Fifth Annual ‘Party In The Parking Lot’ Gala on Sunday, November 19th

Art of Acting Studio – Fifth Annual Party in the Parking Lot Gala: Sunday, November 19th from 5-8 PM

WHAT:
Fifth Annual Art Of Acting Studio Party in the Parking Lot Gala, with special guest Chloe Fineman (Saturday Night Live)

WHY:
Proceeds will benefit the Art of Acting Studio’s Scholarship Program. The Art of Acting studio is the official West Coast branch of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting New York City. Founded in 1949, the Stella Adler Studio occupies a unique place in the history of both theater and actor training in the United States. Rooted in the spirit of Stella Adler, and the insight that growth as an actor and growth as a human being are synonymous, students are challenged on every level by world-class faculty and by a mission to nurture theater artists, so they value humanity, their own and others, as their first priority, while bringing art and education to the community.

WHEN:
Sunday, November 19, 2023
⇒ Red Carpet | Interview & Photo Opportunities Begin at 4:30pm
⇒ Food, Drinks, and Merriment Begin at 5pm

DONATION:
$75 | Tickets at artofactingstudio.com or (323) 601-5310

WHERE:
Art of Acting Studio Parking Lot
1017 N. Orange Drive, LA 90038

CONTACT:
Ken Werther at (323) 845-9781 | Call or text (213) 716-0878.
Email ⇒ kenwertherpr@gmail.com

Posted in Uncategorized

PIPELINE Makes Its LA Premiere at The Art of Acting Studio in Hollywood

The Harold Clurman Laboratory Theater Company is returning to live production following a four-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has announced the Los Angeles premiere of Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau, directed by HCLAB associate artistic director Bryan Keith, at the Art of Acting Studio in Hollywood. Running for 12 performances only, the cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Lou Acosta, Jon Gentry, Fadia Carmelle Marcelin, Nate Memba, Jennifer Sorenson, Ariana Sucar, and Omari Williams. Opening is set for Wednesday, August 2, at 8pm, and the show will run Wednesday thru Saturday at 8pm through Saturday, August 19.

Morisseau’s hard-hitting drama takes a deep look into the American educational system for underprivileged students. Nya is an inner-city high school teacher desperate to give her son opportunities that her students will never see. When a controversial incident at his upstate private school threatens to get him expelled, Nya must confront his rage and her own choices as a parent. Pipeline won the 2016 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award and received its world premiere in the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center in 2017.

Set design is by Johnny Patrick Yoder, lighting design is by Raymond Jones, costume design is by Aja Morris-Smiley, and sound design is by Carter Dean. The stage manager is Cristina Glezoro.

Dominique Morisseau‘s other plays include Detroit ’67, Sunset Baby, Blood at the Root, Paradise Blue, and Skeleton Crew, among others. She received a MacArthur Fellowship (also known as the ‘Genius Grant’) in 2018, she was named an honoree for the Jane Chambers Playwriting Award, which recognizes plays and performance texts created by women that present a feminist perspective and contain significant opportunities for female performers, and she is a two-time winner of the NAACP Image Award. She was on the list of Top 20 Most Produced Playwrights in America in 2015–16, when there were 10 productions of her plays happening nationwide. She was a story editor and co-producer for the Showtime series Shameless, and she wrote the book for the Broadway musical Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of the Temptations. She was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, becoming only the third Black woman to do so.

Bryan Keith is the associate artistic director of the Harold Clurman Laboratory Theater Company. An actor and director, he began his professional work in The Production Office for The Muny in St. Louis for executive producer Paul Blake. He co-founded and was the artistic director for a non-profit theatre company in LA from 2008–15, producing new and established works. TV and film acting credits include Agents of Shield, Shooter, The Mick, Days of Our Lives, Dedication (Cannes Film Festival), ConSINsual (Prime Video), Recognition. Selected theatre credits: Medal of Honor Rag (STL Actors Studio), Hamlet (St. Louis Shakespeare), Down the Road (LA), The Woolgatherer. Directing credits include Thom Pain (based on nothing) in the 2022 Hollywood Fringe Festival, a staged reading of Invisible by Douglas Lyons, (IAMA Theatre New Works Festival); Motherf*cker with the Hat, In the Blood, and Our Lady of 121st Street, (all at Art of Acting Studio); We Are Proud to Present… (Third Culture Theatre Company). Other directing credits: Intimate Apparel, The Play about the Baby, The Shape of Things, bash: latterday plays, A Raisin in the Sun, Jack and Jill, Two Rooms. He recently directed Dutchman for Leo Rising Theatre Co.

Tickets are $18 in advance and may be purchased online at https://cloud.broadwayworld.com/rec/ticketclick.cfm?fromlink=2248944®id=9&articlelink=https%3A%2F%2Fweb.ovationtix.com%2Ftrs%2Fpr%2F1166054?utm_source=BWW2022&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=article&utm_content=bottombuybutton1 or by phone at (323) 601-5310. Thirty minutes prior to curtain, remaining seats are Pay What You Can. The Harold Clurman Laboratory Theater is located at the Art of Acting Studio, 1017 N. Orange Drive in Hollywood, 90038.

Posted in Featured, News

HCLAB presents the 3rd Annual Old Play Reading Festival

HCLAB: Harold Clurman Laboratory Theater Company logo

After a 3 year absence due to the pandemic, the HCLAB Theater Company and the Art of Acting Studio are excited to return to Los Angeles theater to present its third annual Old Play Reading Festival, a twist on the concept of a “new” play festival that instead honors plays in the classic theater canon. The festival features alumni, faculty, administration, and friends of the Art of Acting Los Angeles and Stella Adler Studio of Acting NYC communities.

The HCLAB will present the following three plays:

The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds by Paul Zindel
Directed by Bryan Keith
Saturday 4/1/23 @ 7pm

Somewhere In Between by Craig Pospisil
Directed by Jenn O’Brien
Saturday 4/29/23 @ 7pm

As Is by William M. Hoffman
Directed by Mikey Mulhearn
Saturday 5/27/23 @ 7pm

Admission to the festival is free but reservations are encouraged, tickets available at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/1156308.

THE HAROLD CLURMAN LABORATORY THEATER COMPANY is the Stella Adler Studio of Acting/Art of Acting Studio’s professional theater company. The Lab aims to produce socially relevant theater committed to the standards and ideals set out by Stella Adler, Harold Clurman and the Group Theater. The mission of the Lab is to provide the community, through theater and discussion, with a place of exploration and experimentation of what it means to be a human being. Select production history: King Lear, Turn of the Screw (Ovation Recommended), Rocket to the Moon, Talking to Terrorists, Mercy Killers by Michael Milligan (Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2013, Fringe First Award), Muckrakers, Lebensraum by Israel Horovitz (off-Broadway, Ovation-Nominated in Los Angeles), Long Way Go Down by Zayd Dohrn (West Coast premiere, Ovation Award Nominee), Waiting for Lefty, Our Town by Thornton Wilder.

Posted in News

4th Annual Party in the Parking Lot

Be sure to get your tickets for the 4th annual Party in the Parking Lot on Sunday, November 20th, 2022! Food, drink, and dance are all included!

All proceeds go towards our Student Scholarship Fund, so every ticket helps to partially or fully fund a student’s education. Due to generous donor support, all ticket sales and sponsorships will be matched up to $2500!

Proof of Covid vaccination required at check-in.
Email Johnny@StellaAdler.com with questions or inquiries.
Purchase Tickets at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe.c/11155422

Posted in News

Master Teacher Ron Burrus Memorial Set for January 20th

January 7, 2022

The Stella Adler Studio of Acting announced a memorial for Ron Burrus, master acting technique teacher. Burrus was the greatest exponent of the technique developed by Stella Adler. There will be a memorial for Mr. Burrus on Thursday, January 20, 2022 at 6pm ET online via Zoom Webinar.

Through tireless work and lifelong passion Ron Burrus made himself into the most creative interpreter of the techniques of Stella Adler. His uniqueness as an Adler-inspired teacher according to Artistic Director Tom Oppenheim was, “not only his capacity to shape Stella’s techniques into a systematized series of very clear exercises but his inclination to combine those exercises with the work of the great Hindu spiritual master Jidddu Krishnamurti”.

Ron studied under renowned acting teacher Stella Adler serving as her assistant in a protracted apprenticeship that lasted ten years. He then taught side by side with her, working closely with some of the most important actors of our time including Donna Murphy, Matthew Modine, John Mellencamp, Bill Paxton to name but a few. Mr. Burrus opened his own Ron Burrus Studio in 1983 and returned to the Stella Adler Studio of Acting under the invitation of Stella Adler’s grandson, Tom Oppenheim. There he trained a new generation of actors including Bryce Dallas Howard, Caitlyn Fitzgerald, Olivia Washington to name but a few. In 2009 Ron Burrus worked closely with Oppenheim to build a West coast branch of the Stella Adler Studio, the Art of Acting Studio.

Ron Burrus studied Stella’s work, researched and expanded upon it, adding elements to sharpen the actor’s sense of focus and awareness in imaginative spaces. Stella Adler, with roots in the Yiddish Theater and Group Theater, was the only American actor to study with the great Russian master, Constantine Stanislavski. Burrus assumed and extended this legacy in his work. He trained actors from the 1960s through 2021. Burrus, 79, of Los Angeles, CA, passed away on Dec.13, 2021 after a four-year battle with cancer.

MEMORIAL DETAILS

What Did You Learn? What Did You See?
A Celebration of the Life and Work of Ron Burrus
Thursday, January 20 at 6pm ET
Via Zoom Webinar
RSVP: Please click here to register to attend.

SHARE YOUR STORY: Please click here to share some thoughts or memories about Ron.

GIVE TO THE SCHOLARSHIP FUND:
If you cannot attend, but would like to contribute to a scholarship in Ron’s memory, which will be an annual campaign, please click here.

The memorial will be conducted like one of Ron’s classes. A small group of invited speakers will be followed by community members sharing what they learned from Ron. Those who don’t share in real time will be encouraged to write thoughts into the chat. Those thoughts will be captured and printed into an online book. The Ron Burrus Center will add photos and links of Ron and that book will be offered as a gift to all.

Ron Burrus was an American acting teacher and coach and the greatest exponent of the acting technique developed by Stella Adler. Ron studied Stella’s work, researched and expanded upon it, adding elements to sharpen the actor’s sense of focus and awareness in imaginative spaces. Stella Adler, with roots in the Yiddish Theater and Group Theater, was the only American actor to study with the great Russian master, Constantine Stanislavski. Burrus assumed and extended this legacy in his work. Burrus, 79, of Los Angeles, Ca, passed away on Dec.13, 2021 after a four-year battle with cancer.

OBITUARY

Ron Burrus was an American acting teacher and coach and the greatest exponent of the acting technique developed by Stella Adler. Burrus studied Adler’s work, researched and expanded upon it, adding elements to sharpen the actor’s sense of focus and awareness in imaginative spaces. Stella Adler, with roots in the Yiddish Theater and Group Theater, was the only American actor to study with the great Russian master, Constantine Stanislavski. Burrus assumed and extended this legacy in his work. Burrus, 79, of Los Angeles, Ca, passed away on Dec.13, 2021 after a four-year battle with cancer.

He was born in Onawa, IA, March 11, 1942, the son of Joe Burrus and Audrey (Hutchison) Burrus. He is survived by sister Marlene Cowan, brothers Stan Burrus and Richard Burrus, brother in-law, Chuck Cowan and sister in-law Debra Eaton, nephews, Jeff Cowan, Logan Burrus, Ethan Clark, nieces Kristin Rawson, Dana Clark, Cindy Cowan, Yma Sautbine and Aubrey Clark.

Growing up Ron enjoyed singing, musicals and was in the Drama Club.  He tried playing football in the 9th grade. But no go. He would rather do a soft shoe dance in the kitchen. Ron graduated from Leeds High School in Sioux City, Iowa, 1960, and the same year he and his mother and brothers traveled the original Route 66 out to California and settled in Burbank, a block from the airport.

Ron would often run with his brother Rich the one block to the airport where they would follow unsuspecting travelers and imagine stories about unknown destinations. This sparked a love for travel which he would pursue over the entire course of his life.

He graduated from Pasadena College and served in the U.S. Army in Germany and after returning to California, jetted off to New York to fulfill his dreams. Ron studied under renowned acting teacher Stella Adler serving as her assistant in a protracted apprenticeship that lasted ten years. He then taught side by side with her, working closely with some of the most important actors of our time including Donna Murphy, Matthew Modine, John Mellencamp, Bill Paxton to name but a few. Mr. Burrus opened his own Ron Burrus Studio in 1983 and returned to the Stella Adler Studio of Acting under the invitation of Stella Adler’s grandson, Tom Oppenheim. There he trained a new generation of actors including Bryce Dallas Howard, Caitlyn Fitzgerald, Olivia Washington to name but a few. In 2009 Ron Burrus worked closely with Oppenheim to build a West coast branch of the Stella Adler Studio, the Art of Acting Studio.

Throughout his long career Mr. Burrus worked internationally leading workshops in The film school in Lausanne, Switzerland first invited Mr. Burrus to conduct workshops for their directors and actors. This led over time to workshops in major cultural institutions and festivals in Mexico City, Mexico; Bogata, Colombia; Hamburg, Germany; Cecina, Italy; Tokyo and Osaka, Japan; Mumbai, India; Manila, Philippines and Toulouse, France. He really knew how to travel. One bag and he was off.

Through tireless work and lifelong passion Ron Burrus made himself into the most creative interpreter of the techniques of Stella Adler. His uniqueness as an Adler inspired teacher according to Oppenheim was “not only his capacity to shape Stella’s techniques into a systematized series of very clear exercises but his inclination to combine those exercises with the work of the great Hindu spiritual master Jidddu Krishnamurti”.

Ron was a beautiful, generous person.  He believed strongly in helping others fulfill and achieve their dreams and through endless mentorships touched many lives and awakened a curiosity in others to live with joy, pride, presence and awareness without judgment.

Posted in News

Hiring: Voice & Speech Instructor

The Art of Acting Studio-Los Angeles is seeking an instructor for Voice and Speech. Seeking candidates who are at least familiar with the Knight/Thompson speech approach, as well as Fitzmaurice Voicework experience (certification in either is helpful but not required). Course work focuses on exploring and developing the voice of the individual to be versatile in a range of performance contexts and demands rather than training for a non-existent and prescriptive ‘standard’. Students explore their connection to their own voices in the context of character in tandem with the development of vocal technique as a tool to apply to a range of performance opportunities, including but not limited to on-camera and stage work. An MFA in Acting is preferred, but not required. Bi-lingual candidates are encouraged to apply.
The West Coast Branch of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting New York. The Studio’s mission is to create an environment with the purpose of nurturing theatre artists who value humanity, their own and others’, as their first and most precious priority while providing art and education to the greater community
Sean Spann, Head of Voice & Speech
ART OF ACTING STUDIO LOS ANGELES
1017 N Orange Drive
Los Angeles, California
Employment Type: Contract, Part-Time
Compensation: Hourly
Compensation Amount: Hourly rate negotiable
Application Deadline: 12/17/2021
Posted in Uncategorized

Jimmy Tripp

October 27, 2021

From Tom Oppenheim, Artistic Director:

Dear community,

It is with great sorrow and a heavy heart that I’m writing to inform you that we’ve lost our beloved teacher, friend and family member, James Tripp today. Jimmy joined the faculty of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in the mid 1980s at the invitation of Stella Adler herself. By that time he had a full life in the theater working in major regional theaters, at the Public Theater and on Broadway. But Jimmy’s true artistic domain was in the classroom and his greatest performances were as a teacher. In that realm Jimmy’s talent knew no bounds. With a single gesture he could spank the devil and lick the sky. Jimmy was all theater. He was a theater bandit. He busted down borders with Dionysian glee and many of us who survive him at Adler and thousands and thousands of former students were freed by this man, were elevated by his greatness, were liberated by his passion, were made merry monsters like him. Jimmy made us feel like creatures in Where the Wild Things Are, “I’ll eat you up I love you so.”

My grandmother recognized her kind in Jimmy. She invited him to Adler after seeing a production of Moliere’s Tartuffe which he directed at his other artistic home, the National Shakespeare Conservatory, with me in the title role. It was my first production ever. Jimmy delighted in dressing me up in a long white wig and made me an aged, sex crazed, power hungry, hypocritical hippy. He gave me a comb as a prop to unsuccessfully comb the knots out of my tangled hair. He acquainted me with what was most corrupt in myself, what was most ghastly, grotesque, gory, ugly. He thus made a man of me. Stella appreciated him deeply for this, knew he was an artist, knew where he belonged, right in the heart of the Adler family

I first encountered Jimmy at Kerhonkson, National Shakespeare Conservatory’s summer program. I was so shy and scared and Jimmy’s energy was overwhelming to me. Jimmy was the contemporary scene teacher in those days with his dear friend Mario Siletti teaching Shakespeare. Jimmy was utilizing Meisner repetition technique but only as Jimmy could, repetition a la TRIPP!!! Actors were repeating what the other said but wildly, roiling into a frenzy. It scared the bejesus out of me in spite of the fact that I’m a Jew. After class I followed Jimmy to his car and told him that the exercise scared me. “Well, then you must try it!” he said with a face wide open like the sky. Jimmy opened up a door for me that day, a door that remains open and continues to beckon and challenge me.
There was so much freedom in Jimmy’s class, a freedom we desperately need. This freedom was scary for some, thrilling for others, scary and thrilling by turns. He would crack words over his knee and throw them in your face. You had the feeling that anything could happen. Passion, for example. Love. Hatred. High art. Low art. Lampoon. Anything. This freedom produced boldness, courage, a crystal clear understanding of the purpose of theater and the blessing. May Jimmy’s death inspire a resurrection of that freedom. May generations hence spring up as liberal as he, as outrageous, as passionate, as free.

We dedicate this year to our teacher, friend, family member James Tripp. We will soon open the James Tripp Theater. Long live Jimmy.

Love,

Tom Oppenheim
Artistic Director


Thank you so much for the outpouring of love we have seen online in the wake of Jimmy’s passing. It has been wonderful reading all the cherished memories you have had with him over the years. The Stella Adler Studio of Acting is in the process of collecting quotes, stories and favorite memories of Jimmy Tripp for the archives. Do you remember inspiring words he gave in class? Is there a favorite story of Jimmy? Please share with us by filling out the form linked below. Or you can simply reply to this email and I can add it for you.

Jimmy Tripp Memories and Quotes Form

Posted in News

LA Virtual Open House this June

Interested in training at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting’s sister school in Los Angeles the Art of Acting Studio? Attend our upcoming Virtual Open House running nightly from June 8-10, 2021. Take free classes and hear from current students and faculty over Zoom. This open house will be catered towards actors interested in the LA Professional Conservatory program.

Attend as much or as little as your schedule permits. Can only join us for one or two evenings? No problem. Want to attend all three evenings for the full Conservatory experience? Happy to have you with us!

  • Studio Overview & Discussion – Hear from Artistic Director Tom Oppenheim (grandson of Stella Adler) as he discusses the history, mission and core beliefs of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and Art of Acting Studio. Faculty and staff will also discuss the studio’s various programming.
  • Free Workshops – Get a taste of the studio’s world-class training with free workshops each night. Classes available will include acting technique, on-camera, and scene work!
  • Student Q & A – Meet with current conservatory students who can answer your questions about studying at the Art of Acting Studio in Los Angeles.

RSVP to the Virtual Open House Here

SCHEDULE:

The times are in Pacific Time (LA) and will be on Zoom.

  • Tuesday, June 8th (6-9pm PT) – To kick off the open house, the first event will be “Meet the Studio” a discussion with Tom Oppenheim and the staff. Following that event will be a special Master Class with Jane Fleiss on the Acting Technique developed by Stella Adler
  • Wednesday, June 9th (6-8pm PT) – This evening will feature two workshops: Improvisation and Monologue Coaching led by conservatory faculty.
  • Thursday, June 10th (6-7:30pm PT) – The final evening will be a Question and Answer session with current conservatory students and faculty. Ask them anything!

Reserve Your Spot: This event is FREE (no cost)! Due to limited space each night, reservations are required. Students must be at least 18 years of age and absolutely proficient in the English language in order to participate. RSVP using form below or by Clicking Here.

Posted in Uncategorized

Virtual Open House – Feb 9-11


Interested in training at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting (NY) or Art of Acting Studio (LA)? Attend our upcoming Virtual Open House running nightly from February 9-11, 2021. Take free classes and hear from current students and faculty over Zoom. This open house will be catered towards actors interested in the Professional Conservatory programs or Summer Intensives.

Attend as much or as little as your schedule permits. Can only join us for one or two evenings? No problem. Want to attend all four evenings for the full Conservatory experience? Happy to have you with us!

  • Studio Overview & Discussion – Hear from Artistic Director Tom Oppenheim (grandson of Stella Adler) as he discusses the history, mission and core beliefs of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and Art of Acting Studio. Faculty and staff will also discuss the studio’s various programming.
  • Free Workshops – Get a taste of the studio’s world-class training with free workshops each night. Classes available will include acting technique, on-camera, and scene work!
  • Student Q & A – Meet with current conservatory students who can answer your questions about studying at the Stella Adler Studio in New York or Art of Acting Studio in Los Angeles.

RSVP to the Virtual Open House Here

SCHEDULE:

The times are in Eastern Standard Time and will be on Zoom.

  • Tuesday, February 9th (7-10pm) – To kick off the open house, the first event will be “Meet the Studio” a discussion with Tom Oppenheim and the staff. Following that event will be a special Master Class with Ron Burrus on the Acting Technique developed by Stella Adler
  • Wednesday, February 10th (7-9pm) – This evening will feature two workshops: On-Camera Acting and Monologue Coaching led by conservatory faculty.
  • Thursday, February 11th (7-9pm) – The final evening will be a Question and Answer session with current conservatory students and faculty. Ask them anything! Perhaps we will also do a virtual facility tour if time permits!

Reserve Your Spot: This event is FREE (no cost)! Due to limited space each night, reservations are required. RSVP using form below or by Clicking Here.


Posted in News

2021 Diversity Scholarships Announcement

A central tenet of Tom Oppenheim’s Artistic Directorship has been to make the studio’s work accessible to all, to diversify access to Stella Adler’s work. Under Oppenheim’s leadership, the studio has given nearly $1,000,000 in scholarships for BIPOC students in an informal application process. In an effort to make that work more transparent and visible, the studio has created a formal application process for future scholarships.

The studio is delighted to announce the 2021 application process for diversity scholarships for the 3-Year Conservatory, Evening Conservatory and LA Conservatory for matriculation in Fall 2020 in NYC or LA. These scholarships will cover up to the full tuition cost for the first year of training. The scholarships are one of several efforts to support the studio’s priority to develop a student body that reflects the society in which it exists.

Students also interested in the shorter term 10-Week Summer Conservatory can also apply for the Diversity Scholarship.

Deadline to Apply: Monday, January 25th, 2021

More information at https://stellaadler.com/classes/admissions/diversity/

Posted in News

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