Playhouse West - About Us

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.



	"I didn't know anything about acting until I attended Playhouse West. I had so much fun there, and learned the variables to solve any equation that might be given to me in a script." ~ Ashley Judd Playhouse West is a training ground for actors, writers and directors founded by Robert Carnegie and Jeff Goldblum in 1981. Highly regarded and recommended by industry professionals as the premiere acting school in the country, many of our members go on to work at highest level within the entertainment business (see Students & Alumni at Work), and we are very proud of the fact that Playhouse West is always among the top programs in having the highest rate of working actors in film and television today. In addition to our on-going acting classes, we also offer classes in screenwriting, improv comedy, film production, voice and speech for actors, and conduct commercial workshops in partnership with top commercial casting directors. Our advanced students also get to perform in "Scene Nights", giving them an opportunity to present their work to agents, managers and other people in the industry. As an adjunct to the acting training 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 19th 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 eventually grew 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, featuring projects our current or former members played a role in generating, 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 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 2008, we were proud to be the LA premiere of Rocco DeVillier's terrific feature, The Flyboys, which went on to win Best Picture at over 60 film festivals. In 2009, we were the L.A. premiere for Mercy, written by and starring Scott Caan, and Touching Home, by Logan and Noah Miller, starring Ed Harris, both award-winning films which opened in theaters in the spring of 2010. In total, over 100 films which have premiered or screened at our Film Festival have gone on to win over 250 awards at other festivals around the world. In addition to screening films, over the years we've been proud to present many special guest speakers at our Festival; professionals of great accomplishment in the film industry, including 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. Many other esteemed guests from throughout the industry have also spoken to our students at the school, including actors Rod Steiger, Julie Harris, Eli Wallach, Martin Landau, Ernest Borgnine and Mel Gibson. Periodically, we invite top agents, managers and casting directors to come as guest speakers or to conduct workshops and seminars on the business. Playhouse West* - Experience, Knowledge and Success you can count on! A leader in the industry for almost 30 years! We also believe in not exploiting actors and have insisted on keeping the cost of our classes among the most reasonable and affordable in Los Angeles.