A little bit of Hollywood has come to the University of Denver.

Actor Lawrence Hecht, known for playing the role of Neil Prescott in two of the films in Wes Craven’s “Scream” trilogy, is serving as a visiting professor.

This quarter, Hecht has been the Marsico Visiting Guest Artist at a series of roundtables on the life of theater professionals.

The roundtable discussion series allows students to see inside the lives of actors who have had experience with fame, both on screen and on the stage. Students will have a chance to talk to Hecht, who, according to the DU Theatre Department, is “one of the United States’ most respected and accomplished acting instructors/stage directors.” Snacks and drinks will be provided at the roundtables.

Hecht is the co-chair of acting at the National Theatre Conservatory at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and has directed more than 100 plays, including “Sylvia,” “A Skull in Connemara” and “How I Learned to Drive.” Hecht has also created more than 100 stage performances. During his 30-plus-years career in theater, Hecht has worked with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and the National Institute of Dramatic Arts in Sydney, Australia. In February, Hecht will be directing one of the Theatre Department’s winter quarter one-act plays. “This Property Is Condemned” by Tennessee Williams, is a play about two young people whose lives are affected by the Great Depression of the 1930s. The play will be performed in the Byron Flexible Theatre in the Newman Center for the Performing Arts.

The roundtable held last Friday focused on professional training opportunities for aspiring actors. The next roundtable will be held next Friday from noon to 1 p.m. in the Green Room of Margery Reed. The roundtables can only accommodate 18 participants, there can be a large number of viewers. Anyone interested should contact Tricia Stevens at x12581.