Shakespeare: Inhabiting the Text

Saturday, January 10 (1:30 – 2:30 pm)
Location: Sonesta Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square (Wyeth Gallery C)

Session Leader: Robin Sneller (East 15 Acting School, UK)

Session Description: A practical workshop with Robin Sneller, Head of the MA and MFA Acting International course at East 15 Acting School in the UK. This workshop uses textual examples and material from your memorized monologue to explore ways to connect, reconnect, and express yourself emotionally and intellectually through the text. The session will give you methods, tools and approaches that will help you find your journey through the thought and be in the moment with the word.
Actors attending this workshop should come prepared to work on a memorized Shakespeare monologue from their repertoire.

Continuing Education sessions are free and open to all participants at the 2026 URTAs.
This session will take place in-person only. Space may be limited, arrive early.

About the Session Leader: Robin Sneller is the Head of the MA and MFA Acting International courses at the East 15 Acting School in London UK. He has been an acting tutor and director at several of the UK’s leading drama schools, including at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. In a career of over 30 years as an actor he has worked with many leading British Theatre directors including Sir Peter Hall, Stephen Daldry, Nicholas Hytner and William Gaskill, including seasons at the National Theatre, Glasgow Citizen’s Theatre, and in London’s West End

Acting is Doing: A Master Class in the Meisner Technique

Sunday, January 11 (1:30 – 2:30 pm)
Location: Sonesta Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square (Wyeth Gallery C)

Session Leader: Gary Kingston (The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre)

Experience the legendary Meisner Technique with Neighborhood Playhouse faculty member Gary Kingston, who trained directly under Sanford Meisner and has taught the work for over 20 years. This hands-on workshop focuses on “acting as doing” — breaking free from self-consciousness and discovering truthful, instinctive performance. Students will engage in exercises that sharpen focus, ignite creativity, and build the confidence to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances. Whether you’re new to Meisner or deepening your craft, this is a rare chance to learn from a master teacher of one of the most respected techniques in the acting world.

Continuing Education sessions are free and open to all participants at the 2026 URTAs.
This session will take place in-person only. Space may be limited, arrive early.

About the Session Leader: Gary Kingston is a native of California, where he was a member of LACT in San Francisco. While there he appeared in a number of plays, including One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Present Laughter, and A Cry of Players. Later he acted in both Stockholm and London. In NYC he has appeared at Synchronicity Space, Playwrights Horizons and is a founding member of The Neighborhood Group Theater, where he played the lead in the original production of William Mastrosimone’s Air Guitar on Theater Row. He appeared regionally at The Schoolhouse Theater in Conor McPherson’s The Seafarer. Mr. Kingston is also a director whose work has been seen at various NYC venues including The Arclight Theater and Alice’s Upstairs. He graduated in 1981 from The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre where he studied with Sanford Meisner, Richard Pinter and Ron Stetson. Mr. Kingston was later trained by Mr. Meisner to be a teacher and has been a senior member of the acting faculty of The Neighborhood Playhouse for over 20 years.

Shakespeare: Inhabiting the Text

Sunday, January 18 (3:00 – 3:45 pm)
Location: Spelman College (Rockefeller Arts Building)

Session Leader: Robin Sneller (East 15 Acting School, UK)

Session Description: A practical workshop with Robin Sneller, Head of the MA and MFA Acting International course at East 15 Acting School in the UK. This workshop uses textual examples and material from your memorized monologue to explore ways to connect, reconnect, and express yourself emotionally and intellectually through the text. The session will give you methods, tools and approaches that will help you find your journey through the thought and be in the moment with the word.
Actors attending this workshop should come prepared to work on a memorized Shakespeare monologue from their repertoire.

Continuing Education sessions are free and open to all participants at the 2026 URTAs.
This session will take place in-person only. Space may be limited, arrive early.

About the Session Leader: Robin Sneller is the Head of the MA and MFA Acting International courses at the East 15 Acting School in London UK. He has been an acting tutor and director at several of the UK’s leading drama schools, including at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. In a career of over 30 years as an actor he has worked with many leading British Theatre directors including Sir Peter Hall, Stephen Daldry, Nicholas Hytner and William Gaskill, including seasons at the National Theatre, Glasgow Citizen’s Theatre, and in London’s West End

The Fabric of Design: Creative Choices to Technical Specs

Friday, January 23 (9:00 – 9:45 am)
Location: Palmer House Hilton (Water Tower Parlor, 6th floor)

Session Leader: Jeff Flowers (Rose Brand)

Rose Brand’s informative and FUN look at The Fabric of Design will take us from choosing the best material for the specific project, to how best to specify the choices to various departments. Through a look at the material composition and uses of theatrical fabrics, projection surfaces and various types of scenery soft goods, we can begin to understand the process of attaining the right theatrical material for the production at hand. Along the way, we even play a little “Theatrical Jeopardy” to test your knowledge of some common theatrical terms—PRIZES AND SWAG WILL BE HAD!!  Hope you will join us.

Continuing Education sessions are free and open to all participants at the 2026 URTAs.
This session will take place in-person only. Space may be limited, arrive early.

About the Session Leader: Jeff Flowers has been associated with the entertainment industry for over 40 years, working in many varied fields ranging from Lighting Designer to Equity Stage Manager to Marketing Director, and for the last 20 years as Director of Special Projects at Rose Brand.  Originally from Dallas/Fort Worth, Jeff served as Lighting Designer and/or Scenic Designer for multiple theatres in the DFW area.  He received an MFA in Scenic and Lighting Design from Texas Christian University and served on the theatre faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington before moving to Los Angeles.  Jeff has lived and worked in both New York City and Los Angeles, providing technical and sales support for major theatrical equipment manufacturers, including Rosco Labs, Matthews Studio Equipment and Rose Brand. Until recently, Jeff served on faculty (17 years) at the University of Southern California teaching Lighting Design, lecturing and providing faculty mentorship to student Lighting Designers.

The Fabric of Design: Creative Choices to Technical Specs

Saturday, January 24 (9:00 – 9:45 am)
Location: Palmer House Hilton (Water Tower Parlor, 6th floor)

Session Leader: Jeff Flowers (Rose Brand)

Rose Brand’s informative and FUN look at The Fabric of Design will take us from choosing the best material for the specific project, to how best to specify the choices to various departments. Through a look at the material composition and uses of theatrical fabrics, projection surfaces and various types of scenery soft goods, we can begin to understand the process of attaining the right theatrical material for the production at hand. Along the way, we even play a little “Theatrical Jeopardy” to test your knowledge of some common theatrical terms—PRIZES AND SWAG WILL BE HAD!!  Hope you will join us.

Continuing Education sessions are free and open to all participants at the 2026 URTAs.
This session will take place in-person only. Space may be limited, arrive early.

About the Session Leader: Jeff Flowers has been associated with the entertainment industry for over 40 years, working in many varied fields ranging from Lighting Designer to Equity Stage Manager to Marketing Director, and for the last 20 years as Director of Special Projects at Rose Brand.  Originally from Dallas/Fort Worth, Jeff served as Lighting Designer and/or Scenic Designer for multiple theatres in the DFW area.  He received an MFA in Scenic and Lighting Design from Texas Christian University and served on the theatre faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington before moving to Los Angeles.  Jeff has lived and worked in both New York City and Los Angeles, providing technical and sales support for major theatrical equipment manufacturers, including Rosco Labs, Matthews Studio Equipment and Rose Brand. Until recently, Jeff served on faculty (17 years) at the University of Southern California teaching Lighting Design, lecturing and providing faculty mentorship to student Lighting Designers.

So You Wanna Be a TD?

Saturday, January 24 (1:45 – 2:30 pm)
Location: Palmer House Hilton (6th floor Registration Area – tables outside Adams Room)

Session Leader: Tracy Nunnally (Northern Illinois University)

What does a TD do? Am I cut out for it? What do I need to know? Is college/university the right way to go? The multi-faceted job of the Technical Director can be one of the most rewarding roles in the entertainment industry. Join professional Technical Director, Tracy Nunnally, for a discussion of the role of the Technical Director in today’s theatrical setting. Candidates are encouraged to bring their lunch to this session!

Continuing Education sessions are free and open to all participants at the 2026 URTAs.
This session will take place in-person only. Space may be limited, arrive early.

About the Session Leader: Professor Tracy Nunnally is the Technical Director and head of the Design and Technology Area at the Northern Illinois University School of Theatre and Dance; the owner and system designer at VertigoTM.  He has been a professional technical director since the 1980s, and his professional TD credits span the full spectrum of genres, continents, and spaces.  He is an ETCP Certified Rigger, Recognized Trainer, and Recognized Employer; a certified trainer for Lift Trucks and MEWPs; and a long-term member of IATSE, USITT, ESTA, ITA, URTA, and EdTA.

Stella Adler’s Technique: Imagination in Action

Sunday, January 25 (1:30 – 2:30 pm)
Location: Palmer House Hilton (Water Tower Parlor, 6th Floor)

Session Leader: Ryan Chittaphong (Stella Adler Studio of Acting)

Session Description: Participants will learn the foundation of Stella Adler’s teachings and the acting techniques utilized at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York and Art of Acting Studio in Los Angeles. In this hands-on seminar participants explore actions, circumstance and justification; and make courageous, expansive onstage choices using their limitless imaginations as their primary resource.

Continuing Education sessions are free and open to all participants at the 2026 URTAs.
This session will take place in-person only. Space may be limited, arrive early.

About the Session Leader: Ryan Chittaphong has been with the Stella Adler Studio since 2008 where in addition to serving as Director of Marketing, he teaches Acting Technique, Character and Improvisation. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Performance from Middle Tennessee State University, where he studied Stella Adler’s work, and a Minor in Leadership Studies. At the Stella Adler Studio he has been mentored in the technique by Ron Burrus, Tom Oppenheim, Antonio Merenda and Betsy Parrish. He studied improvisation and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade and Magnet Theater.

Acting for the camera – The differences between acting on stage and on screen.

Monday, January 26 (1:30 – 2:30 pm)
Location: Palmer House Hilton (Water Tower Parlor, 6th Floor)

Session Leader: Steve North (East 15 Acting School, UK)

A fun practical workshop exploring the differences between the demands of acting on camera and acting on screen. Participants will be encouraged to play and try exercises that will give them tools to produce interesting, authentic performances on camera. Steve has a strong career as a screen actor, film maker and teaching acting for camera for the last 30 years.

Continuing Education sessions are free and open to all participants at the 2026 URTAs.
This session will take place in-person only. Space may be limited, arrive early.

About the Session Leader: Steve North is an actor, film maker, director and lecturer in acting who has worked in the performing arts industry for the last 35 years. He trained at GSA in the UK. As an actor his film and television credits include: The Essex Serpent, Unforgotten, All Those Things, Bystanders, Closed Circuit, Doctor Who, EastEnders, Midsomer Murders, Casualty, The Bill, Murphy’s Law, Holby City, Woof, and four years as series regular Colin Parrish in ITV’s continuing firefighter drama London’s Burning. His stage credits include: National Theatre’s War Horse (West End and NT Live Broadcast), Meeting Joe Strummer (Fringe First winner), The Football Factory, Fever Pitch (solo show nominated Best Actor MEN awards), Pretend You Have Big Buildings at Manchester Royal Exchange, Shared Experience premiere of Mermaid, world premiere of Berkoff’s Brighton Beach Scumbags. As a film maker, his credits include Co-writer and Associate producer on the feature film South West 9 and Associate Producer on The Football Factory. He directed the award-winning short film Cregan for Screen South under the Digital Shorts Scheme which was screened at film festivals in the UK and around the world including Foyle, Waterford, Leeds, Soho Rushes, New York. Other directing credits include the short film Sisterhood, Greensleeves, and film sequences for an original commission of 13 for the Brighton International Festival. Steve holds a PGCert in HE (Creative Education) and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He previously worked at East 15 as a sessional lecturer in screen acting and film making. Prior to this role he was Senior Lecturer in Screen Acting at University of Creative Arts and Head of Acting at Laine Theatre Arts. He specialises in running his own courses in devising and shooting showreel scenes for screen.

Staying on your Voice and “Vibing” with the Text!

Tuesday, January 27 (1:30 – 2:30 pm)
Location: Palmer House Hilton (Water Tower Parlor, 6th Floor)

Session Leader: Marie Ramirez Downing (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)

Say goodbye to “whisper acting” and stay on vibration with varied resonance to reach the audience. Want to know why your voice and speech is an acting class? Do you wonder how resonance work and releasing the body of tension can help you connect to your text more and reach the audience? This is the workshop where we will explore those ideas and get those answers! Marie Ramirez Downing is a Designated Linklater Voice Teacher and a Professional Voice and Dialect Coach. Hope to see you at the voice and acting lab!

Continuing Education sessions are free and open to all participants at the 2026 URTAs.
This session will take place in-person only. Space may be limited, arrive early.

About the Session Leader: Marie Ramirez Downing is an Assistant Professor of Voice and Speech for the BFA and MFA Acting programs in the Department of Theatre. Her previous appointment was Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts, Performance and Director of The Acting Program at Sonoma State University in the Bay Area. Marie is also a Voice and Text teacher and coach at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA for their Professional Actor Training Intensives. She has an M.F.A. in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University, and a B.A. in Theatre Arts, Acting from California State University, Fresno. She is a Designated Linklater Voice Teacher via Kristin Linklater and the Linklater Center for Voice and Language in NYC.  Marie is also a director, performer and a scholar.

Shakespeare: Inhabiting the Text

Wednesday, January 28 (1:30 – 2:30 pm)
Location: Palmer House Hilton (Water Tower Parlor, 6th Floor)

Session Leader: Robin Sneller (East 15 Acting School, UK)

Session Description: A practical workshop with Robin Sneller, Head of the MA and MFA Acting International course at East 15 Acting School in the UK. This workshop uses textual examples and material from your memorized monologue to explore ways to connect, reconnect, and express yourself emotionally and intellectually through the text. The session will give you methods, tools and approaches that will help you find your journey through the thought and be in the moment with the word.
Actors attending this workshop should come prepared to work on a memorized Shakespeare monologue from their repertoire.

Continuing Education sessions are free and open to all participants at the 2026 URTAs.
This session will take place in-person only. Space may be limited, arrive early.

About the Session Leader: Robin Sneller is the Head of the MA and MFA Acting International courses at the East 15 Acting School in London UK. He has been an acting tutor and director at several of the UK’s leading drama schools, including at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. In a career of over 30 years as an actor he has worked with many leading British Theatre directors including Sir Peter Hall, Stephen Daldry, Nicholas Hytner and William Gaskill, including seasons at the National Theatre, Glasgow Citizen’s Theatre, and in London’s West End

STARTING A VOICEOVER CAREER: Home Studios & How to Start

Monday, February 2 (1:00 – 2:00 pm, EASTERN)
Location: Zoom (Register HERE to receive the Zoom link)

Session Leader: Leraldo Anzaldua (Indiana University, Bloomington)

Session Description: This class will give foundational knowledge to begin voiceover work from a home studio or with a sound engineer and director.
This class will cover things like demos, character, audiobook narration, as well as what you need to begin the journey to record!

Continuing Education sessions are free and open to all participants at the 2026 URTAs.
This session will take place live-online on Zoom. Register HERE to receive the Zoom link.
If you are unable to attend at the scheduled time, register for the Zoom and you will receive a recording of the session for one-time/limited time viewing.  

About the Session Leader: Leraldo Anzaldua is an actor, fight director, and motion capture performer for film and video games. He is also a voiceover actor for anime.

Intimacy and Advocacy in Production

Tuesday, February 3 (11:00 am – 12:00 pm, EASTERN)
Location: Zoom (Register HERE to receive the Zoom link)

Session Leader: Jenny McKnight (Indiana University, Bloomington)

Session Description: An overview of Intimacy protocols, resources, and strategies for theatre-makers in all disciplines. In this session, participants will explore strategies for implementing intimacy protocols in all aspects of production, including: season selection, design, stage management, directing, acting, publicity, and more, by discussing a hypothetical production from genesis to conclusion. Participants will be guided to additional resources for their particular area of production.

Continuing Education sessions are free and open to all participants at the 2026 URTAs.
This session will take place live-online on Zoom. Register HERE to receive the Zoom link. This Zoom session will NOT be recorded.

About the Session Leader: Jenny McKnight (Intimacy Coordinator) is in her 9^th year teaching in the Department of Theatre + Dance at Indiana University, Bloomington, and she’s consulted on and choreographed Intimacy for more than 60 departmental and student productions during that time. Jenny has taught Intimacy workshops and classes, and worked professionally as an IC at theatres such as Indiana Repertory Theatre, Constellation, BPP, Jewish Theatre of Bloomington, Bloomington HS South, and others.