Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts' Fall 2012 Classes Open for Enrollment

Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA), the company's professional training school, has announced its Fall 2012 schedule of classes now open for enrollment. ESPA will offer new classes including Comedy Writing, Advanced Libretto and Lyric Writing and Dialects 2: Russian. ESPA will also be offering two new workshops: Writing for TV: Making the Transition from Stage to Screen and The Pilot. Additionally, Tanya Barfield, whose show The Call is part of Primary Stages mainstage 2012-2013 season, will be teaching a special workshop, Finding Your First Draft.

New instructors Joshua Allen, Leslye Headland and Kate Moira Ryan will join returning faculty members Kelly AuCoin, Tanya Barfield, Karen Braga, Bekah Brunstetter, Keith Bunin, Cusi Cram, Jane Guyer Fujita, Jackson Gay, Judy Gold, Daniel Goldstein, Randy Graff, Adam Gwon, Josh Hecht, Kait Kerrigan, Michael Larsen, Cynthia Mace, Cheri Magid, Rogelio Martinez, Molly Smith Metzler, Winter Miller, Lisa Rothe, Edwin Sanchez, Julian Sheppard, Caridad Svich, Daniel Talbott, Richard Topol, Ken Urban, and Primary Stages Associate Artistic Director Michelle Bossy and Artistic Director Andrew Leynse.

Now in its sixth year, ESPA offers classes in acting, writing, and directing taught by a faculty of established artists from all corners of the theater industry. In addition to receiving the highest caliber of artistic education, ESPA students have access to a supportive network of artistic peers, frequent collaborative opportunities, and countless other resources afforded to them by Primary Stages, now in its 28th season producing new works Off-Broadway.

Each session at ESPA offers five- to ten-week classes and weekend workshops, as well as specialty Master Classes with celebrated guest artists who have made profound contributions to the fields of acting, playwriting, and directing. Past Master Class instructors have included Danny Burstein, Charles Busch, Michael Greif, and Judith Light.

Detention, ESPA's monthly performance series, will continue this fall with original theater pieces written, performed, and directed by ESPA students. Each Detention is overseen by a prominent theater artist who serves as guest advisor. Guest advisors for the fall include Denis Butkus and Daniel Talbott.

Enrollment for fall classes is now open to the public. To enroll, visit www.primarystages.org/espa, or contact Director of ESPA Tessa LaNeve at (212) 840-9705 x212 or via email at espa@primarystages.org.

Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA) is a multidisciplinary school with departments in acting, writing, and directing. Now in its sixth year, ESPA has refined actors who have been seen on and off-Broadway, developed writers whose work has won awards and received workshops and productions, and served as a professional and artistic home for emerging talent. ESPA is defined by its strong commitment to collaboration through programs such as Detention, a monthly performance series that partners ESPA writers, actors, directors, and a faculty advisor in the creation of a unique evening of theater. Having provided a home to over 1,700 students, ESPA has become a leader in performing arts education through its excellence in training, unique collaboration and networking opportunities, and strong professional community. ESPA is open to all artists, in all stages of their careers.

Primary Stages is an Off-Broadway theater company dedicated to inspiring, supporting, and sharing the art of playwriting. Under the leadership of Founder and Executive Producer Casey Childs, Artistic Director Andrew Leynse, and Managing Director Elliot Fox, we operate on the strongly held belief that the future of American theater relies on nurturing individual playwrights and giving them the artistic support needed to create new work.

Since our founding in 1984, we have produced more than 100 new plays, including Kate Fodor's Rx, Charles Busch's Olive and the Bitter Herbs; A.R. Gurney's Black Tie; Horton Foote's Dividing the Estate (Two 2009 Tony Award® nominations); Brooke Berman's Hunting and Gathering (one of New York Magazine's Top Ten Plays of 2008); Terrence McNally's Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams (starring Nathan Lane and Marian Seldes) and The Stendhal Syndrome (featuring Isabella Rossellini and Richard Thomas); Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter's In the Continuum (which went on to tour the U.S., Africa, and Scotland); David Ives' All in the Timing; and Conor McPherson's St. Nicholas (which marked the playwright's U.S. debut).

In 2008, Primary Stages was honored with the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work, which encompasses much more than the plays we produce for the stage. Primary Stages supports playwrights and develops new works through commissions, workshops, readings, and our two flagship programs: The Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group and the Marvin and Anne Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA). Through these programs, Primary Stages advocates for our artists, helping them make important-and often transformative-connections within the theater community.