The Acting Company
Encyclopedia
The Acting Company is a theatre company associated with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
in Washington, D.C.
It was founded in 1972 by John Houseman
, then a professor of acting at the Juilliard School
. Loath to see his first class of actors disbanded, he founded the Group 1 Acting Company at the City Center of Music and Drama in New York City
to make use of their talents. The group severed its connection with City Center in 1975 and became a part of the Kennedy Center. The Acting Company has performed over 100 plays for over 3 million people in 48 states and nine foreign countries. The company also operates education programs for disadvantaged students and promotes theater via a touring company that showcases classical productions and new talent.
The Acting Company has been honored with the Obie Award
, the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award
, Citibank
's Excellence in Education Award, two AUDELCO
Awards, and Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre
in 2003.
Notable alumni include Kevin Kline
, Patti LuPone
, Frances Conroy
, Harriet Harris, Jesse L. Martin
, Keith David
, Dennis Boutsikaris
, David Ogden Stiers
, Jeffrey Wright, Rainn Wilson
, Megan Gallagher
, Jack Kenny
, Mary Lou Rosato, J. T. Walsh
, Dakin Matthews
, Margaret Reed and Jack Stehlin
.
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
It was founded in 1972 by John Houseman
John Houseman
John Houseman was a Romanian-born British-American actor and film producer who became known for his highly publicized collaboration with director Orson Welles from their days in the Federal Theatre Project through to the production of Citizen Kane...
, then a professor of acting at the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
. Loath to see his first class of actors disbanded, he founded the Group 1 Acting Company at the City Center of Music and Drama in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to make use of their talents. The group severed its connection with City Center in 1975 and became a part of the Kennedy Center. The Acting Company has performed over 100 plays for over 3 million people in 48 states and nine foreign countries. The company also operates education programs for disadvantaged students and promotes theater via a touring company that showcases classical productions and new talent.
The Acting Company has been honored with the Obie Award
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
, the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award
Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award
The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards is an annual awards program presented by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle . Established in 1969, the awards recognize excellence in theatre in the Greater Los Angeles Area....
, Citibank
Citibank
Citibank, a major international bank, is the consumer banking arm of financial services giant Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, later First National City Bank of New York...
's Excellence in Education Award, two AUDELCO
AUDELCO
AUDELCO, the Audience Development Committee, Inc., was established in 1973 by the late Vivian Robinson to honor excellence in New York African American Theatre through presentation of Vivan Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition Awards...
Awards, and Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre
Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre
The Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre is a non-competitive award created by the American Theatre Wing in 1990. They are presented to institutions, individuals and/or organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary achievement in theatre, but are not eligible to compete in any of the...
in 2003.
Notable alumni include Kevin Kline
Kevin Kline
Kevin Delaney Kline is an American theatre, voice, film actor and comedian. He has won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards, and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and an Emmy Award.- Early life :...
, Patti LuPone
Patti LuPone
Patti Ann LuPone is an American singer and actress, known for her Tony Award-winning performances as Eva Perón in the 1979 stage musical Evita and as Madame Rose in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, and for her Olivier Award-winning performance as Fantine in the original London cast of Les...
, Frances Conroy
Frances Conroy
Frances Conroy is an American actress. She is best known for playing Ruth, the matriarch of the Fisher family, on Six Feet Under, which earned her a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award.-Early life:...
, Harriet Harris, Jesse L. Martin
Jesse L. Martin
Jesse L. Martin is an American theatre, film, and television actor. He is known for originating the role of Tom Collins in the Broadway theatrical production of Rent, and for his portrayal of NYPD Detective Ed Green on the NBC drama television series Law & Order.-Early life:Martin, the third of...
, Keith David
Keith David
Keith David Williams , better known as Keith David, is an American film, television, voice actor, and singer. He is perhaps most known for his live-action roles in such films as Crash, There's Something About Mary, Barbershop and Men at Work...
, Dennis Boutsikaris
Dennis Boutsikaris
Dennis Boutsikaris is an American two-time Obie-Award winning character actor. He is a Broadway Actor and frequent television guest star and leading man in made-for-TV movies...
, David Ogden Stiers
David Ogden Stiers
David Ogden Stiers is an American actor, director, vocal actor, and musician, noted for his roles in Disney movies, as well as his performances in the television series M*A*S*H as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III and the science fiction drama The Dead Zone as Reverend Gene Purdy...
, Jeffrey Wright, Rainn Wilson
Rainn Wilson
Rainn Dietrich Wilson is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his role as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office...
, Megan Gallagher
Megan Gallagher
Megan Gallagher is an American actress.Gallagher was born in Reading, Pennsylvania and grew up in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. Her mother, Aileen Gallagher, was a model.Gallagher has largely worked in television and theatre...
, Jack Kenny
Jack Kenny
Jack Kenny is an American actor, television director, writer/producer, and the creator of the controversial NBC television show The Book of Daniel in 2006. Kenny also co-created the highly acclaimed but somewhat controversial comedy Titus with his writing partner Brian Hargrove and comedian...
, Mary Lou Rosato, J. T. Walsh
J. T. Walsh
James Thomas Patrick "J. T." Walsh was an American character actor. He appeared in many well-known films, including Nixon, Hoffa, A Few Good Men, Backdraft, Miracle on 34th Street, Breakdown, and Good Morning, Vietnam.Walsh was known for his roles as "quietly sinister white-collar sleazeballs"...
, Dakin Matthews
Dakin Matthews
Dakin Matthews is an American actor with a long history of work in film, television and theater. He is also a playwright, director, and theatrical scholar.-Life and career:...
, Margaret Reed and Jack Stehlin
Jack Stehlin
Jack Stehlin is an American television and theater actor perhaps best known for his television role as Drug Enforcement Agency Captain Roy Till on Weeds.-Film and television:...
.