Michael Howard Studios

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Michael Howard Studios is a work and study center for professional actors located in the Chelsea arts district of New York City at 152 West 25th Street, founded in 1953 by actor and director Michael Howard

1 Studio philosophy
2 Studio history
3 Notable alumni
4 Notes
5 External links

[edit] Studio philosophy

Despite claiming to have many famous alumni in theater, film, and television, the Studio has an under-the-radar reputation. It notably calls itself not a "school" but a "studio" because Howard has said repeatedly over the years that his is first and foremost a home for professional actors. The Studio schedules its scene study classes, workshops and even its one-year conservatory, so that class members have time for auditions and performances.

The Studio's training philosophy is based in the techniques of Constantin Stanislavski, but which also incorporates the work of Sanford Meisner, Lee Strasberg, Michael Chekhov, and other notable teachers.

Howard explains the philosophy at the Studio: "The vast majority of actors who study at this studio have a goodly amount of previous training. And the teachers who teach here come from very different backgrounds. I think we would all agree that our job is to help them define their own method. Young actors today ask me, 'Do you do Meisner?' or 'Do you do Strasberg?' It's all rather faddish. When I'm asked, 'What is Michael Howard's method?' I run. I say, 'I don't have a method of acting. I suppose I have a method of training.' I think it's a bit slick but I think it's true. We work with actors individually to develop their own method." ^[1]

[edit] Studio history

In 1931, Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford, and Lee Strasberg founded the Group Theatre in New York, beginning a watershed period in American Theater. The Group Theatre brought together Elia Kazan, Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, Frances Farmer, Clifford Odets, Irwin Shaw, and John Garfield (among many others). Their creative commune introduced America to the teachings of Konstantin Stanislavski. The Group Theatre closed its doors in 1941, and its members set out in new directions.

In 1942, Michael Howard joined the Neighborhood Playhouse as a scholarship student under Sanford Meisner. Howard then served in World War II, and upon returning, joined Equity in 1947. Lee Strasberg invited Howard to study with him, and soon he was asked to become a member of the Actors Studio. Howard began a career on stage and screen, including Odets’ "The Country Girl" on Broadway and Marlon Brando’s debut film "The Men." 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.

The Studio grew over the years—changing locations as space was needed—but it was always Howard’s intent to keep the Studio intimate, so that training remained personal. Over the next five decades, Howard’s teachings expanded to the Yale School of Drama, the Juilliard School, the American Conservatory Theatre, and Boston University.

[edit] Notable alumni

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Michael Howard Studios has been home to a number of performers whose work has been recognized with Tony Awards, Emmy Awards, and Academy Awards. Some of the notable actors who have studied under Michael Howard's banner include: