Frequently Asked Questions
	I. Actors’ Training Project
	Schedule Location Class Size Admission Payment What to Bring
	II. Voice Training Project, FUNdaMENTALS Body Project
	Schedule Location Admission Payment What to Bring
	I. Actors’ Training Project
	Schedule
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	Yearly Schedule 2003: TERM I: "Monologues for Auditioning, Part I: Shakespeare and Contemporary Dramatic" January 6 to March 11 (10 weeks); held in our regular North Oakland rehearsal space Come choose, explore and stage your dramatic audition monologues. Re-work old ones, select new ones. Build now towards a flexible repertoire you can keep developing over time. [Break: week of March 17] TERM II: "Monologues for Auditioning, Part II: Shakespeare and Contemporary Comedic" March 24 to May 27 (10 weeks); held in our regular North Oakland rehearsal space Come choose, explore and stage your comedic audition monologues. Again, re-furbish old pieces, select new ones and increase a repertoire of audition pieces that let a director know who you are. [Break: weeks of June 2 and June 9] TERM III: "Shakespeare: 'Play Text and Playing Space" June 16 to August 19 (10 weeks); held in my North Oakland home This course will be structured around the hard-to-find BBC video series entitled "Playing Shakespeare," in which England's foremost specialist on acting Shakespeare, John Barton, explores various themes with England's foremost Shakespearean actors: language, character, irony, contradictions, etc. We will see one 50-minute installment per class, and then apply that work directly to a range of Shakespeare texts that demonstrate the theme. When the weather is nice, let's go try out your work in some of the East Bay's fine outdoor amphitheatres: Mosswood, Joaquin Miller, John Hinkel, UC Botanical Gardens and more. [Break: weeks of August 25 and September 1] TERM IV: Students' Choice September 8 to December 16 (15 weeks); held in our regular North Oakland rehearsal space Let the students choose what they'd like to work on for the term; I will oblige with a syllabus to accomplish that. Let's also leave some special time to rehearse our end-of-year performance. Weekly Schedule: Mondays 6:30 to 9:30 pm Movement and Acting Tuesdays 6:30 to 9:30 pm Voice and Acting All students must attend both evenings. If you are just finding our work after the term has begun, you can enter the class at any good juncture. We can also work privately in the meantime. All students must continue until the last scheduled class of the term. You can begin on different evenings but all need to end on the same one. Occasionally 4-8 week workshops on special topics form; these are called the Wednesday Night Workshops. They are nevertheless traditionally held on Thursday nights, from 6:30 to 9:00.
	Location
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	The classes are held on the lovely campus of a North Oakland private school. The school has its own parking lot, clean restrooms, public telephones and security guard escorts at the end of class. The school is one minute from Highways 24 and 13. Students can walk the few blocks from Rockridge BART or request a ride from there. Students travelling by BART will always be driven to BART after class.
	Class Size
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	A class is typically made up of 3 to 5 students. If the class grows to 7 or 8 students, incoming students will be asked to work privately until a space opens or a new class forms.
	Admission
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	This is a private mentoring program; I accept students on an individual basis, train them comprehensively and help them make the transition from studying to working. We decide together whether we could make a good team as teacher and student: 1. We talk on the phone about what we both do and look for common ground. 2. I’ll ask you to fill out an Intake Questionnaire, detailing your background, interests and needs. 3. You can send me information or tapes if you want. 4. You can come for a one-hour Evaluation Session ($100) if you’d like to meet me ahead of time and receive my professional evaluation of your skills. 5. We sign a simple Agreement, outlining the guidelines we’ll use for attendance, payments, etc. The initial commitment we make to one another is for one term or however many weeks are left in a term when we find one another. Depending on your background, I might suggest that we work together privately for a time before you enter the group class. Some students also supplement the group class with our private work.
	Payment
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	We work together six hours a week for $84 per week. To find the total amount due, we multiply this $84 times the number of weeks in the term—or the number of weeks left when we find one another. Payment includes tuition plus materials and other guidance for study. Full payment is due at the opening of the term of study. In rare cases, tuition is payable in two installments (add $12) or three installments (add $24).
	What to Bring
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	For the floorwork, you’ll need loose, comfortable clothing. For everything else, women will need to 1) a professional character shoe or an approximation of it: a medium-width 1-1/2 to 2 inch heel with a leather sole, preferably with an ankle strap; and 2) a rehearsal skirt or approximation: three-quarter-length with a good amount of drape or fullness. Men will need a sturdy, leather-soled shoe. Water. Healthy snacks for the break we take halfway through. Sharp number two pencil with a good eraser. A clipboard or other hard surface for text. Notebook for jotting in a breaktime.
	II. Voice Training Project, FUNdaMENTALS Body Project
	Schedule
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	One-on-one training allows for a lot of flexibility in scheduling, Monday through Friday. We meet for a minimum of one hour per week or the equivalent thereof. We make up time for scheduling glitches, illness, vacations. Small groups, workshops and classes are arranged separately.
	Location
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	The private work is in a part of my home arranged for study—near freeway, good bus lines and free shuttle service from BART. Small groups, workshops and classes are arranged separately.
	Admission
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	We decide together whether we could make a good team as teacher and student: 1. We talk on the phone about what we both do and look for common ground. 2. I’ll ask you to fill out an Intake Questionnaire, detailing your background, interests and needs. 3. You can send me information or tapes if you want. 4. You will come for a one-hour Evaluation Session; I will give a full professional evaluation of your overall skills. You can also ask for the session to include something specific, such as evaluation of a monologue, song, tape, speech. We can also strategize about your training.At the end of this session, you are not obligated to go on studying with me and I am not obligated to take you on as a student. 5. If we decide to go on together, we sign a simple Agreement, outlining the guidelines we’ll use for scheduling, payments, etc.
	Payment
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	Evaluation Session: $100 Hourly rates: Corporate Accounts: $125 per hour Professionals: $100 per hour Individuals, Artists: $85 per hour You can pay weekly or monthly, by cash or check. We can end our work together with 24-hour notice.
	What to Bring
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	For Speakers, Singers and Performers: Women will need 1) a professional character shoe or an approximation of it: a medium-width 1-1/2 to 2 inch heel with a leather sole, preferably with an ankle strap; and 2) a rehearsal skirt or approximation: three-quarter-length with a good amount of drape or fullness. Men will need a sturdy, leather-soled shoe. If we’re doing any floorwork, you’ll need loose, comfortable clothing. For FUNdaMENTALS floorwork: You will need loose, comfortable clothing.