The Workshop Company

The Workshop Company at The Actors Center is just that. It is a self-selecting group of peers, who work together to become better actors individually. There are no other purposes beyond continued, individual growth. Younger actors have much to gain in working with older, more established, experienced, and tested actors. Established actors are afforded an opportunity to continue to explore and re-explore their creative possibilities. This is the inner dynamic that sustains this unique company and is the core of its mission, namely the continued support of the artistic goals by some of our nation’s most talented actors / artists.

How? We meet regularly. Forty weeks per year, the Company meets on Monday mornings from 10 to 1. In the fall, this weekly workshop is led by Ron Van Lieu and focuses on each individual actor’s issues through scenes the actors choose to present. In the spring, the Monday workshops tend to be more varied. For example, Olympia Dukakis (much like Ron), Joanna Merlin (Michael Chekhov), Fay Simpson (chakra, physical-release points).

We also meet three times per year in two-week intensive workshops with world class Master Teachers. These workshops have revolved around Shakespeare (Rob Clare, assoc. Royal Shakespeare Company, and Dakin Matthews, assoc. Old Globe); Anton Chekhov (Viatcheslav Dolgachev, formerly a leading director of the Moscow Art Theatre and now Artistic Director of the New Drama Theatre of Moscow). We are currently exploring a workshop to be lead by Tina Landau and Jeff Perry (co-founder of Steppenwolf) on the working relationship between the tenets of Viewpoints and any given text.

The Workshop Company relies on no particular aesthetic or approach to acting. It does argue for the actor as artist, for the actor’s individual commitment to artistic process, and the actor’s continued pursuit of deeply human performance. Membership in the Workshop does not require an audition. It rests more upon your current level of achievement and the recognition of your continuing promise by your peers. (An outline of the admission to membership process follows.)

As a member, you will be assessed minimal dues to cover necessary Company expenses. Annual dues are $200. While Monday workshops are free, the two-week intensives cost $100 each for those who choose to enroll. The dues go to rental of studio space, fees for Master Teachers, and a stipend for the Company coordinator, who not only maintains communication, but issues regular bulletins such as “Members Working.” That little exercise keeps all members connected to the challenges each member is undertaking throughout the year, and connected to what we share with each other. All other costs of administration are being born by The Actors Center, The Workshop Company being the core component of its mission.

For Information on how to become a member, please click here.