The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street between

Ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

and Tenth avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

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. It was founded on October 5, 1947, by

Elia Kazan Elia Kazan (; born Elias Kazantzoglou ( el, Ηλίας Καζαντζόγλου); September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was an American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one o ...

Cheryl Crawford Cheryl Crawford (September 24, 1902 – October 7, 1986) was an American theatre producer and director. Biography Born in Akron, Ohio, Crawford majored in drama at Smith College. Following graduation in 1925, she moved to New York City and ...

, and Robert Lewis, who provided training for actors who were members. Lee Strasberg joined later and took the helm in 1951 until his death on February 17, 1982. The Studio is best known for its work refining and teaching method acting. The approach was originally developed by the Group Theatre in the 1930s based on the innovations of

Konstantin Stanislavski Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski ( Alekseyev; russian: Константин Сергеевич Станиславский, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin sʲɪrˈgʲejɪvʲɪtɕ stənʲɪˈslafskʲɪj; 7 August 1938) was a seminal Russian Soviet Fe ...

. While at the Studio, actors work together to develop their skills in a private environment where they can take risks as performers without the pressure of commercial roles. , the studio's co-presidents are Ellen Burstyn,

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. In his early career, Baldwin played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Tim Burton's ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), Mike Nichol ...

and

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy ...

. The artistic director in New York is Beau Gravitte, and the Associate Artistic Director in New York is

Estelle Parsons Estelle Margaret Parsons (born November 20, 1927) is an American actress, singer and stage director. After studying law, Parsons became a singer before deciding to pursue a career in acting. She worked for the television program ''Today'' and ...

History

After an initial meeting held on October 5, 1947, at the

Labor Stage Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

, located at 106 W. 39th Street (formerly the Princess Theatre), in which goals and ground rules of the new organization were discussed, the studio officially opened for business the following day at the Union Methodist Episcopal Church, located at 229 West 48th Street, previously home to the Actors Kitchen and Lounge (maintained to assist actors and others unable to afford meals), and long a source of rental rehearsal space for local theatrical producers. Before settling in its current location in 1955, the Studio moved regularly over an eight-year period: In January 1948, it was a dance studio on East 59th Street. In April of that year, a move to the

CBS Building The CBS Building, also known as Black Rock, is the headquarters of the CBS broadcasting network at 51 West 52nd Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The 38-story, building, the only skyscraper designed by Eero Saari ...

at 1697 Broadway, near 53rd Street, established some semblance of stability; the Studio would not move again until the summer of 1952. From that point, the old

Theatre Guild The Theatre Guild is a theatrical society founded in New York City in 1918 by Lawrence Langner, Philip Moeller, Helen Westley and Theresa Helburn. Langner's wife, Armina Marshall, then served as a co-director. It evolved out of the work of the W ...

rehearsal rooms on the top floor of the ANTA Theatre became home, as they would remain until October 1954, when theatre renovations reduced the Studio to renting space twice a week. This it did at the Malin Studios at 1545 Broadway, room 610. This arrangement continued throughout the 1954–1955 theatrical season, even as the Studio was acquiring and renovating its current venue. In 1955, it moved to its current location in the former West 44th Street United Presbyterian Church, a

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

structure which was built for the Seventh Associate Presbyterian Church in 1858 or 1859. It was one of the last churches to be built in that style in New York City.

Graduate drama school

From September 1994 through May 2005, the Studio collaborated with

The New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...

in the education of master's-level theatre students at the Actors Studio Drama School (ASDS). After ending its contract with The New School, the Actors Studio established The Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in 2006.

References

Notes Further reading ::Articles * Gerard, Jeremy (April 8, 1988
"Frank Corsaro to Head Actors Studio,"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' * Heimer, Mel (October 19, 1965)
"My New York"
''Rochester Sentinel'' p. 2 * Kleiner, Dick (December 21, 1956
"The Actors Studio: Making Stars Out of the Unknown,"
''

Sarasota Journal The ''Sarasota Journal'' was an American daily newspaper published in Sarasota, Florida, from 1952 until 1982. The ''Journal'' was founded in 1952 by publisher Lindsay Newspapers Inc. as an afternoon companion to their morning daily ''Sarasota Her ...

'' p. 26 * Pogrebin, Robin (June 20, 2000
"Pacino, Burstyn and Keitel To Lead the Actors Studio,"
''

'' * Seligsohn, Leo (January 6, 1974
"Actors Studio Needs Cash Birthday Gift,"
''

Sarasota Herald-Tribune The ''Sarasota Herald-Tribune'' is a daily newspaper, located in Sarasota, Florida, founded in 1925 as the ''Sarasota Herald''. History The newspaper was owned by The New York Times Company from 1982 to 2012. It was then owned by Halifax Media ...

'' p. 6-B * Smith, Liz (May 30, 1983
"Controversy Engulfs Actors Studio As Anna Strasberg Resigns,"
''

'' p. 4-C ::Books * Frome, Shelly (2001) ''The Actors Studio: a History''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. * Garfield, David (1980)
A Player's Place: The Story of the Actors Studio
'. New York: MacMillan. * Hirsch, Foster (1984) ''A Method to their Madness: The History of the Actors Studio''. New York: WW Norton & Co Inc.

External links

*

''Inside the Actors Studio''

The Actors Studio MFA Program at Pace University

Audio collection of the Actors Studio from 1956–69
at the

Wisconsin Historical Society The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of N ...

A brief history of the Actors Studio, including Lee Strasberg on its origin and purpose.

David Garfield research files on the Actors Studio, 1947–2003 (bulk 1970–1982)
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts {{DEFAULTSORT:Actors Studio, The Drama schools in the United States

Actors Studio alumni An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...

Organizations based in New York City Education in Manhattan Pace University 1947 establishments in New York City Theatre in New York City

History

Graduate drama school

See also

References

External links