About Circus Theatricals and the New American Studio for Actors
Circus Theatricals concentrates on the artistic and professional growth of the actor through membership to our Circus Theatricals Studio Ensemble and our Professional Acting Studios. All studios are led by industry professionals, who have spent their careers working, studying and teaching acting. All members of the studios also serve as our main source of talent for Circus Theatricals productions.

Our Members
Our members are working actors in theatre, film, and television.  Our members participate in a weekly studio AND collaborate on the production of new and classic plays. For one fee, actors belong to an award-winning theatre company, AND participate in a weekly professional acting studio. Our studios are taught by highly trained, highly successful professional actors and directors.

Circus Theatricals is a place for a serious actor who wants to focus time and energy on the craft of acting, and perform with other high level actors and directors.

Celebrating sixteen years of residence in Los Angeles, Circus Theatricals has enjoyed critical acclaim, awards and nominations from the Los Angeles Times, LA Drama Critics Circle, Back Stage West, LA Weekly, LA Stage Alliance Ovations, and Dramalogue.

Under the direction of Artistic Director and Juilliard graduate Jack Stehlin, the Studio is inspired by the teachings of Stanislavsky and continues to explore new possibilities in the artistry of acting. More about Membership

Studio Schedule

The Jack Stehlin Master Class

Scene Study

Technique and Scene Study

On Camera Film/TV Studio

*** SPECIAL WORKSHOP ****
Athlete of the Heart-A Physical Approach to Acting

"You're Already Fabulously Interesting. The question is: How to allow yourself to express it? "

About the Studio: Jack Stehlin's Master Class concentrates on the secret of the craft of acting - which is how to free your inate creativity and allow the beauty of who you are already to help make it possible to tell the story of your character. Jack teaches that the freedom of acting comes from discipline, playfullness, and the practice of how to develop a relationship with the character in a story that's worth telling.

Jack Stehlin's Master Class is the highest level studio offered by Circus Theatricals. Actors who participate in the Jack Stehlin Master Class are professional actors who work in theatre, film and television. Most are longtime members of the Circus Theatricals Studio Ensemble, the membership company of Circus Theatricals. The Studio is designed to further all aspects of the theatre art, and members seek to create an atmosphere of collaboration towards the development of a common working language.

Steeped in the tradition of Stanislavsky and Jack Stehlin's New American Actor technique, his Master Class focuses on acting technique, voice, speech, movement and text throught scene study, monologue work, and the reading of classic and new plays. The Studio focuses on the craft of storytelling for the actor, director and playwright.

About Jack Stehlin
Circus Theatricals Artistic Director Jack Stehlin is an actor, director and producer. You may know Jack best from his longtime role as DEA Captain Roy Till on Showtime's Weeds. But he has also guest-starred on countless hit TV series such as Without a Trace, Monk, NCIS., ER, and NYPD Blue, and he has also had memorable recurring roles in fan favorites:  Buffy the Vampire Slayer, JAG and The Practice.

He is a graduate of the Juilliard School in New York. After graduating, he toured as a member of John Housemann's The Acting Company. He has spent his career both on and off the stages of the most prestigious theatres of the world, including Broadway, the New York Shakespeare Festival, Primary Stages, the Classic Stage Company, O’Neill Playwright’s Conference, American Repertory Theatre, the Festival D’Automne in Paris; and the Venice Bienale.

Film Credits
Jack's film credits range from the Weinstein Company’s wildly popular cult sensation, Boston Strangler: The Untold Story to the thriller tale Blackout Effect alongside Eric Stoltz. He collaborated with film legend Al Pacino in an unraveling interpretation of Oscar Wilde's once banned and most controversial work in the upcoming release, Wilde Salome. Written and Directed by Pacino, Wilde Salome is a scintillating tale of lust, greed and one woman's scorn. Fall 2010, Jack completed filming the role of Marshall Jones in The Chicago 8, directed by Pinchas Perry. The Chicago 8 is based on actual court transcripts of 8 anti-war protesters on trial for conspiring to cause riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Background & Stage
A descendent of circus trapeze artists, jugglers, and acrobats on one side of his family, and coal miners and minor league ball players on the other side, Stehlin began his career at New York’s prestigious Juilliard School, landing a role in Henry VI, Part I with fellow alums Kevin Spacey, Val Kilmer and Mandy Patinkin. After graduation, he joined the New York Shakespeare Festival, acting in dozens of plays including, Richard II, Henry V, Casanova, Julius Caesar, Timon of Athens, Don Juan and Romeo and Juliet, among others.

Inheriting the circus performer work ethic, Stehlin founded his theatre company Circus Theatricals in 1983. The company’s first performance was Chekov’s Uncle Vanya in which Jack starred opposite Kevin Spacey and Tom Hewitt. Now based out of Los Angeles, Circus Theatricals continues to thrive today, producing classic and new plays to critical acclaim. Jack runs the company with his wife and partner Jeannine, an actress/producer he met in 1995. Together, they have produced more than 50 plays in NYC and Los Angeles, including Harm 'sWay, The Misanthrope, Macbeth, Hamlet, Richard III, Tartuffe, True West, The Cheats of Scapin, The Circle, and The Job. visit Jack Stehlin's web site.

On Camera TV/Film Studio with Robert Cicchini

About the On Camera Studio:
With over 100 TV and Film credits, Robert Cicchini’s on-camera TV/Film Studio provides the actor with training and acting experience to get started or refine his/her technique.

Explore the technical aspects of acting for the camera, translate stage skills to camera skills. Working in front of the camera with TV/Film scripts, learn how the camera sees you, how to become believable on camera, how to approach the material, and the basics of auditioning and working on the set. You will have tools necessary to get hired or hired again. Everyone works every studio!

About Robert Cicchini
Robert Cicchini is a founding member of Circus Theatricals, and an Associate Artistsince 1987. Numerous Circus Theatricals productions include performances in Three Sisters, Hedda Gabler, Tartuffe, Modigliani, the Circle, Twelfth Night, The Job (Garland Award for Acting). As Director: The Lower Depths, The Maids, Antigone (Anouilh’s).

Robert has over 100 credits in film, Television and the theatre. Recent films include: “War of the Worlds,” “Mrs. Harris,” and “Dream Girls,” "Fame." He has worked with many great film directors, including: Steven Spielberg, Francis Coppola, John Frankenheimer, Nike Nichols, and Spike Lee. His television credits include: "The Closer," "24," "Las Vegas," “CSI,” “Six Feet Under,” “Cold Case,” “24,” “Everybody Hates Chris,” “Desperate Housewives,” “State of Mind.”

He is an alumnus of the graduate acting program at N.Y.U. Visit Robert Cicchini on IMDB.com

About the Studio This studio is designed to give the student the tools to become a self-sufficient, professional actor. The actor will be introduced to a set of tools and techniques, based on the teachings of Constantin Stanislavski, and will learn to apply these techniques in a step-by-step text-based process to find the story in any material, be it theatre, television or film, and to use the story as a guide to creating an organic, grounded and compelling performance.

The actor will learn how to approach material, from the first read through the rehearsal process and into performance.

Specific topics covered:

• Understanding the story – the event of the scene, Superobjective
• Pursuing ACTIONS
• Imagination – the “Magic If”
• Given Circumstances
• Specificity
• Inner monologue
• Conscious vs. Subconscious
• Endowment & Emotional Memory - tools and traps
• Character work – finding yourself in the story
• The actor’s art – a gift to the audience

Actors will work primarily on two person scenes from a selection of classic and contemporary plays. The goal will be to entertain 4-6 scenes per class, with students working at least every other week. Additionally, each six month term will culminate in an optional public presentation for friends, family, and industry guests.

Expectations: Each student in the class is expected to read “The Stanislavski System: the Professional Training of an Actor” by Sonia Moore.

At the first studio, each student will be asked to perform a monologue to introduce him/herself to the studio. This will NOT be critiqued. In addition, Elise will provide a list of plays that will serve as the basis for our scene study. It is highly recommended that everyone be familiar with as many of these as possible. At the first studio, Elise will pair actors with material and a scene partner to begin the rehearsal process. As the workshop continues, she will work with each individual to select material appropriate to their casting and skill level.

Additional optional reading list:

• "An Actor Prepares" by Constantin Stanislavski
• “Respect for Acting” by Uta Hagen
• “Acting: the First Six Lessons” by Boleslavsky

About Elise Robertson
Elise Robertson is an Emmy and Cine-Golden Eagle award winning director and actor. She is a graduate of Northwestern University’s theatre program and has studied Stanislavski-based acting for over twenty years. Favorite stage credits include: THE THREE SISTERS, BETRAYAL, OURSELVES ALONE, THE SEAGULL, and OLEANNA.

TV/Film credits include: SIX FEET UNDER, GREYS ANATOMY, GILMORE GIRLS, GOOD HUMOR MAN, TWO AND A HALF MEN, and over 40 commercials. As a director, she developed the American Storytellers series for PBS, and has written, produced and directed a number of award-winning shorts. She has directed numerous plays for Circus Theatricals, including the critically acclaimed world premiere SISTER CITIES, SEDUCED, ELLIPSES, WHAT WENT WRONG WITH THE KING AND QUEEN OF AMERICA, and MAX (which she also wrote). Elise is a co-founder of the Crash Box Players in Los Angeles and is a Circus Theatricals Associate Artist.

About the Studio
Jordan Lund is an actor and teacher who has been working for nearly 40 years with dozens of Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe winning actors.

This is a studio where we seek to have fun, working with focus and professionalism, a deep passion and a love of acting.

Learning and working with our hearts and minds, in the exhilarating chase to master the tools of great acting. These are the tools set down in Stanislavski’s “An Actor Prepares” and practiced by Circus Theatricals.

Using exercises, improvisation and scene study we will explore the Actor’s Creative State, Relaxation, Concentration, Imagination, Action, Given Circumstances, Belief and the Sense of Truth, Communication, and Emotional Memory.
(I thought about doing the above as a bullet point list, but I don’t know if you want to repeat what Elise has)

We will be striving to take bold personal risks in the pursuit of the Art of Acting.

As Robert Browning said:
“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a Heaven for?”

What to Prepare:
Actors should prepare a short monologue or soliloquy before the first studio.

About Jordan Lund
As an actor with over 30 years experience, Jordan received his training at Carnegie-Mellon University and has appeared in over 100 plays & 75 films and television shows. For the past 10 years, he has been teaching acting and coaching actors privately.

For Circus Theatricals: As You Like It, First To The Egg, Bender, The Sanest Men in America, The Cherry Orchard, and Tartuffe. Broadway: Romeo & Juliet, As You Like It, Macbeth (dir. by Estelle Parsons, Belasco NYSF). Off-Broadway: The Golem, Twelfth Night, King John (Delacorte NYSF). Other NY: The Kitchen, LaMama, INTAR, Ohio Space. LA: Romeo & Juliet (dir. by Sir Peter Hall, Ahmanson). Regional: Scapin (dir. by Bartlett Sher, Portland Stage), Scaramouche (dir. by BH Barry), On The Waterfront (Cleveland PlayHouse)

Over 75 Film/TV: “The American President,” “Doc Hollywood,” “Speed,” “Lockup,” “Lonesome Dove,” “The Stand,” “NYPD Blue,” “Law And Order,” “Star Trek.” Visit Jordan Lund's website

Athlete of the Heart- A Physical Approach to Acting 

About the Workshop
Over the past decade and during his time at the Juilliard School, John developed specific methodology toward physical theatre approach for the new American Theatre. Based on the works of theatre luminaries, Stephen Wangh, Meyerhold, Grotowski, Michael Chekov, LeCoq, Suzuki, and the later work of Stanislavsky. John has taught his approach at Juilliard, NYU, UCLA, LSU, The Globe Theatre U.K. and Oxford University.
 
Students will gain...
- New levels of Presence and Confidence
- Better Understanding and Command of their Instrument
- Increased Flexibility and Conditioning
- Greater Emotional Access
- Stronger ability to create unforgettable characters
- Physical Awareness of self, others, space and surroundings 

About John Farmanesh-Bocca
John trained at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts before serving as Directing Fellow at The Juilliard School’s Drama Division (2003-2005). He now serves as guest faculty at NYU - TSOA’s Classical Studio. New York directing credits include: Woyzeck, Closer, and Fortinbras (Lincoln Center). On the West Coast, John is Artistic Director of both Shakespeare Santa Monica and the Big Sur Theatre Lab, and is also an Artist-in-Residence for both Pacific Repertory Theatre and the Carmel Shakespeare Festival where he has performed in well over half the Shakespearean Canon as well as West Coast and Central Coast premieres of many celebrated plays. 
(Download John’s Directing and Acting Resumes see specific credits)John formerly served as Artistic Director for the Classical Theatre Training Program at the Norris Center for the Performing Arts in Palos Verdes, as well as his own Performing Arts Conservatory in Carmel, Ca called PACC.

John's conservatory graduates went on to attend such prestigious acting programs as Harvard’s (ART), The Central School of Speech & Drama in London, Oxford and New York University.John now serves as Artistic Director of both Shakespeare Santa Monica and the Big Sur Theatre Lab an international experimental theatre retreat set in Big Sur, California. 

How to Join

How to Join
Participation is by audition/interview or in some cases, by invitation. To schedule an audition appointment, please call: 310-836-7823 or email your headshot/resume and a brief note to membership: Jeannine@CircusTheatricals.com

FEE There is a $175 monthly fee to participate in Circus Theatricals Studio. If accepted, we ask for first and last month’s dues upon joining.