Playhouse West

School ~ Repertory Theater ~ Film Festival

Playhouse West is the original home of Sanford Meisner's Los Angeles classes, where he taught beginning in 1987 until the end of his teaching career. During this period Mr. Meisner continued to evolve his technique, adding new exercises and approaches. Only the Playhouse West teachers experienced these advances of one of the Master teachers of acting. So, the Playhouse West approach is completely unique in that it incorporates these innovations to Mr. Meisner's work, as well as being one of the very few teaching institutions that experienced first-hand instruction from Mr. Meisner himself.

All potential students must first audit a class. Membership is granted on the basis of an interview with Robert Carnegie, Founding Director, or Tony Savant, Artistic Director. The interviews are brief and take place immediately after the audit. Membership is on a month-to-month basis, and the monthly fee is due on the first class of each month.

All classes which may be audited are at our Studio 1 location at 4250 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood (1 block south of Whipple, 4 blocks north of Universal Studios). You do not have to call to make an appointment; just show up and sign in on a first come-first serve basis. There is almost always room. There are three classes which may be audited:

Tuesdays, 12 noon
Tuesdays, 7pm
Thursdays, 12 noon
Fridays, 7pm

Each class is approximately three hours long.

All questions about the school will be answered in person when you audit one of these classes, but here's some info about the class you're auditing.

You will be auditing a Level I class. Playhouse West has been training actors, directors, and writers in Los Angeles for over twenty-five years. Our students have gone on to achieve success at all levels of the Industry, from Academy Award nominations to Golden Globe winners, from film producers to the creation of television shows, from starring in motion pictures and television to Emmy Awards for acting and writing, to starring on Broadway.

Our classes are three hours in length and students who attend Playhouse West come twice a week and work every class. Classes are ongoing and can be entered into at any time during the month.

Our program has been developed over years of working with the finest teachers of acting in this country's history, including Sanford Meisner, who taught here for years. But, while we have worked with them, we are not imitators. We have our own artistic vision and have developed an intense approach to the training of an actor which includes year-round attendance and ongoing classes. This process permits the actor to progress from exercises, to scenes, to productions, to films. At Playhouse West instruction is given on an individual basis and each student moves at their own true learning pace.

In addition to the class work, Playhouse West students are visited and given seminars by special guests like Academy Award winning director Sydney Pollack, Academy Award winning director and actor Mel Gibson, Academy Award winning actors Martin Landau and Rod Steiger, Julie Harris, Tony Curtis, Eli Wallach, James Caan, plus top-level writers, agents, managers, casting directors and others. These guest seminars may occur at the school, or at our annual Film Festival.

The students you will see have either just started their training or may have been working with us for several months. The exercises and scenes you will observe have at their root two clear guidelines: (1) acting is more instinctive than intellectual, and (2) it is vital for the actor to connect with his working partner. These basic principles are emphasized and trained into the actor in various ways. As the actor moves through the program there is progressively more scene work, accompanied by advanced exercises, culminating in “Scene Nights”, and participation in the award-winning Playhouse West theatrical productions and/or work in the many film projects that use our acting company.

After you have observed a class it can be very inspiring to attend one of our productions. The actors in our plays are all currently training at Playhouse West and represent classes from all levels. Please take a flyer with our monthly schedule and call the reservation number, or go to our website, to reserve a seat(s) for the play or plays of your choice. You are eligible to see any of our productions for free. When you call or go online for reservations simply state that you are an auditor, and confirm it at the box office when you arrive for the show.

***NEW CLASS forming with Robert Carnegie & Jeff Goldblum in January 2011!
Come apply today! Audit a class and talk to Robert for more detailed information.


UPCOMING SHOWS:
**"WELCOME HOME, SOLDIER"
Studio 1
Next show: To Be Announced!
An award-winning tribute to Vietnam Veterans that tells true stories about the effects of the Vietnam War and the subsequent homecoming on veterans and their families. Now playing in its 18th smash year, its currently the longest running play in Los Angeles!

Though we take reservations, seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The box office opens thirty minutes before showtime, so to ensure a seat for yourself, please show up early. We do give away seats to walk-ins approximately five to ten minutes before showtime.

All of our shows are free, but we do accept donations that go to the theater company and local charities.

All Veterans will get seated, regardless. If you are a Veteran, and you need special seating arrangements, just let us know in the comments box and we will do our best to accomodate you.
Refer to www.Playhousewest.net for show schedule.
Reservations: (818) 332-3101.

**"TAPE" by Stephen Belber
Studio 3
With "Skip" Hallock Beals, Jason Rue & Ciera Parrack.
Directed by Robyn Cohen.
Refer to www.playhousewest.net for show schedule.

IMPROV COMEDY SHOW
SPECIAL: Student Improv Long-Form Show!
Refer to www.playhousewest.net for show schedule.

**"A MIXED TAPE"
Eric Edwards' original play
Studio 2
Studio Two & Studio Three:


Both theaters are right next to each other, with Studio Two on the corner and Studio Three just two doors down.

10634 Magnolia Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91602
(One block West of Cahuenga)



PLAYHOUSE WEST FILM FESTIVAL
The 14th Annual Playhouse West Film Festival was held June 18 — 20, 2010 at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, CA!

Playhouse West is a training ground for actors, writers and directors founded by Robert Carnegie and Jeff Goldblum in 1981. As an adjunct to our on-going acting classes, we produce plays in repertory, using exclusively our current students, which are directed and often written by Playhouse West staff members and students. The Playhouse West theatrical production of "Welcome Home, Soldier" won "Best Play of 1991" and is currently the longest running play in L.A., now in its 18th year. Modeled upon the Group Theatre of the thirties, and owing much to its founders, Sanford Meisner, Stella Adler, Harold Clurman, and Elia Kazan, Playhouse West has been dedicated to keeping alive and promulgating a passion for realistic acting and the presentation of ensemble productions that address the current social moment.

This idea of an ensemble of actors who train and do plays together has grown to include film productions. In 1995, our long-time staff member, Jeff Goldblum, directed a film for Showtime, Little Surprises, which starred an ensemble of Playhouse West actors along with legendary actors Rod Steiger and Julie Harris. This short film went on to garner an Academy Award nomination for Best Motion Picture Short.

In the next few years, more and more film projects were being written, produced, directed and acted almost exclusively by our members. This prompted, in 1997, the conception of the Annual Playhouse West Film Festival. For the first nine years our film festival was dedicated to showing the best films either written, produced, directed or starring our current or former students, many which have gone on to gain notoriety and acclaim.

Playhouse West member Henry Barrial's film, Some Body, which premiered at our 4th Annual Film Festival, broke ground by becoming the first ever digital feature chosen as a finalist at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001. In 2002, our Festival premiered the TNT original movie, James Dean, starring long-time Playhouse West member James Franco, which went on to receive rave reviews and a Golden Globe Award for James' performance. In 2003, a film written, directed and starring PW member Scott Caan, Dallas 362, garnered the Critic's Choice Award for Best Feature Film at the CineVegas International Film Festival. In 2004, Marty Sader's gripping feature, Most High, took home awards at three major film festivals, winning Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and Screenplay at Chicago's IndieFest, the "Golden Starfish Award" for Best Feature Film at The Hamptons International Film Festival, and Best Picture at Atlanta Film Festival. In total, over 80 films which have premiered or screened at our Film Festival have gone on to win over 200 awards at other festivals around the world.

The 11th Annual Festival in 2007 introduced two major changes to our program. First, we opened our festival up to entries outside the Playhouse West community. Second, it was also the first time our festival was a competition, giving out jury and audience choice awards to our favorite films. These exciting changes brought entries from around the world, not only giving us a greater pool of quality films to choose from, but it served to introduce a new community of aspiring, talented filmmakers to our Playhouse West membership, as well as raising the filmmaking standards for us all. Last year we were proud to screen the L.A. of Rocco DeVillier's terrific feature, The Flyboys, which went on to win Best Picture at over 60 film festivals.

In addition to screening films, each year our Festival includes special guest speakers; professionals of great accomplishment in the film industry. Past special guests include directors Sydney Pollack, John Landis, Garry Marshall, Mark Rydell, James Gray, Chuck Russell and Joe Carnahan, as well as actors James Caan, Jeff Goldblum, Ashley Judd, James Franco, Scott Caan and Giovanni Ribisi, Logan and Noah Miller (Touching Home). In addition, many other directors, producers, writers and actors make up this year's terrific program of selections.