The Working Actor's Journey

Ursula taught at U.C. Santa Barbara, U.C. Santa Cruz, University of Washington, and four years as the primary voice teacher at the Yale School of Drama. As a professional Voice/Text and Accent Coach, Ursula has worked at numerous regional theatres including the Guthrie Theatre, South Coast Rep, Yale Rep, the La Jolla Playhouse, the Old Globe in San Diego, the Shakespeare Theatre Company in DC ,and the Idaho, Santa Cruz, Utah, and Oregon Shakespeare Festivals where she has been working off and on since 1985.

You had questions, so I've got some answers. Just about everything to know about the The Working Actor's Shakespeare, including signing up if you've never done Shakespeare; how casting works and how scenes are chosen; rehearsal and text session times; how the Unlimited pass works; being union or non-union with this; the 2-payment option; what will be recorded; scholarships available; and more! Don’t miss out on becoming a GREAT actor! Increase your skills, confidence, and network at a PROFESSIONAL level!

Hear from past guests Geoffrey Wade and Peter Van Norden, along with dramaturg Gideon Rappaport and actors Aubrey Saverino and Daniel Cordova as they explore Act I, scene 4 from Shakespeare's Richard III. They worked on this scene for a month, meeting weekly. Hear Clarence recount his haunting dream and then come face-to-face with the two who will end his life. What the actors discover? What changes did they make to the script? Learn about the whole process in this fascinating peak behind the scenes!

Ben Whitehair chats about how he responded to the pandemic, both personally and professionally; trends he’s seeing in the industry and with social media; what SAG-AFTRA is doing to help actors get back to work, and more! He has already racked up 50+ credits on IMDb, including opposite Matthew McConaughey in the film Gold, and appearances on the shows Better Call Saul, Grimm, and Nashville. Find him @benwhitehair on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!

Shakespearean dramaturg Gideon Rappaport chats about being clear, pronouns, collaboration, and answers some family dynamics questions about King Lear. He has worked as an English, humanities and Shakespeare teacher in high school, college, graduate school and professional theater. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in literature and art history at Cowell College, University of California, Santa Cruz, and his Master of Arts and Ph.D. in English and American literature at Brandeis University.

Be a fly on the wall of a rehearsal with professional actors! If you want to be a GREAT actor that gets noticed, who books more, and who really knows what you’re doing, this is the workshop for you. It’s an accelerated learning environment where you are getting SO MUCH in such a short time. In addition to the weekly rehearsals, we have text work sessions with a dramaturg, private monologue coaching sessions, and Q&As with industry guests! There’s early bird pricing now through September 25th.

Do you want to stay sharp, hone your acting skills, and connect with other artists? Are you unsure what to do with this “at-home” time and are looking for a creative opportunity? Sign up now and leap forward in your skills, your confidence, and your craft! Most importantly: you’re not just learning FROM a professional, you’re learning and working WITH a professional as your scene partner!

We're doing a LIVE event with veteran and rookie actors! And as you know from acting class: you learn as much from WATCHING others as you do from performing, so this will be a great chance for you to sit in and learn from the actors as they work through the scenes and to ask your questions of both them and the dramaturg. I believe there's a unique opportunity to pool talents right now, and to also help those "stuck at home" by creating extraordinary opportunities to learn and play.

We had another great time in our "Much Ado About SOMETHING" series! For this "Merry Wives" episode, you’ll hear our introduction to the play, a great section from our dramaturg Gideon Rappaport, and then the full show, including both our intermission and post-show discussions! The actors once again deliver amazing performances even with all the limitations and challenges of acting in this medium. And don't miss Falstaff being shoved into the basket!

Please join us on Thursday, May 14th as The Working Actor’s journey podcast presents— in collaboration with the San Diego Shakespeare Society and the City of Coronado Public Library—an online Shakespeare reading of The Merry Wives of Windsor, featuring Harry Groener, Dawn Didawick, Peter Van Norden, Tony Amendola, Anne Gee Byrd and many more amazing actors from the podcast!