Classes

SAT 10–11am · 4/5, 4/12, 4/19, 4/26, 5/3, 5/10 (final presentation) · $230 

Bring your favorite stories to life! In this class, students will become part of an acting and improv ensemble, and create a performance piece based on popular children’s books. We'll explore the process of bringing stories to life through movement, dialogue, music, improvisation, and character work. This class will conclude with a final performance for family and friends. May be repeated. 

Instructor: Erolina Kamburova (she/her) is a multidisciplinary designer, performer, director, and teaching artist based in the East Bay Area. She currently works as an outreach teacher with Berkeley Rep’s School of Theatre and as a director at Contra Costa Civic Theatre, working with students from TK through 12th grade. Erolina is passionate about forstering inclusive and imaginative spaces where children can express themselves and grow. With a BA in Design and a BA in Theatre & Dance from UC Davis, she combines technical expertise, artistic vision, and a love for storytelling to nurture creativity and collaboration with young minds. Having grown up attending Berkeley Rep’s School of Theatre, Erolina feels deeply honored to return as a teaching artist. 

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TUE 4:30–6:30pm · 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/13 (no class 5/6) · $180

Calling all actors, D&D enthusiasts, improvisors, comedians, and storytellers! Join us as we explore the exciting art of bringing characters to life on stage. This class will introduce students to the fundamental tools of acting including vocal projection, body language, and portraying truthful relationships. Through improvisation games, full-group activities, and small group scene work, we'll investigate how to bring stories to life from first read to final performance.

Come join a supportive group of students as we harness our creativity, embrace spontaneity, and speak confidently on stage!

Instructor: Elizabeth (Liz) Woolford (she/her) is a director, teaching artist, and immersive theatre-maker from the D.C. area. She has spent the past two years working with the School of Theatre, including as the Interim Curriculum & Educational Programs Manager where she taught theatre to TK-12th grade students and helped lead Berkeley Rep’s Teen Council cohort. Liz is currently the Theatre Director at Mid-Peninsula High School and is pursuing coursework to become a Trauma Informed Educational Specialist. Her passion lies in teaching folks of all ages how to imagine wildly, tell meaningful stories, cultivate empathy, and engage in serious tomfoolery. She is a graduate of Wesleyan University in CT. 

TUE 4:30–6pm · 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20 · $180

Expand your imagination through improvisation! As an ensemble, students explore technique, theory, games, and tricks that help them open up to the kind of spontaneity that breeds better comedic timing on stage, stronger reactions in rehearsals, laughter at parties, and a lot more fun at family functions. All levels welcome. Returning students will be challenged with more advanced exercises.

Instructor: Hans Probst has been teaching acting and improv to young actors for the past year at Berkeley Rep. He has been acting since middle school. He attended a Summer Camp production of Guys and Dolls and immediately fell in love with the theatre. While attending San Francisco State University’s Theatre Arts program, he directed with Tri-Valley Young Performer’s Academy. Hans led the Kinderdrama Program and the Center Stage Players Program with TVYPA. The Kinderdrama program, a class designed for very young actors ages 4-6, would teach the basics of stage performance using children’s books as inspiration. The Center Stage Players was a company of 20-25 young actors from ages 7 and up that performed a variety of plays such as Fools, Metamorphosis, and A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream. Teaching children the art of theatre is a passion he holds dearly!

TUE 4:30–6:30pm · 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20 · $240

Explore the tools of the actor through monologue and scene work. Students will spend time analyzing scripts and lots of time rehearsing with and performing for one another. Learn to access your own inner landscape and bring your character to life through expressive performance. Gain valuable rehearsal and stage experience, and feedback on your work. Brush up your skills, improve your stage presence and confidence as a performer, and hone your text analysis skills! All experience levels welcome.

Instructor: Deborah Eubanks been teaching and directing voice, acting, and speech, to actors and non-actors for over 3 decades in UK and US. She is currently in her 7th year with Strictly Speaking Group, coaching under EDI, and in her 12th year at Academy of Art University, where she has built classes and is  teaching Acting and Voice. Deb has been with BRT for over 15 years. She received her Theater Arts degree in UK at Harold Pinter Studios, UEA, and has written and performed in Covent Garden Arts Center, Cambridge. Deb has also toured the UK with a series of one woman shows. Deborah has taught Voice, Acting Techniques and Dialects at American Conservatory Theatre,  University of San Francisco and S.F. Shakespeare. Deborah was the 2021, inspirational speaker at Google Women’s summit, and has created workshops specifically for LGBTQ vocal transitioning. She is a trained Registered Nursing Instructor and has an extensive understanding of anatomy of voice and speech. She was in residence with Stephen Hawking’s company and has an acting resume which includes many classic and contemporary roles. She is an SF Divafest Playwright, and in October 2021, she was guest to Ralph Fiennes’s dialect coach for The Dig, on BBC radio. 

MON 6:30–8:30pm · 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/7 · $175

This class will practice and present scenes incorporating five different British dialects, all of which can be found within the scenes of Downton Abbey. Students will delve into the historical contexts of class structure, status, and culture for each accent to fully understand the physicality, vocality required for a dynamic embodiment and truthful performance. Instructor handouts will be distributed as we work through exercises so that all students can practice in and out of class. Dialects will include Received Pronunciation, North Humberside, Edinburgh Scottish, Dublin Irish and Cockney. 

Instructor: Deborah Eubanks been teaching and directing voice and speech to actors and non-actors for over 3 decades in UK and US. She is currently in her 7th year with Strictly Speaking Group, coaching under EDI, and in her 12th year at Academy of Art University, where she has built classes and is  teaching Acting and Voice. Deb has been with BRT for over 15 years. She received her Theater Arts degree in UK at Harold Pinter Studios, UEA, and has written and performed in Covent Garden Arts Center, Cambridge. Deb has also toured the UK with a series of one woman shows. Deborah has taught Voice, Acting Techniques and Dialects at American Conservatory Theatre,  University of San Francisco and S.F. Shakespeare. Deborah was the 2021, inspirational speaker at Google Women’s summit, and has created workshops specifically for LGBTQ vocal transitioning. She is a trained Registered Nursing Instructor and has an extensive understanding of anatomy of voice and speech. She was in residence with Stephen Hawking’s company and has an acting resume which includes many classic and contemporary roles. She is an SF Divafest Playwright, and in October 2021, she was guest to Ralph Fiennes’s dialect coach for The Dig, on BBC radio. 

MON 7–10pm · 3/24, 3/31, 4/7, 4/14, 4/21 · $290

This course explores the craft of acting in an encouraging and collaborative atmosphere. Students will develop a basic understanding of acting fundamentals through Stanislavski-based practice. Using exercises and scene work, this class introduces students to the elements of dramatic action, text analysis, and character development, as well as the tools for releasing inhibitions and expanding vocal and physical range.

No experience necessary. May be repeated.

Instructor: Pamela Rickard is an international theatre director, teacher, actress and private acting coach. Over her 40-year career, she has directed more than 150 classical and contemporary plays, musicals, and original shows throughout France, England and the US. Pamela has been a resident director and teacher at American Conservatory Theatre since 1994 and a lecturer in theatre history and contemporary productions for the San Francisco Arts and Humanities Elderhostel program. She was the head of the theatre department at Convent of the Sacred Heart/Stuart Hall high school for 12 years and has run the theatre program at the Katherine Delmar Burke School since 1990. She has taught Grotowski-based theatre workshops at Stanford University since 2016.

As a private acting coach, Pamela has prepared students for high school, college, advanced  degree and professional auditions. She is committed to meeting each student where they are and giving them the support they need to develop confidence, imagination and trust.  Pamela’s students have been accepted into Carnegie Mellon/Juilliard/ UCLA/USC/NYU/Emerson and other highly respected theatre programs. Pamela received a Conservatory Degree from the Stella Adler Theatre Conservatory in NY, Master’s Degree in Theatre Arts from SFSU, and BA in Dramatic History and Literature from UC Berkeley where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude.

This class is now SOLD OUT. Please sign up here to be added to the waitlist.

TUE 7–9:30pm · 4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20 · $355

This course explores the craft of acting in an encouraging and collaborative atmosphere. Students will develop a basic understanding of acting fundamentals through Stanislavski-based practice. Using exercises and scene work, this class introduces students to the elements of dramatic action, text analysis, and character development, as well as the tools for releasing inhibitions and expanding vocal and physical range.

No experience necessary. May be repeated.

Instructor: Marvin Greene is a professional actor and has performed with major regional theatres such as ACT, Aurora Theatre Company, Marin Theatre Company, Westport Country Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and San Jose Rep. Marvin served as an instructor at ACT for over a decade and also teaches at the Academy of Art College and Voice One in San Francisco. Marvin has taught at the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre since 2003.

This class is now SOLD OUT. Please sign up here to be added to the waitlist.

THU 7–9:30pm · 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8, 5/15 · $290

This course explores the craft of acting in an encouraging and collaborative atmosphere. Students will develop a basic understanding of acting fundamentals through Stanislavski-based practice. Using exercises and scene work, this class introduces students to the elements of dramatic action, text analysis, and character development, as well as the tools for releasing inhibitions and expanding vocal and physical range.

No experience necessary. May be repeated.

Instructor: AeJay Antonis Marquis (They/Them) is a dynamic and visionary performance artist, scholar, educator, and activist with a passion for transforming the theatrical landscape. Their work focuses on decolonizing the theatrical canon, advancing the Black avant-garde, and pioneering queer political performance practices. As a PhD student in Performance Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, AeJay’s scholarship delves into performances of prayer and praise as timeless liberatory acts, as well as exploring practices of Black and Queer cultural safety through performance in America.

Previously serving as the Director of Theatre at Contra Costa School of Performing Arts, AeJay brings a wealth of experience as an educator and mentor. Their creative impact spans the Bay Area, where they have made their mark as a director, choreographer, actor, producer, and dramaturg. This summer, they will direct and choreograph The Magnolia Ballet at Shotgun Players, showcasing their unique artistic vision.

AeJay’s leadership extends beyond the stage. They are a proud GAAP Fellow with California for the Arts and hold key roles as an Artistic Associate at Marin Shakespeare Company, Artistic Producer at Playwrights Foundation, and the Education Program Associate at Berkeley Repertory School of Theatre, coordinating Teen Council, Young Writers of Color Collective and the High School Theater Festival. Their dedication to fostering inclusive and innovative theatre makes them a trailblazer in the field and a transformative force in the classroom.

SAT 11am–1:30pm · 4/5, 4/12, 4/19, 4/26, 5/3, 5/10, 5/17, 5/31 (no class 5/24) · $355

Students who are just beginning or have taken previous classes with this instructor will thrive in this dynamic and engaging acting class. Returning students will have the opportunity to practice and perfect concepts already introduced. Students will delve into the fundamentals of character development and scene study while exploring new approaches to physicality and vocality. Special emphasis is placed on encouraging students to make dramatically effective choices by playing provocative actions, discovering the event within the scene, and finding creative obstacles. 

No experience necessary. May be repeated.

Instructor: Bobby August, Jr. is an actor, improviser, and teacher. Bobby is also a recipient of the prestigious NBC Bob Curry fellowship at Second City. His group just finished an extended run of completely sold-out performances at Second City Hollywood. He earned an MFA in Acting from the University of California, Davis. Some of his favorite past performances include portraying Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, Howie in Rabbit Hole, Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, and The Player in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Bobby also devises physical theatre pieces with long-time collaborator Iu-Hui Chua. They created and performed Crawl and Ligilo at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. In addition, Bobby is the owner and director of the award-winning Made Up Theatre (MUT) in Fremont, California. His theatre specializes in presenting completely improvised plays. He has performed with MUT at improv festivals throughout the country—most recently winning Best Improv Group at the Sacramento Comedy Festival. His improv education includes training at the world-famous Second City and Annoyance Theatre in Chicago. 

WED 7–9:30pm · 4/2, 4/9, 4/16, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14, 5/21 · $355

Build a strong portfolio of audition pieces for both film and theater!  Monologues are an important tool to help you thrive in the audition process—and they are a tool that many actors overlook. In this class we’ll look at types of monologues and situations that call for different kinds of pieces, examine how to take a monologue apart, rehearse it, and set it on its feet, and discuss the kinds of monologues that every auditioning actor should have in their portfolio. Lastly, we’ll experiment with the difference between using monologues for theater and for film. The etiquette for each type of audition will be discussed and practiced, as well as how to film your own audition for self-submissions.

Instructor: Marvin Greene is a professional actor and has performed with major regional theatres such as ACT, Aurora Theatre Company, Marin Theatre Company, Westport Country Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and San Jose Rep. Marvin served as an instructor at ACT for over a decade and also teaches at the Academy of Art College and Voice One in San Francisco. Marvin has taught at the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre since 2003.

This class is now SOLD OUT. Please sign up here to be added to the waitlist.

TUE 7–9:30pm · 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20 · $290

Building upon skills and tools learned in Beginning Acting, students will have the opportunity to delve deeper into character development and scene study while exploring new approaches to physicality and vocality. Special emphasis is placed on encouraging students to make 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 at the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre or another reputable theatre studio that stressed the fundamentals of text analysis, beat breakdown, and character objectives. May be repeated.

Instructor: Deborah Eubanks been teaching and directing voice, acting, and speech, to actors and non-actors for over 3 decades in UK and US. She is currently in her 7th year with Strictly Speaking Group, coaching under EDI, and in her 12th year at Academy of Art University, where she has built classes and is  teaching Acting and Voice. Deb has been with BRT for over 15 years. She received her Theater Arts degree in UK at Harold Pinter Studios, UEA, and has written and performed in Covent Garden Arts Center, Cambridge. Deb has also toured the UK with a series of one woman shows. Deborah has taught Voice, Acting Techniques and Dialects at American Conservatory Theatre,  University of San Francisco and S.F. Shakespeare. Deborah was the 2021, inspirational speaker at Google Women’s summit, and has created workshops specifically for LGBTQ vocal transitioning. She is a trained Registered Nursing Instructor and has an extensive understanding of anatomy of voice and speech. She was in residence with Stephen Hawking’s company and has an acting resume which includes many classic and contemporary roles. She is an SF Divafest Playwright, and in October 2021, she was guest to Ralph Fiennes’s dialect coach for The Dig, on BBC radio. 

WED 7–9:30pm · 4/16, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14, 5/21 · $290

Discover how to breathe new life into Shakespeare by adapting the original practices of the 16th Century for 21st Century performances. In this class, we'll explore physicality, breath, projection, diction, characterization, and how to combine heightened verse with Stanislavsky techniques. Using techniques developed at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, you will come away from this class with a usable audition monologue and a unique understanding of how to craft a Shakespeare performance for today’s stage. Additionally, students will get a taste of the authentic Elizabethan player experience through the use of onstage music, puzzling “cue scripts,” limited rehearsal time, and lively audience interaction with your fellow classmates! 

Instructor: Paul Jennings, a Bay Area native, has performed Shakespeare locally and abroad over the last 40 years.  A deep love of history, theatre, and travel has led him to performing in places as diverse as Shakespeare's Globe, London, to the streets of Seoul Korea. Notable credits include: Antipholus of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors (Pop-up Globe, New Zealand)  Macbeth (Berkeley Rep) with Frances McDormand and Conleth Hill, Jerry in Harold Pinter's Betrayal (Pacific Repertory Theatre), Richard III, in Dick 3 (Theatrepub), Judge Danforth, in The Crucible (Custom Made Theatre Co.), Pilate in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, and John Wayne Gacy in Behind the Screams: Killer Clown for the Reelz Network. Paul has trained at A.C.T, CalShakes, Berkeley Rep, and Shakespeare's Globe, London.

WED 6:30–9:30pm · 4/9, 4/16, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14, 5/21 · $385

This scene study class is designed for students who have participated in one of Berkeley Rep’s previous Taste of Meisner or Meisner Technique: Repetition classes or have some previous experience with the Meisner technique.

The seven weeks will build on Meisner's foundational "repetition exercise" and start applying the same skills of attunement to text work with the concept of "conversational reality." Students will be assigned scenes and  gradually "grow a performance" in an organic, process-oriented way. Week by week, we will introduce tools of emotional preparation, objectives, actions, and particularizations as students carve out more meaning and specificity in their scenes.

Students should have some acting experience paired with a desire to deepen their listening skills, vulnerability, spontaneity, imagination, and sense of truth when performing in a scene. This course requires consistent attendance and significant work outside of class, including weekly rehearsals with scene partners and additional imaginative private homework. Students will be asked to show up as the most authentic versions of themselves, with an openness to feedback and a willingness to look at the social habits and defenses that may be getting in the way of honest human connection.

Prerequisite: A short, informal interview is required before Wed, Apr 2 to determine rightness of fit for this course.

Instructor: Carolyn McCandlish has taught the Meisner acting technique at NYU Tisch’s Experimental Theatre Wing, the Terry Knickerbocker Studio, Acting Studio Chicago, the Actors' Center D.C., and the Greenbrier Valley Theatre. Carolyn trained with Terry Knickerbocker in two subsequent 2-year Meisner conservatory programs, first as an actor at the William Esper Studio, then again as a teaching apprentice while assisting the opening of his own Terry Knickerbocker Studio. Other creative mentors over the years include Maggie Flanigan, Fay Simpson, Richard Armstrong, Elena McGhee, Alisa Endsley, Ted Morin, and Jeff Wirth. Some of Carolyn's favorite theatre credits are The Spoon River Project (Green-Wood Cemetery), Crimes of the Heart (Fable Farm Theatre), Stomp and Shout (Babel Theatre Project), and Donnie Darko (American Repertory Theater). She was a founding member of art.party.theater.company, which specialized in designing creative performance installations and reinvigorating classical texts through site-specific, physical theater, and she co-founded the interactive, dramatic improv ensemble Playing With Reality, with which she performed and taught in Amsterdam and across New York City. Carolyn co-wrote, co-produced, assistant directed and acted in Whispers in the Dark, an interactive 24-hour film project for the New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center. She received a B.A. from Harvard and a Master's in Social Work from NYU with an additional focus on therapeutic drama techniques. She is a firm believer in the healing and transformative powers of acting.

This class is now SOLD OUT. Please sign up here to be added to the waitlist.

MON 7–10pm · 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/12, 5/19 (no class 5/5) · $290

Advanced Acting is an intensive scene study course for students 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. 

Instructor: Jonathan Moscone is thrilled to be returning to the Berkeley Rep School of Theater. Most recently, he served as the Executive Director of the California Arts Council and for 7 years as Chief Producer of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. As Artistic Director of California Shakespeare Theater from 2000-2015, he received the inaugural Zelda Fichandler Award, given by the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation for “transforming the American theater through his unique and creative work.”  

Jonathan has directed classics and new work at regional theaters across the country, including: Berkeley Repertory Theater; American Conservatory Theater; Alley Theater; Magic Theater; Campo Santo; Oregon Shakespeare Theater; Huntington Theater; Dallas Theater Center; Milwaukee Repertory Theater; Goodspeed Musicals, among others. 

SAT 10am–12:30pm · 4/5, 4/12, 4/19, 4/26, 5/3, 5/10, 5/17 · $315

Students will focus on creating character by thoroughly understanding the relationship between the text, situation, and the technical aspects of camera work. When these fundamental tools are genuinely understood and used correctly, only then can actors be free to work to the best of their ability in front of a camera. Areas of study will include script analysis, scene study, and character development, as well as camera technique, set discipline, and set etiquette. All scenes will be rehearsed with direction from the instructor, and copies will be given to students for their reference; please bring a 16GB SD card. A variety of other subjects will also be discussed relating to the business side of show business, including audition technique, agents, union membership, photographs, and websites.

Instructor: Marvin Greene is a professional actor and has performed with major regional theatres such as ACT, Aurora Theatre Company, Marin Theatre Company, Westport Country Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and San Jose Rep. Marvin served as an instructor at ACT for over a decade and also teaches at the Academy of Art College and Voice One in San Francisco. Marvin has taught at the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre since 2003.

THU 7–9:30pm · 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8, 5/15, 5/22, 5/29 · $355

Play helps us stay connected—through improv you can bring play and laughter into your life during these times of uncertainty! This class is designed to introduce you to the thrills and chills of improv and to develop your acting and narrative skills to boot, all while reconnecting with others in real time. Tap into your sense of joy, connection, and creativity as you learn the basic building blocks of improv! 

Instructor: George Higgins was a public defender in Alameda County for 28 years. He currently teaches an improv class entitled Listening and Communicating: Stagecraft for Lawyers at Berkeley Law. In 2021, he was appointed the Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at Cornell Law School. At Cornell he created a class in improv, storytelling and trial advocacy. He has taught that class at Cornell the past three years. He was a guest lecturer in the Trial Skills Program at Stanford Law School from 1997 to 2020. He has been an active improviser since 2007 and has performed with the Berkeley Rep Performance Lab, Stone Soup Improv and the (i)ncidentalists. He has also been a student performer at BATS Improv in the summer intensive program. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School. 

SAT 10am–Noon · 4/5, 4/12, 4/19, 4/26, 5/3, 5/10, 5/17 · $290

Dive into the possibilities of improvised theatre! In this class we’ll do lots of scene work to deepen comfort and spontaneity in a variety of genres. Students will work on establishing character, building and exploring the world of the scene, and co-creating a cohesive story together. Students will receive direct, tailored, and supportive feedback. No matter what, we will play and laugh—a lot.

Instructor: Erica Blue is an international dance theater maker and teacher. She has a BA in Dance and Theater from Sarah Lawrence College and has studied at Dell Arte School of physical theater and Performance Art at Wesleyan University. After co-founding The Raw Material Performance Ensemble in Amsterdam, she then traveled and studied dance extensively in Southern Asia. Once arriving in the Bay Area, she began teaching, directing, and performing with her ensemble, Teatro Auzzura. Her solo work has been performed at La Mama in NY, The Cleveland Performance Art Festival, and has won Best of the Fringe in SF and Seattle. She also received an SF Goldie award in 2000 for her role as Salvador Dali’s wife Gala. She is proud to teach Improv at Berkeley Rep.

TUE 7–9:30pm · 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20, 5/27, 6/3 · $475  

This class introduces the skill of performing improvisational games and stories in a light and generous atmosphere. Students explore the philosophy of “giving” rather than “shining,” and practice interaction techniques that demystify the perceived barriers between performers and an audience. There will be two scheduled performances during the 9-week time frame.

Prerequisite: Students must have taken Intermediate Improv and/or a previous session of Improv Performance Lab at Berkeley Rep, or must email school@berkeleyrep.org for instructor approval prior to registration.

Instructor: Diana Brown is an award winning performing and teaching artist, a producer, director and playwright. She was named Most Valuable Mentor and Teacher at the San Francisco Improv Festival. She’s taught with Laguna Playhouse, Grupology, and as a guest teaching artist at City College San Francisco. She is Director of Community and Senior Producer with Leela Improv Theatre Companyin San Francisco. She serves as director for the improv ensemble The Professionals. Diana is also a communication facilitator, working with physicians and business leaders, helping them to interact with patients and clients in ways that promote empathy and cultural equity. She is half of the nationally touring improv comedy duo Bingewatch. Bingewatch was awarded Best Improv at the Fringe Festival of Pittsburgh. She’s performed and presented workshops at festivals around the country including San Francisco Sketch Fest, New York Improv Festival, Twin Cities Improv Festival, New Orleans Improv Fest, Vintage Improv Fest, Denver Improv Festival, 2nd Best Comedy Fest, San Francisco Improv Fest, Tucson Comedy Arts Fest. She’s appeared in theater productions in New York, San Francisco and Washington D.C. Diana has studied with master improv teachers from Second City, IO, Annoyance Theatre, UCB, The Pack Theatre. She studied performing arts with the Arizona Theatre Company Conservatory. Diana co-authored and performed the solo play When You Are Called with award winning playwright Susan Jackson.

WED 7–9:30pm · 4/16, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14, 5/21 · $290

Would you like to land your ideas with more impact? Do you lose control of your breath when anxious? Are you unsure how to gauge or deliver correct volume at auditions or interviews? Whether as yourself or as a character, voice is the epicenter of your communication with the world; when we free our voices, the rest of our expressive instrument follows!

Incorporating movement with vocal exploration, this gently physical class helps you to connect the dots between mindset, gesture, and emotional expression.  In addition to learning how to use your voice and physicality in performance, you will come away from the class with a well-worked piece of speech appropriate to your situation (interview preparation, audition monologue, presentational speech). A complimentary mp3 of the core exercises will be provided to support your practice beyond this class. 

Instructor: Susan-Jane Harrison (aka SJ Harrison) is a British American playwright and performer, trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, with a Masters of Fine Arts from UC Davis.  The originator of the Inhabiting Technique for Actors, SJ Harrison has over 20 years experience working internationally. She has taught at UC Davis, ACT, Berkeley Repertory School of Theatre, Empowerhouse Acting Studio, and California Shakespeare Company.  She has a private voice and performance coaching practice locally and globally.   A member of VASTA (Voice and Speech Trainers Association), Susan-Jane specializes in working with ‘third culture’ and multilingual clients.  Unusual collaborations in Harrison’s artistic work have allowed her to develop across disciplines.  Her teaching work draws from Linklater, Stanislavsky, Growtoski, Cicely Berry and Rudolf Laban. To name a few, she has worked at the Pop-Up Globe in New Zealand, with BBC Radio, A&BC Theatre Co, RADA and the Royal National in the UK, and at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Aurora Theatre Company, ACT, California Shakespeare Company in the US.  She has been a Brady Fellow at 3Girls Theatre in San Francisco and continues to work with them on her plays. 

MON 7–9:30pm · 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5, 5/12, 5/19 · $290

In this class students will examine the principles of directing for the stage including : 

• The dynamics of staging and creating beautiful pictures that tell the story efficiently and effectively 
• Best practices in rehearsal – managing actors, time and energy 
• Working with actors – nurturing relationships, the language of actors, conflict negotiation, and how to effect a meeting of minds 
• Play and scene analysis – detailed steps for breaking down a scene for actors 
• Communicating with a creative team and incorporating lights, costumes, props and set effectively 

This is a class for beginners and experienced directors alike— the instructor is prepared to meet each student where they are at. Students will work on a scene for the six-week period which will be presented at the end of the session. Students should come prepared with an idea of a monologue or scene from a play they are interested in directing.

Instructor: Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe is an award-winning theatre artist based in the San Francisco Bay Area for more than 30 years. Edris is founding director of experimental theatre company, Black Artists Contemporary Cultural Experience (BACCE), an affiliate artist of Campo Santo, and a core company member of Word For Word. Locally Edris has directed at Magic Theatre, TheatreWorks, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, American Conservatory Theater, SF Playhouse, Z Space, Aurora Theatre, Cutting Ball, Word For Word and BACCE. Edris has directed nationally at Trinity Rep in Providence, Curious Theater in Denver, WaterTower Theatre in Dallas (for which she received two Rabin nominations), Wolly Mammoth Theatre in DC, Mark Taper Forum in LA, Southern Rep in New Orleans, Albany Rep in New York,42nd Street Playhouse, NYC and Alabama Shakespeare Festival. 

Edris has performed with San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Campo Santo, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, Word for Word, SF Playhouse, Aurora Theatre, Magic Theatre, Brava Theater, Theatre Works in Palo Alto, Carpetbag Theatre (Knoxville), Baltimore Theatre Project, Los Angeles Theater Center, Dixon Place (NYC), Theatre Arts in Ibadan, Nigeria and San Diego Rep. Edris holds an MFA in Directing from the University of Iowa and is a member of the National Institute of Directing and Ensemble Creation (NIDEC). She is a resident artist at Brava Theater Center in San Francisco. 

THU 6:30–8:30pm · 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1 · $185

In this class, students are lead through an exploration of the history, ethics, aesthetics, and practical concerns of creative activism and tactical performance. Students will do performance exercises from traditions such as rebel clowning, nonviolent civil disobedience, and more. They will brainstorm original projects with each other, and will watch and critically evaluate videos and artistic artifacts from many past creative campaigns. The goal is to learn from the successes and failures of past efforts, and to engage the body and the mind in creative development of new projects.

Instructor: L.M. Bogad (Guggenheim Fellow, Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Fellow; Art and Controversy Fellow, Carnegie Mellon University; Humanities and Political Conflict Fellow, Arizona State University; Arts and Publics Fellow, Northwestern University, Charlotte Newcombe Fellow, Institute for Scholars and Citizens) is an author, theatre artist, and game designer specializing in humor, imagination, and theatrics in social movements. He is a professor of political performance at U.C. Davis, and the author of the books TACTICAL PERFORMANCE: The Theory and Practice of Serious Play (currently being translated into Farsi by “Woman, Life, Freedom” activists in Iran), ELECTORAL GUERRILLA THEATRE: Radical Ridicule and Social Movements, and PERFORMING TRUTH: Works of Radical Memory for Times of Social Amnesia. His original plays and performances include Economusic, Haymarket, Santiago 9/11/1973, and Tahrir.

His essays, plays, and books, are taught in theatre classes internationally. Bogad is presently working on Symphony of Justice/Sinfonia de la Justica, a long-term performance project with indigenous immigrant Mexican farmworkers who pick the grapes for the Napa wine industry. He has received grants from the British Academy, British Arts and Humanities Council, Puffin Fund, and many others. His play Cointelshow (published in two editions by PM Press) is a performance drawing on actual FBI documents about “Cointelpro,” the controversial program by which they disrupted domestic activist movements. It is a satire that asks troubling questions about national security and power. This play has been produced in New Orleans (Mondo Bizarro), Boston (Emerson Arts), Mexico City (Hemispheric Institute for Performance and Politics’ Encuentro), and San Francisco (Mime Troupe Studio). 

Bogad has innovated playful interventions, street theatre, and mediagenic pranks with social movement organizations for 25 years, leading workshops internationally in twenty countries on five continents, from Chile to Finland, from New Zealand to Egypt (during the first phase of the 2011 Revolution), on picket lines, in squatted buildings, and in major museums and theatres. He is a Cabinet Member and WPA Artist with the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, alumnus of the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors Lab, and cofounder of the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army. 

THU 7–10pm · 4/24, 5/1, 5/8 · $265

Storytelling is an art form as old as human civilization and there has never been a better time to explore personal stories from the heart than in this current moment. Our personal stories are dovetailing into the global narrative, resulting in powerful tales yearning to be told. Whether you have a solo show dying to be birthed or you want to hone your storytelling skills for professional reasons, this class will help you harness your creativity, trust your instincts, quiet your inner critic, and find your unique voice. Through acting, improv, and writing exercises, we will get that story out of your head and into the world. There will be a final showcase of work on the last night of the class for an invited audience.

Instructor: Joyful Simpson is an actress, writer, and creativity educator who combines improv theatre, behavioral sciences, and mindfulness to create dynamic trainings for businesses and institutions. She studied theatre and psychology at Sarah Lawrence College in New York and earned an MFA in Dramatic Art from UC Davis. While at Davis, she spearheaded an applied improv-based training program for the Graduate School of Management. In 2013 she founded Pro-CreativeArts—an applied theatre organization—and is hired throughout the United States to lead trainings that foster creativity, collaboration, and communication for teams and leaders. Born into an iconic theatre family, she brings to her classes a unique body of experience gained from creating and performing theatre professionally since childhood. Her solo comedy recently won Best of Fringe at the 2016 San Francisco Fringe Festival. Her theatre credits include lead actor and co-author of four plays for “Prize of Hope”-winning company Human Nature and co-founder of the ensemble-driven theatre company Rococo Risqué, winner of SF Weekly Best Theater Ensemble 2005. Joyful has also appeared as an actor in many projects on stage and film, including Odyssey Works, an immersive theatre project; The Pursuit of Happiness, with Will Smith; and Spring Awakening, directed by Broadway and West End director Stafford Arima.

WED 7–9:30pm ·  4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14, 5/21, 5/28 · $290

Learn to find dramatic material within your life and craft a dynamic, creative, and engaging performance! Through acting, voice, movement, and other creative avenues, students will learn what it takes to mount a solo show. Students may bring material that has been worked on before, or come with an open mind and create something never seen before. Above all, students of all walks of life are encouraged to bring their authentic selves to class, and will be asked to use their bodies, memories, inner life, and imagination in order to tell their unique story.

Instructor: Joe Orrach is a choreographer, director, performer and educator. Orrach started out as a boxer, but soon realized he had better ways to communicate and entertain. The ballet he studied for his boxing footwork led him to tap dance and performing vaudeville throughout the US and Europe. Orrach has conceived, written, performed, and directed original plays and solo shows for live stages worldwide. His dramatic pieces are frequently in collaboration with a jazz trio. Orrach choreographed and was featured in Terrence Blanchard’s opera Champion at SF Jazz and with National Opera at the Kennedy Center. Orrach gives back to the community through Joe Orrach Performance Project (JOPP) a 501 © (3) nonprofit and has taught for LA’s Urban Peace Institute and the Latino Leadership Institute. Orrach has created performance workshops with lockdown juveniles in San Francisco General Hospital, for formerly incarcerated at Delancey Street Foundation Headquarters, and for the general population at San Quentin State Prison. Joe is the recipient of the Dance Studio Life "Generous Heart” Teaching Award, for his work with at-risk communities. He has taught acting and movement as far away as St Petersburg, Russia as the American cultural ambassador for Track Two Diplomacy Institute.  Mr. Orrach has an MFA from University of Southern California’s School of Dramatic Arts.

SAT 10:30am–12:30pm · 5/3, 5/10, 5/17, 5/31 (no class 5/24) · $165

Connect with your body and discover new depths of your mind! Butoh is an avant-garde Japanese physical-theatre dance form developed in the 1950s by Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ono. It illuminates the wonders of the unconscious, the abstract, and the integrated imagination through the body. The fundamental movement work of this class will enable students to more consciously engage body, mind, and feelings simultaneously. This class will help participants develop sensory awareness and engage in embodied expression through durational and imagery-based work that engages the somatic-imagination. Using sense-memory and visualizations, we will embark on embodied explorations of different landscapes, states of being, and the connections that create the world within and around us.

Students will have the option to attend this class virtually via Zoom, or in-person at the School of Theatre.

Instructor: Iu-Hui Chua choreographs, performs, directs, and devises experimental physical theatre, dance, and video performance. Chua has performed professionally with Anna Halprin, Dandelion Dancetheater, Headmistress, Inkboat, Disneyland, and was a founding member of the butoh company, Ledoh and Salt Farm, for 14 years. She is an award-winning dance-film artist whose video and live performance works have been supported nationally and presented in North America, Asia, and Europe. She directed Gruesome Playground Injuries, nominated for “Outstanding Production of a Play” by the Theatre Bay Area Awards in 2015. Chua has taught dance as a lecturer at the University of California Davis and currently works as a professional expert teaching movement for actors at Tamalpais High School’s Conservatory Theatre Ensemble program.

THU 7–10pm · 5/1, 5/8, 5/15, 5/22, 5/29 · $290

Theatre of the Oppressed, conceived by Augusto Boal, is a collection of games, techniques, and exercises for using theatre as a vehicle for personal and social transformation. It uses the dynamized human body and the charged theatrical space as laboratories for exploring power, transforming oppression, and finding solutions to the fundamental problems of conflict, inequality, injustice, and human suffering. This workshop will introduce basic techniques (demechanization, dynamization, image theatre, forum theatre) from the Theatre of the Oppressed, with an end to understanding their application as practical and essential tools for artistic development, creative expression, social engagement, and personal transformation. This class is open to both experienced and beginning performers, as well as anyone interested in exploring art as a method for social and personal change, while developing spontaneity, fluidity, presence, creativity, and critical intelligence. 

Instructor: Jiwon Chung is a professional actor, director, and a key theorist of Theatre of the Oppressed. He is the Artistic Director of Kairos Theater Ensemble, adjunct professor of Theater and Social Justice at Starr King School at the Graduate Theological Union, and past President of the national organization for Theatre of the Oppressed. Author of numerous books, articles, and performances, he is considered a pioneer in the integration of somatics, Theatre of the Oppressed, and socially engaged art. The focus of his work is in the application of theatre as a tool for social and political change, using Theatre of the Oppressed to challenge, resist, and transform systemic oppression and structural violence and to redress large-scale historical atrocity and injustice. His approach to performance and social change is informed by his background as a veteran, a martial artist, and three decades of vipassana meditation.