eubanks This class is for business professionals who need a clear, well-produced and sustained speaking voice. Incorrect and excessive use of the voice on a daily basis often results in stress-related physical symptoms. Increased wear and tear on the larynx renders it less efficient and causes a cycle of strain and pain. Learn how to safely and comfortably free and sustain your natural voice. Speak more effectively with minimal effort and capture and hold your listeners’ attention. This class will give you a better understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the vocal mechanism and will work methodically on exercises to improve posture, breath control, enunciation and projection. Students will be encouraged to write their own speeches. Deborah Eubanks majored in Theater Arts at Harold Pinter Studios (England). She has performed with BBC’s Hugh Stoddard and designed and implemented workshops with Stephen Hawking’s Company at Covent Garden Arts Center (Cambridge). She has written and directed for London’s Age Exchange, created and produced two teen operettas and has been teaching and directing in Bay Area for sixteen years. She has taught at A.C.T., S.F Shakes and U.S.F. Dates: Thursdays (10/12, 10/19, 10/26, 11/2, 11/9, 11/16, 11/30), 7–10PM Tuition: $280.00 BACK TO TOP PLAYWRITING PLAYWRITING Instructor: Gary Graves This class is for anyone who has ever wanted to write a play as well as for those who have already written one and want to develop it further in the context of a writers group. This playwriting course provides a structure in which to write, deadlines for presenting work and a group of writers with whom to share and discuss projects. Discussion topics include writing dialogue, effective exposition, character development, dramatic structure and the basics of marketing a finished play. Students develop a work of their choosing during the course, present portions of the work in various forms to the class and submit the work to the instructor at the end of the course for written response. Gary Graves is a company co-director of Central Works Theater Ensemble in Berkeley, dedicated to the development of new works. He has written and directed productions with Central Works, U.C. Berkeley, Hardback Theater and American Theater Arts. He holds an M.F.A. in Playwriting from Southern Illinois University and a Ph.D. in directing from U.C. Berkeley. Dates: Tuesdays (9/19, 9/26, 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 10/31, 11/7, 11/14, 11/21), 7–10PM Tuition: $330.00 BACK TO TOP SPECIAL WORKSHOP PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP FOR ACTORS AND DIRECTORS WITH TONY TACCONE Instructor: Tony Taccone This four day intensive will cover the process of the audition, the callback and the rehearsal, respectively. On the third and fourth days, students will focus on “the rehearsal” which will examine the process and application thorough script analysis. Students are asked to read Hamlet and a new contemporary play and prepare a 10-minute presentation of one of these plays to the class. Come prepared with two contrasting monologues (one and half minutes each). Class limited to 14 students. To apply, please submit an acting resume to: Berkeley Rep School of Theatre / Nevo Education Center / 2025 Addison Street / Berkeley, CA 94704, or e-mail a resume to school@berkeleyrep.org. Tony Taccone is the artistic director of Berkeley Rep, where he has worked since 1988 and served in his current position since 1997. His most recent directorial credits include the world premiere of David Edgar’s Continental Divide for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Rep, Birmingham Rep (UK), the Barbicon Theatre (UK) and the La Jolla Playhouse, and Sarah Jones’ Bridge and Tunnel in New York City. He has directed more than twenty-five plays for Berkeley Rep including Surface Transit, Homebody/Kabul, Culture Clash in AmeriCCa and The Oresteia. Before coming to Berkeley Rep, Mr. Taccone served as the Artistic Director of Eureka Theatre in San Francisco. He has also worked at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arizona Theatre Company, San Jose Rep and Yale Rep. He had the great honor of co-directing the world premiere of Angels in America at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Dates: December 11–14, 7–10PM Tuition: $190.00 BACK TO TOP