THE LION'S ROAR
What's New
 April 2010
 


We are moving in to the  21st Century. We are adding a regular Newsletter to keep you  up to date on new classes, changes at the studio, and our working actors.

Thanks to You  The Free Sample Class Is a Big Hit.
 Penny has had great turnouts for her Free Sample Classes on Wednesday nights.  Thanks to you the response has been so great that we  have made them an ongoing part of the classes here at the studio. For the rest of April, May and June we will hold a new sample class every two weeks.  If you know any actors who might benefit from Penny's approach to the  craft please tell them about these 3 hour classes.  They are a great way for actors to get to know Penny, what she teaches and how she teaches, at no cost. The schedule is April 7th & 21st, May 5th & 19th and June 2, 16th & 30th.
        
 
Shooting Private Ryan
Private Ryan

 Taping Private Ryan
Several times a year, Penny likes to find a great film scene to work on in the Master Classes. First up in 2010 was Saving Private Ryan. On the final week of February, after 3 weeks of rehearsing and finding all of the moments in the scene, it was time to shoot. The Actors came dressed in fatigues. Hank provided a couple of real army helmets, make-up and camouflage were applied and it was time to shoot. The results are fabulous. Oliver Gray is editing the work into a composite of the scene, including all the actors and adding a sound track.   Look for it on the website soon.
Penny teaching the Camera Class
PTS LOGO Grey
The Next Advanced On Camera Class Starts May  3rd.
We have reduced the maximum number of actors in this class from 16 to 12 to give all of the actors more screen time, and allow Penny & Hank to spend more time individually on the intricacies of working in front of the camera.  But, this also means there are less openings for actors, so the classes fill up much sooner.  The last class was sold out. Don't wait too long.
 
The Five Week Summer Intensive
A Conservatory Program
This 5 week Conservatory Program will only be open to 8 dedicated actors. For five intense weeks,  these lucky actors will be exposed to all of the facets of the craft of acting. Technique to improve, Structure to support,  Script Analysis to understand, Camera Technique for the big screen and Scene Work & Monologues to put it all into practice. How does it all work together? This five week program of concentrated study is perfect for the actor who wants to jump start his learning as well as the experienced professional who wants to get a stronger grasp on how to put it all together and make it work. Penny and I always enjoy watching the actors grow so dramatically. This is truly a life and career changing five weeks.  
 
Look Who's Working
Ramon Rodriguez "Battle: Los Angeles" starring with Aaron Eckhart post production, Starring in "Transformers 3" director Michael Bay pre production

Rochelle Aytes Starring in ABC's "The Forgotten" with Christian Slater

Sarah Wynter Recurring in this season's "Damages" with Glenn Close,

Lead in new ABC series "Cut Throat" starring Mia Maestro

Rebecca Mader "The Men Who Stare at Goats" starring George Clooney & Jeff Bridges,  "Mother's Little Helpers" with Denise Richards, James Belushi, & Rick Gifford,  "The Big Bang" starring opposite Antonio Banderas,  "Ceremony" with Uma Thurman

Gina Tognoni Two time Emmy winner is returning to "One Life to Live" as Kelly Cramer

Bern Cohen  Featured in Holy Rollers,  also Featured in Fallen Star with Tova Feldshuh

Tricia Helfer Lent her voice to Dare in the award winning video game" Halo 3:ODST ",  Wrapped "A Beginner's Guide to Endings" starring Harvey Keitel,

And  "Open House",  starring True Blood's Anna Paquin & Stephen Moyer

Bryan Kaplan & Marisa Costa Starring in the  indie feature "Fray" in production     

Julie Ann Emery & Rebecca Mader  Starring in the family comedy "The Rainbow Tribe".

April Lee Hernandez Guest starred in the pilot Showtime's "Nurse Jackie" starring Edie Falco, and in the last season's  "Rescue Me"

Garrett Hendricks was also featured in Nurse Jackie

Dana Cuomo Guest starred in "Desperate Housewives " & CBS's drama "3 Rivers" Host of the comedy talk show parodyWake up it's Tuesday

She can also be seen in the Hallmark Hall of Fame film "Healing Hands"

Mario D'Leon Can be seen in the film "As Good as Dead" with Andie MacDowell

And also lent his voice to Luis Fernandez Lopez in the popular video game series

"Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony"

Cassandra Hume Wrote and starred in the play "The Ex-Cycle" starring Courtney Coleman, Nicole Koval, Jason Betancourt, Aileen Mateo, & Patrick McDaniel.

Molly Sims starring in the Indie Drama "Hickory Nation"

Jessalyn Wanlim  Featured in "The Good Guy",  Also recurring on the new ABC series "Scoundrels" with Viginia Madsen

Corbin Popp  Creator, producer and star of the multimedia National touring show "Darwin the Dinosaur" 

Drew Maniscalco  now shooting the lead role in the Indy film "Between Floors"

Colin Egglesfield  Starring in "The Good Guy"

Joey Mintz   now a lead in the Theatre for the New City Cabaret production, "Stops Along the Road".


We are are proud of all of you. Please let us know when you are working so we can include you on this list. 


 

 
ROAD TRIP !!!
Master Classes Go to 
Taping of the New Matthew Broderick  Pilot  "BEACH LANE"
On April 15th We will be taking our actors to the taping of the new Matthew Broderick television series BEACH LANE. We sent out invitations to everyone in class however  we were only able to obtain a limited amount of seats for this exclusive event. We had to limit attendance to the actors currently in the Thursday Evening Master Class. (This will be their class that night,)  Because of our past relationship with the Audience Coordinator we were able to get an agreement in place that if the series is picked up we will be able to take actors to multiple tapings of episodes in the future. This is a great opportunity to watch first rate professionals work under the gun of taping a sitcom before a live audience. We will let you know when these opportunities come up.
Pennsylvania Here We Come
After a successful test run in the fall of 2009 we have added weekend acting classes to our schedule in northeastern Pennsylvania.  These classes are being held on the campus of East Stroudsburg State University.  The classes are open to all levels of actors who would like professional grade training. These classes include Penny's well known exercises as well as scene study, monologue and camera work. East Stroudsburg is 90 miles from NY at the Gateway to the Pocono Mountains. The area has a thriving arts community and is home to many NY based actors. Be sure to tell your friends in Pa about our new class and website. PA actors can contact the studio for more information.

Notes From The Road   -  Filming Fray

By Marisa Costa from Location - On set with FRAY  in Portland Oregon


I am having such an amazing time.  I have learned so much . . .

 

I definitely felt spoiled the first week because we spent a good deal of time rehearsing (which I hear is not very typical for film).  My rehearsals with Bryan were really in depth and we found a lot of new stuff, threw out some old stuff, and Geoff added and deleted lines.  We also did a lot of improv which was awesome. 

 

Later in the week Bryan had some rehearsals with the other actors and I asked Geoff if I could sit in and watch.  I learned so much.  He was having a hard time with one actor . . . (who he actually ended up firing) and after the actor left Geoff said "I don't know what to do with him."   I made the suggestion that before each line he should say his brother's name and then the line.  Geoff was really impressed with that suggestion.  I told him I couldn't take credit for it, that it was part of Penny's techniques . . . anyway . . . he loved it.

 

We have been working 12-14 hour days getting up at 4am sometimes, but I honestly can't complain . . . I'm loving every minute of it!  Some scenes were easier than others.  I found that the chart really saved my life.  We shot all the end scenes first.  The hardest scene was the fight that happens before Justin storms out.  They decided to do it in one shot which of course means he won't be editing takes together.  It seemed like the takes when both of us hit all the emotional points, something went wrong with camera or sound, but I guess that's the way it goes.

 

Once we moved into the college and the diner my nerves shot up a bit.  When we were shooting stuff in my apt,  it felt so intimate and then all of a sudden at the college, there were all these extras.  I realized I needed to take a longer prep and it also took me a couple of takes to drop into it.  He seemed pretty happy when we wrapped each scene and Bryan and I would always ask . . . "Did you get something?" 

 

The classroom stuff went well.  I told Bryan it felt a little like theatre . . . since I had a real live audience.  After the first take Geoff said it looked too rehearsed.  And I realized that what he meant was that I wasn't talking to the students, I was talking at them.  Once I really used the extras and talked to them I felt so much more relaxed and Geoff was really happy. 


Some challenges . . . .

 

They were some takes where I felt like what I was doing was so subtle that I actually wasn't doing anything.  Bryan said that's how film acting is . . . that you just have to let it go, and all the work you did will come out. Also, there were times in a scene where Geoff had a hard time with sound because Bryan would be yelling something and then I would respond in a whisper. 

 

Ok that's all for now!  I miss you guys! 

Marisa
IN THIS ISSUE
Filming Private Ryan

Notes from the Road

Free Sample Class
a Success


Who is Working

Thank You

UP COMING CLASSES

Script Analysis
 Starts April 28th

Advanced On Camera
Starts May 3rd

The Summer Intensive
July 19 - August 20


Coming in June

 Actor Tips

A Report on Our Road Trip

Who's Working Now

The On Set Experience 






Quick Links

Tell Us About Your Experience
Please send us your stories from the set or auditions. The real life experience is often the best teacher. We would like to share your experiences with your fellow actors.

Free Sample Classes  - April 7th & 21st  7-10PM
344 West 38 Street
New York, 10018
 Have you seen the hammer?       Bryan Kaplan & Jim Lynch    
Thank You
The move from 35th street was quite an adventure. .Thankfully it was an adventure and not an ordeal thanks to the efforts of all of you who helped with the move. The snow storm on moving day really made it fun. The fact that we had so many of you to load and unload made the  moving day work. And those of you who couldn't  do the move were great about helping build and get things organized in the new space. And, the response to the new space has been overwhelming!  Penny and I can't thank you enough for all of your help and support in this first quarter of 2010. A successful acting studio is really a collaboration between the actors, teachers, and staff. Your generous help really makes a statement about the family that Penny Templeton Studio has become.


Contact Information
Hank Schob   hank@pennytempletonstudio.com
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COUPON
Save  10%
New Students - Save on Any Class When You Sign Up in April 2010*
Offer Expires: April 30, 2010        *Not good for Coaching      * Class must commence before August 1, 2010
This offer is only good for students not currently enrolled in a class. *Not to be combined with other offers.