McKeesport, PA Theater Acting Lessons

I've been teaching Theatre Acting for over two years. I specialize in Cold-Reading Techniques, Stage Vocal Exercises and Preparation, and Stage Presence Cultivation. My methods will help you tap into your inner stage actor and realize your potential!

Every actor has their own strengths and weaknesses. It is my goal to pull out strengths, develop, and help achieve a natural and realistic performance. From the audition to the final performance, my actors are ready for anything that is thrown at them.

​Becoming successful depends on your definition of success. It could be professional theatre, film and television, ​community theatre, school plays, or just to gain confidence in yourself. Whatever your path to success is, it’s all about using your strengths to help connect to each and every role you play. This is our focus, your strengths to achieve naturalism and realism.

No matter what your goals are, I am focused on helping you find the best possible path towards your version of success. Every road is different and that’s what makes every actors story so interesting.

As an Actor, Director, Teacher, Speech Coach and Technical Director I have learned Stage Performance from many perspectives. Let me help you discover the best Actor you can be!

It takes someone with nerves of steel to perform a monologue or an intense dramatic scene in front a paying audience. You will need to do more than just memorize words on a piece of paper. Learn how to connect your mind and body when it comes to working on a theatrical production. It takes longevity and respect for the craft to go through a full rehearsal process as well as a full run of a show. No one technique is right or wrong which is why we will work on a variety of them to discover what is best for you!

The objective in this class is to awaken the imagination, emotion, and intellect of the student by introducing the transforming power and universality of theatre and the skills required to be vulnerable on stage. We will discuss Character development, the “who, what, why, where, when and how” of each scene, and ultimately learn how to develop the ability to use our body, mind, and experiences to create characters and tell a story

I've been a Professor of Acting/Directing for over thirty years. I've taught at a small liberal arts college in Vermont and in a professional training program in Las Vegas. I coach actors to personalize material and to create bold, innovative choices in a fun, supportive environment. I was recently awarded the Gold Medallion for extraordinary contributions in Teaching and Producing Theatre by the Kennedy Center. “ . . . It is the most prestigious award given by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival and is considered one of the great honors of theatre education.” Eight Gold Medallions are awarded nationally each year by The Kennedy Center. I know that we'll have a great time as we explore your potential as a working artist!

I specialize in Shakespeare and Classical Theatre by using the text as an acting script, not a literary document. Using the language and the cues within the text, I present a practical approach that erases the fear and give a set of keys that can be used in any play.

With 25 years of experience as a leading actor in television and film, award winning actor Ernie Grunwald offers private training and audition coaching for actors of all levels of experience. Applying various techniques, Ernie offers personal, performance and audition coaching, enhancing the actor's understanding of various aspects of the craft and on set experience. Sessions are offered via Skype or in your home if within the service area. Each session is catered to the individual actor, with an emphasis on preparing audition pieces, scene study, vocal and physical techniques, and boosting the performer's confidence. A variety of monologues and scenes for study are available to the actor prior to each meeting.

Teaching came to me through the recommendations of my own acting teachers. When I followed their advice I found that I could really connect and communicate with my students with the same clarity and communication that I had with other actors. I found that I could really assess and convey to them what they needed to really crystallize both their experience and delivery of a given character and/ or scene, and in such a way that they REALLY enjoy the process! Together we take them on a journey of enhanced self-discovery and delivery. My lifetime in the performing arts, close to 20 years of professional acting (on both coasts), years of intensive study with some of the true greats (Gary Austin, Dave Razowsky, Barbara Niven, Terry Schreiber, Wenndy Mackenzie, Jeffrey Sweet, Carol Fox Prescott, and others), and experience directing, casting, and producing in Los Angeles all inform the process we engage. I'm proud to say that many of my students have exclaimed that my class was the best, or ...