Training for Actors
Can you provide me with some information on
acting training in New York and California? The books I have only list college and
university degree programs and I am getting questions from professional actors on other
sources of instruction.
Some information on acting programs in New York
City and California follows. In addition to these conservatory-type training
opportunities, you should also still check colleges and universities with theater programs
because many of these institutions offer summer programs suitable for experienced actors
in addition to their standard degree programs.
Some of the training options below were found in
a book called the Directory of Theatre Training Programs, published by American
Theatre Works (P.O. Box 519, Dorset, VT 05251; Telephone: (802) 867-2223; Fax: (802)
867-0144). This is a very informative book profiling theater-related programs—like
your guides it mainly covers university programs but it also includes some conservatories.
Some other programs were found in Dramatics
Magazine (), which publishes an annual listing of summer programs for young people.
I also located some in the Backstage Handbook for Performing Artists (currently
available in a 1995 edition from Watson-Guptill Publications, 1515 Broadway, New York, NY
10036-8986; Telephone: (212) 764-7300 or (800) 451-1741; Fax: (908) 363-0338).
Finally, I stumbled across a few more on the Web.
One lengthy list that I found on the Web, focused on acting training for the stage, was
from a 1996 Stage Directions magazine and is located at .
Obviously, these lists do not include every
training opportunity available in New York and California (there are hundreds, if not
thousands!) but I hope I've gathered some of your most-requested programs here.
California
The Actors Studio, Inc., 8341 DeLongpre
Avenue, West Hollywood, CA 90060-2601; Telephone: (323) 654-7125; Fax: (323) 654-8266.
Branch of the Actors Studio, NY. A theater workshop for professional actors.
American Academy of Dramatic Arts/West,
2550 Paloma Street, Pasadena, CA 91107; Telephone: (818) 798-0777; Web: . Six-week summer program of instruction in acting, voice
and speech, vocal production, and movement.
American Conservatory Theater, 30 Grant
Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94108-5800; Telephone: (415) 439-2350; Web: . Offers master's degree, summer, youth, and professional
training.
American Musical Theatre of San Jose, Theatre
Artists Institute, 1717 Technology Drive, San Jose, CA 95110; Telephone: (408)
453-7100; Fax: (408) 453-7123; E-mail: ; Web: . Studio classes; intensive ten-week summer program.
Dell'Arte School of Physical Theatre,
Dell'Arte, P.O. Box 816, Blue Lake, CA 95525; Telephone: (707) 668-5663; Fax: (707)
668-5665; E-mail: ; Web: . Workshops, master workshops, and one-year professional
certificate in physical acting such as mask, silent comedy, farce, melodrama, vaudeville,
clowning, and commedia dell'arte.
Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, 7936
Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90046; Telephone: (323) 650-7777; Fax: (323)
650-7770; E-mail: ; Web: . Thirty-six
week professional program; young people's program.
Lorrie Hull Workshops and Theatre
Conservatory, 1148 17th Street, Suite 3, Santa Monica, CA 90403; Telephone: (310)
828-0632. Certificate and diploma programs in acting, directing, writing, production,
creative dramatics, teaching techniques, audition techniques.
Los Angeles Theatre Academy at Los Angeles
City College, 855 North Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029; Telephone: (323)
953-4336; Web: . Certificates and associate degrees in acting, technical
theater, and costuming.
South Coast Repertory Professional
Conservatory, P.O. Box 2197, Costa Mesa, CA 92628-2197; Telephone: (714) 957-2602,
ext. 210. Eight-week summer program. Also holds a youth program.
New York
The Acting Studio, Inc., 29 East 19th Street,
4th Floor, New York, NY 10003; Telephone: (212) 228-2700; Web: . Studio classes, ten-week "Introduction to
Meisner" program.
The Actors Studio, 432 West 44th Street,
New York, NY 10036; Telephone: (212) 757-0870. A theater workshop for professional actors.
American Academy of Dramatic Arts, 120
Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016; Telephone: (212) 686-9244; Web: . Six-week summer program of instruction in acting, voice
and speech, vocal production, and movement.
American Musical and Dramatic Academy,
2109 Broadway, New York, NY 10023; Telephone: (212) 787-5300; Web: . Training in both acting and musical theater. Two-year
certificate program, the second year by invitation only.
Circle in the Square Theatre, 1633
Broadway on 50th Street, New York, NY 10019-6795; Telephone: (212) 307-2732; Web: .
Seven-week program of instruction in acting technique, scene study, dance and movement,
speech and voice, and singing interpretation. Intensive workshops for young actors.
Two-year highly selective certificate program.
Gately/Poole Acting Studio, Richard Poole,
c/o Nat Horne Theater, 442 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036; Telephone: (212)
268-4125. Six-week program with workshops in acting, movement, acting for film, audition
techniques, and other areas, using the Meisner technique.
Gene Frankel Theatre Workshop, 24 Bond
Street, New York, NY 10012; Telephone: (212) 777-1767. Six-week summer program in acting
for film and television, scene study with Gene Frankel, Shakespeare, cold reading and
audition, theater games, improvisation, voice and diction, and voice and movement.
HB (Herbert Berghof) Studio, 120 Bank
Street, New York, NY 10014; Telephone: (212) 675-2370. Studio classes in acting technique,
scene study, speech, movement, voice, theater games, make-up, costumes, musical theater,
and more.
Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, 115 East
15th Street, New York, NY 10003; Telephone: (212) 533-5500; Fax: (212) 471-1727; E-mail: ; Web: .
Thirty-six-week professional program.
Marjorie Ballentine Studio, 12 East 86th
Street, Suite 723, New York, NY 10028; Telephone: (212) 861-9168; Fax: (212) 861-9480;
E-mail: . Summer program covers technique, scene study, voice,
character movement, Alexander technique, makeup, and Shakespeare. Two-and-a-half-year
professional certificate program.
Musical Theatre Works Conservatory, Peter
VanWyck, c/o Musical Theatre Works, 440 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10003; Telephone:
(212) 677-0040. Five-week classes in acting, voice, musical theater, singing, theater
dance, vocal performance, musical scene study, ballet, tap, and jazz.
National Shakespeare Conservatory, 440
Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10003; Telephone: (212) 260-8660. Offers two-year
professional certificate program and eight-week summer program. Study covers acting, scene
study, voice and speech, movement and style training emphasizing Shakespeare and the
classics.
Neighborhood Playhouse, 340 East 54th
Street, New York, NY 10022; Telephone: (212) 688-3770. Five weeks of summer instruction in
acting, voice, speech, theater, and dance in a professional environment using the Meisner
technique. Two-year professional program.
New Actor's Workshop, 259 West 30th
Street, New York, NY 10001; Telephone: (212) 947-1310; Fax: (212) 947-9729; E-mail: ; Web: . Six-week program offers work in improvisation together
with Stanislavsky-based method technique; instruction in technique, improvisation, voice,
movement. Also offers professional certificate and graduate programs.
Phil Gushee Studio, 636 Broadway, Room
708, New York, NY 10012; Telephone: (212) 353-0114. Seven-week classes for those seeking
training in the Meisner technique.
Playwrights Horizons Theater School, 440
Lafayette Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10003; Telephone: (212) 529-8720; Fax: (212)
529-8762; E-mail: ;
Web: . Summer
acting program includes scene study, creating original work, voice, speech, movement,
rehearsal techniques, and a new works lab.
Tisch School of the Arts, New York
University, 721 Broadway, Room 721, New York, NY 10003; Telephone: (212) 998-1808. Six-
and twelve-week summer sessions in wide range of acting areas.
—Lia Hutton, The Advising Quarterly
