# Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre

The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre is a professional conservatory for actors in New York City. First operational from 1915 to 1927, the school re-opened in 1928 and has been active ever since. It is the birthplace of the Meisner technique of acting, named for American actor and acting teacher Sanford Meisner.

## History

40°45′24″N 73°57′55″W﻿ / ﻿40.75667°N 73.96528°W﻿ / 40.75667; -73.96528
The Neighborhood Playhouse had originally been founded as an off-Broadway theatre by philanthropists Alice Lewisohn and Irene Lewisohn in 1915, but closed in 1927. The following year, it re-opened as The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. Neighborhood Playhouse joined American Academy of Dramatic Arts and Pasadena Playhouse as the only major professional training schools for the performing arts in the United States.
Sanford Meisner joined the faculty in 1935 from the Group Theatre. Meisner used his study of Russian theatre and acting innovator Konstantin Stanislavski's system to develop his own technique, an alternative to Lee Strasberg's method acting. The faculty also included Louis Horst, Agnes de Mille, and Martha Graham.
In 1939, when actor Gregory Peck enrolled, there were approximately 90 students at the school.
The New York City Council honored the 90th anniversary of Neighborhood Playhouse with a proclamation.

## Educational programs

The school offers a two-year certificate program, with admission to the second year dependent upon unanimous approval of the faculty. There is also a summer program.
The Neighborhood Playhouse offers Playhouse Juniors, a Saturday training program for children in grades 1–12.

## Selection of alumni

* R.J. Adams
* Agnes Morgan
* Nancy Addison
* Helen Arthur
* Elizabeth Ashley
* Dorothy A. Atabong
* Ashlie Atkinson
* Barbara Baxley
* Kim Basinger
* Bill Barretta
* Carolina Bartczak
* Amanda Bearse
* Pamela Bellwood
* Pankit Thakker
* Michael Bendetti
* Ted Bessell
* Susan Blakely
* Richard Boone
* Connie Britton
* James Caan
* Matthew Carnahan
* June Carter Cash
* Carol Channing
* Leonardo Cimino
* Dabney Coleman
* Charles E. Conrad
* Nicholas Conte
* Stephanie Courtney
* Mackenzie Davis
* James Doohan
* Illeana Douglas
* Charles S. Dubin
* Keir Dullea
* Griffin Dunne
* Robert Duvall
* William Esper
* Timothy Farrell
* Mary Fickett
* Joe Flanigan
* Meg Foster
* Leonard Frey
* Edith González
* Betty Garrett
* Brian Geraghty
* Jeff Goldblum
* Jonathan Goldsmith
* Farley Granger
* Lee Grant
* Andre Gregory
* Jennifer Grey
* Tammy Grimes
* Wynn Handman
* David Hedison
* Anne Jackson
* Allison Janney
* Jasmine Cephas Jones
* Marta Kauffman
* Diane Keaton
* Grace Kelly
* Ken Kercheval
* Walter Koenig
* Peter Leeds
* Harding Lemay
* Geoffrey Lewis
* Irene Lewisohn
* Alice Lewisohn
* Christopher Lloyd
* Tina Louise
* Daniel Mann
* Kathleen Martin
* Dylan McDermott
* Darren McGavin
* Steve McQueen
* Christopher Meloni
* Peter Miller
* Les Moonves
* Yoko Narahashi
* Leslie Nielsen
* Chris Noth
* Edmond O'Brien
* Susan Oliver
* Chris Paine
* Sandra Peabody
* Gregory Peck
* Joanna Pettet
* Suzanne Pleshette
* Amanda Plummer
* Sydney Pollack
* Antoni Porowski
* Tom Poston
* Tony Randall
* Sally Jessy Raphael
* Florence Ravenel
* James Remar
* Bert Remsen
* Burt Reynolds
* Doris Roberts
* Wayne Rogers
* Jean Rosenthal
* Kelly Rowan
* Mark Rydell
* Sherie Rene Scott
* Marian Seldes
* Patricia Smith
* Liza Snyder
* David Sobolov
* Scott Speedman
* Mary Steenburgen
* Tom Stewart
* Kenneth Tobey
* Paula Trueman
* Tom Tryon
* Brenda Vaccaro
* Jo Van Fleet
* Gloria Vanderbilt
* Eli Wallach
* Jessica Walter
* Al Waxman
* Jerry Weintraub
* Elizabeth Wilson
* Joanne Woodward
* Fei Xiang
* Otis Young