Classes

Scene Study

The BHP Approach to Acting, Administration, and Attitude is delivered through intensive scene study. Exercises are kept to a minimum at the BHP, as we want our actors to concentrate on disciplined, researched, high-quality scenes from good scripts, whether plays or movies, from writers like Shakespeare to Mamet and beyond. Actors rehearse the scenes outside class until they feel they have a finished product to bring into the class, and only then will a critique be delivered. Playing a cop? You’d better look like a cop, you better interview some cops. Playing a hooker? You’d better go walking along Santa Monica Blvd. and find one who you think is right for this part – nail the costume, the walk. Playing an addict? You’d better do the research about how that substance affects people, specifically. So, if you want a casual approach to scene study, where you run some lines until you have a scene memorized and kind of throw it up there and see what happens, the BHP is not for you.

Most classes at the BHP meet twice a week, for about four hours per class. Classes are taught on three different levels – Orientation, Intermediate, and Advanced – based on the experience of the applicant. Orientation would include anyone from beginners to college-level arts training, and Intermediate and Advanced are for actors and directors with more professional experience, with an eye as well to union memberships and representation being in place.

Audition Classes

Many actors have difficulty translating what they know about acting to the audition process. Auditions become some hellish exercise where the fun of acting goes out the window, and can often be a major source of frustration regarding the profession. The BHP offers a special audition class where actors in our scene study program can focus once a week on the audition process. The class consists simply of drilled auditions – the actor is given “sides” to read, and other actors play the Casting Director, Producer, etc. The goal is to reduce the stress on this process, and make the actor aware of behaviors and habits that may well be impeding the talent within from making itself apparent.

Acting Classes for Young Actors and Teens

Ages 7-18

In line with the ideals of the adult acting classes at the BHP as conceived by its founder, director/teacher Milton Katselas, the Young Actors classes and the Teen Acting classes will offer a straightforward, no-nonsense approach to the work.  Actors will gain confidence, discipline and focus through classes that allow them to explore their creativity, emotionality and imagination.

The classes are on-going scene study classes.  The 2½ hour class will involve exercises including warm-ups, improvisation games, personal monologues, song and dances, environmental exercises, and cold reads in addition to scene study—just as in Milton Katselas’ adult acting classes.  Scripts will be available for both cold-reading exercises and for scenes, and the young actors are encouraged to bring material that they would like to work on including scripts from films and audition sides. An audio recording of every critique will be available online for later review.

The professional style classes are based on getting the young actors and teens working in the industry.  Professional attitude and work ethic are expected from the students. Policies are basic:  Be on time, be prepared, and support your fellow artists. The idea is that the class expects the same attitude from the students that they would be expected to demonstrate on professional sets.

In addition to the acting classes, there will be occasional parent workshops and industry showcases offered. The workshops will focus on educating parents on topics such as setting up your child’s acting website, standard industry and agent contracts, when to hire a lawyer, child labor laws, how to submit your young actor and teen for jobs online, and much more.