Today we’d like to introduce you to Frank Krueger.
Frank, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m a Jersey boy who moved to LA in 2002. After interning at The Late Show with David Letterman and spending a few years working in television production, I began acting full time in New York City where I trained for two years and graduated from the William Esper’s Studio studying the Meisner Technique.
After the death of my parents in 2002, I moved to Los Angeles and became involved with the Sanford Meisner Center continuing my training and serving as managing director of the theatre company. In LA I acted in dozens of theatre productions as well as directing several others.
In 2004 I was involved in an independent film group, AFG, that developed and produced many awards winning short films. Through that group, I was a producer and star of “MAN VS” a comedy web series that launched in the very early days of YouTube.
I continued to work as an actor in television, digital and independent feature films. I also began to teach and coach acting at a variety of schools in Los Angeles. In 2012, I wrote, produced and starred in the feature film, “20 Feet Below: The Darkness Descending” with Danny Trejo that was distributed around the world.
After teaching for two years at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, I opened my own acting studio, The Annex Acting Studio at The Complex in Hollywood. The main focus of The Annex is to provide a home for provide professional acting instruction and continued artistic growth to actors at an affordable price.
I don’t believe that actors should not have to break the bank to continue to train and grow. To that end, we created a “Pay What You Can” ongoing scene study class so actors can continue to develop their craft without being held up by cost.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A life in the arts is never a smooth road. There are the constant feast and famine of jobs. The struggle to find your place in the business and develop your own voice.
Each new project creates its own set of new challenges from budgets being too low to the constant rejection of auditioning but in my opinion, it has always been through those challenges no matter how hard and insurmountable they may seem that we get stronger and learn the most.
My biggest personal struggle came in 2001 and 2002 when I lost both of my parents to cancer in a very short time. As an only child my world as I knew came crashing down. During that time I had to come to terms with the new normal. It redefined everything and has been shaping my life and my work ever since, But with each bump in the road, there is a chance to find a new way to go, to grow and most importantly to keep moving forward.
Please tell us more about your work.
The Annex Acting Studio specializes in affordable professional acting training. We focus on the individual growth of the actor and their art.
Our main focus is to concentrate on the continued growth of each actor artistically. It is easy especially in Los Angeles to get caught up in the “business” of acting and lose sight of why we do it in the first place. Even though it is important to learn the practical aspects of the business it is even more important to find your own unique voice, to be undeniable. The Annex was developed as a home for actors to become the best they can be.
Our “pay what you can” class takes the financial pressure off of training and allows actors the opportunity to continue to grow regardless of where they may be in their career. It can cost so much money to pursue your dream with headshots, casting websites, etc. We just don’t think acting should be only for someone who can pay thousands of dollars for classes. We want training and growth to be accessible and affordable for everyone.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory growing up was going to the movies every Sunday with my parents. We went to church, had lunch with Aunt Laura, who was like my grandmother and went to the movies. Every Sunday.
If there was nothing new out, we saw something over again and sometimes we stayed to watch it twice. This is where I discovered Star Wars, Indiana Jones, The Karate Kid (the original), all of the stories that shaped who I became. I can’t remember ever missing a Sunday at the movies together. It was our thing.
Pricing:
- “Pay What You Can” – ongoing scene study class
- Meisner Foundation Intensive – $150 per month
- On Camera Audition Technique – $150 per month
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theannexactingstudio.com
- Phone: (310)210-5626
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @theannexas
- Facebook: facebook.com/theannexas
Image Credit:
John Kiefer, Jessica Heath
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
