ADW▸ 1A
Find the emotional core of a scene
Read past the dialogue to what the scene is really about, and direct toward that.
Next session
Sat · Dec 5
A creative workshop · Los Angeles
The Actor's Director
For directors, writers and actors, together. Learn the craft that happens between "action" and "cut": how a director talks to an actor.
Call time
11 AM – 7 PM
Location
USC School of Cinematic Arts
Days
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Hrs
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Min
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Our instructors' credits include
The Workshop
Every great performance on screen began as a conversation between a director and an actor. We teach that conversation.
Most directing education covers camera, coverage and theory. This intensive covers the skill that is rarely taught in depth: directing actors toward authentic, powerful performances, in real time, with little rehearsal.
Inside the day ↓What happens in the room
You work directly with professional actors on real scenes. Directors, actors and writers share the floor, the way they do on a professional set.
ADW▸ 2A
Unlock an actor's hidden potential
Give clear, playable direction that opens a performance instead of boxing it in.
ADW▸ 3A
Collaborate and keep your vision
Invite the actor in without handing over the film.
ADW▸ 4A
The three fundamentals of every scene
A working framework you can bring to any page, any genre, any set.
ADW▸ 5A
Adjust without over-directing
One precise note beats ten vague ones. Learn when to speak and when to step back.
ADW▸ 6A
The power of silence
Sometimes the strongest direction is the space you leave. Use it on purpose.
ADW▸ 7A
Know what drives an actor
Understand what actors need from you to do their best work.
ADW▸ 8A
Build trust on set
Create the safety that lets an actor take real risks in front of the lens.
ADW▸ 9A
Scenes built moment by moment
Watch truthful performances form in real time, through collaboration rather than control.
Then you do it again, on your feet, with working actors.
The faculty
The workshop was founded by two actors who met on David Lynch's Twin Peaks and have spent their careers on both sides of the camera.
Sheryl LeeCo-founder
Co-founder · Actor · Teacher
Sheryl Lee
Sheryl Lee has had a long and adventurous career in theater, film and television. She came to international attention as Laura Palmer in David Lynch's Twin Peaks and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, and starred in the title role of Salomé on Broadway opposite Al Pacino.
She has taught the "Directing the Actor" class at UCLA and works privately with actors, directors and writers, offering creative guidance and support. Grateful for the artists who mentored her along the way, she enjoys teaching students at every level and passing along the wisdom of experience.
Selected credits +
- 1990–91Twin PeaksLaura Palmer / Maddy Ferguson
- 1992Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with MeLaura Palmer
- 1992Salomé (Broadway)Salomé, opposite Al Pacino
- 1994BackbeatAstrid Kirchherr
- 1996Mother NightHelga / Resi Noth
- 1998VampiresKatrina
- 2005–06One Tree HillRecurring
- 2007–09Dirty Sexy MoneyRecurring
- 2010Winter's BoneApril
- 2017Twin Peaks: The ReturnLaura Palmer
Gary HershbergerCo-founder
Co-founder · Actor · Writer · Director
Gary Hershberger
A professional actor, writer and director for over thirty years, Gary knows his way around a productive, effective set. His credits include Twin Peaks, Six Feet Under, Big Love, Grey's Anatomy, The West Wing and Sneakers, and he has worked alongside Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Naomi Watts and Peter Falk.
A produced screenwriter, Gary wrote the independent feature Finding Normal, now in pre-production. He works privately with screenwriters and directors, and teaches at Loyola Marymount University's School of Film and Television.
Selected credits +
- 1989–91Twin PeaksMike Nelson
- 1992Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with MeMike Nelson
- 1992SneakersFilm
- 2001–02Six Feet UnderMatthew Gilardi
- —The West WingTelevision
- —Big Love · Grey's AnatomyTelevision
- —Faith, Hope & Love · A Marriage Made in HeavenFilm
- 2017Twin Peaks: The ReturnMike Nelson
- In prepFinding NormalWriter
The call sheet
Everyone works together. Each discipline sees the scene from the other side of the camera.
Directing
Directors
Who want stronger, clearer communication with their cast.
→ WritingWriters
Preparing to direct their own material and learning the secrets of subtext.
→ CastActors
Practicing, in real time, how to work with directors when there's little rehearsal.
→ Camera · Prod.DPs & Producers
Ready to make the leap to directing.
→Two instructors
Two working artists in the room for the whole day, so you get more than one perspective, shaped by decades on set.
Performance first
No lectures on lenses or coverage. The day centers on the actor, the scene and the note.
A real set dynamic
Directors, actors and writers collaborate side by side, just like a professional production.
“If you are a director who is serious about getting the absolute best out of your cast, you must take this class. Become what every director really wants to become… the actor’s director.”Robert Krantz · Writer / Director / Actor · Faith, Hope, and Love
13 directors & actors on the workshopRead all testimonials →
Admit one · Upcoming workshop
The Actor's Director
- Date
- Saturday, December 5
- Time
- 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- Venue
- USC School of Cinematic Arts
Students$95
Professionals$285
Your payment reserves your space. If the workshop is full, we'll add your name to the waitlist. Location, parking and what to bring are emailed after you register.
Payments are non-refundable because space is limited. Cancel 48 hours or more ahead for a refund minus a $50 fee. In an emergency, we may offer a credit toward a future workshop.
No. 001205 · Seat GA
Doors
11
AM sharp
Questions
Before you arrive
Anything we didn't cover, just ask. We answer every message.
Ask a question →Directors, writers, actors, and DPs or producers who want to move into directing. Everyone works together in the same room, the way they would on a real set.
We welcome all levels of experience. Students and working professionals take the workshop side by side, and Sheryl and Gary teach every level. What matters is curiosity about how performances are built.
No memorization is needed. Scene material is provided on the day, so you can focus on working with your director in real time, with little rehearsal, the way it often happens on set.
Yes. Sheryl and Gary love working on original scripts. Keep it to two and a half pages or less, and bring enough copies for every actor in the scene, plus one for a second director if needed. Email theactorsdirectorworkshop@gmail.com ahead of time to check that a slot is open. If they’re already taken, we’ll give you priority at the next workshop.
Choose the student rate ($95) or the professional rate ($285) and pay online with PayPal, Venmo or a card. Your payment holds your place. After you register, we email you the location details, what to bring and where to park. If the workshop is full, we add your name to the waitlist and contact you if a seat opens.
Saturday, December 5, from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM at the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles.
Join the mailing list to hear about new dates first. You can also book a private session with Sheryl or Gary, or invite us to bring the workshop to your school, festival or company.
Yes. Sheryl and Gary work one on one with actors, directors and writers, in person in Los Angeles or by phone, FaceTime or Zoom.
Because space is limited, payments are non-refundable. If you cancel at least 48 hours before the workshop, we refund your payment minus a $50 fee. In an emergency, we may offer a credit toward a future workshop.
Sheryl and Gary usually teach together. Occasionally a scheduling conflict means one of them leads the day alone. Both have taught the workshop on their own.
Take the note
The same line lands differently depending on what the director says before the take. Give the actor a note and watch how the same line changes. This is the skill the workshop trains.
NOTE 114.
INT. KITCHEN – NIGHT
Her brother waits by the door, coat already on. She doesn’t look up from the sink.
MAYA
(choose a note)
I’m fine. Really. You should go.
Your note to the actor
Pick a note above. Each one shows what the actor hears and what tends to end up in the scene.
Now do it with working actors, in the room.
Reserve a seat →Private coaching
One on one, wherever you are
Prepping an audition, a role, a first feature or a tough scene? Sheryl and Gary work privately with actors, directors and writers.
In personLos Angeles
ZoomAnywhere in the world
FaceTimeFace to face, remotely
PhoneScript and scene notes
Contact
Let's talk
Ask about upcoming classes or private coaching, or invite us to bring the workshop to your city, school or production.
Behind the scenes on Instagram ↗Mailing list
Never miss a date
Join the mailing list and be the first to hear when new workshop dates open. We only email about new dates.