Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre
The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre is an actor training school in New York City, generally associated with the Meisner technique of Sanford Meisner.
History
Neighborhood Playhouse had originally been founded as an off-Broadway theatre by philanthropists Alice Lewisohn and Irene Lewisohn in 1915, but closed in 1927. The following year, it re-opened as the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre with the addition of Rita Wallach Morgenthau. Sanford Meisner joined the faculty in 1935 from the Group Theatre. Meisner used his study of Russian theatre and acting innovator, Konstantin Stanislavski's System to develop his own technique, as an alternative to Lee Strasberg's Method acting.
The Executive Director of the Playhouse, Harold G. Baldridge, a graduate of the school himself, has been head of the school for 25 years.
The school offers a two-year certificate program, with admission to the second year dependent upon unanimous approval of the faculty. Additionally, shorter workshops for professional and youth actors are also available.
Neighborhood Playhouse also offers Playhouse Juniors, a popular Saturday training program for children in grades 1-12. Children attend a fixed curriculum of singing, acting and dancing classes in a non-competitive environment.
Playwright Horton Foote met actor Robert Duvall at Neighborhood Playhouse when he starred in a 1957 production of Foote's play, The Midnight Caller. Foote recommended Duvall to play the part of Boo Radley in the 1962 film, To Kill a Mockingbird.[1]
Alumni
- Ashley Atkinson
- Robert Alvin
- Amanda Bearse
- Richard Boone
- Connie Britton
- Sandra Bullock
- James Caan
- Matthew Carnahan
- Leonard Cimino
- Dabney Coleman
- Charles E. Conrad
- James Doohan
- Illeana Douglas
- Keir Dullea
- Griffin Dunne
- Robert Duvall
- Tim Farrell
- Joe Flanigan
- Meg Foster
- Brian Geraghty
- Jeff Goldblum
- Lee Grant
- Jennifer Grey
- S.G.D.
- Michael Howard
- Anne Jackson
- Allison Janney
- Diane Keaton
- Grace Kelly
- Ken Kercheval
- Walter Koenig
- Christopher Lloyd
- Tina Louise
- David Mamet
- Daniel Mann
- Kathleen Martin
- Ruth Max
- Lynn McCracken
- Dylan McDermott
- Darren McGavin
- Steve McQueen
- Christopher Meloni
- Peter Miller
- Leslie Nielsen
- Chris Noth
- Edmund O'Brien
- Chris Paine
- Gregory Peck
- Joanna Pettet
- Suzanne Pleshette
- Sydney Pollack
- Tony Randall
- James Remar
- Bert Remsen
- Woody Romoff
- Jean Rosenthal
- Mark Rydell
- Jesper Salén
- Sherie Rene Scott
- Marian Seldes
- David Sobolov
- Mary Steenburgen
- Kenneth Tobey
- Eli Wallach
- Jessica Walter
- Al Waxman
- Elizabeth Wilson
- Kai Wong
- Joanne Woodward
- Otis Young
External links
Notes and references
- ^ Robert Duvall (actor), Gary Hertz (director) (2002-04-16). Miracles & Mercies (Documentary). West Hollywood, California: Blue Underground. Retrieved 2008-01-28.