Sanford Meisner,
Frances Farmer,
Clifford Odets
Clifford Odets (July 18, 1906 – August 14, 1963) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. In the mid-1930s, he was widely seen as the potential successor to Nobel Prize-winning playwright Eugene O'Neill, as O'Neill began to withdra ...
,
Irwin Shaw
Irwin Shaw (February 27, 1913 – May 16, 1984) was an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short-story author whose written works have sold more than 14 million copies. He is best known for two of his novels: '' The Young Lions'' ...
, and
John Garfield
John Garfield (born Jacob Julius Garfinkle, March 4, 1913 – May 21, 1952) was an American actor who played brooding, rebellious, working-class characters. He grew up in poverty in New York City. In the early 1930s, he became a member of ...
(among many others). Their creative commune introduced America to the revolutionary teachings of Stanislavski, and it set in motion new schools of thought that would dominate acting for the rest of the century. The Group Theatre closed its doors in 1941, and its visionary members set out in new directions.
In 1942, Howard joined the Neighborhood Playhouse as a scholarship student under Sanford Meisner. Howard vigorously pursued his studies and absorbed everything Meisner had to impart. Howard then served in World War II as a parachutist, and upon returning, joined Equity in 1947. Strasberg invited Howard to study with him, and soon he was asked to become a member of the Actors Studio. Howard began a long career of hundreds of roles on stage and screen, including Odets' ''
The Country Girl'' on Broadway and the film ''
The Men'' with Marlon Brando. Acting led to directing and, in 1952, to teaching, when
Sidney Lumet asked Howard to replace him at the
High School of Performing Arts. The next year, in 1953, a group of actors asked Howard to lead their sessions, and Michael Howard Studios was born.
Over the next five decades, Howard's teachings expanded to the Yale School of Drama, the
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
, the American Conservatory Theatre, and Boston University while continuing his master classes at the Michael Howard Studios.
The studio is now in its 55th year in continuous operation making it the longest running private acting studio in New York. In honor of the 55th anniversary of the studio, the studio received an official proclamation from Mayor
Michael Bloomberg, declaring May 4, 2009, Michael Howard Studios Day "in honor of the studio's contribution to New York's rich theatrical history".
References
''An Actor's Guide''by Glenn Alterman, Allworth Press, 2002
*WOR News Talk Radio – Community Concerns 11.17.08
*Taped Lecture @ Michael Howard Studios 07.08
*The New Generation of Acting Teachers, Eva Mekler, January 2008
*Acting Teachers of America, Ron Rand, January 15, 2007
External links
*
*
Finding aid to the Michael Howard papers at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
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Drama schools in the United States
1953 establishments in New York City
Educational institutions established in 1953
Arts organizations established in 1953
Performing arts education in New York City