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THE FOUNDERS
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GEORGE
MORRISON It is obvious that the most important factor in choosing a conservatory is the quality of the teaching. NAW students are taught by master teacher, George Morrison for eight hours a week in both the first and second year.
Stanley Tucci says, “George Morrison’s teachings, like any great teachings, are at once simple and profound. They not only give actors the tools necessary to become accomplished craftsmen, but also the knowledge of how to grow as artists. They have been and still are invaluable to me.”
Gene Hackman says, “I use what he taught me every day. I’ll be forever grateful to him.” (Click here to see a video of Gene Hackman)
Edie Falco says, “George's teaching has always been far ahead of its time – so deep and so intense, but also very simple – the way children play. I feel its reverberations every day in my own work.”
Mr. Morrison has worked as a director on- and off-Broadway, in regional theatre, and television. He trained at the Yale School of Drama and with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio and has maintained private acting classes in New York for over 35 years. He has taught at the Juilliard Drama Center and is Professor of Theatre Arts Emeritus at the State University of New York at Purchase where he was a founding member of the Actor Training Program and the prize-winning senior instructor of acting for eighteen years. (Click here to read an interview with Mr. Morrison).
He has taught or directed Jane Alexander, Judy Collins, Sandy Dennis, Susan Dey, Edie Falco, George Furth, Scott Glenn, Joel Grey, Barbara Harris, Cynthia Harris, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Klugman, Ron Liebman, Ving Rhames, Stanley Tucci, and Gene Hackman, among others.
Mr. Morrison chairs the faculty and teaches eight
class hours of acting technique and scene study in both the first
and second year. His approach integrates elements of the Strasberg
and Meisner approaches with the newest and most effective developments
in actor training, many of them developed by him. (Click here to watch Academy Award winning actor Gene Hackman discuss studying with George Morrison). |
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MIKE
NICHOLS was one half of the team of Nichols and May before
he turned his hand to directing. He has been awarded nine Tonys
for stage direction, two Emmys and an Oscar for film direction.
His films include The Graduate, Who's Afraid of Virginia
Woolf, Carnal Knowledge, Catch 22, Silkwood, Working
Girl, Postcards from the Edge, The Birdcage, Primary
Colors, Closer, and for HBO, Angels in America, Wit.
Most recently, Mr. Nichols directed the Tony winning production of Spamalot which is playing on Broadway. Currenlty, he is editing the forthcoming Charlie Wilson's War.
Mr. Nichols teaches a weekly master class
for second year students and graduates (first year students
audit) as his schedule permits. While we cannot predict
his availability in any given year, he has met an average
of two-thirds of his classes in the 19 years the school has been in existence.
For more on Mr. Nichols visit Helping
Actors Make Each Time the First Time.
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PAUL
SILLS is the son of Viola Spolin and has been active in improvisational
theatre all his life. He was the original director of The Second
City (1959-65) and creator of Story Theatre, both
of which played on and off Broadway and in Los Angeles. He was co-founder
of Compass as well as Game Theatre and, most recently, Sills and
Co. He is the foremost exponent of his mother's work and has taught
privately for many years.
Mr. Sills is no longer an active member of
the faculty, though he continues to offer his one-week workshops
in Wisconsin.
For more on Mr. Sills visit the Press Clippings pages. For information on Mr Sills One Week Summer Improvisational Intensives.
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Sills, Morrison, and Nichols have enjoyed
a long association dating back to the 50's at the University of
Chicago. Their experience has convinced them that there is a unique
value for the actor in the double challenge of performance improvisation
and Stanislavski-based training, and they founded The Workshop specifically
to offer this powerful experience to a new generation of actors.
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2007 | |
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