Hester Schell

Hester Schell is a master acting teacher with over 30 years teaching experience in academic, vocational and recreational arenas. Hester created the Directors’ Retreat to help directors better understand how to pull great performances from their casts, whether on stage or on-set. The depth of knowledge - working with actors - informs this book, Casting Revealed. When not working as a casting director, script supervisor, producer or director on narrative shorts and features, Hester writes social good and environmental stewardship screenplays with roles for mature women. She co-created the web series Adventures in Staying Young, featuring the health benefits of laughter and comedy as we age. She is a retired Professor of Theatre Arts: De Anza College in California, where she pioneered the film acting and stand-up comedy programs. She was Adjunct Professor of Theatre at Notre Dame de Namur University. Guest Faculty lectures and guest artist faculty included: Academy of art University, San Francisco; University of London, San Francisco's Film Arts Foundation, and the San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking. Vocational teaching includes Film Acting Bay Area (SF) and Portland Actors’ Conservatory (Oregon). She currently resides in Portland, Oregon. Master of Fine Arts (MFA) - University of Utah Bachelor of Arts (BA) Portland State University Associate of Arts (AA) American Academy of Dramatic Arts Trinity Square Repertory Theatre Conservatory, Providence, Rhode Island. Conservatory training. Hesterschellcreative.com During Covid, Hester worked with an A list film producer who must remain anonymous, on a rewrite of a non-fiction book to screenplay adaptation. She finalized work on INVISIBLE, a co-write with Gabriell Debear Paye. The script placed as a quarter finalist in the Portland Screenplay Competition. Spring 2022 Hester continues to work on other original screenplays, and with her clients including Rev. Irene Huston (Book to Play adaptation), Tom Brim (manuscript preparation). Her feature, INVISIBLE, a co-write with Gabriel Debear Paye placed as a quarter finalist in the Portland Screenplay Awards competition. FALL 2021 Covid continues, Retirement from academia continues. 2019 Hester's feature film screenplay, INVISIBLE, a co-write with Gabriel Debear Paye, reaches semi-finalist in the Women Who Write in Film screenplay competition. 2018 Hester's short film SANDWICHED wins audience award at Portland Underground Film Festival. The script place in teh finals with short script competition. FALL 2017 Happy to announce University of Maryland and University of North Carolina have selected CASTING REVEALED as a course textbook. SUMMER 2017 Working on a short film July - September 2017. WINTER 2017 AUTHOR BOOK SIGNING January 11, 2017 Adelina Books. Portland, Oregon FALL 2016 AUTHOR BOOK SIGNING December 3, 2016, 3pm - 5pm: The Writers' Store, 3510 W. Magnolia Blvd. Burbank, CA 91505 For more: https://www.writersstore.com/casting-revealed-free-book-signing-with-hester-schell/ SHORT FILM SCREENING Hester's short film, Poison by Elliott Hayes, screened at the WIF, Women in Film/Portland, members screening, at the NW Film Center, Whitsell Auditorium on Thursday Sept. 15, 2016. Summer 2016 Manuscript for the 2nd edition is now complete. Autumn, 2015 Work on the 2nd edition of CASTING REVEALED has begun. Expect the 2nd edition in summer 2016, from Focal Press. Hester completed the short film POISON by Elliott Hayes, starring Alexander Hero and Rossana Schneider. Autumn, 2014 2 WINS** and 3 Nominations BEST FEATURE**, BEST FIGHT SEQUENCE, BEST BREAKOUT ACTION STAR** - Action on Film International Film Festival. Weapon of Choice, Mixed martial arts by Jino Kang and Tony Urgo. I was casting director on this movie. https://www.facebook.com/WeaponOfChoiceMovie ARTY AWARDS, SOLANO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA - 4 WINS**, 6 Nominations: BEST DIRECTOR** (me), BEST ACTOR**, BEST ACTRESS**, OUTSTANDING COMEDY**, BEST SETS AND BEST COSTUMES. Benicia Old Town Theatre Group - Bernard Slade's romantic comedy SAME TIME NEXT YEAR, their 50th Anniversary production. BOTTG is California's longest running community theatre. http://www.dailyrepublic.com/news/entertainment-local/roster-set-for-30th-annual-arty-awards-gala/ Spring 2014 Interview: http://halfmoonbay.patch.com/groups/announcements/p/award-winning-coastside-director-stays-busy-with-an September 2013 WE WON! 5 AWARDS at the 2013 San Francisco Fringe Theatre Festival, directing SINGULARITEEN by Patrick M. Brennan. 2013 San Francisco Fringe Theatre Festival: http://www.undefinedsymboltheater.com/ REVIEWS - http://www.theexit.org/reviews/singulariteen/ Web Series: ADVENTURES IN STAYING YOUNG: Adventuresinstayingyoung.com Boomer/Senior Comedy, You Tube. with Joan Mankin and Pamela Rand SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel, Adventures in Staying Young Produced: Wm. Shakespeare's HAMLET, Half Moon Bay Shakespeare Company, Half Moon Bay, California http://www.hmbshakespeare.org/ Events: 20 October, 2011 - FREE ONLINE WEBINAR - Casting Basics for Directors: Registration required. http://www.mwp.com/filmschool/course.php?partner=mwp&course=2011-10-20-A&instructor=schell-hester&length=1&cost=0 8/3 to 8/6/11 - UFVA (University Film & Video Assoc.) Annual Conference, Emerson College,Boston. Author panel, MWP.com 5/7/2011 - British Film Institute FilmShop. London. Southbank. Book Signing and Seminar 4/21/2011 - Drama Book Shop, New York, NY Book signing and seminar for Directors: Casting the best, at any budget. 3/13/2011 - Coastside Books, Half Moon Bay, CA. Book signing. 2/24/2011 - The Writers' Store, Burbank, CA Book signing and seminar for writer's: Character descriptions that POP. 1/26/2011 - Bay Area Women in Film and Media http://www.bawifm.org 1/18/2011 - San Francisco Playwrights Center http://www.playwrightscentersf.org Speaking engagements: Drama Book Shop - New York City, British Film Institute - London, Connecticut Screenwriters Association - Hartford, Bay Area Women in Film and Media, San Francisco Film Arts Foundation, San Francisco Chapter Indie-Club, San Francisco Black-American Film Festival, San Francisco Green Film Festival: Panel: Greening Production, San Francisco State University: Comedy Class with Joan Mankin (SF Mime Troupe, Pickle Family Circus) Recent plays and screenplays: Colony Collapse, The Dark Room, Soul's Messenger, and A Cup Of Coffee, written for the New England Russian Theatre Festival. Directing: Portland Fringe Festival, Open Signal Public Media, San Francisco Fringe Festival, San Francisco Playwrights Center, Provincetown Playwrights Festival, New England Russian Theatre Festival. Shorts: Sandwiched by Hester Schell, Portland Underground Film Festival Audience Award Winner; winner, Best Shorts Script competition. Poison by Elliot Hayes Ju$T Under A Million by Hester Schell (narrative comedy. Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0cbrRZy9 Dc ), premiere - Beverly Hills High Definition Film Festival; Airs regularly on Hottv cable in Austin, Dallas and Atlanta; Doc. - Blankets for Afghanistan broadcast through Free Speech TV. Other film festivals include: Cannes, Cinequest, San Francisco International Film Festival, Rochester and Boston Film Festivals and others. Career highlights include touring England with the award winning puppet company Lunatique Fantastique and while in graduate school, on team USA in Russia at the International Children's Theatre Festival. She is a member of the Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Harvard Square Screen Writers. Hester has been casting plays, short films and features throughout her career and is available for workshops and seminars on a variety of topics. Contact her through: hester.schell@gmail.com, LinkedIn.com and Facebook.