"Sheryl coached me on several of my projects and each time that I left our sessions I felt a deep sense of fulfillment and gratitude. In each step of the process Sheryl provides a grounded approach, valuable tools, humor, compassion and creative suggestons on trying things out until that one piece becomes magical. Sheryl is truly a gem!"
--Julia Huffman, Director (Medicine of the Wolf, Tedx Talk)
E N G A G E
THE ACTOR'S DIRECTOR
"I would highly recommend The Actor’s Director Workshop to any writer, director or actor at all levels of their career. Gary and Sheryl with their vast knowledge and expertise through years in the industry bring artists together in a fascinating and intimate experience for all involved unlike anything I’ve experienced before. They take the time with each attendee to address their personal growth and guide them to push beyond their boundaries to teach the entire group as a whole. This is an open forum where attendees attain a comfort level with each other to ask intriguing questions and receive quality answers while discovering something new and exciting about themselves along the journey."
-- Adam Nail, Actor
"... this class showed me what's going on in the heads of actors... by putting myself out of my comfort zone, I learned A LOT."
-- Lester Kuo, Director, Pepperdine University
2016 The Actor's Director Workshop
Please contact us to find out about upcoming workshops in your city, or if you'd like to invite us to do a workshop in your area. Our Workshop Coordinator will get back to you with our reservation policy and more details. This is an intimate workshop, and we will all learn together. A non-refundable deposit confirms your space. If we are booked, we will add your name to the wait list. We look forward to coming to your hometown soon!
Twin Peaks, Six Feet Under, Winter’s Bone, Sneakers, Dirty Sexy Money, Magnificent Desolation, Fire Walk With Me, Grey’s Anatomy, Mother Night, Whispers, Salome, The West Wing, Love Letters, Big Love, One Tree Hill, Texas Killing Fields, Backbeat, among many other credits.
C o n n e c t i n g
*The Magic of Silence
*When to Improvise
*The Art of Connecting
*Best Instincts
"So needed. Too often directors focus solely on the technical aspects of storytelling, rather than looking at behavior and the actor's process."
-- James Chressanthis, ASG, GSC, Cinematographer/Director (Life with Judy Garland, Four Minutes, Ghost Whisperer, American Horror Story, No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo and Vilmos)
"I loved observing the evolution of change as a result of direction. The diverse talent in the room was incredible because there was an international population who all had expertise in different areas but love for the same process."
-- Anahita Dalmia, USC, Narrative Studies
Upcoming Workshops:
A CREATIVE WORKSHOP
for
Directors, Actors, and Writers
T e x t u r e
Inside each and every one of us is one true authentic swing… Something we was born with. Over time the world can rob us of that swing…it gets buried inside us under all the wouldas and couldas and shouldas… Some folk even forget what their swing was like…see… you lost your swing. We got to go find it.
-- From The Legend of Bagger Vance
R I S K
Taught by two established artists with decades in the business, actor/director Sheryl Lee and actor/writer/director Gary Hershberger discovered that there was an opportunity for growth in the way actors and directors think about each other, how they explore the process, and in turn how they have conversations about the craft.
Copyright
There is that rare breed of Director that just “knows” how to get the best out of the actor -- giving them a sense of freedom, inspiring courage, and bringing clarity. One of the challenges in collaborative storytelling is learning to speak the same language, and finding ways to bring out the best in each other.
*Private coaching also available.
"The entire day was delightful, inspiring, creative, challenging, and a safe place to risk. It fed my hungry heart."
-- Nancy Ellen Dodd, Screenwriting Instructor, Pepperdine University; author of The Writer's Compass
*Louder, Faster, Quicker, Softer
*Embracing Mistakes
*It's Not about Tears
*Beyond the Monitor
C O U R A G E
P l a y
F r e e d o m
"...getting to direct the interrogation scene gave me an incredible amount of confidence... the teachers
worked excellently in concert with each other."
-- Rob S., USC School of Cinematic Arts
"I deeply appreciated the ability to work a scene to its emotional core with two teachers who were entirely supportive and gentle... I appreciated the sense of play. You helped me lose any and all self-consciousness."
-- Ian Godburn, Writer/Teacher
Gary Hershberger
"It was personal, open, collaborative, and so much fun...in-depth and detailed work was put into running each scene."
-- Gabrielle Norte, Writer/Director, Pepperdine University
The Actor's Director Weekend Workshop opens up deeper understanding of how artists can interact with each other, and move from controlling a performance, to finding the moment-to-moment truth together. The workshop will explore creative techniques such as staying present, the magic of silence, the art of connecting, the power of vulnerability -- learning to understand not only the intentions of a script, but the language of the heart.
"I also liked learning to really, genuinely and authentically stand in the actor's shoes."
-- Logan Rose, USC, SCA Cinema and Media Studies
"I feel my communication in the art form will be so much more free just from both of your motivational, experienced passion."
- -- Billy Baker, Actor/Director, Pepperdine University
"If you are a director who is serious about getting the absolute best out of your cast, you must take this class. I have worked with Gary for over 30 years. I won’t work on a project, unless he’s involved. You will be learning from the maestro. He understands script, he understands directing and he understands acting. And he has a velvet glove touch when working with you. Don’t be like so many directors whose work suffers, because they simply don’t know how to work with actors. Gary and Sheryl will take the mystery out of it, because they have something you can’t fake: decades of experience. Use it to your advantage and get in this class and become what every director really wants to become… the actor’s director.”
-- Robert Krantz, Writer/Director/Producer (Christmas with the Karountzoses, Do You Wanna Dance)
S i l e n c e
Workshop Highlights:
*Staying Present
*Imagineering
*Creating a Safe Space
*The Power of Vulnerability
"...combo of actors and directors was GREAT!! It's taught by people with TONS of experience... kind, thoughtful, supportive teaching."
-- Sara F.-- MFA Film Production, USC School of Cinematic Arts
D I S C O V E R
"Gary and Sheryl share wisdom that can only be earned the hard way - from decades of experience working with the best. Both are generous and kind as they take you through their thoughtfully-designed course."
--Kazu Takeda, MFA Film Production 2017, USC School of Cinematic Arts
Sheryl Lee
Learn How to Inspire a Performance. Rediscover the Joy of Acting.
"...what was unique was seeing how actors and directors work together and how they can have a better relationship with each other and break the barrier."
-- Victoria Kempf, USC School of Dramatic Arts
I n s t i n c t