HB Studio offers both online classes and in-person classes at the Studio. Before your first class, please review the information outlined on the relevant page(s). Class titles below indicate which are running online vs. in person
- IN-PERSON CLASSES meet for the full 10-week term, 1 session per week.
- ONLINE CLASSES are offered in 5-week Parts, 1 session per week. Sign up for either Part A or Part B independently (5 weeks each), or join both for the full 10-week term. You may join Part B without taking Part A.
Instructor: Janice Orlandi –
Held in-person:
Fall 2023: Physical Technique & Creating Character Transformations
Advanced “Movement for the Actor,” this course offers cross-training in a variety of psychophysical methods to enrich your approach toward “Character Transformation” and to develop a process-oriented “tool-kit” using advanced exercises of Williamson, Viewpoints, Laban, Hagen and Michael Chekhov Techniques.
This course is a rigorous and layered physical exploration, designed to build a strong and present acting instrument, a vivid imagination, vulnerability, and a process for transformation into character.
We will explore creating a character, with conditions, cold, hot, sleepy, as in Hagen’s and Williamson’s “Altered States,” as in character impediment. We will explore creating characters from plays, historical characters, and from Spoon River Anthology, by Edgar Lee Masters, to create physical character studies referenced from Animal, Object, Image, Physical Conditions, Archetype, and Portraits. We will do explorations of a Character Portrait Exercise leading to transformation and embodiment of the physical qualities, temperament and personal atmosphere of a character. This course also trains you in a “psycho-physical” approach to creating a character through the physical technique and exploration of Michael Chekhov, Williamson and Hagen’s approach to creating a character.
This physical approach awakens the imagination in the actor’s body and space to both transform into a character and the world of the character. The spirit of this approach integrates these combined practices into rigorous actor training, performance stamina, presence, ensemble empathy, emotional availability, with vocal and physical integration leading towards actor-ensemble driven compositions and devised work.
Topics explored in this course include:
Creating Character Transformations with Michael Chekhov, Williamson Technique, RasaBoxes and Character Atmospheres, Archetype and Gesture, Psychological Gesture, Hagen Conditions, Historical Character, Williamson Period Styles and Period Character, Physical Conditions, Viewpoints Ensemble, Group Atmospheres and Style compositions, Where-When and Event Driven Atmospheres, set in Historical World, Centers, Qualities, and Creating the Character’s imaginary Body.
A rigorous exploration and cross training in Psychophysical Methods for building a strong and present acting instrument, a vivid imagination, vulnerability and ensemble devising, to enrich the actor’s approach to “Character Transformation’