Masterclass 2026: An Introduction to Heartbreak House
Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center
Moderated by Elizabeth Swain
6:00-9:00pm
$100 for one 3-hour session
This Academy class is open to everyone—from theater enthusiasts and newcomers to seasoned actors looking to deepen their understanding of Heartbreak House.
An Introduction to Heartbreak House
In anticipation of our first show of the season, George Bernard Shaw's Heartbreak House, Company Member Elizabeth Swain will lead an evening of exploration. Read sections of the play with Elizabeth, hear about the artistic challenges of rehearsing, and learn more about one of the most sparkling and incisive playwrights in the classic canon. Enjoy a lively discussion with the class, which will enhance and enrich your experience at the performance. Copies of the script will be provided.
*Please note, students under 18 require permission from the moderator to take this academy class. If you’re in this category, please reach out to us at academy@antaeus.org.
About Elizabeth Swain
Elizabeth Swain (elizabethswain.net) is a director, actor and teacher, and a member of ANTAEUS. Directing includes Two Noble Kinsmen and Romeo and Juliet for The Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival, The 6th Act’s An Evening of Betrayal, The Winter’s Tale, Hamlet, Measure for Measure co-directed with Armin Shimerman, and Marston’s The Malcontent for ANTAEUS, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth for CSULB. She has directed staged readings for Classical Theatre Lab and ANTAEUS. As an actor she has worked on Broadway, Off Broadway and in many regional theaters, including The LA Women’s Shakespeare Company and ANTAEUS (The Curse of Oedipus, Macbeth, Top Girls). She has taught at Cal Arts, Barnard College and is Professor Emerita at Marymount Manhattan College. She was awarded an NEH Fellowship to study at Shakespeare’s Globe in London and holds a PhD from the CUNY Graduate Center.
Other
Elizabeth Swain is an actor, director and teacher, and a member of Antaeus. Directing includes The Winter's Tale (Antaeus); Hamlet (Antaeus); Measure for Measure (co-directed with Armin Shimerman (Antaeus); Romeo and Juliet and Two Noble Kinsmen (Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival); An Evening of Betrayal (The 6th Act); 3 Hamlets; 2 Macbeths; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Malcontent (Antaeus); The Rover and The Lucky Chance; and several new plays, most recently The Gatekeepers by Dan Perry. She directed a zoom production of The Comedy of Errors for the Classical Theatre Lab, for whom she has directed many staged readings, including Tartuffe, Richard I & II. For Antaeus she has directed six ClassicsFest readings.