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STACEY YEN
* MFA New York University * BFA Brown University
Stage & Screen Actor, Dancer & Acting Professor
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Stacey has been a Guest Artist at New York University, Princeton and Fordham. She currently is a Guest Artist teaching Acting at the celebrated program in University of Evansville.
BFA & MFA Auditions | Stage & Screen Performance
Shakespeare | Movement & Dance for Actors
BRIAN SLATEN
* MFA UCSD * BFA Univ. of Wyoming
Stage & Screen Actor, Teacher & Combat Coach
Brian is a physical, dynamic actor, teacher & coach that has worked for over a decade on both coasts. Since graduating UCSD's MFA Acting program, Brian's booked work for every platform, but his primary focus has been on theater that "moves the conversation forward" - stage credits include: The Lifespan of a Fact (St. Louis Rep), Angels in America and Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Straight White Men (Steppenwolf Theater and Kirk Douglas Theater), Bent (Taper Forum), Fool for Love (Chalk Rep), Hay Fever (The Old Globe), Paris Commune (La Jolla Playhouse), The Good Thief (Slant Theater), and Five Mile Lake (South Coast Rep; LADCC nomination). TV includes: Chicago PD Masters of Sex, Rizzoli & Isles, Criminal Minds, Fringe, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: SVU, Army Wives, and Guiding Light - films: Murder Bury Win, Happy 40th, Uggs for Gaza and Deception.
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Brian's passion for the craft of acting led him to teach at UCSD & The University of Wyoming, a professional workshop at Actors Theater of Louisville, and currently at Webster University in St Louis, where he's proud to help aspiring artists realize their dreams.
BFA & MFA Auditions | Stage & Screen Performance
Stage Combat | Career Consultation
ANDREW SMITH
* MFA UCSD​ * BA Middlebury Stage & Screen Actor & Professor
Andrew W. Smith is an Actor, Director, Teacher, and Producer whose work has been seen throughout New York City, regionally, and internationally. He is the Co-Founding Artistic Director of award-winning Project Y Theatre Company in New York City. With Project Y, he has served as Producer and/or Director for 5 Women in Theatre Festivals, 2 New Playwright Festivals, and over 20 world premiere’s including premiere productions by Megan Monaghan Rivas, Amina Henry, Tori Keenan-Zelt, Lee Blessing, Samuel Brett Adams, Justin Shipman, Lia Romeo, and Karl Gajdusek. Selected regional acting work includes Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Pittsburgh City Theatre, Quantum Theatre, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Roundhouse Theatre, Potomac Theatre Project, Ars Nova, Studio Theatre, and Olney Center for the Arts. Film/TV credits include: Lucid, Shooting Script, Death of a Nation (Winner: Best Short, IndieFest 2011; Best in Show, Best Shorts Competition 2011), Under-Ground, GONE, "Law and Order: Criminal Intent," "One Life to Live," "As the World Turns," "Guiding Light."
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A graduate of Middlebury College and UCSD, Andrew is currently an Associate Professor of Acting at Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, where he teaches first and second year Actors and Musical Theatre Students Acting, from the first introduction of acting in the first year through Shakespeare. He also teaches an Audition for the Stage and Film/TV class for the Juniors and directs in the department. Andrew’s approach mixes many methodologies, including Active Analysis, Meisner, Viewpoints, Michael Chekov, and more. He believes in the playful actor – using structure & hard work as a means to release freedom, curiosity, and improvisation.
BFA & MFA Auditions | Stage & Screen Performance | Career Consultation | Acting the Song | Shakespeare | Kids & Teens | Self Tapes
GRETCHEN HALL
* MFA NYU * BA Fordham
Stage & Screen Actor & Acting Professor
Gretchen is an accomplished actress, teacher & coach, with a wide range of work including the title role in Major Barbara at A.C.T & Theater Calgary, Nora in A Doll's House at The Old Globe, Imogen in Cymbeline and Isabella in Measure for Measure at Shakespeare Theatre Company, Trouble in Mind at Arena Stage, Kate in Taming of the Shrew at Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Elizabeth in Richard III at New Jersey Shakespeare Theater, Elizabeth in The Circle at Westport Country Playhouse, Molly in The Mousetrap at the Dorset Theater Festival, Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream at Shakespeare on the Sound, Maria in Let There Be Love and Gwendolyn in The Importance of Being Earnest at Center Stage, Pegeen in Playboy of the Western World at The Hangar Theater, Ima Perry in The Immigrant at George Street Playhouse, Stickfly on Broadway, Saturn Returns at Lincoln Center, Pericles and The Iliad with the Continuum Company. TV credits include "FBI", "The Blacklist", "The Path," "Elementary," "Person of Interest", "Gossip Girl", "Law & Order" and "Lipstick Jungle"; films include The Weekend, Almost in Love and the title role in Cammy.
Gretchen's taught several courses at Seton Hall University: Acting, Vocal Technique, Acting for the Camera, and Shakespeare; she is a certified Miller Voice Method (mVm) instructor. The Miller Voice Method encourages students to work with the Active Breath - the flow of breath without holds or tensions - in an effort to develop students into more present and engaged communicators. You can find out more about the method here: https://millervoicemethod.com Gretchen values patience, compassion, effective listening and clarity of expression in her teaching style. Gretchen grew up in Indiana and now teaches at Indiana University, with her husband and three daughters.
BFA & MFA Auditions | Stage & Screen Performance
Voice & Speech | Shakespeare
LAUREN MORRIS
* MFA Cal State Long Beach
* BA Indiana State University
Lauren is an Atlanta-based theatre director, teacher and coach. After receiving her BA in theatre from Indiana State University, she worked as an artist in Indianapolis before attending grad school at Cal State Long Beach for her MBA/MFA. In Atlanta, Lauren works with Horizon Theatre Company as the Co-Director of the Apprentice Program - Théâtre du Rêve as an associate artist, director and deviser; and Reforming Arts, a non-profit devoted to making theatre with currently & previously incarcerated citizens. Lauren returns annually to her home state of Indiana, directing at Crossroads Repertory Theatre.
Recent directing credits include The Cake (Horizon Theatre), Code Noir and Marie Antoinette’s Masqued New Year’s Revolution (Théâtre du Rêve), Curious Encounters (7Stages), Boeing, Boeing; Rabbit Hole; Steel Magnolias; Romeo & Juliet (Crossroads Rep). In 2020, she will be directing A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the Indianapolis Shakespeare Company, and creating a new play about Québécois traditional music with Théâtre du Rêve in Atlanta. She is an alumnus of the prestigious New York City Lincoln Center Theatre Director’s Lab, 2018.
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“I love helping artists become more authentically themselves through acting, how we can bring all of our talents to the table, for a positive impact in our industry and the world. Life as an artist isn't always a straight and clear path, but our work is so vital ... It CAN be done!”
Directing | Stage | BFA & MFA Auditions | DIY Production
VICTORIA MACK
* MFA NYU
* BA Barnard College
Stage & Screen Actor & Professor
Victoria's an accomplished actress, director and teacher, currently Professor of Performing Arts at the Savannah College of Arts and Design. Professional directing includes Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit at the Shakespeare Theatre of NJ, The Lacy Project and Sophie Scholl: The Last Days in New York City; educational credits include Constellations, Sense and Sensibility, Steel Magnolias, Necessary Targets, and others. As an actor, she’s worked on Broadway, extensively off-Broadway and regionally, including two world premieres by Theresa Rebeck, starring roles at Syracuse Stage, Milwaukee Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Denver Center, Pittsburgh Playhouse, and 14 productions at the Shakespeare Theatre of NJ; and a self-produced collection of ten-minute plays, which performed from New York to Santiago, Chile. Victoria's performed in two pilots as well as many television shows and films, including “Boardwalk Empire,” “The Good Wife,” “Orange is the New Black,” and most recently Julie Taymor’s film The Glorias. Upcoming: Around the World in 80 Days at Savannah Rep.
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From Savannah to New York, Victoria brings powerful intelligence, clarity of purpose and warmth of spirit to every role & every student. Winner of 2017's 'Best of Lessons.com', her coaching earned clients roles on TV series, New York plays, and entry to elite MFA programs.
BFA & MFA Auditions | Stage & Screen | On-Camera Acting
LIZ ELKINS NEWCOMER
* MFA UCSD
* BFA NYU Atlantic School
Liz Elkins Newcomer has a wide and varied background in music, art, theatre and spirituality in her current role as an Educator and Director at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, and owner of Art of the Enneagram as a Certified Enneagram Teacher. Liz has a Bachelor’s Degree from NYU and the Atlantic School, and an MFA from USCD where she performed in Pericles, Good Breeding, The Love of the Nightingale and Gum. Liz originated the role of Kat in the Off-Broadway World Premiere of Sea of Tranquility (Atlantic Theater Company). Other theatre credits include: The Deception (Theatre de la Jeune Lune/La Jolla Playhouse), LoveSick (59E59Theaters), and The Fox (George Frankel Theatre). Liz created and performed in thematic concerts An Evening in the 70s and Deep Like the Rivers, both in NYC. Liz has also appeared in the films Black Panther, Breaking News in Yuba County, Assassination Nation, Out of Blue and Bad Moms and on television in "NCIS: New Orleans", "Army Wives," "Mercy".
Liz brings a deep passion for artistic exploration, and applying the many extraordinary ways we can use our living instrument, to tell stories that truly change the world ...
BFA & MFA | Voice & Speech | Kids & Teens | Musical Theatre
MICHAEL NEWCOMER
* AEA, SAG/AFTRA * BS: Slippery Rock
An accomplished, award winning actor, director, producer, and business coach, Michael is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association for 22 years and current Central Principal Councilor serving on the AEA National Council. Michael has performed in over 35 professional productions across the country, and after long stays in both New York City and Los Angeles, Michael now resides in New Orleans, where he is a founding company member of Crescent City Stage, a New Orleans based professional theatre company. Favorite roles include:
Tom in Glass Menagerie (Virginia Stage), Christy in Playboy of the Western World (New Jersey Shakespeare and A Noise Within), Leslie in The Bungler (A Noise Within), Konstantin in The Seagull (Portland Center Stage), Macduff in Macbeth and Cassio in Othello (The Old Globe), Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest (Dallas Theatre Center), and Morris in The Heiress (South Coast Rep). TV/Film credits include: "NCIS: New Orleans", "Claws, "Person of Interest", "All My Children", "A Thousand Cuts", "A Father’s Revenge," "Pants on Fire", "In the Flesh", "Harmony", "Redemption", "Unforgivable" and the upcoming Tate Taylor film Breaking News in Yuba County.
With a non-traditional route in becoming an actor, Michael brings his experience working both in corporate and entertainment environments to provide a unique perspective on how to succeed in the current artist economy. He is a passionate advocate for #FairWageOnStage and #ParentArtists, and uses his experience as a parent to support the next generation of artists.
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Business of Acting | Stage and Screen Auditions | Kids & Teens
GINIFER KING
* BFA Western Michigan University
Broadway & TV, Musicals, Comedy
Ginifer is a charismatic, successful stage and screen actress with a love for mentoring and coaching people to be their best in the room, whether auditioning, on set, or interviewing for an agent. She made her Broadway debut right out of college in Sam Mendes’ revival of Gypsy starring Bernadette Peters, playing the title role of Gypsy Rose Lee on numerous occasions. Other Broadway credits include playing Shelby in Steel Magnolias opposite Delta Burke and Christine Ebersole, and Cyrano de Bergerac, starring Kevin Kline and Jennifer Garner (also filmed for PBS).
In 2010, Ginifer moved to Los Angeles, where she studied for 9 years in the Professional Class at Lesly Kahn & Company where she also assisted in teaching classes and coaching auditions. She starred for two seasons on the Nickelodeon series “The Haunted Hathaways” -- other TV/Film work includes: Struck By Lightning, Confessions of a Shopaholic, "Law & Order", "Law & Order: Criminal Intent", "Cold Case", "Medium", "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior" (opposite Forrest Wittaker), "CSI", "Flash Forward", "Hawaii 5-0", "Rosewood", "Baby Daddy", "The Kicks" (Amazon), "The Librarians", "Code Black" (opposite Marcia Gay Harden), "Good Trouble", "Sydney to the Max" and most recently opposite Rob Lowe on the upcoming "911: Lone Star". Ginifer is a founding member of LA’s “For The Record” series; a live, one of a kind celebration of the soundtracks of motion picture masters. Shows performed include Baz Lurhmann (LA & Vegas Cirque du Soliel collaboration), The Coen Bros, Tarantino, Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson, The Marshalls and a live performance of the holiday favorite “Love Actually”.
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Musical Theater | TV & Film | Comedy & Improv | Career Consult
BEN TOLPIN
* BFA Marymount Manhattan
On-Camera Commercial & Comedy Pro
Ben's been a successful actor & prolific on-camera commercial performer for nearly 25 years, having appeared in more than 90 national campaigns including Super Bowl spots (Anheuser-Busch, Fed Ex, Motorola, Samsung) and a stretch as the national spokesperson for TGIFridays. With his natural chops for comedy, improv and the camera, Ben's also booked numerous film & TV appearances, working with legendary directors such as Doug Liman, Michael Bay, Bobby Farrelly, Tony Kaye, Phil Morrison, and Errol Morris - credits include Weeds, The Loop, NCIS, Off Centre, Wilfred, The Island, Charmed, Twins, How I Met Your Mother, and a memorable series regular stint on sitcom, The Mullets. On stage, Ben's most proud to have played Roy Selridge in Biloxi Blues (for Neil Simon himself) at the Pasadena Playhouse; his comic short film, Broken Up, won numerous festival awards.
A member of SAG, AEA & the Television Academy, Ben's a proud alumnus of acting studios on both coasts, and he now teaches in Los Angeles, New York, Austin & New Orleans, often leading large groups with his On Camera "Commercial Game" intensive. This year, Ben has added to his skill set by diving into the LA standup comedy scene, an amazing feat of courage, growth and hilarity. Keep plugging!
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On-Camera Commercials | Comedy & Improv | Career Consult
JEREMY O'KEEFE
* BFA UNC Chapel Hill
Casting Associate & Indie Filmmaker
Jeremy is an accomplished casting director, writer, director and producer. Born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Jeremy began his career in the arts at the Wilmington Drama League. At 16, he had his first internship on Broadway shadowing director Mike Ockrent on "A Christmas Carol" at Madison Square Garden. Jeremy studied with Fiona Shaw at the British-American Drama Academy in Oxford, which he attended with Melissa Claire Egan. Jeremy has worked as a casting associate on projects including "Sean Saves the World", "Playing House", "Alone Together ", "Teachers", "Sex Life", "BH90210", "Punky Brewster", "Untitled Mindy Kaling/Netflix Project", "Outmatched", Household Name, Same Time Next Christmas, and Menendez: Blood Brothers.
Jeremy's work as director includes theatrical feature Somewhere Slow (2014 - Winner: Best Narrative Feature / Brooklyn Film Festival) starring Jessalyn Gilsig , Graham Patrick Martin and Academy Award Nominees Lindsay Crouse & Robert Forster, Wrestling (2008) and the shorts Closure (2008 – Official Selection Frameline, Festival Mix Milano, Hollywood Attack of the 50 Foot Reels) and Finale (2013 - San Jose International Short Film Festival ). Additionally, he directed a music video for Marriage Equality with Brendan James' "Nothin' But Love". Jeremy directed successful readings of Hit the Wall for Sixth Avenue Productions, the NYC Fringe hit The Boys Upstairs and produced the GLAAD-nominated West Coast premiere of Haram Iran, both at Celebration Theatre.
On-Camera Auditions | Kids & Teens | Career Consult
NEIL SHAH
* MFA The Old Globe/USD * BFA MMC Award winning actor & narrator
Over the last decade, Neil has drawn from his experience as a classically-trained actor to bring to life 200+ fiction and non-fiction audiobooks, as well as long-form journalism, from just about every genre that exists. Known for his facility and versatility with dialects from all over the world and for his larger than life characterizations, he has received multiple AudioFile Earphone Awards and has been nominated for an Audie Award (I Am An Executioner: Love Stories by Rajesh Parameswaran). Other favorites include The Test by Silvain Neuvel, The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard Morais, A Burning by Megha Majumdar, and Salman Rushdie's Haroun and the Sea of Stories.
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As an actor, he has appeared on Off-Broadway and Regional stages including The Old Globe: Much Ado About Nothing (with Billy Campbell & Dana Delany), Julius Caesar (Dir. Daniel Sullivan), Antony & Cleopatra (Dir. Darko Tresnjak) and the West Coast Premiere of Arthur Miller's Resurrection Blues (Dir. Mark Lamos); The Oregon Shakespeare Festival: A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Clay Cart (Dir. Bill Rauch); Jean Cocteau Repertory: A Merchant of Venice, Medea, and The Balcony; David Hare's A Map of the World at The Burning Coal Theatre. TV & Film: Law & Order, Once Upon A Time in Vienna, and Death Comes to Berkley Nixon.
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As a coach, he has assisted authors with producing and narrating their own works, but his most rewarding experience was as a guest artist at Washington & Lee University where he played the title role in Othello and guided and conducted master classes for his co-star students. At this stage in his career, nothing is more gratifying than fostering the growth of aspiring talent and he is honored to work alongside the amazing group of coaches at Acting (Actually)!
Audiobook Narration | MFA & BFA | Stage, TV & Film |
Shakespeare | Voiceover & Dialect Coaching | Career Consult
BIANCA AMATO
* University of Cape Town
Emery Battis Award, Elliot Norton Award,
Helen Hayes & Irene nominee, Audie & Earphones multi-award winner
Bianca's distinguished international career began in her home country of South Africa. She moved to New York in 2001, appearing in celebrated Broadway productions including the Tony award-winning Tom Stoppard's Coast of Utopia trilogy, Arcadia and Macbeth, The Importance of Being Earnest at BAM, Top Girls, Pride & Prejudice, As You Like It and Pygmalion at the Guthrie, King Lear at TFANA and the "stunning" Neva at the Public Theater, among others. TV & film include Sex & the City, The Good Wife, Blue Bloods, The Big C, Elementary, Alpha House, HBO’s Warrior, The Kissing Booth 2, Our Girl, and Unforgettable, and Bianca's prolific voiceover career includes narrating nearly 100 audiobooks, twice winning the Audie Award and several Earphones Awards. Recently, Bianca co-founded a company focused on VO artists and narrators in South Africa, Narrate Africa.
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Bianca's natural warmth & passion for the craft of acting has made her a resource for aspiring artists for over 20 years - from stage & screen auditions to Shakespeare, dialects, and VO. She splits her time between New York and Johannesburg, South Africa, with her beautiful family.
BFA & MFA | Shakespeare | Stage & Screen | VO & Audiobooks
