Today we’d like to introduce you to John Rosenfeld.
Thanks for sharing your story with us John. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I never imagined myself teaching acting. Since I was a child, I knew that I wanted to be a creative, that was never a question; whether it be writing, acting, directing, I wasn’t sure, but I trusted that if I just followed life I would figure it out, or it would figure itself out for me.
I acted throughout high school and college. I always enjoyed it, but I never felt any type of certainty that acting would be my career. I was fortunate to be cast in many lead roles during those years, but, quite honestly, I was not very good in them. I was good at auditioning, but I never really knew what to do with the rehearsal process. Then, in my senior year of college, I played the role of Antonio in Twelfth Night and, for the first time ever, I had an authentic experience on stage. I was hooked.
That was when I decided to apply for Graduate School. I taught my first class while I was in Grad School for Acting at UNC Chapel Hill. I was only 22 and I was teaching undergraduates — and I found that teaching forced me to actually understand acting and process.
While I enjoyed it, I certainly never thought about teaching as a career. The head of my program sat in one of my classes and pulled me aside afterward to tell me he thought I could be a wonderful teacher. I remember taking it as insult. My insecure reaction was to think, “Are you telling me I shouldn’t act?” But that is exactly what a 22-year-old should think. I had only one ambition which was to be acting. I didn’t think about the money or the hardships– I just wanted to be acting. Anywhere. Anytime.
I really don’t think I would be where I am now if it weren’t for Graduate School. I have a busy brain and idle time is often dangerous for my well-being. But I have great discipline if I am given a structure. I need structure. Without structure I flounder. Grad School forces you to show up every day for 15 hours a day for three years. I LOVED that schedule. It gave me no time to fuck around. We were always either in class, or in rehearsal, or performing. My need for structure and steady creativity ultimately lead me back to teaching. All actors—working or not—have a lot of free time. In 2002, Lesly Kahn asked me to start teaching and coaching as a way to supplement my acting income during my slow periods. Even though I was working as an actor– more than I ever had—I HATED the free time I had. I LOVE to work. Once I agreed to teach, I found that it was the perfect job for me. Everything about it. Teaching, for me, is very similar to acting.
As a teacher—an effective teacher—you have to be truly present. And the goal is to find the “truth” in every moment, by any means necessary. Over the years, I began investing more energy towards teaching than my acting—and eventually—I saw my teaching career take off and my acting career start to slow down. I like the expression, “If you love it, it will eventually love you back.” I was definitely pouring a lot of love into my teaching—not so much with my acting. I was neglecting it. So I often tell my actors, “Don’t be like me unless you want to be sitting on the couch.” Finally, in 2010, I opened my own studio. After taking classes at many different studios and being exposed to many different methodologies, I really wanted to start a place that reflected my values and a certain ethos. I believe in all methodologies and yet have an allegiance to none. Actors often become good students rather than good actors. So they espouse a methodology even if it is not working for them. I wanted to create a place where the method was tailored to the actor, not the other way around.
If I were to sum up my approach to acting, I would say ultimately, acting is about empathy. It’s about asking, “how can I put my feet in the shoes of another being?” In order to do that, I believe you have to know who is standing in your own shoes. So, if you’re an actor, I want you to have a sophisticated understanding of who YOU are. I truly believe if you use acting in the right way, you will become a better person. Every strength and weakness we have reveals itself in our work. Working actors are intrigued by these discoveries.
Once we opened in February of 2010—we have been off and running. We started off with three classes and now we have twenty-six. I have an amazing group of teachers and coaches. And extraordinary office staff. And what I love is that they are not only brilliant—they are amazing humans.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been a fairly smooth road with teaching. If the actors that you work with improve and book big jobs, word will spread. My teachers and myself have a very good aesthetic. When you have good taste and you can teach that to your clients, the business builds itself. We don’t advertise. Also, as long as the core community is solid—more good people gravitate to the studio. I am very proud of the kind of people we attract. Brilliant, talented, diverse, good human beings. And everyone is rooting for each other’s success. That is invaluable.
Please tell us about John Rosenfeld Studios.
We offer Ongoing Classes, Coachings, Audition Tapings, and specialty classes such as Audition Camp, and a month-long Co-Star Workshop. We create a safe, yet challenging environment where actors find their unique voice and avoid wasting time towards their ultimate goal: working. And I believe you do this by CULTIVATING THE CONSTITUTION OF A HAPPY WORKING ACTOR. I think we specialize in being relevant. We are always working on currently casting television and film, and we help you develop a sophisticated comprehension of all genres and text. We work with Multi-Camera Comedy, Single-Cam Comedy, One-Hour Drama and all genres of Film. And, as I have said, we work to find the tools that work for you. Everyone has had a different upbringing; everyone is wired differently. I take great pride in the culture of my studio.
We have the best teachers in the business. And we attract wonderful people. We are trusted in the industry and that is a huge vote of confidence. Also, even though we are big, we are not a factory. I take my role of watching out for each and every actor’s needs quite seriously. We have also developed two additional divisions in our studio: The Youth Program and Actor Salon. JRS YOUTH, as the name suggests, is for the young actors who would be better suited to be amongst their peers. Our clients have been booking shows left and right. ACTOR SALON is an amazing program which helps actors stay accountable to developing the business side of their careers. We help them really voice what they want from their careers and then help them develop a strategy for achieving that.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1140 N Fairfax Ave
West Hollywood, CA 90046 - Website: www.johnrosenfeld.com
- Phone: 323-656-1937
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnrosenfeldstudios/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnrosenfeldstudios/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnRosenfeldy
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/john-rosenfeld-studios-west-hollywood
Image Credit:
Gerard Sandoval for the main photo of John
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