Classes:

Going on now:

Introductory Meisner Technique Intensive:
with Open Fist Artistic Director and former pupil of Sanford Meisner Martha Demson. Students will work on a series of progressively complex exercises to develop an ability to improvise, to access an emotional life, and finally to bring the spontaneity of improvisation and the richness of personal response to text.

Saturday, December 4th from 10 am-5pm (one hour lunch break) at The Open Fist Theatre Company located at 6209 Santa Monica Boulevard. $100 for the Introductory Intensive.

Scene Study Workshop:
Mondays 7-11pm with Bjørn Johnson (Award-Winning Actor, Director, Acting Teacher and Fight Choreographer)
A focused, intense, and safe environment in which actors are free to explore their craft, technique, and instrument. The class experience begins with a brief conversation with Bjørn regarding the work of some of our great teachers and recent insights and experiences within the industry and the actor's craft. The class then participates in an individual warm-up and relaxation exercise ("a relaxed instrument is an available instrument"). Following a short break, the class continues with prepared work: scenes, monologues, songs and exercises, gleaned from some of the great teachers of Acting.
Four classes for $150!
Classes held at Catchlight Studios (home of Kelsey Edwards Photography) on 633 N La Brea, 90036

Teacher Bios

Martha Demson
Martha is the current Artistic Director of the Open Fist Theatre Company and received her principal theatrical education from Yale University and Sanford Meisner. During her tenure, Ms. Demson has directed and/or produced many award-winning productions for the Fist, including (as a director) Beautiful City (Walker), PAPA (deGroot), Abingdon Square (Fornes), Casanova (Congdon), Escape From Happiness (Walker), Vieux Carre (Williams), Flight of the Earls (Humble), God's Country (Dietz), and (as a producer) How To Explain the History of Communism to Mental Patients (Visniec) (which moved to NYC and was recently remounted for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival), The Cosmonaut's Last Message to the Woman He Once Loved in the Former Soviet Union (Greig) (winner of Production of the Year by LA Weekly), The Devils (Dostoevsky, adapt. Egloff). She made her off-Broadway directorial debut in January 2001 with a production of Anna Devlin's Ourselves Alone. Ms. Demson is the recipient of 4 LA Weekly Theatre Awards and 7 Drama-Logue/Garland Awards.

Bjørn Johnson
Though a working actor himself, Bjørn Johnson has been training actors for over twenty years in New York and Los Angeles. His credits include teaching on the faculties of: Circle-In-The-Square Professional Training Workshop, The Juilliard School of Drama and Opera Programs, and NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Bjørn apprenticed to B.H. Barry for seven years, ran Michael Kahn's private acting studio for three years and has studied with Larry Moss since 1979. Bjørn continues to work as an actor and director himself, drawing from his extensive background on Broadway, Off-Broadway, leading regional theater (Neil LaBute’s The New Testament, Light Up the Sky, Educating Rita), television (the series finale of ER, Mad Men, Dexter) and film (Beerfest, The Instrument). After coaching actors in LA for ten years, Bjørn opened his own studio in 2001. With his expertise and seasoned experience Bjørn created a unique atmosphere for his students allowing them to drop their defenses, break through to higher levels and, most importantly, teach them how to overcome obstacles and succeed in all media of acting. His refreshing style and honest feedback keep his studio growing with loyal working actors. For more information, go to www.bjornjohnson.net.