Performances & Events

Independent Study Project Lab – Winter 2025

Independent Study Showcase
Wednesday, March 12 at 7 PM
HB Playwrights Theatre
Pay-What-You-Wish, $30 Recommended

Join us for an evening of original works-in-progress developed in the Independent Study Project Lab under the guidance of educator Snezhana Chernova. This showcase highlights emerging artists as they experiment, refine, and present their independent projects—offering a glimpse into their creative processes. Featuring performances by Rachael Attanasio, Werrdan Khoury, Sara Martinez Velasco, Juan Jose Mojica, Camilla Nigro, Alex Payraud, Caroline Yost, and Henry Zinn, the evening promises a dynamic range of theatrical explorations. Be part of this inspiring night of artistry, discovery, and innovation. Reserve your seat and support these artists as they bring their visions to life!

A Conversation with Max Casella & Michael Beckett

A Conversation with Max Casella & Michael Beckett
Sunday, March 9 at 5 PM
HB Playwrights Theatre
Pay-What-You-Wish, $30 Recommended

HB Studio presents a special conversation featuring acclaimed actor and HB alum Max Casella and HB Studio faculty member Michael Beckett, moderated by David Deblinger.

Join us for an intimate discussion as Max Casella (The Sopranos, Doogie Howser, M.D., Tulsa King, Lion King on Broadway) reflects on his extensive career across stage and screen. Max will share insights into his craft, his evolution as an artist, and the impact of his training at HB Studio.

He’ll be joined by his former teacher, Michael Beckett, a longtime HB Studio faculty member whose teaching has shaped generations of actors. Moderating the conversation is David Deblinger, an HB faculty member and co-founder of Labyrinth Theater Company, whose work bridges acting, directing, and storytelling. This free community event offers a unique opportunity to hear firsthand experiences from industry professionals, explore the artistic process, and engage in meaningful dialogue about the evolution of storytelling in theater and film.

Presented by HB Studio Artistic Council.

HB Recommends: Virtual Performances, Discussions, and Opportunities for Artists

Now more than ever we need engagement and support. In this time of isolation, we encourage you to stay connected and engaged with the field and with your craft. HB Studio has compiled a list of online performance opportunities, live-streamed performances, discussions with artists, and events for actors and theater-makers to explore. We will continue to update our list of recommendations as more opportunities become available (last updated August 28, 2020).

In the Business with Noah Hawley

HB students are invited to meet acclaimed showrunner, filmmaker and author Noah Hawley! This Meet & Greet is a unique opportunity for actors and artists to ask their burning questions about what to expect IN THE BUSINESS.

Join us on February 25, 2022 at 3:303pm for a chance to ask questions about: how to get engaged in the industry, the process of creating and writing a show, etc. This is also an opportunity for you to learn more about the different perspective roles in the industry that actors often work in closely with. 

The conversation will be moderated by Francesca Ferrara.

RSVP to the event here.

Voices from the Frontlines: COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter Performance Lab

Participating actors in HB Teacher Paul Pryce’s summer Performance Lab “The Interview Project” interviewed several individuals out on the frontlines of this double pandemic. The actors were tasked to find a story that resonated with them and which sheds light on their personal experience with the coronavirus or the protests for racial justice and equality. Watch the performances from August 22 and August 23, 2020.

Newly Launched: RESET Theatre Coalition

Conch Shell Productions, in collaboration with Braata Productions and Kumu Kahua Theater, has formed RESET Theatre Coalition, which is committed to presenting new works by American playwrights – of African, Caribbean, Native American,  Latin American, Central American, Asian, European, Middle Eastern, Indian, and Polynesian descent – that will inspire a RESET in America.

Melissa Errico’s TWO SPRING SONGS FOR SUMMER

HB Teacher Melissa Errico released TWO SPRING SONGS FOR SUMMER available to listen on Spotify, Amazon and Apple Music.

HB Connects: Shakespeare Reading Recommendations from Peter Francis James

#HBConnects is a new series that features the many voices of HB – alumni, faculty, students, friends and colleagues. Following are recommendations from Shakespearean actor and teacher at HB Studio, Peter Francis James.

  • THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR by William Shakespeare
  • HENRY VI, PARTS I, II & III by William Shakespeare
  • TIMON OF ATHENS by William Shakespeare

Public Conversation: Documenting Artists – The Performing Arts Legacy Project

Documenting Artists: The Performing Arts Legacy Project

Public Conversation

Documenting Artists: The Performing Arts Legacy Project

A presentation of curated life histories from HB Studio’s The Performing Arts Legacy Project (PAL) workshop cohort in partnership with The Actors Fund Research Center for Arts & Culture

PAL is an initiative of the Research Center for Arts and Culture at The Actors Fund. PAL celebrates the contributions of older actors by supporting them to document their own careers in an online platform that serves as a shared theater history and educational resource.

Monday, March 9 at 7pm
HB Playwrights Theatre | 124 Bank Street, New York

Free! | RSVP

HB STORIES: A 75TH ANNIVERSARY VALENTINE

HB Studio HB Stories_ A 75th Anniversary Valentine Event

HB Stories: A 75th Anniversary Valentine

Directed by Larry Rosen of “The Moth”, we present an HB Studio storytelling evening inspired by shows like “The Moth,” “RISK,” and “The Story Collider”.

Featuring Nadia Diamond, Vincent PastoreCarol RosenfeldReza SalazarBlack-Eyed SusanDanusia Trevino, and Zach Wynecoop.

Saturday, February 15 at 7pm
HB Playwrights Theatre | 124 Bank Street, New York

Free! | RSVP

CLIMATE CHANGE, HOPE, AND THE ACTING COMMUNITY

Climate Change and the Acting Community with Tim Guinee

Climate Change, Hope, and the Acting Community

with Tim Guinee, actor, founder of The Climate Actors and leader in former Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project

Monday, January 27th at 3pm and 7pm
HB Playwrights Theatre | 124 Bank Street, New York

Free! | RSVP

The acting community can play a vital and irreplaceable role in confronting the climate crisis. Tim Guinee, actor, founder of The Climate Actors and leader in former Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project, will host a presentation and discussion of the latest science regarding climate change, and the many reasons we have to be hopeful in the face of this emergency.

Tim Guinee is the founder of the Climate Actors and a leader in former Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project. He has given climate change presentations all over the United States as well as in Canada and North Africa. He enjoys giving talks to oppositional and underserved audiences including to such diverse groups as conservative fire departments, Houston oil industry executives, and maximum security inmates. He serves on the leadership council of Riverkeeper, the board of the Ashokan Center (New York’s oldest center for environmental education), the board of Green Product Placement and the advisory board of the Climate Institute. Professionally, he is an actor and director. He has appeared in over 200 movies (including Sweet Land – the 1st carbon neutral independent feature film), mini-series and episodes of television and another couple hundred plays. Learn more.

Public Conversation: STORYWEAVING: Spiderwoman Theater The oldest feminist and Native American theater in the U.S. and Canada (and probably the world)

Storyweaving: Spiderwoman Theater Event

STORYWEAVING: Spiderwoman Theater

The oldest feminist and Native American theater in the U.S. and Canada (and probably the world)

with founding members of Spiderwoman Theater Muriel Miguel and Gloria Miguel, moderated by Pat Golden

Monday, January 13th at 7pm
HB Playwrights Theatre | 124 Bank Street, New York

Free!

Founding members of Spiderwoman Theater, Muriel Miguel and Gloria Miguel, discuss storyweaving—the process of unfolding a story’s dramatic structure over time—and how they have used this process throughout their many years of producing at the oldest feminist and Native American theater in the U.S. and Canada.

Gloria Miguel is Kuna/ Rappahannock. She studied drama at Oberlin College and is a founding member of Spiderwoman Theater. She has worked extensively in film and television. With Spiderwoman Theater, she has toured throughout Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Read more.

Muriel Miguel is a director, choreographer, playwright, actor and educator. She has directed almost all of Spiderwoman’s shows since their debut in 1976, in which time, they have written and produced over twenty original works for the theatre. Read more.