ACTING WORKSHOPS
For actors, but also useful to directors, this four week class will work on scenes from Matt's oeuvre, focusing on, but not limited to Dimes Square, Zoomers, Morning Journal, Quartet, Minotaur, and Ardor.
As we explore these plays, we will also discuss the broader themes and ideas that they explore, including identity, relationships, sexuality and power dynamics, and mortality. We will engage in in-depth discussions about the text, exploring how conceptual understandings of the texts can find objective correlates in performance. Actors will also explore acting in a "chamber" environment, honing in on the kinds of acting techniques that really sing in smaller, intimate spaces.
Taught by Matthew Gasda
Dates: Oct 26, Nov 2, Nov 9, Nov 16 (Sundays)
Time: 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Location: Brooklyn Center for Theatre Research
Matthew Gasda a theatre director and the author of numerous plays, novels, poems and essays. He is a co-founder of the BCTR.
Get out of your head and into the work. Whether you're new to Shakespeare or returning with experience, this class is a space to unlock something deeper in your craft. Using scenes from Shakespeare’s plays as our playground, we’ll approach the text as actors—not academics—with an emphasis on physical connection, emotional truth, and personal resonance.
Amy’s teaching invites you to explore the language as a living, breathing force—without overanalyzing. It’s about working on your feet, diving into the verse, and discovering the physical embodiment of Shakespeare’s rich and deeply human characters. If you’re feeling stuck, curious, rusty, intimidated, or simply hungry for more—this class is for you.
Taught by Amy Michelle Gaither (website)
Dates: Oct 25, Nov 1, Nov 8 (Saturdays)
Time: 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Location: Brooklyn Center for Theatre Research
Amy has been acting, teaching, coaching, and directing Shakespeare for 30 years. Amy taught acting and theatre courses at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana and was the founding director of The Fall Festival of Shakespeare at DePauw, a program which brings Shakespeare alive to Putnam County teenagers through their performance of his plays, and served as Artistic Director for Wisdom Tooth Theatre Project in Indianapolis for two years.
She created Duende Productions in 2019: “Illuminating Theatre that is classics-inspired, language-driven, and actor-focused.” Duende produced Twelfth Night, New York Actors Reading Series during the pandemic, and the New York premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s Emilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight.
She is a working actor and director and lives in NYC.
A multi-week generative course focused on writing toward and about desire. The class will consist of workshops, written feedback, reading, and discussion. Students will be given tailored readings and excerpts to inspire creativity, and they are expected to bring ten new pages of work per week. Students will receive both feedback on their writing and advice about how to take their work into the wider world. Come to experiment with the body as a source of creativity, leave with polished pages and new ideas about the way desire informs our lives.
Taught by Nicole Sellew (website)
Dates (2026): Jan 11, Jan 25, Feb 1, Feb 8 (Sundays)
Time: 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Location: Brooklyn Center for Theatre Research
Nicole Sellew is a writer and teacher who has taught creative writing at The Hotchkiss School, The Ethel Walker School, and the University of St Andrews. Her novel Lover Girl will be published by Clash Books in February 2026.
Matthew Gasda is hosting a 5 week fiction workshop: the “first 50 pages" of your novel. This workshop will focus on the conception and development of an extended work of fiction with reference both to industry expectations and aesthetic ideals. Students are expected to bring ten fresh pages per week, and we will also read excerpts from classic works of fiction from Don Quixote to Don DeLillo.
Taught by Matthew Gasda
Dates (2026): Jan 7, Jan 14, Jan 21, Jan 28 (Wednesdays)
Time: 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Location: TBD
Matthew Gasda a theatre director and the author of numerous plays, novels, poems and essays. He is a co-founder of the BCTR.
For playwrights at all levels, this two hour class discusses the philosophy and construction of drama. Bring whatever you’re working on – idea or draft – to workshop.
Taught by Matthew Gasda
Dates: Nov 5, Nov 12, Nov 19, Nov 26 (Wednesdays)
Time: 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Location: Remote
Matthew Gasda a theatre director and the author of numerous plays, novels, poems and essays. He is a co-founder of the BCTR.