Actor's Studio Drama School

Actor's Studio Drama School
Name	Actor's Studio Drama School
Type	Graduate conservatory
Established	1994
Parent	The New School (1994–2005); independent partnership with New School for Social Research (2006–2014); Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development (2006–2012)
City	New York City
Country	United States

Contents

Actor's Studio Drama School is a graduate acting conservatory founded to extend the legacy of the Actors Studio and the Method acting tradition associated with figures such as Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, Elia Kazan, and Marlon Brando. The program's pedagogy drew on precedents from Juilliard School, Yale School of Drama, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and practitioners connected to Method acting, Stanislavski system, and American theatre institutions like Lincoln Center Theater and Circle in the Square Theatre.

History

The School originated from a 1994 affiliation between the Actors Studio and The New School, designed by leaders including Ellen Burstyn, Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel, Sally Kirkland, and administrators from The New School and New School for Social Research. Early milestones featured visiting artists from Joseph Papp's Public Theater, collaborations with Woody Allen, and master classes invoking approaches used by Lee Strasberg and collaborators of Elia Kazan. Tensions over governance and curricular control led to a 2005 separation, after which the program negotiated continuations and relocations involving Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, and local institutions such as Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and City College of New York. Throughout its history the School hosted residencies and guest teachers linked to Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Samuel Beckett, August Wilson, and directors from Mamet, Susan Stroman, and Anne Bogart.

Admissions followed a conservatory audition model resembling Juilliard School and Yale School of Drama with requirements echoing repertory programs like Theatre Royal Stratford East and Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Applicants submitted performance reels, attended callbacks, and were evaluated by panels including members of the Actors Studio, casting directors from Casting Society of America, and representatives from regional companies such as Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Arena Stage. The three-year curriculum combined scene study influenced by Lee Strasberg and Sanford Meisner, voice and speech work akin to Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, movement training in the lineage of Jacques Lecoq, text analysis for works by William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen, and contemporary playwrights like Tony Kushner and Quiara Alegría Hudes. Electives included filmmaking workshops reflecting practices from Sundance Institute, improvisation sessions linked to Second City, and professional development seminars with agents from William Morris Endeavor and Creative Artists Agency.

Faculty rosters blended veteran Artists Studio members and academics drawn from conservatories such as Carnegie Mellon School of Drama and Brown/Trinity MFA Program. Leadership at various times included notable practitioners associated with Ellen Burstyn, Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel, and administrators who previously served at The Guthrie Theater and O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. Visiting faculty and guest artists encompassed directors like Elia Kazan protégés, choreographers from Martha Graham School, and playwright-teachers connected to LCT3, Roundabout Theatre Company, and La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club.

Graduates went on to careers spanning stage, film, and television, joining ensembles and companies including Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Broadway Theatre, Off-Broadway, and film collaborations with directors such as Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Spike Lee, David O. Russell, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Richard Linklater. Alumni credits include appearances in productions at Lincoln Center Theater, The Public Theater, Young Vic, and in films showcased at Sundance Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and Venice Film Festival. Notable names from the School's cohorts worked with agents at United Talent Agency and ICM Partners and earned honors like the Tony Award, Academy Award, Emmy Award, Obie Award, and Drama Desk Award.

The School mounted repertory seasons featuring contemporary plays by Tony Kushner, Edward Albee, August Wilson, and classics by William Shakespeare and Anton Chekhov at venues including Cherry Lane Theatre, The Public Theater, Abrons Arts Center, and festival appearances at SF Playhouse and Spoleto Festival USA. Public programming included master classes, panels, and symposiums with guest artists from Actors Studio, multi-day intensives with directors linked to Lincoln Center Theater, and outreach partnerships with community organizations reminiscent of programs by Joseph Papp and New Dramatists.

Based in New York City, the School operated in rehearsal studios, black box theaters, and screening rooms comparable to facilities at Juilliard and Tisch School of the Arts, with proximity to performance corridors including Broadway, Off-Broadway, and cultural hubs like SoHo, Greenwich Village, Chelsea, and the East Village. Technical shops and design labs supported scenography and costume work referencing shops serving Metropolitan Opera and New York City Ballet, while administrative offices coordinated guest residencies with institutions such as Sundance Institute and American Conservatory Theater.

Category:Drama schools in the United States