National Theater Institute

Today, in an excerpt from The O'Neill: Transformation of Modern American Theater, we hear from Manhattan Theatre Club Executive Producer Barry Grove who cites his semester away at NTI for 'literally changing the arc of my life - it led to Broadway, the National Playwrights Conference, my Equity card as a Stage Manager, the RSC with the infant Shakespeare & Co, a national tour launch, and a summer stock tour - all before I graduated from Dartmouth!'

This summer, 25 alums have returned to the O'Neill. We speak with five of them about their experience both as a NTI student and as a member of the O'Neill's professional summer season!

A signature component of the National Theater Institute's credit-earning Theatermakers Summer Intensive is the integration of the student program with the two-time Tony Award-winning Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's professional summer conferences. 

In honor of the 69th annual Tony Awards, RISK AGAIN! has a look at nominees who got their start at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center; shared their knowledge and talents with students of the National Theater Institute (NTI); and have been a part of the O'Neill's National Playwrights Conference (NPC), National Music Theater Conference (NMTC), or Cabaret and Performance Conference (CPC).

The National Theater Institute includes a vibrant community of over 3,500 alumni. The many talents of these actors, writers, directors, and designers can be seen on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in films, television, London's West End, and at every major regional theater in the U.S. Today, in an excerpt from EVERYTHING WAS POSSIBLE: THE BIRTH OF THE MUSICAL FOLLIES, we hear from Ted Chapin (NTI Fall '70) who called his semester-away at NTI an 'extraordinary' 'experimental off-campus theater program.'

This week, colleges and universities across the country are celebrating the class of 2015 with commencement ceremonies. High-profile speakers -- including Eugene O'Neill Theater Center alums Lin-Manuel Miranda and Robert Redford -- are congratulating students on their accomplishments and entreating them to make a positive difference as they enter the real world. Today, RISK AGAIN! shares NTI Artistic Director Rachel Jett's commencement speech, given at the beginning of a semester at the National Theater Institute.

This year -- the 10th annual Young Playwrights Festival -- featured 35 alums from the last 20 years of the National Theater Institute returning to the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center to nurture new works and new voices through the Young Playwrights Festival. 

?On Friday, the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center welcomed hundreds of artists, donors, patrons, and public figures to celebrate the official ribbon cutting of its expanded campus. Designed by Centerbrook Architects and with lead support from the State of Connecticut and private donors, the O'Neill campus now boasts eight new cottages and a new rehearsal hall with composition and dance studios, creating  living, rehearsal, and production space for an additional 65 artists on the O'Neill's historic seaside campus in Waterford, CT.

Hailed as the launchpad of the American theater, the two-time Tony Award-winning Eugene O'Neill Theater Center responsible for developing more than 1,100 new works for the stage as well as thousands of artists through the semester-long training programs of the National Theater Institute, recently announced the 2015 summer season of plays, musicals, and other works in development through the National Theater Institute, National Puppetry Conference, National Music Theater Conference, National Playwrights Conference, and the Cabaret & Performance Conference.

Nathan Lane has created a wide footprint on American stage, film, and television and encompasses the ethos of the Monte Cristo Award - artistic excellence and lifelong commitment to theater.

A signature feature of the National Theater Institute, weekly Theater Labs challenge students to put all the skills gained in classes into practice. When given just 15 hours to stage a scene, students learn to trust their creative instincts. Under the mentorship of a professional director, NTI students gain practical experience with a wealth of classical and contemporary texts as well as have the opportunity to work as actor, director, designer, and/or dramaturge each week.

Today, for RISK AGAIN!, the NTI and NMTI spring 2015 ensemble share words of wisdom they have recently received from teachers at the National Theater Institute.

Today, RISK AGAIN! introduces you to NTI Program Representatives Brittany Ayers (NTI Fall '12) and Brendan Naylor (MATS '08) who share NTI's training opportunities with students and schools across the country. NTI is currently accepting applications for summer and fall programs. The deadline to apply for the Theatermakers Summer Intensive, National Theater Institute Semester, National Music Theater Institute, Moscow Art Theatre Semester, or NTI Advanced Directing program is March 30.

With a singular schedule and unmatched breadth of training, the National Theater Institute is the nation's leading undergraduate artistic training program. In addition to a rigorous curriculum covering the theatrical greats -- Shakespeare, Williams, Chekov, and O'Neill -- NTI students are learning from today's theater artists. Since its founding in 1970, NTI has united working artists and students in education and collaboration.

For 45 years, the National Theater Institute has offered young theater artists a springboard to the professional world at the two-time Tony Award-winning Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. With a singular schedule and an unmatched breadth of training, NTI's credit-earning, semester-long programs are taught by industry professionals and master teachers like Alexander Gemignani.

Tony- and Pulitzer-winning playwright August Wilson developed six plays the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Fences, Seven Guitars, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, The Piano Lesson, and Two Trains Running. In celebration of the PBS American Masters documentary 'August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand', RISK AGAIN! shares excerpts from The O'Neill: Transformation of Modern American Theater.

Hailed as the launchpad of the American theater, the two-time Tony Award-winning Eugene O'Neill Theater Center is responsible for developing more than 1,100 new works for the stage. Each summer, the O'Neill is home to a series of national conferences ushering in new voices in playwriting, musical theater, cabaret, puppetry, and criticism. NTI's Theatermakers Summer Intensive provides young artists the opportunity to train alongside these professional conferences and see new American plays before they hit the big stage. Plays developed during summers at the O'Neill now abound off-Broadway, as major New York theaters premiere work from the National Playwrights Conference (NPC).

The National Theater Institute is committed to diverse theatrical and educational experiences. Therefore, two weeks of each semester are spent in-residence in one of the world's most prominent theater capitals -- the NTI Semester and NTI-Advanced Programs study in London -- while the National Music Theater Institute train in New York City. In both cities, students met with alumni of the National Theater Institute who shared their theatrical experience, NTI stories, professional advice, and insight into the various ways to make a life in the theater. Today, RISK AGAIN! introduces them to you!

The National Theater Institute includes a vibrant community of over 3,500 alumni. The many talents of these actors, writers, directors, and designers can be seen on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in films, television, London's West End, and at every major regional theater in the U.S. Today, in an excerpt from The O'Neill: Transformation of Modern American Theater, we hear from Golden Globe Award-winning actress Jennifer Garner (Dallas Buyers Club, Alias, Juno, 13 Going on 30) about why she calls her 14 weeks at NTI 'integral to the growth of what I could do, what I could learn, what I could pursue, and what I was interested in. It was the most defining semester for me in college.' Plus, scroll down for photos of Garner in the program!

In anticipation for the year ahead, RISK AGAIN! takes a look at NTI's New Year's Resolutions!