Join us for our Summer Masterclass Series. For ages 16+.

Sign up for as many classes as you'd like! See our Summer Masterclass Schedule or event details below for dates and times for classes. 

Uta Hagen: Exercises in Authenticity with Eric Berg  

Saturday, July 22nd 2:30pm-5:00pm

$65.00 | Ages 16+

Musicians practice their scales. Ballet dancers warm up at the barre. What do actors do to prepare themselves for peak performance?  Get first hand experience in acting exercises crafted by Uta Hagen, one of the greatest stage actors of the last century, to “put your instincts and sense of truth… to use while probing and grappling with the content and roots of [acting] craft.”

Monologue Bootcamp: Strengthening your imagination with Victoria Cruz   

Wednesday, July 26th 12:00pm- 2:30pm

$65.00 | Ages 16+

In Monologue Bootcamp: Strengthening your imagination Victoria Cruz will coach you by giving constructive feedback, one-on-one attention, and acting technique tools that are applicable for any future role. Please prepare a 60-90 second contemporary monologue for this class.

Meisner I: The Reality of Doing with Eric Berg  

Saturday, August 5th 12:00pm-2:30pm

$65.00 | Ages 16+

Have you ever gotten the acting note to "get out of your head”?  Have you ever struggled to take that note? Learn some of the foundational acting techniques and exercises pioneered by master acting teacher Sanford Meisner to get out of your head and anchor your acting in the “Reality of Doing.”

Meisner II: The Pinch & The Ouch with Eric Berg 

Sunday, August 6th 1:30pm-3:30pm

$65.00 | Ages 16+

Have you ever struggled to “listen” to your scene partner? Are you unsure what to “do” in a scene? Sanford Meisner’s exercises challenge actors to hone their ability to listen specifically and  connect to their inner impulses.  Building on the Meisner I course, this class gives actors practical tools from one of the foundational American acting teachers, Sanford Meisner.

Mastering Cold Reading with Katie Ibrahim

DATE TBA 

$75.00 | Ages 16+

Cold Reading is a common tactic used in On-Screen, Agency, and Theatrical auditions to see if an Actor is capable of fulfilling the role. This workshop will teach you how to confidently prepare yourself for a cold read audition, how to make "BOLD" choices, and how to land the role.

ABOUT THE TEACHING ARTISTS 

ERIC BERG (he/him)

Eric is thrilled to be returning to the Playground! Eric is an actor, director, producer, podcast-maker, and teaching artist based in Dallas. Select acting credits include: Eugene in Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues (Theatre Arlington), Boy in US/THEM (Echo Theatre), Parker in Split Second (Jubilee Theatre), Damis in Tartuffe, and Sebastian in Twelfth Night (SMU). Eric has directed productions of in a word (Echo), Eurydice, and STELLA (SMU) and numerous readings for Kitchen Dog Theater, Echo, and IMPRINT Theatreworks. He has served as associate/assistant director at AT&T PAC, Dallas Theatre Center, Stage West, Kitchen Dog, and Jubilee. Eric has been a proud Producing Partner at Echo Theatre since 2019, where he has produced many mainstage productions and several seasons of the staged reading series, Echo Reads. He is also the co-founder/producer of Echo Offstage, an interview-based podcast focusing on the most influential and innovative women+ in theatre. He holds a Certificate of Achievement in Drama from the SC Governor's School of the Arts & Humanities and a BFA in Theatre from SMU.

VICTORIA CRUZ (she/her)  is an actress and storyteller with a passion for Improvisation and Character Development. She uses these tools in her work and in every opportunity she gets. She earned her MFA in Acting from Southern Methodist University, and her BA in Communications from University of Alabama in Birmingham. Her favorite projects include voiceover for Lumenaria at Okratron 5000, and performing Classical works with Shakespeare Dallas. Although an Alabama Native, being a part of a military family allowed her to live all over the world during her upbringing. She has performed all over Dallas and most recently was in Hamlet at Shakespeare Dallas. She has also worked at Stage West and Tony-Award Winning Dallas Theatre Center.

KATIE IBRAHIM (she/her)

Katie graduated from SMU in 2018 with a BFA in Theatre Studies and a focus on Directing and Playwriting. She has spent the last couple years in Michigan, Boston, and New York City before landing back in Dallas. While in New York she Co-Produced and Stage Managed two new productions, Let's Have a Seance and For a Brief Moment I was Something Else. Katie is currently Stage Managing Passover at Second Thought Theater and she will be Assistant Directing Hamlet at Shakespeare Dallas this summer.