Stella Adler Studios in NYC and LA Support LA Intimate Theater

The Stella Adler Studio of Acting New York City, and the Art of Acting Studio Los Angeles voice their support for Los Angeles's Intimate Theater.

The studio has a long tradition of educating some of the strongest actors in the world. Many theater companies had their roots at the studio, including the Studio's very own Harold Clurman Laboratory Theater Company. Like most small 99-seat theaters in Los Angeles and New York City, the studio does not create theater to make a profit, nor does the studio ever make money from ticket sales. It serves as a creative incubator of artistic expression for alumni, students, and faculty, many of whom are Equity Actors. The mission of the Harold Clurman Laboratory Theater Company it to provide the community, through theater and discussion, a place of exploration and experimentation of what it means be a human being.

It is with this mission in mind, that the studio firmly stands with the 6500 Equity Actors in Los Angeles County and urge a vote against the proposed Amendment to the 99-Seat Agreement. While the studio believes that changes are needed, and a comprehensive contract should be created, the current amendment is not the answer. So many theater companies, many of which the studio has supported with space grants, would not be able to use the wonderful Equity Talent in Los Angeles because they simply could no longer afford them.

Intimate theater provides a place for emerging artists to practice their craft and reach their full potential. Said Artistic Director Tom Oppenheim, "The elimination of intimate theater in Los Angeles would mean the elimination of a fertile training ground and exploratory lab for actors and theater makers, leaving no middle ground for the massive community of actors who are 'journeymen' - those who are out of school but not experienced enough to be established professionally. The studio has a vested interest in this particular part of the acting community, as we have seen graduates spend a decade earning their stripes in intimate theater before booking their first substantial professional jobs."

As an organization, the studio hopes that Actors Equity Association will listen to its members in Los Angeles, vote against adoption of the new amendment, and create an open dialogue with the outstandingly diverse and powerful LA Theater community to create a plan that works for everyone.

The Stella Adler Studio of Acting is located at 31 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001. The Art of Acting Studio is located at 1017 North Orange Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90038.

Founded in 1949, the Stella Adler Studio occupies a unique place in the history of both theater and actor training in the United States. Rooted in the spirit of Stella Adler, and the insight that growth as an actor and growth as a human being are synonymous, students are challenged on every level by world-class faculty and by a mission to nurture theater artists so that they value humanity, their own and others, as their first priority, while bringing art and education to the community.

Please note, in Los Angeles, the studio's name is the Art of Acting Studio, named after Stella Adler's most famous book; for more information, visit www.artofactingstudio.com.