Telenovela & Vertical Drama

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An Acting Intensive with Deborah Ríos & Héctor Zavala

5 days · 12 hours of instruction · 2 filming days
Maximum 10 actors · English & Spanish

December 14–18, 2026 · Mexico City
Centro Cultural Casa Hechale

Download Course Details (PDF)

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5 days · 12 hours of instruction · 2 filming days
Maximum 10 actors · English & Spanish

Explore the emotional precision of Mexican telenovela through five days of camera training and collaborative production.
Led by Deborah Ríos, with the participation of Héctor Zavala, the programme moves from character and scene work to the filming of an original vertical telenovela.
ACTING & CHARACTER
Work with character objectives, relationships and dramatic stakes to bring clarity and emotional depth to heightened storytelling.
ON-CAMERA PRACTICE
Develop precision in close-ups, reactions, eyelines, continuity and blocking, with attention to the demands of the 9:16 vertical frame.
FROM TRAINING TO PRODUCTION
Three days of guided training followed by two days of filming, bringing performance technique into a shared production process.
A COLLECTIVE SCREEN PROJECT
Each cohort creates an original Casa Hechale vertical telenovela: 3–5 episodes of 60–120 seconds, with a substantive acting role for every participant.
PROGRAMME OPTIONS
Workshops only · USD 1,250
With Casa Hechale accommodation · USD 1,850 · 3 places
With studio accommodation and private bathroom · USD 2,000
For programme details and registration:
Apply
programs@hechaleproductions.com

Deborah Ríos

A woman with long black hair styled in waves, wearing a blue top, looking at the camera with a slight smile against a gray background.

Novela, Film, Theatre, TV https://vimeo.com/1021602561

Héctor Zavala

Actor,Director, Artistic Director

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A group of diverse people seated in a theater or auditorium, with a young man in an orange shirt standing and talking to a woman in a gray jacket. Black curtains are in the background, and there are personal items on the stage.

A group of diverse women standing and talking in a room with dark curtains in the background.

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CENTRO CULTURAL CASA HECHALE

Location

Dr Atl 236

Mexico City