Class Spotlight

Hagen Teacher’s Lab

Note: There is a required Meet & Greet on Sunday, August 10th, 12pm-3pm, in addition to the dates listed below.

“It changed my teaching. It changed my life…the experience and generosity of the Hagen Teacher’s Lab teachers were extraordinary.” – Flori Doyle, Board of Directors, New York State Theatre Education Association

Immerse yourself in Uta Hagen’s approach to acting and teaching

Meet & Greet: Sun, Aug 10, 2025, 12-3pm
Lab Sessions: Mon – Fri, Aug 11 – 15, 2025, 9:30am-5pm
Wrap-Up: Fri, Aug 15, 5-6pm
Location: HB Studio, 120 Bank Street, NYC

Application Deadline is July 12, 2025:

Apply Online

Interested in observing? See “Audits” below.

Faculty

Program Director & Scene Study: Mark Nelson
Program Founder & Acting Technique: Carol Rosenfeld
Voice Warm Up: Theresa McElwee

Held annually at HB Studio since 2014

The Uta Hagen Institute’s Hagen Teacher’s Lab is an intensive, five-day program where artists and educators from around the world come to continue their professional development. The program is designed to serve teachers, future teachers, and professional actors who wish to explore and expand their understanding and experience of Uta Hagen’s approach to acting and teaching.

In the artistic home where Uta Hagen taught her legendary professional classes for more than 50 years

Experience the depth and value of Uta Hagen’s Object Exercises and Scene Study process. Led by HB Studio faculty who trained directly with Uta Hagen, we will explore the infinite potential of the exercises in the actor’s practice, and apply the same rigorous values to scene work. Through participation and discussion, we see the individual talent revealed and released through this approach. As an actor, you will be asked to prepare an exercise and rehearse a scene. As a teacher, you will consider how to empower each actor’s discovery through clear, specific guidance.

The extremely practical exercises found in Uta Hagen’s world-famous books, Respect for Acting and A Challenge for the Actor, probe the depths and heights of human behavior.

They offer the actor a structure for lifelong practice exploring the dynamic interaction between sensory/emotional experience and the creative imagination. They hone the actor’s ability to actively live through the circumstances of the play and the character’s dilemma. When the work becomes a part of the actor’s process, unpremeditated truthful behavior replaces cliché and easy sentiment in performance. The actor grows to honor an authentic, present and intuitively responsive self in the role while making imaginative choices that serve the play.

Upon registration, you will be given guidelines on how to prepare for the workshop. Rehearsal outside class is required.

“…An organic transference of oneself to the role, the development of a new “I” who is alive in the world of the play, involves a creative process which is not a willy-nilly, loose way of working that depends solely on intuitive or elusive inspiration. On the contrary, it is a process which, however slow and painstaking, can be structured in an orderly way over which the actor has control, although no part of it is mechanical… It is a true challenge of one’s diligence and one’s talent. This process is to me like the drafting of a musical score in which the actor composes the character’s theme, orchestrates it, defines the phrases, individual beats, and the arrangement of the notes he will eventually play with spontaneity at each performance, putting to use his finely honed inner and outer techniques.” – Uta Hagen, A Challenge for the Actor © 1991, by Uta Hagen, All Rights Reserved.

Tuition: $850.00

Required Texts: Respect for Acting by Uta Hagen and Acting and Living in Discovery by Carol Rosenfeld

Daily Schedule:
• 9:30am-10:25am Vocal Warm-up
• 10:30am-1:00pm Technique
• 1:00pm-2:00pm Lunch
• 2:00pm-4:30pm Scene Study
• 4:30pm-5pm Discussion

AUDITS:

If you are interested in auditing (observing) one or two sessions of the Hagen Teacher’s Lab, you may request to do so at the link below. Approved auditors are allowed to audit up to two days. Audits cost $45 per day.

Request Audit

Hagen Teacher’s Lab Refund Policy: A refund of $600 will be given through one month prior to the start date of the Lab. No refunds will be given within less than one month of the Lab start date.

Hagen Teacher’s Lab 1

“It changed my teaching. It changed my life…the experience and generosity of the Hagen Teacher’s Lab teachers were extraordinary.” – Flori Doyle, Board of Directors, New York State Theatre Education Association

Immerse yourself in Uta Hagen’s approach to acting and teaching

Meet & Greet: Sun, Aug 4, 2024, 12-3pm
Lab Sessions: Mon – Fri, Aug 5 – 9, 2023, 9:30am-5pm
Wrap-Up: Fri, Aug 9, 5-6pm
Location: HB Studio, 120 Bank Street, NYC

Apply Online

Application deadline: Accepted on a Rolling Basis. Priority Deadline: June 4.
Registration deadline: July 2

Interested in observing? See “Audits” below.

Faculty

Program Director & Scene Study: Mark Nelson
Program Founder & Acting Technique: Carol Rosenfeld
Voice Warm Up: Dianna Cortez

Held annually at HB Studio since 2014

The Uta Hagen Institute’s Hagen Teacher’s Lab 1 is an intensive, five-day program where artists and educators from around the world come to continue their professional development. The program is designed to serve teachers, future teachers, and professional actors who wish to explore and expand their understanding and experience of Uta Hagen’s approach to acting and teaching.

In the artistic home where Uta Hagen taught her legendary professional classes for more than 50 years

The extremely practical exercises found in Uta Hagen’s world-famous books, Respect for Acting and A Challenge for the Actor, probe the depths and heights of human behavior.

Upon registration, you will be given guidelines on how to prepare for the workshop. Rehearsal outside class is required.

“…An organic transference of oneself to the role, the development of a new “I” who is alive in the world of the play, involves a creative process which is not a willy-nilly, loose way of working that depends solely on intuitive or elusive inspiration. On the contrary, it is a process which, however slow and painstaking, can be structured in an orderly way over which the actor has control, although no part of it is mechanical… It is a true challenge of one’s diligence and one’s talent. This process is to me like the drafting of a musical score in which the actor composes the character’s theme, orchestrates it, defines the phrases, individual beats, and the arrangement of the notes he will eventually play with spontaneity at each performance, putting to use his finely honed inner and outer techniques.” – Uta Hagen, A Challenge for the Actor © 1991, by Uta Hagen, All Rights Reserved.

Tuition: $850.00

Required Texts: Respect for Acting by Uta Hagen and Acting and Living in Discovery by Carol Rosenfeld

Daily Schedule:
• 9:30am-10:25am Vocal Warm-up
• 10:30am-1:00pm Technique
• 1:00pm-2:00pm Lunch
• 2:00pm-4:30pm Scene Study
• 4:30pm-5pm Discussion

AUDITS:

Request Audit

Hagen Teacher’s Lab 1

“It changed my teaching. It changed my life…the experience and generosity of the Hagen Teacher’s Lab teachers were extraordinary.” – Flori Doyle, Board of Directors, New York State Theatre Education Association

Immerse yourself in Uta Hagen’s approach to acting and teaching

Meet & Greet: Sun, Aug 6, 2023, 12-3pm
Lab Sessions: Mon – Fri, Aug 7 – 11, 2023, 9:30am-5pm
Wrap-Up: Fri, Aug 11, 5-6pm
Location: HB Studio, 120 Bank Street, NYC

Apply Online

Application deadline: Accepted on a Rolling Basis. Priority Deadline: June 4.
Registration deadline: July 2

Interested in observing? See “Audits” below.

Faculty

Program Director & Scene Study: Mark Nelson
Program Founder & Acting Technique: Carol Rosenfeld
Voice Warm Up: Theresa McElwee

Held annually at HB Studio since 2014

In the artistic home where Uta Hagen taught her legendary professional classes for more than 50 years

The extremely practical exercises found in Uta Hagen’s world-famous books, Respect for Acting and A Challenge for the Actor, probe the depths and heights of human behavior.

Upon registration, you will be given guidelines on how to prepare for the workshop. Rehearsal outside class is required.

“…An organic transference of oneself to the role, the development of a new “I” who is alive in the world of the play, involves a creative process which is not a willy-nilly, loose way of working that depends solely on intuitive or elusive inspiration. On the contrary, it is a process which, however slow and painstaking, can be structured in an orderly way over which the actor has control, although no part of it is mechanical… It is a true challenge of one’s diligence and one’s talent. This process is to me like the drafting of a musical score in which the actor composes the character’s theme, orchestrates it, defines the phrases, individual beats, and the arrangement of the notes he will eventually play with spontaneity at each performance, putting to use his finely honed inner and outer techniques.” – Uta Hagen, A Challenge for the Actor © 1991, by Uta Hagen, All Rights Reserved.

Tuition: $850.00

Required Texts: Respect for Acting by Uta Hagen and Acting and Living in Discovery by Carol Rosenfeld

Daily Schedule:
• 9:30am-10:25am Vocal Warm-up
• 10:30am-1:00pm Technique
• 1:00pm-2:00pm Lunch
• 2:00pm-4:30pm Scene Study
• 4:30pm-5pm Discussion

AUDITS:

Request Audit

Hagen Teacher’s Lab 1

HB Studio is thrilled to bring back the Hagen Teacher’s Lab in person in August 2022!

“It changed my teaching. It changed my life…the experience and generosity of the Hagen Teacher’s Lab teachers were extraordinary.” – Flori Doyle, Board of Directors, New York State Theatre Education Association

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN UTA HAGEN’S APPROACH TO ACTING AND TEACHING

Meet & Greet: Sun, Aug 7, 12-3pm
Lab Sessions: Mon – Fri, Aug 8 – 12, 9:30am-5pm
Wrap-Up: Fri, Aug 12, 5-6pm
Location: HB Studio, 120 Bank Street, NYC

APPLY ONLINE

Application deadline: June 5
Registration deadline: July 3

FACULTY

Program Director & Scene Study: Mark Nelson
Program Founder & Acting Technique: Carol Rosenfeld
Voice Warm Up: Theresa McElwee

HELD ANNUALLY AT HB STUDIO SINCE 2014

IN THE ARTISTIC HOME WHERE UTA HAGEN TAUGHT HER LEGENDARY PROFESSIONAL CLASSES FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS

THE EXTREMELY PRACTICAL EXERCISES FOUND IN UTA HAGEN’S WORLD-FAMOUS BOOKS, RESPECT FOR ACTING AND A CHALLENGE FOR THE ACTOR, PROBE THE DEPTHS AND HEIGHTS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR.

Upon registration, you will be given guidelines on how to prepare for the workshop. Rehearsal outside class is required.

“…An organic transference of oneself to the role, the development of a new “I” who is alive in the world of the play, involves a creative process which is not a willy-nilly, loose way of working that depends solely on intuitive or elusive inspiration. On the contrary, it is a process which, however slow and painstaking, can be structured in an orderly way over which the actor has control, although no part of it is mechanical… It is a true challenge of one’s diligence and one’s talent. This process is to me like the drafting of a musical score in which the actor composes the character’s theme, orchestrates it, defines the phrases, individual beats, and the arrangement of the notes he will eventually play with spontaneity at each performance, putting to use his finely honed inner and outer techniques.” – Uta Hagen, A Challenge for the Actor © 1991, by Uta Hagen, All Rights Reserved.

Tuition: $850.00

Required Texts: Respect for Acting by Uta Hagen and Acting and Living in Discovery by Carol Rosenfeld

Daily Schedule:
• 9:30am-10:25am Vocal Warm-up
• 10:30am-1:00pm Technique
• 1:00pm-2:00pm Lunch
• 2:00pm-5pm Scene Study

Hagen Teacher’s Lab Online

December 12, 13, 15, 17 & 19, 2021 | $475:

Lab Meet & Greet: 4-6pm, Sun, Dec 12
Lab Sessions: 10am – 4pm, Mon, Wed, Fri & Sun, Dec 13, 15, 17 & 19
Lab Wrap-Up: 4-5:30pm, Sun, Dec 19

Applications accepted on a rolling basis:

APPLY NOW

You will be notified by: Nov 1, 2021
Upon acceptance, you must register by:* Nov 14, 2021

INSTRUCTORS:
Program Director & Acting Technique: Carol Rosenfeld
Script Analysis & Scenes: Mark Nelson
Voice Warm-Up: Theresa McElwee

HB Studio offers a strategically modified version of the Hagen Teacher’s Lab online over Zoom.

The Hagen Teacher’s Lab was founded at HB Studio where Uta Hagen taught her legendary professional classes for more than 50 years. The Lab provides a forum for artists interested in teaching and for educators from around the world to continue their professional development and explore Hagen’s approach to acting and teaching. It is a virtual retreat, a coming-together to share our teaching successes and frustrations. We will see how Hagen’s acting exercises enrich the actor’s practice.

¨(….), I came on the idea of working by myself at home to devise corrective exercises for all of the problems I was having by exploring personal behavior under a variety of circumstances. (…) in order to lay down guidelines and give a form to the exercises, I decided first to define and then to re-create two seemingly routine minutes of life when alone at home, two minutes spent in the execution of a simple task in pursuit of normal objective.¨ – A Challenge for the Actor, Uta Hagen

This is how Uta Hagen describes the origin of what have now become her world-renowned acting exercises. She was inspired by her own wish to create a practice that she could undertake solo, that was also physically immersive and behavioral, not just textual. This gave her a way to keep continuity in her work whether she was actively employed or not, and a methodical and deep way to prepare for a role, keeping it live and fluid and open, long before she came to work with her colleagues in the rehearsal room.

Uta Hagen’s exercises provide an oasis of grounded physical solo practice that are shared with colleagues in the Zoom space.

Breaks and Guided Warm-Ups will be offered throughout the day, to step away from the screen, refresh, breathe, ground and recenter in our bodies.

Required Texts:
A Challenge for the Actor by Uta Hagen
Acting and Living in Discovery by Carol Rosenfeld

Daily Schedule:
•10am- 10:30am: Voice Warm-up
•10:35am- 12:35pm: Acting Technique
•12:35am- 1:25pm: Lunch
•1:25-1:55pm: Voice Warm-up
•2-4pm: Script Analysis & Scenes

Optional Bonus Sessions!:
•4pm-4:30pm after each Lab Session
•Off-Day Garden Lunch Hours: 12pm-1pm, Tue, Thu & Sat, Dec 14, 16 & 18

ACTING TECHNIQUE – The 10 Hagen Exercises

Every participant will be asked to present a rehearsed exercise assigned from Uta Hagen’s A Challenge for the Actor in class. Hagen’s Six Steps serves as a template for every exercise. By preparing Hagen’s exercises “on location” in your living spaces and familiar locations where they were designed to be rehearsed, you have the opportunity to work with us on your rehearsal process in real time. During the virtual Lab we will watch each other’s exercises and discuss what to look for and how to respond to what would have been the final rehearsal at home. Looking toward the future, we will also discuss the steps the actor must take to transfer their exercise from their home to the classroom space, and how this work relates to company rehearsal and performance.

SCRIPT ANALYSIS & SCENES

When we can’t explore scenes in a physical space with another actor, Zoom teaching invites us to focus on the imaginative homework so fundamental to Uta Hagen’s approach: Script Analysis. In the Lab, you will be assigned a scene or a monologue specifically chosen for you. We’ll read it through together early in the week, mining the text for clues to character and action, asking questions based on Hagen’s Six Steps. In the days following, you will rehearse on Zoom with your partner, and then present the scene for the group, testing how well-prepared actors can connect across virtual space, and how a teacher’s feedback can support that connection.

VOICE

Uta Hagen would often share with her classes that she wouldn’t dream of embarking on a rehearsal or performance without a warm-up of some kind. That her voice/speech/body warm-up served as a means of “clearing the runway for take off.” That is the purpose of our daily Vocal Warm Ups, with the additional focus toward helping you bring your fully present, embodied self into this new Zoom playing space we are now asked to navigate. There will be breathwork and very light bodywork geared to the days’ activities, and this will be divided into two parts: A morning focus warm up, featuring breathwork from many pedagogies and methodologies; and a second, mid-day warm up designed to refresh your senses, give you a healthy dose of play, and serve as a bridge to the work you will do in the afternoon.

AUDITS: We welcome you to submit a request to audit the Lab. University and High School Acting Teachers and Hagen Teacher’s Lab Alumni are welcome to request to audit (observe) one or two days of the Hagen Teacher’s Lab Online. Audit fee: $45 per day. Space is limited. Those interested in auditing Hagen Teacher’s Lab Online should fill out an Audit Request Form at this link:

REQUEST AUDIT

*REGISTRATION & REFUND POLICIES:

Upon acceptance into the Lab, you must register in full by Nov 14 to secure your spot in the Lab.
A $350 refund will be given to cancellations made more than 3 weeks (22+ days) before the first day of the Lab.
No refunds will be given less than 3 weeks (21 days or less) before the first day of the lab.

Hagen Teacher’s Lab Online

December 13, 14, 16, 18 & 20 | $475:

Meet & Greet: 4-6pm, Sun, Dec 13
Lab Sessions: 10am – 4pm, Mon, Wed, Fri & Sun, Dec 14, 16, 18 & 20
Wrap-Up: 4-5:30pm, Sun, Dec 20

APPLY ONLINE

FACULTY

Program Director & Acting Technique: Carol Rosenfeld
Scene Study: Mark Nelson
Voice Warm Up: Theresa McElwee

This December, HB Studio will offer its strategically modified, four-day version of the Hagen Teacher’s Lab, to be held online over Zoom.

Founded at HB Studio where Uta Hagen taught her legendary professional classes for more than 50 years, The Hagen Teacher’ Lab provides a forum for artists and educators from around the world to continue their professional development and explore and expand their understanding and experience of Hagen’s approach to acting and teaching. This year, it will be a virtual retreat, a coming-together to share our online teaching successes and frustrations. It will also be an exploration of how Hagen’s acting exercises are opportune for online and distance learning, providing a rich home-practice for the solo actor and student.

¨(….), I came on the idea of working by myself at home to devise corrective exercises for all of the problems I was having by exploring personal behavior under a variety of circumstances. (…) in order to lay down guidelines and give a form to the exercises, I decided first to define and then to re-create two seemingly routine minutes of life when alone at home, two minutes spent in the execution of a simple task in pursuit of normal objective.¨ – A Challenge for the Actor, Uta Hagen

Given the current circumstances the theater community is experiencing, with so much work interrupted, Uta Hagen’s exercises provide an oasis of grounded and embodied physical solo practice that can then be shared and assessed with colleagues in the Zoom space.

Breaks and Guided Warm-Ups will be offered throughout the day, to step away from the screen, refresh, breathe, ground and recenter in our bodies.

Required Texts:
A Challenge for the Actor by Uta Hagen
Angels in America, Part I – Millennium Approaches by Tony Kushner

Daily Schedule:
•10am- 10:30am: Voice Warm-up
•10:35am- 12:05pm: Acting Technique
•12:05am- 12:55pm: Lunch
•12:55pm-1:25pm: Voice Warm-up
•1:30pm– 3pm: Script Analysis & Scenes

Learn More about the Hagen Teachers Lab Online

The Hagen Teacher’s Lab Online

August 3, 5, 7, & 9, 2020
Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday | 10am – 3pm | $375
Apply Now! Applications accepted on a rolling basis.*

APPLY ONLINE

FACULTY

Program Director & Acting Technique: Carol Rosenfeld
Acting Technique: Brian Mulligan
Scene Study: Mark Nelson
Voice Warm Up: Theresa McElwee

This August, HB Studio is offering a strategically modified, four-day version of the Hagen Teacher’s Lab, to be offered online over Zoom.

¨(….), I came on the idea of working by myself at home to devise corrective exercises for all of the problems I was having by exploring personal behavior under a variety of circumstances. (…) in order to lay down guidelines and give a form to the exercises, I decided first to define and then to re-create two seemingly routine minutes of life when alone at home, two minutes spent in the execution of a simple task in pursuit of normal objective.¨ – A Challenge for the Actor, Uta Hagen

Given the current circumstances the theater community is experiencing, with so much work interrupted, Uta Hagen’s exercises provide an oasis of grounded and embodied physical solo practice that can then be shared and assessed with colleagues in the Zoom space.

Breaks and Guided Warm-Ups will be offered throughout the day, to step away from the screen, refresh, breathe, ground and recenter in our bodies.

Required Texts:
A Challenge for the Actor by Uta Hagen
Angels in America, Part I – Millennium Approaches by Tony Kushner

Daily Schedule:
•10am- 10:30am: Voice Warm-up
•10:35am- 12:05pm: Acting Technique
•12:05am- 12:55pm: Lunch
•12:55pm-1:25pm: Voice Warm-up
•1:30pm– 3pm: Script Analysis & Scenes

ACTING TECHNIQUE – THE 10 HAGEN EXERCISES

SCRIPT ANALYSIS & SCENES – ANGELS IN AMERICA PART I

When we can’t explore scenes in a physical space in contact with another actor, Zoom teaching invites us to focus on the imaginative homework so fundamental to Uta Hagen’s approach: Script Analysis. In the Lab, we’ll sketch out the fundamentals of the actor’s mining of text, using Tony Kushner’s Angels in America: Millennium Approaches. After a broad discussion of themes and through-lines (how does this story of loss and transformation during an epidemic speak to us now?), we’ll take a detailed look at key scenes using Hagen’s Six Steps. Finally, we’ll cast the scenes from the group, explore how well-prepared actors begin to connect across the digital divide, and test how a teacher’s feedback can support that connection.

VOICE

* Apply early, space is limited. Upon acceptance into the Lab, you must register in full by June 24 to secure your spot in the Lab.

Financial Aid

Each semester, HB Studio offers work-study programs and extremely limited scholarship options to students seeking financial support.

PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS FOR OUR FALL TERM ARE NOW CLOSED!

APPLICATIONS FOR FINANCIAL AID FOR OUR WINTER 2025 SEMESTER OPEN ON SEPTEMBER 22 AND CLOSE ON OCTOBER 19.

Please check back here on September 22 for a link to the Winter Financial Aid application form.

Notifications of acceptance or denial of financial aid are generally made within one month of the application deadline. You are only permitted to submit one financial aid application for one class for each term. Please wait to receive notification whether or not you have received financial aid before enrolling in any class you are seeking aid for. We will not be able to reimburse you for any pre-paid tuition, as our policy prohibits you from using financial aid for any class you have already paid for.

As a prerequisite for any form of financial aid support for new students, actors are required to present an audition over Zoom. You must notify us at least 24 hours in advance of your audition if you are unable to attend. New playwriting students are required to submit a substantial sample of past work.

Failure to file appropriate paperwork, not attend the audition when scheduled, or to not submit writing samples in a timely fashion will disqualify the applicant from financial aid.

Work-Study

Work study support is awarded based on need, a statement of goals and intent, and instructors’ recommendations. All attendees at HB studio, both new enrollees and continuing students, are eligible to apply for Work-Study positions. Participants in our work-study program are granted one free course of their choosing at HB Studio when they enroll and pay for a second course during the same term. As a participant in this program, you will be asked to take on a few simple tasks on behalf of the studio, generally as a “key student” or studio assistant.

Select classes engage a “key student” who serves as a classroom monitor and teacher’s assistant. The key student is responsible for preparing the classroom, taking attendance, maintaining class contact lists, tracking auditors, assisting with emergency procedures, organizing the studio at the end of class, and any other basic tasks as the teacher may require.

HB also engages studio assistants who work set weekly hours over the entirety of the term. Studio assistant responsibilities are assigned based on student and supervisor availability, student need, and student skills. Examples of assigned tasks could include support with database updates, paper filing, library research and organization, archival scanning, hosting Zoom auditions, marketing support, on-site student check-in, production support, studio upkeep, and general cleaning. Maintaining these tasks in a timely and responsible fashion will be a prerequisite for staying in the work-study program. All students are required to fulfill their hours of work before the end of each term or else they will no longer be eligible for the program. Failure to comply with these guidelines may terminate your involvement.

Scholarships

HB Studio Scholarships are awarded based on need, a statement of goals and intent, and instructors’ recommendations. Due to limited supporting funds, we cannot offer full scholarship coverage for the entirety of any one class. Our average classroom scholarship is a $100 discount off the cost of one course. Please note that if you are awarded a scholarship, you are required to enroll in the class by the first day of the term. Failure to utilize your scholarship by this date may result in forfeiture of the financial support. HB scholarships are given with the expectation that awardees will lead their fellows in discipline, attendance, and preparation, and demonstrate a full commitment to their work in class.

Please Note: Scholarships for the Hagen Core Training or Hagen Summer Intensive programs are awarded through a separate process which is addressed during the application process for those programs.

Hagen Teacher’s Lab West

The Hagen Teacher’s Lab is thrilled to bring its work to the West Coast this January 2019, hosted by the California State University Long Beach Theater Department.

Wednesday – Monday | 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
January 2 – 7, 2019
California State University – Long Beach, CA

Applications are now closed.

APPLY ONLINE

FACULTY:

Program Director & Technique: Carol Rosenfeld
Scene Study: Brian Mulligan
Speaking Voice: Andrea Caban

HELD ANNUALLY IN NYC AT HB STUDIO SINCE 2014.

The Uta Hagen Institute’s Hagen Teacher’s Lab West is an intensive, six-day program where artists and educators from around the world come to continue their professional development. The program is designed to serve teachers, future teachers, and professional actors who wish to explore and expand their understanding and experience of Uta Hagen’s approach to acting and teaching.

EXPERIENCE THE DEPTH AND VALUE OF UTA HAGEN’S OBJECT EXERCISES AND SCENE STUDY PROCESS IN ACTOR TRAINING.

With HB Studio faculty who trained directly with Uta Hagen, we will explore the infinite potential of Uta Hagen’s exercises in the actor’s practice at all levels of experience. Through participation and discussion, we see the individual talent revealed and released through this approach. Lab participants will play dual roles: Actor and Teacher. As an actor, you will be asked to prepare an exercise and rehearse a scene. As a teacher, you will be assigned an exercise and scene to critique.

THE EXTREMELY PRACTICAL EXERCISES FOUND IN UTA HAGEN’S WORLD-FAMOUS BOOKS, RESPECT FOR ACTING AND A CHALLENGE FOR THE ACTOR, PROBE THE DEPTHS AND HEIGHTS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR.

Upon registration, you will be given guidelines on how to prepare for the workshop. Rehearsal outside class is required.

“…An organic transference of oneself to the role, the development of a new “I” who is alive in the world of the play, involves a creative process which is not a willy-nilly, loose way of working that depends solely on intuitive or elusive inspiration. On the contrary, it is a process which, however slow and painstaking, can be structured in an orderly way over which the actor has control, although no part of it is mechanical… It is a true challenge of one’s diligence and one’s talent. This process is to me like the drafting of a musical score in which the actor composes the character’s theme, orchestrates it, defines the phrases, individual beats, and the arrangement of the notes he will eventually play with spontaneity at each performance, putting to use his finely honed inner and outer techniques.” – Uta Hagen, A Challenge for the Actor © 1991, by Uta Hagen, All Rights Reserved.

Tuition: $850
CSU Faculty Tuition: $750

Required Texts: A Challenge for the Actor by Uta Hagen and Acting and Living in Discovery by Carol Rosenfeld

Schedule:
• 9:30am-10:25am Vocal Warm-up
• 10:30am-1:00pm Technique
• 1:00pm-2:00pm Lunch
• 2:00pm-4:30pm Scene Study

Audits: University and High School Acting Teachers and Hagen Teacher’s Lab Alumni are welcome to request to audit (observe) one or two days of the Hagen Teacher’s Lab.
• Audit fee: $60 per day.
• To request an audit, email Jim Boerlin at jboerlin@hbstudio.org with:
– Your name
– School affiliation and position
– Your reason for auditing
– Date(s) you would like to audit

Program options for International Students

International students have different options for participating in classes at HB Studio. While many choose to design their own program from the variety of classes taught at the Studio, others prefer the intensive, full-time training programs that the Uta Hagen Institute has to offer. All programs at HB Studio require international students to obtain an F-1 visa to participate. Our International Student Advisors assist students with this process.

International Studio Class Program

The Studio offers an International Studio Class Program that can be shaped to achieve the individual’s goals. The full-time program requires students to attend a minimum of seven Studio classes per week, consisting of a mix of required and elective classes.

Mandatory classes include:

Two Acting classes (Acting The Song and Improvisation are not considered acting classes)
One Speech class
One Speaking Voice class
One Movement class
Two electives

Upon assessment, students who are not native English speakers may also be advised to take Acting in English in order to ensure adequate language support. They may also be required to supplement their Studio program with outside English as a Second Language (ESL) courses.

Students may begin studying at the Studio in the Fall, Winter, Spring or Summer terms. The International Studio Class Program allows students to study for a maximum of two years and minimum of one term (10 weeks). Please see F-1 Visas & Program Policies for more information and a breakdown of tuition and fees.

After completing two years in the International Studio Class Program, students may choose to participate in Optional Practical Training (OPT), where students may receive up to 12 months of authorization to pursue employment directly related to their field of study.

The International Studio Class Program requires an application and audition for admission. For more information, contact our International Student Advisor Snezhana Chernova at international@hbstudio.org or 212-675-2370 extension 28.

Hagen Core Training

The Uta Hagen Institute at HB Studio offers full-time immersion in the practical approach to acting craft that characterized Uta Hagen’s legendary master classes and classic acting texts. Its Hagen Core Training is an intensive one-year training program taught by world-class faculty/practitioners. This program offers an integrated progressive curriculum of essential classes: Acting Technique, Scene Study, Script Analysis, Movement, Alexander Technique, Voice and Speech.

The Hagen Core Training is a three-term program (Fall, Winter, Spring) that requires an application, audition and interview for admission. For more information, visit Hagen Core Training or contact Uta Hagen Institute Administrator Jim Boerlin at jboerlin@hbstudio.org or 212-675-2370 extension 38.

Hagen Summer Intensive

The Hagen Summer Intensive is a rigorous, six-week workshop with the Uta Hagen Institute that probes the practical applications of Uta Hagen’s technique as discussed in her book A CHALLENGE FOR THE ACTOR. Through acting technique, scene study, script analysis, and technical exercises, “The Six Steps” will become an integral part of the actor’s craft. When you have strong technique and more confidence in how to find yourself in the role, acting will be joyful. Classes include: Acting Technique, Scene Study, Alexander Technique, Movement and Voice.

The Hagen Summer Intensive program requires an application and online audition for admission. For more information, visit Hagen Summer Intensive or contact Uta Hagen Institute Administrator Jim Boerlin at jboerlin@hbstudio.org or 212-675-2370 extension 38.

Options for Short-Term Students

International students wishing to study at HB Studio for a shorter amount of time under an F-1 visa may apply for a minimum of one term (10 weeks). Students would be required to attend a minimum of seven Studio classes per week, consisting of a mix of required and elective classes. Please see the course breakdown under the International Studio Class Program above.

We also welcome international visitors spending a shorter amount of time in the U.S. to audit classes at HB Studio. Auditing provides a great introduction to the wide variety of classes that the Studio has to offer. It can also help prospective international students to decide if they want to apply for a full-time program in the future. One audit is allowed per class and there is a $20.00 fee. You must come in person to the Studio office on the day of the class you wish to audit and arrive at least 30 minutes before class begins.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Please contact International Student Advisors Snezhana Chernova at international@hbstudio.org or 212-675-2370 extension 28 with any questions you may have about the programs available for international students at HB Studio.