T Schreiber Studio & Theatre

This review is long over due… So I spent a lot of time looking for a place to get my «feet wet» acting. This wasn’t a whim but I started this process later in life (read I am not fresh out of high school). I did my research looking for an acting school which offered a wide variety of classes, as well as excellent faculty. I found both here. I also took a few classes at some other Acting Schools, most good– one horrible; all of which will remain unnamed since this review isn’t about those places.
First acting is work, it isn’t easy. But if you work hard, listen, practice you will learn. I am sad to see some reviews that simply discount TSS, I found the faculty to be supportive and fair. Sometimes feedback is hard to hear but necessary. The school does not focus on one method of acting-​which I found to be a plus. It is also home to one of the longest running Off-​Off Broadway theatres and the work is Ah-mazing…I recently saw the HOT L BALTIMORE, directed by Peter Jensen, also a Faculty member at the studio-​it was terrific-​if you don’t believe me Google the reviews.
Back to the studio, it is a special place-​a safe environment with really supportive faculty. And I did book work, I landed a lead in a short film, which has been selected to screen at Cannes-​yes Cannes-​FRANCE, this May. I would recommend TSS without hesitation to any actor-​beginning to seasoned as a place to learn or brush up on skills. You can never have too much knowledge in this field.

Studied at Schrieber for almost 3 months. Started with the beginning intensive then moved on to the 6 week conservatory. I had very mixed reviews.
Here is a little about my experience because when I was starting out, something like this would have gone a long way.
The beginning intensive was incredible and I could not wait to study further at schrieber. When I asked if I could move on to the 6 week conservatory, I couldn’t have been more thrilled.
After having been told that the conservatory would be completely different than what I had just done in the beginning intensive… and under the expectation that the 6 week conservatory would be a little bit more extensive and rigorous I immediately signed up, thinking I was about to be enrolled in a serious drama conservatory. $ 1,500 later I was extremely shocked to find myself in a complete repeat of the beginning intensive…
Instead of learning new things. I sat and relearned the same stuff I had just paid close to $ 800 for 2 weeks prior. It wasn’t until week 4 of the 6 weeks that I had truly felt I had moved on to new material.
Teachers are all great at «acting» like teachers. Meaning they have their teaching «script» and just use the same analogies and advice every class.
I can’t tell you how many times I heard the same story from my teacher, each time with different embellishments… how much time in class is purposely wasted listening to the teacher name drop «Jack Nicholson» or tell some self absorbed story about their career, just to fill time.
Not only that, but favorites are picked on day one… and if your unlucky enough to be on the less favorited side, you’ll most likely be watching some one else act 2−3x’s more than you do. So in a 4 hour class you’ll probably spend 45 minutes listening to B. S recycled stories, 45 minutes aimlessly moving furniture or wasting time, 30 minutes on break, 15 minutes actually acting, then an hour and 45 just sitting there and watching other people act.
As for the «body dynamics» class, learning about energy and shagras? You really have to buy into it… Because it’s basically all b.s. It’s a pseudoscience that won’t get you anywhere except touching a strangers sacrum… Look it up. There’s no stage combat, no more than 2 actors at a time, nothing that really furthers you down the road.
Paige Clements’ vocal class was, hands down, the best and most individually beneficial. Perhaps the only shining light in this whole thing.
If your planning on meeting Terry… Good luck, he is only focused on running the shows that the studio puts out and doesn’t even know your teachers name let alone yours.
Not only that, but there is no industry exposure at all at schrieber unless you want to pay for it. So if your looking for an agent or want to showcase or anything, your out of luck.
The summer conservatory at Michael Howard gives you not only a industry exposure but also a full day of headshots. That alone is worth $ 1,500
I hope this helps somebody. It would have saved me $ 1500, but not only that would have given me 6 weeks to focus on something 10x’s more productive.

Im slowly becoming a bigger fan of theater and this place is great. Went there for a production of «The Pillowman» (PLEASE GO WATCH THIS DARK COMEDY, ITS AMAZING).
They have a very intimate and cozy theater that sits maybe 60 people tops. It gets very intimate. Those who work there seem to love the place and look to it as a second home. Its located inside of a building and you’ll need to take an elevator up to the theater.
The only cons i have is the bathrooms, they are pretty disgusting, but this is a theater not a public bathroom and i wont take any start away because of that. this place rocks and i would def come for another show.
ps: Leg space is very restricted and they have no set seating SO, if you go here, please try to get there early and get the front seats if you have long legs.

Have been here several times to see the performances staged at their cozy, intimate theatre. Always enjoyable. Always revivals of well-​known favorites (for ex., John Guare’s «House of Blue Leaves») that you have either seen before or you wish you saw. Good casting, good acting, good directing. Very affordable.
It can get crowded — just saying — so don’t wear your thick and heavy cable-​knit Irish fisherman’s sweater or two crinolines under your poodle skirt.
There is an elevator.
Everything is clean and nice from the moment you walk in.

I love it here already and my classes haven’t even begun yet.
The theatre space itself is smaller than the space I was accustomed to at my college. But they do a lot in the space provided which is definitely a plus.
The teachers here have a passion as they talk which is not only REFRESHING but I simply ADORE as I continue my training.
The checkout area or the receptionist area for signing up and so forth are very friendly more so than some of the other places I’ve been to.
Prices? Call it the cost of doing business or in my case the cost of training for being a better performer. Well worth every penny.
They preach a mixed training in between Meisner and Method which I think is how I was taught as well as what I’m most likely to respond to. Best of both worlds? YES PLEASE.
Location — You’re downtown so if you are looking for places to wind down afterwards there is that. It is also in this great city of NYC so I mean people come here for no other reason JUST TO COME HERE. Appreciate it.
I APPROVE. = D

I saw Doubt here a bit ago, and the theater is now on my radar as a worthy off-​off Broadway destination. I got my tickets on goldstar for free, but it looks like they don’t ever get more than $ 30. This was the first time I’d seen this play, and obviously they can’t take credit for what an interesting premise the play is, but I give them full credit for the dedicated actors who managed to keep us glued to our somewhat uncomfortable seats. There were only three actors total, one set, maybe one costume change, but both my bf and I hung on every word and discussed the play long after. There is something unique about being so close to the actors, as well.

Saw the première of «Jack’s Back» here. While the show was a little too overdone for a small theater like this, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. The talent was great, and the show was very funny (though it could certainly use some tweaking). I had very low expectations, partially due to the rhyming opening introduction given by two castmembers before they let us in. But once the show got started, I was pleasantly surprised. I’d definitely come back here to see another show!

6-​week conservatory.
AMAZING. Truly.
First of all, if you’re still skeptical after my review, go to their information session — you have to attend one before taking any sort of class there. They are pretty much every Monday night and you call and make an appointment. You have to realize that if they do this EVERY Monday, they must really care. And not in the «I want your money way,» but really, really in a patient way. The atmosphere in that info session was pretty much how the rest of the studio is.
During the info session, the head honcho, Terry, will speak to you, as well as Peter J. Other faculty are there too, and they do a brief introduction to their studio, each of the classes they offer, etc. They then spend time after in which you can go up to one, or all of them individually to discuss what you’re looking for, your experience, and what classes you and they think will best suit your needs. I was in and out in less than an hour.
I was interested in the night introductory at first, but Peter convinced me to come in and audition for him the next day (last minute squeeze-​in) for the 6-​week conservatory to see where I’d fit. I did, and he told me right there what he thought. Because of my schedule, I had to turn down taking the conservatory at first, and then changed it part way through the week because my plans changed. The conservatory was full by then because my interview/​acceptance was a week before it started, and I practically begged the staff and Peter to let me back in. But they were very adamant about keeping the class size to 14, but put me on the waiting list. Miraculously, someone actually dropped out over the weekend, and Sally called me to tell me, and cleared me for class! She was working and cleared everything ON A WEEKEND!
Acting with Bob: he utilizes Meisner and Uta Hagen, which was a great combination. We started from improv and repetition, then onto some of Uta’s exercises, and in the later weeks, went into scene work. If you’ve never been exposed to this, don’t worry about it, you’ll start picking it up. You may not be a pro by the end of the 6 weeks, but you’ll start seeing how that work affects you. If you have worked with Meisner and Uta Hagen before, Bob is very good at emphasizing the truth in the work. It’s always good to re-​practice or see if your exposure was as true as it should be. Bob fun, he cracks a lot of jokes, but you know when he’s serious.
Body with Carol: I can tell you I felt more comfortable in my own skin after 6 short weeks. She does different ball work exercises, Reiki, and pretty much magic. That said, it doesn’t just happen, and she, like all the other teachers, expects you to work on things she teaches you outside of class. If you try to fight or question anything, it’s really going to do yourself more harm. My posture is different now, I’m more aware of my body and the stressors I hold, and now have tools to combat them.
Voice with Page: What can I say. I’m louder, more sure of my voice, and she teaches you how to properly project, rather than just yelling (which can cause problems). Every class starts with a warmup that really helps your body and voice stretch, and you can feel and hear the difference just after that. Also, even though there are multiple students warming up at the same time, she will still hop from one person to another honing in on fixing problems/​bad habits that she picks up.
The scene presentation at the end was so fun. And my class had worked on our scenes so much, and were so properly prepared by all the teachers, that I think none of us were really nervous, and just had fun with it. But don’t worry, the purpose of the conservatory isn’t training you for the scene presentation.
All the teachers were actually *teachers* who were knowledgeable, patient, and attentive. 6 weeks sounded like a long time, but in looking back it was so short. However, the amount that I learned and how it affected me will last for yeeears. They don’t attack you, like I’ve heard some places do, they don’t think they’re gods, and they genuinely want to help you achieve what you can.
Highly, highly recommend.

I studied at T. Schreiber on and off for a number of years. I’ve also frequented many of the productions there. The school is 1^st rate and highly recommend it. I have had the privilege of studying with Pamela Scott for Acting Technique and Scene Study as well On Camera with Peter Miner. Both very highly recommended.

Best acting school in town and their productions are first-​rate. Highly recommended!

I absolutely love T. Schreiber. I just did their Winter Conservatory & it has changed my life. The teachers are wonderful! They’re so kind, caring & informative. I have learned so much from them, I really feel like they’ve already made me a better actor. I absolutely recommend any aspiring actor to check out T. Schreiber. You will not regret it.

Saw «Balm in Gilead» here.
Friendly staff. Really nice, cozy space. I like that the seats are elevated every two rows. It was nice not to have to play the head tilt game to see past the cranium in front of me.
As the other reviews mentioned, it’s an intimate space, and in my case, an intimate show, for sure! I steered clear of the first row in case of audience interaction, which there was a bit of. At times, I felt like the actors were looking straight at me and into my soul!
Interesting, enjoyable production of «Balm.» I can’t wait to see what the company does next.

This theatre is really awesome. So far I’ve seen two shows: Twelfth Night and The Real Thing, and I are thoroughly enjoyed both. The actors gave great performances. The music and staging were cool as well. The theatre itself is very intimate and really puts you right next to the actors. Terry was there the two nights I was there and was very nice.

We saw Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams here. The performance space is small (65 seats) and intimate. If you like being inches away from the actors, you’ll like the setting. Unfortunately, the room gets terribly stuffy which is always painful. And I kept getting splashed by water but that was the nature of that particular play.
I didn’t know about the history of the studio until the intermission when I looked at the awards and pictures hanging on the wall. The acting studio started in 1969 and it is well-​regarded for its productions of classic and new plays.
The location is way Off Broadway (inside a building on the 7^th floor). General admission: $ 20. Restrooms available :-)