“When the course was complete, I felt completely at ease and more observant of what is happening around me and inside of me.” -Yasmine, Advanced Drama high school student
Behind the Scenes: Making a Movie
“It was such a fun adventure, I enjoyed every bit of it.” – Abbie, Winter 2010 HARA student
“I would have to say that being on the set and watching the movie come together, and the creative writing process were my two favorite parts… Just having that collaborative setting where we can bounce ideas off each other and come up with fantastic stories is amazing. And after all of the writing is done and the character development is finished we finally got to shooting the movie, I learned tons…Glynn has so much experience. I have been using the techniques that I picked up from watching Glynn shoot our movie. I have learned so much and I am more prepared than I ever thought I would be to start a career in film making.” – Nate, HARA student
“I feel much more confident and the process has greatly inspired me to pursue acting for film. After learning more about the industry, I have wanted to continue acting for the rest of my life.” -Robin, Winter 2010 HARA student
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life before I met Mike and Brittney, but now I know that I want to pursue film in college and as a career. I fell in love with the art behind the camera and I want to keep doing it for as long as I can.” – Eric, HARA student
“I was free to share ideas and express opinions. They were all heard, every idea, every comment, every suggestion, was heard and accounted for. HARA provided unending knowledge through exercises, activities, guest speakers, and innovative ways to write a screen play. From the lights and equipment to “push, pull, stop and allow,” I learned valuable information I will never forget.” – Keith, Winter 2010 HARA student
“It was interesting to be on the set of a full scale movie…I was able to see a whole new world of drama and acting.” – Jack, Winter 2010 HARA student
” I would have to say my favorite part was the writing. Creating a character, letting it develop little by little every time I went back to read it, and after all our characters were developed, we all came together and found a way to interweave the stories.” -Mia, Winter 2010 HARA student
“One of my favorite parts was working on the technical aspects. While I preferred the acting portion, it was quite fun to work with Glynn on the lighting, sound, and camera work. As I intend to keep doing amateur movies outside of this class, all the helpful tips on his part really helped Eric and I get some ideas on how to work scenes to their best technical advantage.” -Collin, Winter 2010 HARA student
HARA Meditation
“The meditations we did helped me not only in HARA, but everywhere in my life. It has helped me in school to relieve stress, at home to simply relax, and at drama class to help me portray characters… Meditation is unquestionably an actor’s best friend.” – Robin, Winter 2010 HARA student
“The HARA and Qigong meditation techinques are incredibly useful. I’ve dabbled in meditation before, but it was generally to clear my mind, instead of meditation to jump-start my creativity. These types have helped me often when I need to focus all my energy onto a specific task.” – Collin, Winter 2010 HARA student
“I also found it very peaceful to be in HARA. The techniques were very different from anything I ever learned and it was exciting to learn something new and it was a breath of fresh air.” Linn – Advanced Drama high school student
“ It was eye opening to see the way my perspective was so different before and after I utilized the HARA technique. I found that after getting in touch with myself, my character was more real than ever before. Moreover, I found that the HARA technique works outside of the theater. I realized that I subconsciously use the techniques before tests, before speaking, before presentations, etc. Not only was the technique beneficial to my work as an actor, but it is very helpful to find peace in a life that is constantly busy. I would like to thank Mike for the eye opening experience and allowing me to find serenity in such a simple and effortless way. I’d love to have Mike back in our classroom to teach us more techniques that are beneficial to our life and our character’s life. Thank you, Mike. Thank you. †Nieman – Advanced Drama high school student.
“Demonstrating how to find your HARA reminded me of yoga because like in yoga you have to reach a calm state of mind. In the future I will use HARA to calm down before a performance.†Amanda – Advanced Drama high school student
Voice For Performance
“I personally enjoyed when Brittney came in and trained us on how to work out our voices because I have always had trouble articulating and using a variety of voices on stage. But the techniques you and she shared with us have made speech easier and clearer. The stretching of every muscle or bone or tendon in the body was very relaxing a played a great role in focus. The stretching was able to clear my mind of any stressful activities or anything clouding my mind. In this way, I am refreshed and ready to take on any character I want.†Tyler – Advanced Drama high school student
“I really enjoyed Brittney’s short lesson on the voice. I could tell right away that her lessons were something actors and actresses at my level would greatly need. I think learning how to correctly project the way she can teach it would help us so much.†Megan – Advanced Drama high school student
Acting Training
“It’s taught me how to stay confident and keep my spirits up.” -Rori, HARA student
“The training has helped me learn how to be able to control my tone and emotions, and how to show them on film. The exercises based on chakras helped me learn about the control over each and when its used.” – Jessie, HARA student
“There were so many different perspectives on specific strategies to acting that I felt the techniques have shaped my own points of view on everyday life.†James – Advanced Drama high school student
“I honestly feel like I have become a better actor after taking your class. Each and every lesson I walked away with a new way to approach my acting techniques.†Kimmy – Advanced Drama high school student
“I found that the push/pull/stop/allow activities were of great use for working and scoring lines. I have been scoring my script using them since you’ve taught us the techniques… I thoroughly enjoyed the chakra work; I, for one, think it has improved my acting significantly.” James – Advanced Drama high school student
“I felt that the chakras taught me more about self awareness and the different sources of energy in my body. Learning about the different chakras taught me to channel my energy into different areas of my acting in certain ways. Overall, my experience with Mike taught me a lot and gave me a variety of new techniques that I will definitely be applying to my acting career in the future.†Lizzy – Advanced Drama high school student
“It has been an exciting adventure having you teach the class. Both of you were very patient with the class which is obviously very difficult at times. You both remained centered and calm allowing the entire class to follow your example. You also were able to engage everyone in the classroom into the lesson.†Andrea – Advanced Drama high school student
