Featured Courses

What’s Happening Now: Plays of Political Conscience (Frank Wood)

Presented by Frank Wood – 

Held in person: 

This course invites the actor to work from material that makes an argument, fights for a cause, yells about injustice, or quietly builds the scaffolding of a terrible truth. We will work from plays such as:
  • Heidi Shrek’s What the Constitution Means to Me, which is a protest, argument and dramatic narrative rolled into one.
  • Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Purpose, a play about politics and personal cost of pursuing power
  • Lynn Nottage’s Sweat, which describes unionization as the cleaver that hacks a community apart while it demands economic justice.
Other texts selected by the actors can be incorporated as well. You will be asked to support each other in scenes that others choose to serve what excites them.

The Actor’s Gymnasium (Mercedes Ruehl)

Presented by Mercedes Ruehl –

This class is for actors who have begun to establish reliable technique and amass a serious résumé. We will continue to hone technique through exercises and we will concern ourselves with the power of rhythm, of silence, of synchronicity, and the random wellsprings that open when the actor is 100% present in the moment.

You must apply to be accepted into this class. (Students previously accepted to study with Ruehl in 2025 may enroll without applying; all other students who have not studied in 2025 must apply)

Voice Over: Cartoons & Videogames (Theresa Buchheister)

Voice Over director Theresa Buchheister has directed and sound-engineered many cartoons and videogames, including Cartoon Network’s Pokémon XYZ, Hoopa and the Clash of Ages, Nickelodeon’s The Winx Club and Netflix’s World of Winx, Robocar Poli, Mily: Miss Questions, BoyGirlDogCatMouseCheese, and others that they cannot discuss because of NDAs! As a performer, Theresa has voiced cartoon characters on Pokémon, The Winx Club, Mily, and more.

Over the course of this workshop, Theresa will take you on a deep dive into the basic skills and valuable practices of cartoon and videogame voiceover performance. First, you will dip into the basics: common terms, valuable warm-ups and tricks, audition and performance techniques, differentiation from other areas of voice acting, what your voice brings to the table, and more. Then, you will put these into practice: character development, performing copy, and examining your versatility. You will be sent home with vocal homework and material to practice, and you will have the opportunity to perform an in-class expanded audition. You will present your copy, receive quick and specific direction, followed by notes and critique. If time allows, further topics will be explored just as text analysis and demo reels.

This workshop is open to those with VO experience looking to sharpen and expand their audition and performance skills, as well as to performers who are new to VO looking for an introduction to the craft.

Presented by: Theresa Buchheister –

Held online over Zoom: