In Memorium: Earle R. Gister March 30, 1934 – January 23, 2012

January 31, 2012
By J. Michael Miller

We have lost a champion. Small in stature, Earle was a brilliant man and a fierce advocate for actors and for the theatre. I met him in August, 1960, when attending graduate school at Tulane. Soon after grad school, Earle was appointed Head of the Carnegie Mellon theatre training program. By his mid 30′s,...
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Letter from the Editor

January 31, 2012
By Philip Carlson

Well, as George said to Martha, “When you get down to the bone, you haven’t gone all the way, yet. There’s something inside the bone… the marrow… and that’s what you gotta get at.” In this issue, we attempt to get at the marrow, the core of what we, individually and collectively are all...
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Founder’s Page: January 2012 Issue

January 31, 2012
By J. Michael Miller

2012 takes on a special significance for most Americans. Whether or not this is a make or break year depends a lot on one’s perspective on current problems and solutions that will lead to one’s own “promised land.” I write this on Martin Luther King day. I not only wish to honor him for...
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Phil Talks to Frank J. Sciame

January 31, 2012
By Philip Carlson
Phil Talks to Frank J. Sciame

The Actors Center Board doesn’t really have a chairperson, but it would be fair to describe Frank Sciame as the Board’s cornerstone. Frank is a handsome man hovering somewhere around 60 years of age. He has stone gray Jeff Chandler hair and a manner that is equal parts John Garfield and Cary Grant. He...
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Ongoing Concerns: A 21st Century Version of an Ancient Greek Practice: A Vision of an American National Theatre

January 31, 2012
By J. Michael Miller

In 454 BC, Greek Actors revolted against the producers of the annual theatre festivals that dotted the nation state and were central to its culture. The actors wanted to be paid in relation to their contribution to this national homage to their gods, and the people’s understanding of the nature of human frailty as...
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Something Happened*

January 31, 2012
By Philip Carlson

*with apologies to the towering Joseph Heller I get the willies when I think about it. Something did happen. Managers happened. Managers have become ubiquitous and almost taken for granted as a necessity to any career, even a young career. Stars always had managers. Now beginners have them, too. Why? Just to get noticed....
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New Contributors

January 31, 2012
By J. Michael Miller

This will introduce two new Contributing Editors to The Actors Center Journal. Both are well established, mature actors in their early middle age, who also teach. David Horak lives in Canada, has a long resume of performances in a range of Canadian theatres, and began teaching acting a few years ago. Peter Jay Fernandez...
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A Challenge to Generation WHY

January 31, 2012
By Bryce Pinkham
A Challenge to Generation WHY

Why don’t more actors create their own work? Is it because they are afraid of having no one to blame but themselves if it sucks? And what would be the tragedy in that? It’s no secret to anyone reading this journal that life as an actor is not easy. It takes enough effort to...
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Acting (in) Company

January 30, 2012
By Zack Fine

The view is uncommonly clear from thirty thousand feet as the thin January air adds a gentle haze to New York’s vastness. As the city recedes into the distance, I turn towards the computer screen enlivened, intent on creating a space of rumination for what is to come; what has just begun. Surrounding me...
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