Circle in the Square Theatre School is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, tax exempt

drama school A drama school, stage school or theatre school is an undergraduate and/or graduate school or department at a college or university; or a free-standing institution (such as the Drama section at the Juilliard School); which specializes in the pr ...

associated with

Circle in the Square Theatre The Circle in the Square Theatre is a Broadway theater at 235 West 50th Street, in the basement of Paramount Plaza, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is one of two Broadway theaters that use a thrust stage that extends ...

; it is the only accredited conservatory attached to a

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

. It offers two 2-year full-time programs: a Professional Theatre Workshop, and a Professional Musical Theatre Workshop. The musical theatre program is unique in that it's identical to the acting program, except for additional musical classes. This gives the musical theatre students important, deep acting training so they can graduate as true, professional triple threats. There is also an option to earn a joint BFA in Theatre or Musical Theatre with Eckerd College in Florida. Additionally, Circle offers seven-week summer intensives for acting and musical theatre students. Circle in the Square Theatre School's primary objective is to train actors and singers for work in professional theatre, film, and television; it utilizes an eclectic curriculum to expose the students to various acting styles, methods, and techniques.

Theodore Mann Theodore Mann, birth name Goldman, (May 13, 1924 – February 24, 2012) was an American theatre producer and director and the Artistic Director of the Circle in the Square Theatre School. Mann co-founded Circle in the Square Theatre, widel ...

started the highly selective school in 1961 with 15 students in a

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

venue on Bleecker Street when Circle in the Square Theatre was an Off-Broadway venue. In 1972, it moved to its current Broadway location in the

Paramount Plaza Paramount Plaza, also 1633 Broadway and formerly the Uris Building, is a 48-story skyscraper in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Designed by Emery Roth and Sons, the building was developed by the Uris brothers and was rename ...

. Its student body is now approximately 75 students.

Jacqueline Brookes Jacqueline Victoire Brookes (July 24, 1930 – April 26, 2013) was an American film, television, and stage actress, best known for her work both off-Broadway and on Broadway. Life and career Brookes was born in Montclair, New Jersey, the daught ...

, the Broadway actor, was a member of the faculty from 1973 until her death in April 2013. Circle in the Square Theatre School offers its students the rare opportunity to train and perform in the Broadway Theatre, and see the shows at Circle for free.

Notable alumni

The school site lists the following alumni. *

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* Elise Bauman * John Bolger * Lani Brockman *

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* Woody Brown *

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* Kevin Cahoon * Rachel Chagall *

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* Ed Clements *

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* Patrick Fischler *

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* Amy Gaipa *

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* Cecil Hoffman *

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* Felicity Huffman *

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* Denis Jones * Jonathan Judge-Russo *

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* Michael E. Knight *

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* John C. McGinley *

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* Kate O'Toole *

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* Dahlia Salem * Jana Schneider *

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* Rondell Sheridan * Zenobia Shroff *

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* Marco Zunino * Arnetia Walker *

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References

External links

circlesquare.org
{{authority control Broadway theatre Drama schools in the United States Schools of the performing arts in the United States Educational institutions established in 1961 1961 establishments in New York City Organizations based in Manhattan 501(c)(3) organizations