- Richard S. Scanlon (director; acting coach)
Biography Since leaving the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting, Richard Scanlon has coached for film, television, Broadway and Off Broadway productions including The Sopranos; Law and Order; Barbershop; Chicago and Pack of Lies. As founder, producing director and teacher at the New York Performance Works, his students have gone on to leading roles on television in series such as Flash Forward; The Sleeper Cell; The Sopranos; Their Eyes Were Watching God; The Wire; Star Trek Voyager; Nash Bridges; Dawson's Creek; Pensacola, Wings of Gold, All My Children; Sunset Beach; Home Improvement and The Cosby Show. As director of the New York Performance Alliance, a 501 (c3) theatre company, he has produced and directed off-off Broadway productions including: The Detective Story; As You Like It; Smith, the Musical, A Memory of Two Mondays; The Unseen Hand and Brecht's the Measures Taken. At La Mama he has produced and directed an adaptation of Beowulf, Nightstalkers, and Leir Rex. In the Fall of 2004, He dramatic/directed DAMAGES (a play about priest abuse) at the Hudson Main Stage Theatre in Los Angeles which was nominated for the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. His awards include The Charles Stewart Mott Award; Advertising Age; and The Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. He holds an M.A. degree in Theatre History from Catholic University. He is a member of SAG, AFTRA, ACTORS EQUITY, THE DRAMATISTS GUILD and the SSDC
Coaching Richard Scanlon coaches professional actors for Broadway, Feature Film, Network Television auditions including: pilots, episodic, sit-com and contract daytime roles.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Richard S. Scanlon - Richard began his production career in Washington, D.C. where he established a national award winning program of sponsored children's theatre. After moving to New York, Richard ran the Stella Adler Conservatory for three years working side-by-side with the renowned Stella Adler. He then moved on to become a founding member and Director at New York Performance Works, where he produced over 30 shows in 5 years. He later became director of the New York Performance Alliance, theater company, where he produced productions such as Detective Story, As You Like It, Smith, the Musical, A Memory of Two Mondays, The Unseen Hand, and The Measures Taken. At the iconic La MaMa Experimental Theater Club he produced an adaptation of Beowulf entitled Nightstalkers, and Leir Rex, adapted from King Lear. Richard Scanlon is a recipient of the Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Award, the Charles Stewart Mott Award, and the Advertising Age Award.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Richard Scanlon
- Testimonials:
Jonathan Bennett "Mean Girls", "Dukes of Hazard", "Law and Order"
"Richard was the first acting coach I ever had. I don't know if I would have made it as a professional without his guidance. He made the craft so simple to understand yet added layers to make each character stand out. It's the little Richard "edge" that he adds that gets you the job. After acting professionally, now, for 9 years, I will go back to Richard for help with material because, when something works, stick with it."
Alice Frank "That 70's Show"
"Richard sees more clearly than any director will. When you work with him, the story, the character, the arc of the scene gets downloaded into your DNA and you carry that into the audition room. And, when you do, they are astonished."
Kevin Mc Shane Managing Partner, Fifi Oscard Agency, Inc.
"I've known Richard Scanlon for almost twenty years and during that time I've attended many of his seminars. His insightful teaching methods and his infectious enthusiasm for the work inspire the actors to "go for the gold" every time. I look forward to attending one of his seminars again soon"
Tamara Harvey director Globe Theatre, London / director West End
" Richard Scanlon's teaching is like Richard, himself: warm, sensitive and full of insight, idiom and humor. He, somehow, manages to combine a gentle generosity with a strict and keen eye for the untruthful or uncommitted. His only demand is that you walk into the room with an open heart (and having completed, with dedication, any task set). With that, he can hone your talent, further your skill and deepen your understanding of the art of acting and the rich history of film, television and theatre. You would be hard pushed, anywhere, to find a teacher with a more encyclopedic knowledge of classical theatre, movies (both foreign and U.S.) and television. Partly, thanks to his years of experience; partly, thanks to his natural gift for teaching, he has the ability to see the truth of what you are doing in the moment, but also, what you are capable of doing in the future. I came to him as a nineteen year old, thinking I wanted to act. He pushed me to the best performances I'd ever given and, then, helped me realize that I wanted to be director. Having been, both, his acting student and his directing colleague, in the rehearsal room, I can say, without hesitation, that you could not find a more inspiring or brilliant acting coach on either side of the Atlantic."- IMDb Mini Biography By: Richard Scanlon
- Richard Passed away from complications from a tooth infection in NYC. In Nov. 2020.
- Michael Ealy (Barbershop, Sleeper Cell) and Steve Schirripa (Sopranos, Blue Bloods) were 2 of his students.
- Richard Scanlon was a savant (a learned person, especially a distinguished scientist).
- Richard Scanlon was an acting coach, script consultant and director of production, forever adored by his students.
- Was good friends with Carmen Finestra (Cosby Show, Home Improvement), Jack Handey (Saturday Night Live), Vic Ramos ( Star Wars, The Godfather: Part II, Apocalypse Now, The Black Stallion, American Gigolo Casting Director), and George Roy Hill (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting).
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content