Actors Studio
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Actors Studio. Manhattan Plaza is behind the structure.

The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street in the Hells Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded October 5, 1947 by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, and Robert Lewis. Anna Sokolow taught movement for actors, but the Studio is best known for its work refining and teaching method acting. The group initially met in a rehearsal space in the Princess Theatre ¹ This approach was originally developed by the Group Theatre in the 1930s based on the innovations of Constantin Stanislavski. The Studio came to worldwide recognition under the leadership of Lee Strasberg, who took over the helm in 1951. While at the Studio, actors work together to develop their skills in an experimental environment, where they can take risks as performers without the pressure of commercial roles.

In 1955 it moved to its current location in the former Seventh Associate Presbyterian Church (built in 1859).²

The Actors Studio Drama School

From September 1994 through May 2005, the Studio collaborated with The New School in the education of masters-level theater students at the Actors Studio Drama School (ASDS). After months of negotiation, New School President Bob Kerrey decided not to renew the Studio's contract and selected Robert LuPone to head a new program, named the New School for Drama. By ending 10 years of collaboration with the Studio, he was criticized by some of the university's alumni.³ Since the Fall of 2006, the Actors Studio has offered a three-year Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree program through Pace University.⁴

The television program Inside the Actors Studio first aired in 1994 on the cable television network Bravo. Its host was and still is James Lipton, Dean Emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School; it provides in-depth interviews with actors, directors, writers, and other artists, some of whom are members of the Studio. The program was taped in front of the students of ASDS, and served as a class seminar for them, until the school's transition to Pace University. Beginning with the twelfth season in the fall of 2005, Inside the Actors Studio was taped at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University's New York City campus.

Famous alumni

Over its long history, many famous and successful actors, directors and playwrights have come out of the Studio, including:

References

External links

• The official web site of The Actors Studio
• PBS American Masters Series profile
• Inside the Actors Studio
• The Actors Studio MFA Program at Pace University
• Audio collection of the Actors Studio from 1956-1969 at the Wisconsin Historical Society

• Actors Studio is at coordinates 40°45′36″N 73°59′34″W / 40.760068, -73.992654 (Actors Studio)Coordinates: 40°45′36″N 73°59′34″W / 40.760068, -73.992654 (Actors Studio)