Mr. Thompson has taught acting, writing and directing all over America. He brings to his classes, large and small, the same passion and professionalism he's employed in directing stars as disparate as Shirley MacLaine and Liza Minnelli, Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, or Robert Downey Jr. and Winona Ryder, and the knowledge that an Academy Award winning writer of more than 25 screenplays and nearly as many plays has gathered in a 40 year career.
ACT REAL™
An intensive seminar for actors to get free of their stuff and get down to the essence of their artistic beings. For experienced actors only, ACT REAL is presented as a two-day master class, maximum 12 actors.
ACT BIG/ACT SMALL™
Bending technique to fit working in a theatre of 1200 seats or with a camera twelve feet away. Mr. Thompson has had the pleasure of working with stars — Katharine Hepburn, Christopher Plummer, Jack Lemmon, Jeff Daniels — capable of segueing gracefully from stage to screen and back, and a cast of thousands of actors less famous but just as comfortable in both disciplines. With his own resume of films and plays, Mr. Thompson teaches a comprehensive workshop in staying true to one's artistic honesty whatever the size of the canvas. One day or two, no maximum.
AUDITIONING FOR THE REAL WORLD™
A no-nonsense boot camp for aspiring professionals taught by a director with more than 30 years experience on the other side of the desk. Not your average "I'll be doing a monologue from RENT," this workshop emphasizes using the actor's personality and uniqueness to complement his or her training and talent. One day, no maximum.
SPEAK THE SPEECH™
A workshop in how to break down a script , how to fathom what the writer meant and how to interpret it in your own voice. One day, no maximum. Everybody works.
DIRECT REAL™
If you like most action and exploitation movies and cartoons and most television, this workshop won't help you. This seminar is for directors who still aspire higher. How to collaborate with a writer to get his or her best work, how to relay the results to your cast and designers. How to manage a rehearsal and a set (or a theatre) to allow you to do your best work, too. How to develop your own vision. Two days intensive workshop. Maximum 12 directors. You supply the actors.
DIRECTING TRAFFIC™
Helping actors help themselves (and give you what you want). Breaking down the process of taking the meaning in a scene and translating it to the stage — or screen. Two day workshop. Maximum 12 directors. You supply the actors.
WRITE REAL™
For experienced writers only. An examination of what it means to be relevant in today's culture. With outlets proliferating every day (see Writers Guild Strike 2007-2008), how to keep it honest and essential. If your goal is to get rich quick writing bad TV or senseless violence and gratuitous sex, this isn't the workshop for you. If you believe that writing for film and television and the theatre can still be an art form, you're not alone. One or two day workshop, maximum 12 writers.
WRITE RIGHT™
A take-no-prisoners tutorial in grammar, syntax, spelling, and punctuation and why they still matter in the 21st Century. Any writer whose feeling like they don't need a coarse like these and can't find all seven misstakes in this sentence, hopefully will think again. One day, no maximum, everybody writes.
WRITE FAST™
One of Mr. Thompson's most popular — and treacherous — workshops. On Friday night, no more than a dozen writers gather with Mr. Thompson to decide what their as yet unwritten short plays will be. By midnight, they have an outline. By noon Saturday, a first draft. Saturday evening, after an afternoon of rewrites, they have a first reading, followed by notes and a night of wanting to kill themselves, or Mr. Thompson. But Sunday afternoon, assuming they've made it that far, their new plays will be presented to an audience, followed by a Q&A with Mr. Thompson and the other playwrights. Weekend workshop, maximum 12 writers. You supply the actors. And remember — ON GOLDEN POND was written over a Memorial Day weekend.
REWRITING AND OTHER FACTS OF LIFE™
A two-day workshop in how to find the courage and hard-heartedness to take a slash-and-burn approach to your precious script. Anybody can write; it takes a real man, or woman, to take a script apart and put it back together. Mr. Thompson, who, 30 years later, is still striving to get ON GOLDEN POND right, provides examples of his own work and works with other writers on discovering ways to make their scripts better. For playwrights and screenwriters alike. Maximum 12 writers.
ONE-ON-ONE SCRIPT ANALYSIS
Have your script read and dissected by someone who's written a few. Page notes, plot, structure and character evaluation, motivation, tone, style and philosophy. In person or by phone or e-mail.
PUBLIC SPEAKING
Mr. Thompson has delivered commencement addresses and spoken at colleges and high schools throughout his long career. He has been booked as a motivational speaker at both public and private functions, where he typically shows clips of his films and shares anecdotes about some of the legends of film and theatre with whom he's worked through the years.
EMCEE HAMMER
Mr. Thompson frequently has served as the host of awards shows and theatre programs and/or conducted panels and short seminars, in addition to adjudicating film and play competitions.
PLAY READINGS
Mr. Thompson performs his romantic short play REWRITE as a benefit or part of a speaking engagement. The play can be read with an actress local to the event or, to help raise money or awareness, with a celebrity with whom Mr. Thompson has worked. He currently is directing Karen Black in his play AX OF LOVE and has performed REWRITE with her to great success.
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