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Meet John Ruskin of Ruskin School of Acting / Ruskin Group Theatre in Santa Monica Airport

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Today we’d like to introduce you to John Ruskin.

John, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder and planned to go to law school. My father was a lawyer, his family were all lawyers and judges, and I thought it was what I wanted to do. I started to study acting and film at the university, and on the day I was supposed to take the LSAT, I woke up and realized that the law was not my passion. I really wanted to pursue acting, so I never went to the test that morning. Instead, I applied and was accepted to the Yale School of Drama’s summer program in Oxford, England. I wasn’t sure what the best path would be from there, so I asked my friend in college to ask her father, the film director, Sydney Pollack, for his advice. He said that I should go find Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City and study with him. He was very clear that in his opinion there was no other choice and, thankfully, I listened to him. I began studying under Sanford Meisner and Richard Pinter in 1984. That experience was one of the most profound of my life and it changed me forever- not just as an actor, but as a person. After being in New York for a few years, I wanted to move to California. Soon after I made the move, I found out that Meisner was taking a few students to study privately in Bequia in the West Indies where he lived when he was not in New York City. During that program, Meisner asked me if I wanted to come back to New York and work as his apprentice and join the acting staff at the Neighborhood Playhouse. I ended up back in New York and spent the next few years with Meisner learning to teach under him. He then encouraged me to start to teach on my own as well in New York and subsequently in Los Angeles. In 1989, I moved again and began to teach in Los Angeles, where I have stayed. After having my school in Santa Monica and teaching here for 14 years, we opened the Ruskin Group Theatre across the street from the school in the Santa Monica Airport. I had always dreamed of having a professional theatre company since starting out in New York. We opened the theatre on February 14, 2003, and had been producing plays there now for 16 years. My wife, Amy, opened the Classes for Young Actors in 2008, introducing the Meisner Technique to the next generation.
The Ruskin School is now heading into its 34th year training actors, and I still love teaching and believe in the brilliance of Meisner’s work more than ever.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As for the school, I have been truly blessed to work with some of the most dedicated and passionate actors I could ever imagine. I have had the great honor to meet and work with some deeply talented actors who have achieved some real success in this business, which is so difficult. The school has grown exponentially over time and the percentage of students who are able to work consistently as actors is higher than ever. I know this is because we teach Sandy Meisner’s technique, and we teach it the way Meisner designed it. Running a non-profit theatre, however, is a labor of love and very tough at times. Right now, we have a strong board of directors and have received many public and private grants that keep us going. Running a non-profit theatre is so much about raising funds to be able to continue. My partner, Mike Myers, is a passionate force in our work together, both in the school and theatre. He has been so dedicated to the arts in his life as a teacher, director, producer and Chair of the Santa Monica Arts Commission for many years. There were plenty of times we both thought we wouldn’t make it, but what we have created has become a true community where some of the finest artists in the business come to work with us. We have run a great deal of outreach programs called “Healing Through the Arts.” We take the actors into Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA and work with, entertain, and teach the patients. We work with Make a Wish and Make a Film Foundations to fulfill patients dreams to do with acting, film making, and theater. We have taken our actors into prisons, retirement homes, hospicecare situations to entertain and spend time. The school and theatre are places where everyone knows you can walk in and find like-minded, kind-hearted, dedicated, talented people. So we keep going!

We’d love to hear more about your business.
The Ruskin School of Acting offers the Meisner Technique program just as it was created and taught by Sanford Meisner. There are only a couple of us left in the country who were authorized by Meisner to teach his work. I protect it and believe in it because it changed my life and I have seen it transform my students both in their work and their lives for over 34 years now. There is nothing I have ever found that so immediately can get you out of your head and in touch with your heart quickly and consistently. And these days more than ever, what the great directors, producers, and casting directors are looking for is authenticity. Audiences want to get lost in the actor’s performance and want to believe what they are seeing is real, not theatrical. In my opinion, there is nothing better to prepare an actor to do that kind of work than the Meisner Technique.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I had a lot of friends, but I always felt different. I felt hyper-sensitive towards others, but I didn’t understand why, so I always hated it in myself. When I saw other kids being mistreated or bullied, I felt so terrible about it, but I realized it didn’t seem to have the same effect on the other kids around me. I always thought something was broken in me that I would feel so deeply, but now I understand and am grateful for my nature. Compassion is required in acting, and I hope it makes me a better teacher, husband, father, and friend. I find most artistic people feel the same way and had a similar experience growing up, so I feel like I’m in good company.

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Image Credit:
Agnes Magyari
Ed Krieger

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