HBO Debuts ALAN ALDA AND THE ACTOR WITHIN YOU Tonight

Every year, the National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) offers emerging talents across the country the chance to be mentored by some of the world's greatest artists. In ALAN ALDA AND THE ACTOR WITHIN YOU: A YOUNGARTS MASTERCLASS, the latest edition of the three-time Emmy®-nominated HBO Family show, the Emmy® and Golden Globe winner leads six talented young actors through a series of improvisational workshops, guiding them to discover new approaches in bringing a script to life. The exclusive HBO presentation debuts TONIGHT, SEPT. 16 (7:30-8:00 p.m. ET/PT).

Other HBO playdates: Sept. 22 (1:00 p.m.), 24 (noon), 25 (10:30 a.m.) and 28 (11:00 a.m.)

HBO Family playdates: Sept. 17 (7:00 p.m.), 21 (6:30 p.m.) and 27 (10:50 p.m.)

For 33 years, the National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) has recognized and nurtured aspiring young artists and contributed to the vitality of the arts in America. In ALAN ALDA AND THE ACTOR WITHIN YOU: A YOUNGARTS MASTERCLASS, the acclaimed actor leads six gifted mentees - Nile, Analisa, Justice, Connor, Nadia and Juliana - through workshops in improvisational acting exercises and techniques. While the teens admit that "improv usually makes them nervous," Alda promises it won't be the traditional comedic form they're accustomed to and encourages his students to focus on the meaning behind the lines, rather than the words themselves. "Improvising enables us to make something that we didn't expect," he explains. Playing ball-less volleyball and rope-less tug-of-war, becoming fluent in gibberish and experimenting with scene-play, the students delight in Alda's lessons.

On day two, Alda introduces the concept that actors can "learn the lines through playing out the relationship with the other actor." Inspired by this notion, the students integrate it into their repertoire. Afterwards, Alda leaves them with practical advice on pursuing an artistic career such as acting, noting, "Every time you get slapped down, don't break. Just bend."

Making his film debut in 1963, Alan Alda is one of TV and cinema's most prolific and versatile talents, and has received six Emmy® Awards, as well as more than two dozen other Emmy® nominations, an Oscar® nomination, three Tony nominations, six Golden Globe Awards and three Directors Guild of America Awards. For 11 years and more than 250 episodes, he played the iconic character Hawkeye Pierce on the hit TV series "M*A*S*H," where he established himself as a renowned comedic presence. Alda is currently a Visiting Professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook's School of Journalism.

ALAN ALDA AND THE ACTOR WITHIN YOU: A YOUNGARTS MASTERCLASS is a production of Simon & Goodman Picture Company; produced and directed by Oscar® and Emmy® winners Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Broski

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