What HB Studio does

HB Studio is a privately held, non-degree acting school founded in 1945 by Herbert Berghof in New York City's West Village. The studio offers process-based actor training grounded in Uta Hagen's practical methodology, serving adult actors, young people (ages 9-17), international F-1 visa students, playwrights, and directors. Core product lines include leveled acting classes (Level 1 through Studio Practice), Voice & Speech, Movement, Playwriting, Directing, Musical Theater, and Young People programming, plus the premium Hagen Institute offering full-time immersives such as The Hagen Core (one-year) and Hagen Summer Intensive (six-week). HB Playwrights Foundation, a wholly-owned subsidiary established in 1964-1965, operates an 80-seat theater at 124 Bank Street producing original works and student showcases. The business operates across three Bank Street locations (120, 122, 124 Bank Street) with two wholly-owned subsidiaries: HB Playwrights Foundation and The Hagen Institute.

HB Studio monetizes through term-based course tuition (typically 10-week terms), single-session audits ($25), studio and theater space rentals, F-1 international program fees ($3,600-$10,000/term, $40,000-$80,000 for multi-year commitments), and specialized intensive program fees. Distribution combines self-serve online enrollment via Coursestorm with in-person classes at Bank Street, complemented by Zoom-based virtual options for remote students. The studio employs 11-50 staff and faculty, is governed by a Board of Directors, and has no external venture funding. Marketing relies on community-driven referrals, alumni network engagement, signature events (including the 2026 Light We Carry Festival), the HB Insight Series podcast, email newsletters, and active social media presence.

The studio maintains notable institutional partnerships with Lucille Lortel Theatre, NYU Tisch, IFC Center, Spiderwoman Theater, and LAByrinth Theater Company. Its customer base includes legacy alumni such as F. Murray Abraham, Liza Minnelli, Whoopi Goldberg, Jack Lemmon, and Norbert Leo Butz, alongside current teaching artists including Tony winners Jessica Hecht, Mercedes Ruehl, and Marsha Mason. Governance transitioned to a shared leadership model in July 2025 under Co-Executive Director Francesca Ferrara and Deputy Director Programs Catrin Lloyd-Bollard, with Leticia Ferrer (Uta Hagen's daughter) serving as Hagen Legacy Chair.

Name

HB Studio

Legal name

Herbert Berghof Studio, Inc.

Website

https://hbstudio.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HB Studio is a privately held New York City acting school founded in 1945, offering Uta Hagen-based training programs for adult actors, young people, and international F-1 students across leveled courses, intensives, and performance opportunities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Education

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts (Acting, Improv, Theater) (EDAAAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Private Voice Lessons (Vocal) (EDAMANAB)

Keywords

• Acting classes
• Theater training
• Voice and speech
• Playwriting instruction
• Musical theater performance

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Course Tuition: Recurring term-based tuition for acting classes, voice & speech, movement, playwriting, directing, and musical theater courses. Students register per term (typically 10 weeks) with payment plans available for courses $100 or more.
2. Class Audits: Single-session class observation at $25 per audit, non-refundable and non-transferable. Allows prospective students to experience HB teaching before enrolling.
3. Studio Space Rentals: HB rents studio space to students for rehearsals at its 120 Bank St, 122 Bank St, and 124 Bank Street locations. Must be paid in full upon booking.
4. Financial Aid Processing: Work-study positions grant free tuition for one course when students pay for a second course. Scholarships average $150 discount per course. Administrative fees apply for various services.
5. International F-1 Program Fees: International students on F-1 visas pay annual $150 administrative fee plus tuition ranging from $3,600 per term for Studio Class Program to full program costs. Application fee of $25 and potential $350 SEVIS fee.
6. Specialized Program Fees: Revenue from Hagen Core Training, Hagen Summer Intensive, Hagen Teacher's Lab, and other specialized workshops with separate enrollment processes and pricing structures.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

HB Studio is a private acting school in Manhattan offering leveled instruction in acting technique, voice and speech, movement, playwriting, directing, and musical theater, delivered in 5- and 10-week terms plus full-time Hagen Institute intensives. The studio also operates HB Playwrights Theatre, an 80-seat performance venue for student and faculty productions, and runs an International Studio Class Program for F-1 visa students.

Product overview

HB Studio is one of NYC's original acting studios (est. 1945) offering a comprehensive suite of theater arts education programs. The core offerings include leveled acting classes (Acting 1 through Studio Practice), Voice & Speech, Movement, Playwriting, Directing, and Musical Theater & Performance courses. The Hagen Institute provides specialized intensive programs: The Hagen Core Training (one-year full-time immersion), Hagen Summer Intensive (six-week workshop), Hagen Teacher's Lab, The Uta Approach, Essential Media, and Uta Anywhere. HB Playwrights Theatre operates as an 80-seat performance venue for student and faculty productions. The studio also runs an International Studio Class Program for F-1 visa students and maintains rental facilities including studios and rehearsal spaces at its Bank Street locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 80+ years of continuous operation as NYC's longest continually active theater school
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Dalla Terra Wine and SpiritsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 May 2026Sponsor of The Light We Carry Festival opening night party and wrap party. Contributed to community celebration events.
• Whole FoodsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 May 2026Sponsor of The Light We Carry Festival opening night party and wrap party. Contributed to community celebration events.
• Spiderwoman TheaterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 May 2025HB Studio presented Storyweaving Workshop Performance with Spiderwoman Theater (oldest continually running Indigenous feminist theater company in the Americas). Muriel Miguel directed with Penny Couchie choreographing.
• Noël Coward FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Noël Coward Foundation provided leadership support for 'Witness to History: The Testimony Project' and 'Testimony: Theater as Witness to Our Times' presentation at HB Studio. HB and its founders enjoy a special relationship with the foundation.
• Lucille Lortel TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHB Studio partnered with Lucille Lortel Theatre for Day 3 event 'In Conversation: Respect for Acting' featuring HB teaching artists. Co-presented event at the theatre on Christopher Street.
• IFC CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHB partnered with IFC Center for Day 5 legacy screening of 'Cleopatra' (1963) starring HB founder Herbert Berghof. Introduced by HB board member and step-granddaughter.
• Tisch School of the Arts (NYU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHB Studio collaborated with NYU Tisch for Day 6 event 'The Future of Actor Training: An Open Conversation' moderated by NYU Production Lab Director. Held at NYU Dean's Conference Room.
• Tannenbaum HelpernminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of 'In Conversation: Respect for Acting' event at Lucille Lortel Theatre featuring HB teaching artists Jessica Hecht, Mercedes Ruehl, Marsha Mason, and Peter Francis James.
• New York Stage and FilmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristopher Burney, co-instructor of American Scoreboard workshop, serves as Artistic Director of New York Stage and Film. Workshop made possible by Noël Coward Foundation support.
• LAByrinth Theater CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHB instructor David Deblinger is co-founder of LAByrinth Theater Company. HB presented Deblinger's 'Implicit Memory Systems: A Jungian Farce' as LAByrinth's 2025 Barn Series selection.
• AanmitaagziminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAanmitaagzi is associated with the Storyweaving Workshop Performance presented by HB Studio with Spiderwoman Theater.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stella Adler Studio of Acting: NYC-based acting school offering conservatory-style training rooted in Stella Adler's technique. Directly comparable to HB Studio as a long-running private acting studio with named-methodology pedagogy and similar in-person class catalog.
• Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute: NYC and Los Angeles acting school teaching the Method approach developed by Lee Strasberg. Closely comparable to HB Studio as a competing named-methodology acting school serving aspiring and working actors.
• Atlantic Theater Company / Atlantic Acting School: NYC acting school and producing theater company founded by David Mamet and William H. Macy. Directly comparable to HB Studio's combined school-plus-producing-theater model, with a distinct pedagogical lineage.
• The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre: Historic NYC acting school teaching Sanford Meisner's technique. Comparable to HB Studio as one of the original private NYC acting conservatories with named-methodology instruction and a roster of distinguished alumni.
• William Esper Studio: NYC Meisner-technique acting studio offering multi-year professional and two-year conservatory programs. Comparable to HB Studio as a private, in-person acting conservatory with structured leveled progression.
• Circle in the Square Theatre School: NYC theater school offering two-year acting and musical theater conservatory programs. Comparable to HB Studio as a private conservatory-style performing arts training institution serving similar student demographics.
• Susan Batson Studio: NYC private acting studio serving professional actors with master-class style training. Comparable to HB Studio's higher-end intensive offering as a small, prestige-driven private acting studio in NYC.

Broad incumbents

• The New School College of Performing Arts: University-level performing arts program (Mannes, Jazz, Drama) within The New School in NYC. Comparable to HB Studio's acting/voice/movement/playwriting offerings but operating at university scale with degree-granting authority.
• NYU Tisch School of the Arts: Major NYC university conservatory offering acting, musical theatre, drama, and film programs. Comparable performing arts curriculum to HB Studio but operating at vastly larger scale with degree programs, well-known alumni, and event partnerships with HB itself.

Regional players

• The Groundlings: Los Angeles-based improv and sketch comedy training center and theater. Comparable as a performing arts training institution with attached performance venue, but operates in a different geography and focuses on comedy/improv rather than dramatic acting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hbstudionyc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvTFtBtitYsTJc8_fceA2fw
• Facebookfacebook.com/hbstudionyc
• Instagraminstagram.com/hbstudionyc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hb-studio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HB Studio