Playhouse Northwest Acting School
Located in West Seattle - (206) 919-7407
On March 16, Masters Joe and Lisa Skvarla and several young students from Lee’s Martial Arts demonstrated Taekwondo and self-defense techniques at Brookdale Assisted Living Home. Lee’s Martial Arts takes great pride in giving back to the local community!
On March 18, Lisa attended the Vancouver Web Fest in Vancouver, B.C. Playhouse NW’s web series Divine Shadow Series got nominated for Best Action Adventure.
On March 5, Lisa traveled to Playhouse Pasadena to see the play “God looked Away” with Al Pacino and Judith Light. Afterwards she met and talked to a few of the actors, including one of her favorite actresses, Judith Light.
Lee’s Martial Arts in West Seattle is one of 20 schools who received the 2017 Best Martial Arts Teachers Award last week. There were 151 schools that were reviewed on the following criteria: Reputation, Credibility, Experience, Availability, and Professionalism. For more than 30 years, LMA has been a part of the martial arts community, and over the past three years, it has expanded to include Playhouse NW. “It is a privilege and honor to receive such recognition,” said Lisa Skvarla, who owns and runs the school with her husband Joe. (Click the image to read more.)
On Sunday, December 11 the Summer Kids Camp students had their movie premier of Fearless at Playhouse NW Acting School. It was screened by a full house of friends, families, cast, and crew members. The stars of the movie walked the red carpet in stylish attire. The night included appetizers, drinks, the movie, and a Q&A session with the cast and crew. The movie was so popular that within minutes CDs were sold out. Additional CDs are being ordered just in time for Christmas.
Fearless was shot in August during the hottest days of the year. Lisa Skvarla, producer/director of the film, said:
It was particularly challenging because we had 16 kids, special effects, stunts, messy props, multiple locations, a car scene, and a large spider as a cast member. The week of movie camp included auditions, casting, table reads and rehearsals. The actual filming took place in a day and a half. So we were moving rather quickly and the kids got a good dose of how non-glamorous filmmaking can be. Kudos to all the kids for being such troopers and professionals.”
Camera work and postproduction editing was done by Kathryn Skvarla. She is a recent film and TV graduate from Central Washington University. “It was really cool to work with my daughter on a production,” Lisa said. “She does such a great job and she is very much part of the reason this camp is so successful. She is highly creative and meticulous in her work. I am very blessed to have her on my team.”
What’s next for Playhouse NW? There are plans to submit our movies into kids’ film festivals, and Lisa is highly confident they would do really well. The kids’ acting is stellar in both this year’s and last year’s films. The Fearless storyline is entertaining and the postproduction is on a professional level. We are very excited about what we offer and how well received our films have been. Thank you to all the parents for sharing their talented kids with us. It’s been fun!
We’re excited to announce that Meisner classes are returning to Playhouse Northwest Acting School! You can learn more about the Meisner Technique here.
We now offer evening and morning classes. The structured Meisner classes are the backbone of what we do. These classes are designed to be taken in sequence, each level lasting nine weeks. At each level on-camera, improvisational, and business skills will be interwoven into the curriculum.
If you’re serious about transforming your acting, this is the place to start. For professional actors in film and television, it’s no secret that Meisner work is their super power in both their life and career. The benefits include a greater sense of truth, emotional depth and flexibility in your work.
There are four levels of classes, each nine weeks long. Students can take classes once or twice a week. Outside practice is required.
Each level costs $300. A $100 non refundable deposit is required to reserve your spot. We have a winter special of all four levels for $900 — a savings of $300. This special will end Dec. 31, 2016.
Become a member of Playhouse NW for $100. Membership has its privileges. Check out all the terrific Benefits of membership!
Call Playhouse NW at 206-938-3375 to register.
Please Note: We offer scholarships, sliding scale, and creative financing upon request. For more information, please call the PHNW office at 206-938-3375.
Level 1: Foundation – Living Truthfully
“Acting is the ability to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances,” Sanford Meisner said. In our first nine weeks together, we’ll work on the first half of that statement: living truthfully.
Working through this innovative, step-by-step series of improvisational exercises will train you to be thoroughly responsive, emotionally alive, spontaneous and absolutely grounded in the reality of what is happening at any given moment with any given person. These foundational exercises will get you out of your head and into being absolutely present to the world around you and the people with whom you share it.
Upcoming sessions 2017
Monday evenings: January 9 – March 6, 7:30- 10:00 p.m. (Instructor: Lisa Skvarla)
Thursday afternoons: January 12 –March 9, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (Instructor Lisa Skvarla)
FAST TRACK (Both Days): January 9 – February 6 (9 Classes)
Level 2: Under Imaginary Circumstances
In Level 2, we’ll begin to explore “imaginary circumstances.” New elements will be added to the exercises that will work to broaden your imagination, exercise your faith in given circumstances and ground your acting in your own unique point of view.
As you continue this work through the advanced exercises, we’ll begin to show you ways to bring the improvisational nature of Meisner work to actual scripts by turning the script into an improvisation with words.
Upcoming Sessions 2017
Monday evenings: January 9 – March 6, 7:30 – 10:00 p.m. (Instructor: Lisa Skvarla)
Thursday afternoons: January 12 – March 9, 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
FAST TRACK (Both Days): February 9 – March 9 (9 Classes)
Level 3: Emotional Preparation
Acting is an emotional art form, yet as Meisner told us, “acting is not emoting.” So how do we deepen our emotional life without becoming indulgent, self-conscious actors? How do we meet the emotional demands of the script without faking anything?
Level 3 has the answers. You’ll be guided through a nine-week series of exercises designed to deepen and set free your emotional life. The “emotional preparation” and “particularization”
exercises will give you the tools you need to truthfully meet the deepest emotional demands of any script.
At the end of these nine weeks, you’ll put your new skills to the test and perform a scene for an invited audience.
Upcoming Sessions 2017
Wednesday Afternoon : March 29– May 24, 11:00- 1:30pm. (Instructor: Lisa Skvarla)
Wednesday Evening : March 29– May 24, 7:30-10:00 pm
*Additional classes may be added depending on the amount of students.
Level 4: Doing the Work
Here we’ll give you the interpretive tools you’ll need to put all your Meisner training into practice in the real world.
You’ll learn how to read a script with the precision and dexterity of a surgeon, work with impediments, discover how to make active choices that work for you, and unlock your ability to personalize the circumstances of the scripts you work on.
You’ll emerge from Level 4 with a concrete, no-nonsense process that will give you a solid foundation for the rest of your acting career.
Upcoming Sessions 2017
Wednesday Morning: June 7 – August 2nd, 11:00-1:30pm (Instructor: Lisa Skvarla)
Wednesday Evening : June 7 – August 2, 7:30-10pm
*Additional classes may be added depending on the number of students.
Advanced Meisner Scene Study
Scenes will be performed at Starlight Amphitheater in Cle Elum Wa.
Current and former students. Deepen your work, expand your craft and connect.
In this repeatable, advanced scene study class, you’ll be given the opportunity to work on two scenes using all of the tools you learned in Levels 1-4. Practice personalization, script analysis, emotional preparation, particularization and impediments, all while honing your ability to work off your scene partners.
This class will culminate in a performance for invited guests where you will perform one or both of your scenes.
Upcoming sessions TBA, online registration not yet available.