Stella Adler Studio: mission-driven, world-renowned actor training
The Stella Adler Studio’s celebrated approach to actor training focuses on sparking performers’ imagination, curiosity and artistic growth in readiness for professional careers – with UK actors invited to audition in London
Since 1949, the Stella Adler Studio in New York City has trained actors according to the belief that “growth as an actor and growth as a human being are synonymous”.
To be a good actor, says the studio’s director of artistic and student engagement, Ryan Chittaphong, is to be curious – about yourself, other people and the world around you.
“We want our students to leave here living their life in wonder and constantly wanting to be a student of life,” Chittaphong says.
Now, UK and European actors will have the chance to experience that approach closer to home. In March 2027, the Stella Adler Studio team will hold in-person auditions in London for its conservatory and summer programmes in New York and Los Angeles, giving prospective students the chance to meet faculty and audition without first having to travel to the US.
It will also host a workshop in London on 11th March 2027, for actors who want to experience the training first-hand.
“It is always such a rewarding trip to meet prospective students face to face,” says Chittaphong. “We can work with them in the audition. It is a lot more personable than a pre-recorded audition or an audition over Zoom.”
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The “power of imagination” is at the heart of the Stella Adler Studio’s approach to actor training, which encourages students to look beyond their own experiences and draw inspiration from the wider human condition.
“It’s a way of life, honestly,” Chittaphong says. “Part of that is observing and studying human circumstances outside our own.”
‘We want our students to leave here living their life in wonder and constantly wanting to be a student of life’ – Ryan Chittaphong
That outward-looking approach runs through the studio’s full-time conservatory training, where students take classes in voice and speech, movement, acting technique, character, script interpretation, scene study and Shakespeare.
“Our goal is that you feel absolutely equipped with the tools and prepared to work at the top level of film, television and theatre in the New York and Los Angeles markets,” says Chittaphong.
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Training at the Stella Adler Studio means that actors will already be fully immersed in these cities, too. “What better way to train in those markets than to be introduced to other artists and faculty members who are very active in those industries, and establish your roots for relationships that are going to go beyond just the training?” Chittaphong says.
Participants would join a roster of illustrious alumni, from Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando to Chloe Fineman (Saturday Night Live) and Lauren Patten (Tony award winner).
But Chittaphong believes that the purpose of training at Stella Adler extends far beyond fame or career success. “It’s very much a mission-driven studio… that as an actor you are a student of the human condition for the rest of your life and career,” he says.
For anyone in the UK or Europe who finds that philosophy appealing, Chittaphong’s advice is simple: “Come along and audition.”
Chittaphong adds that there is no need to have already decided whether New York or Los Angeles is where you want to build your career. “It doesn’t hurt, you know. We’ll meet you in London. We’ll talk about it. We’ll give you some materials, and then, if you’re offered a spot in the conservatory or in one of our summer intensives, the conversation can continue about whether this is something that could be possible,” Chittaphong says.
For more information, visit: stellaadler.com
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