adult classes
Our summer session of classes will begin the week of July 7, 2008. Course descriptions available below.
acting
acting (beginning)
Instructor: Michael Navarra
Develop a basic understanding of the fundamentals of acting via a Stanislavski-based practice in this 6-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.
Michael Navarra is an Equity actor who has played leading roles with Alter Theater, Central Works, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Pacific Alliance Stage Company, Pacific Repertory Theatre, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Sierra Repertory Theatre, Shakespeare a Firenze in Italy, Word for Word and Z Space Studio. He recently played Biff in Death of a Salesman with Traveling Jewish Theatre. Michael is a graduate of UC Irvine and holds an M.F.A. in acting from the University of Washington. He has previously taught at Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival and University of Washington.
Mondays, 7–10PM • 7/7, 7/14, 7/21, 7/28, 8/4, 8/11 • $275
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. He also teaches at UC Berkeley and the Academy of Art College in San Francisco.
Wednesdays, 7–10PM • 7/9, 7/16, 7/23, 7/30, 8/6, 8/13 • $275
acting (advanced)
Instructor: Andrew Hurteau
Advanced Acting is an intensive scene study course for people with previous acting training and/or experience. The class focuses on solidifying technique, deepening internal connection and strengthening textual analysis skills. Scenes are drawn from a variety of styles and genres, and students should expect to spend substantial rehearsal time outside of class. Students must apply for this class by sending a resume to school@berkeleyrep.org or mailing it to Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, Nevo Education Center, 2025 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94704. Can be repeated.
Andrew Hurteau has been acting and teaching since he graduated from A.C.T.’s M.F.A. program. He has performed with A.C.T., Aurora Theatre Company, Berkeley Rep, Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company and throughout the Bay Area. Andrew teaches at A.C.T., the Academy of Art University and the Nueva School.
Wednesdays, 7–10PM • 7/9, 7/16, 7/23, 7/30, 8/6, 8/13 • $275
acting shakespeare: twelfth night (all levels)
Instructor: Andy Murray
Analyze and explore Twelfth Night with actor / teacher Andy Murray—and then watch him perform in the Cal Shakes production this summer. One of Shakespeare’s most popular and accessible plays, Twelfth Night is a complex comedy with scenes of farcical humor, romance and cruelty. It presents us with questions about identity, illusion, love, devotion and loss. We will explore this great play—its story, language, characters and themes—and analyze specific scenes in depth, dramatizing all we have found through actions while working on scenes and monologues from the play. Students will learn an artistic process that can be applied when working on any of Shakespeare’s plays. Students will be expected to read the play in preparation for the class and should bring a copy of the play with them to class.
Andy Murray has taught at Berkeley Rep School of Theatre for six years, and has played leading roles at A.C.T., Berkeley Rep, Cal Shakes, McCarter Theatre Center, San Jose Rep, Seattle Rep, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, San Francisco Shakespeare and The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC, among others. He has also taught for Vista College and Cal Shakes.
Mondays, 7–10PM • 7/7, 7/14, 7/21, 7/28, 8/4, 8/11 • $275
generating new material: heart of a poet / mind of an actor / body of a gymnast
Instructor: Daniel Stein
Give your imagination a whack on the side of the head! Discover concrete ways to get beyond “STUCK” when you’re creating new work. Practice ways to think, see and create without the auto-critique shutting you down. This is a hands-on course in generating new material dealing with the emotions of shape, the excitement of rhythms (tempo, architectural, dynamic) and finding ideas from untapped and unconventional sources. Otherwise put: it’s training in juggling the juxtaposition of the physical world on stage and the metaphysical world that the audience will eventually take home with them. You, the artist, will go back to your studio with concrete ideas and a running start at building your next project. This work is great for performers, directors, teachers and anyone else looking for freedom and empowerment in their own creativity.
Daniel Stein studied in the Professional Actors Training Program at Carnegie Mellon University, where he worked with Jewel Walker. He then studied with Etienne Decroux in Paris, becoming M. Decroux’s translator, and began his professional career as an actor with the French National Theatre—a relationship which lasted 20 years. His solo performances have toured in more than 30 countries, and have been seen in the US in venues such as the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center. He has taught master classes throughout the world at institutions such as Juilliard School and The Institute of Dramatic Arts, Tokyo. Daniel has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and is a John Simon Guggenheim Fellow. Daniel served for five years as Dean of Students and another five years as School Director, of The Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre. The fall of ‘08 has him slated to direct in Philadelphia and act in Clown Show for Bruno Shultz in Israel and Germany.
Books published that talk about his work:
- Le Theatre du Geste by Jacques Lecoq, Bordas–Paris
- Modern and Post Modern Mime by Thomas Leabhart, Modern Dramatists
- The Origins and Development of the Art of Mime by Annette Lust, Scarecrow Press
Monday–Thursday, 7–10PM • 7/21–8/7 • $500
physical theatre / movement
the flying actor
Instructor: James Donlon
The physical actor is the most grounded of all performers…but when flying…evokes awe, wonder, joy and mystery. Experience a collaboration of physical actor disciplines—sport, mask, mime, movement improvisation and neo-classic clown—that inspires an actor to answer questions of space with mastery and imagination. This is a very physical class.
James Donlon returns to Berkeley Rep with four decades of experience as a master teacher and international performer. He has been on the faculties of acting schools such as A.C.T., North Carolina School of the Arts, The National Theatre Conservatory-Denver Center and The Yale School of Drama, and has presented residencies with special institutions like El Teatro Campesino, Mexico City’s Bellas Artes, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Clown College where he taught Tony Award-winner Bill Irwin. He has been a film movement coach for Oscar-winners Javier Bardem, Kathy Bates and Frances McDormand, as well as Benjamin Bratt and David Strathairn. James is the only physical theater artist ever invited to perform with legendary San Francisco street mime Robert Shields of CBS Shields & Yarnell. James has performed his original work throughout North American, Europe and Latin America to critical acclaim. The New York Times describes his theater as “an extraordinary blend of skill and lunacy.”
Saturdays and Sundays (7/26, 7/27, 8/2, 8/3), 1–5PM / Thursdays (7/24, 7/31), 7–10PM • $290
combat for couples
Instructor: Michael Storm
Stage combat for two. Whether you’re a working actor or just looking to have some fun, this class will teach you how to create realistic and exciting stage combat fights. Learn the same stage combat techniques that the pros use: John Wayne punches, roundhouse punches, stomach punches, jabs, slaps, choke holds, vocals and falls. We will cover how to safely choreograph realistic and exciting stage combat fights—and how to make it look dangerous with vocal and acting techniques. Classes will be adjusted to personal interests and can include broadsword work, depending on the number of sessions scheduled. Couples, family members and best friends are all welcome. Suggested five-week commitment—each session is individually scheduled.
Michael Storm has been working as an actor in the Bay Area for the past 15 years. He has appeared with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Cal Shakes, Napa Valley Repertory, San Jose Stage Company, the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival and Shakespeare at Stinson. He received degrees in drama and economics from UC Irvine, and is a certified Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors who has taught for A.C.T., Berkeley Rep School of Theatre and San Francisco Shakespeare Festival.
Dates/Times to be scheduled with the instructor • $80/hour for two people
improvisation
improv your relationships (all levels)
Instructor: Diane Rachel
What better way to figure out what men and women really want than in the playful atmosphere of an improvisational theatre class? This class is designed to inspire confidence and spontaneity in partnerships, marriages and the dating arena. The object is to pay attention rather than control, to appreciate rather than conquer and to communicate rather than demand. You’ll learn games and exercises that explore and de-mystify the ageless art of communication between and within the sexes in a light and irreverent atmosphere. Can be repeated.
Diane Rachel has been performing and teaching at BATS School of Improv since 1989. She created a specialty long-form program with a focus on intimate acting and stage combat, and her work has attracted an international following. Locally, Diane has taught improvisation at A.C.T., Stanford, Hayward State and College of Marin. Internationally she’s led improvisation workshops in Amsterdam, Helsinki, Melbourne, Paris and Tampere. Diane is a founding member of San Francisco’s preeminent improv group, True Fiction Magazine. She lives in Oakland with her husband and two Chihuahuas.
Tuesdays, 7–10PM • 7/8, 7/15, 7/22, 7/29, 8/5, 8/12 • $275
voice
voice for emerging and working actors
Instructor: Lisa Anne Porter
This class is based upon the belief that voice and language belong to the whole body rather than the head alone and that the function of voice is to reveal the self. The class will continue with an exploration of the voice in the context of human communication. It will provide a classical progression of Linklater voice exercises to free, develop and strengthen the voice, first as a human instrument, then as an actor’s instrument. We will focus upon how the voice works, why it doesn’t, self observation, relaxation, physical awareness, breath awareness, touch of sound, vibrations, freeing the channel for sound, releasing the voice from the body, exploring the resonators, range, articulation. Students will work with poetic text of their choice. This class will build upon previous voice classes and specifically target actor’s vocal tensions and the development of a free, passionate, imaginative connection to text.
Lisa Anne Porter is a designated Linklater voice instructor, an acting, voice, dialect and text professor in the B.F.A. program at Syracuse University and a professional actress and director. She has also taught master classes in voice and text at A.C.T., the Academy of Art University, Cal Shakes, Naropa University, Shakespeare & Company and The Tepper Center in New York. Lisa has performed with numerous repertory companies and Shakespeare festivals throughout the country including A.C.T, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Cal Shakes and Shakespeare Santa Cruz among others.
Tuesdays, 7–9:30PM • 7/8, 7/15, 7/22, 7/29, 8/5, 8/12 • $225
playwriting
playwriting III: summer playwriting workshop
Instructor: Gary Graves
This program is for playwrights who are interested in an intensive developmental workshop period of six weeks, followed by a staged reading of the work in an open workshop setting. Writers all participate as readers in workshop presentations. Consent of the instructor is required prior to enrollment. Writers must submit a script of the play they wish to develop: for submission guidelines and availability please call 510.647.2978. Submissions due May 13; projects selected May 15. Class size limited to eight.
Gary Graves is a company co-director of Central Works Theater Ensemble in Berkeley, dedicated to the development of new works. He holds an M.F.A. in Playwriting from Southern Illinois University and a Ph.D. in directing from U.C. Berkeley.
Saturdays, 10AM–2PM • 7/12, 7/19, 7/26, 8/2, 8/9, 8/16 • $475
In addition, course includes a four day showcase of new work presented from Thursday, August 21 to Sunday, August 24.
workshops
performance workshop for actors and directors with 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 Birthday Party by Harold Pinter and Twelfth Night by Shakespeare and prepare a 10-minute presentation of one of these plays. 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.
Monday–Thursday, June 2–5 • 7–10PM • $225