THE ACTOR'S STUDIO CELEBRATES 75TH ANNIVERSARY

By Sean Buttimer

n March 12, 2020, Beau Gravitte was on his way to the Actor’s Studio when he received a call from the actress he was supposed to be meeting with. When asked whether or not they would still be meeting, Beau came to a realization. While he initially wanted to say yes, he ultimately decided that he did not want to endanger the health of this mother-of-a-one-year-old. After hanging up, Beau immediately called actress Ellen Burstyn, and the two of them agreed…it was time to close down the Actor’s Studio. For the moment.

Through the majesty of Zoom, a technology we’ve all become masters of recently, the Actor’s Studio powered through the darkest days of the pandemic. When the coast was relatively clear, in-person sessions slowly recommenced, and now the studio has all but returned to where it was prior to the pandemic’s initial outbreak. And this year, the Actor’s Studio celebrates its 75th anniversary.

Founded in 1947 by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, and Robert Lewis, the Actor’s Studio (also known as the ‘home of method acting’) is a completely private, non-commercial organization that provides an environment for professional actors to exercise their craft without commercial judgment. Inspired by Russian actor and director Konstantin Stanislavski, members are able to develop privately…to see what works and/ or learn from failures. Beau Gravitte, the current artistic director, illuminates, “on Broadway, you don’t have time to ‘live inside moments’...you have a very limited time to get things right, and then it’s on to performance time.”

Membership in the Actor’s Studio is not only lifelong, but it’s free and bi-coastal. A series of auditions is necessary first, but upon completion, members are invited in and are free to use either the West Hollywood location or the studio’s birthplace…here in New York on W 44th St. The studio is not an acting school, though; members are already well aware of the craft of acting. Currently, the studio is maintained by copresidents Ellen Burstyn, Alec Baldwin, and Al Pacino, with Beau Gravitte as Artistic Director, and co-Artistic Directors Estelle Parsons, Michael Aronov, and Javier Molina. In Los Angeles, Salome Jens handles duties as the Artistic Director and Katherine Cortez as the coArtistic Director. Over the years, membership has seen the likes of Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, Sidney Poitier,

Paul Newman, and Bradley Cooper, just to name a few. The list of past and current members is as long as it is impressive.

For Beau, being Artistic Director of the NYC Actor’s Studio has been “the most fulfilling thing he’s done in his life.” He certainly has big shoes to fill…the founding Artistic Director was none other than Lee Strasberg himself! While Beau did not actually become a member of the Actor’s Studio until the year after Strasberg died (1982), Beau’s mentor, current co-president Ellen Burstyn, was similarly mentored by Strasberg. To fully complete the circle, Beau’s first production on Broadway, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, was originally workshopped in the Actor’s Studio! At the time, the Baylor graduate was working a short 3-month stint at the Russian Tea Room, having just arrived from Dallas, and the opportunity allowed for him to receive his Actors’ Equity card. In 2005, he was approached about joining the studio’s Board of Directors while working The Light In the Piazza at Lincoln Center, and then in 2016 was asked to be Artistic Director. Beau is married to Tony-winning Broadway actress Debbie Shapiro Gravitte, and they have 3 children.

Strasberg’s effect on acting can’t be measured. He has been quoted as saying that Marlon Brando and Marilyn Monroe, both Actor’s Studio alum, are the two greatest acting talents he worked with. Charles Grodin convinced Gene Wilder to join the Actor’s Studio after telling him about Strasberg’s ‘method acting.’ Years later on the Dick Cavett Show, Wilder would proclaim, “I’m not a good actor, I’m a good reactor!” Likewise, past member Eli Wallach once said, “The big secret in acting is listening to people.”

The 75th anniversary of the Actor’s Studio means a lot to Beau Gravitte. He says, “It’s a way to honor the past, while also paving the way for the future.” Recently, the studio hosted two special events, both free and open to the public. First was The Playwright: Tales From the Color Line, a one-night-only event that celebrated Black membership of the Actor’s Studio and its award-winning contribution to American theater. Second was The Actor’s Studio: In Progress, a two-night event that offered a glimpse behind the doors, showcasing ‘open rehearsals’ of curated scenes from big productions or variations on a scene, etc.

The weekend of April 21-22 will be dedicated to works brought in by and directed by co-Artistic Director Estelle Parsons. More information on the Actor’s Studio and upcoming events can be found at TheActorsStudio. org, and on Facebook and Instagram theofficialactorsstudio. Here’s to another 75 years.