Schreiber, Terry 1937–

PERSONAL:

Born March 7, 1937, in Winona, MN; son of Walter Milton (a barber) and Verona Anna Emma (a homemaker) Schreiber; married Sally Dunn; children: Katherine Elaine. Ethnicity: ‘Caucasian.’ Education: Attended University of St. Thomas. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Protestant.

ADDRESSES:

Home—New York, NY. Office—T. Schreiber Studio, 151 W. 26th St., New York, NY 10001. Agent—Carolyn French, Fifi Oscard Agency, 110 W. 40th St., New York, NY 10019.

CAREER:

T. Schreiber Studio, New York, NY, owner, artistic director, and teacher 1969—. Director of Broadway, off-Broadway, regional, and foreign productions; teacher of acting classes throughout the world. Military service: U.S. Navy, Air Rescue, 1954-60.

MEMBER:

Actors' Equity Association, Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.

WRITINGS:

Acting: Advanced Techniques for the Actor, Director, and Teacher, Allworth Press (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

Terry Schreiber told CA: ‘My primary motivation for writing my first book was to put on paper and authenticate what I've been teaching since 1969, my approach to good acting, and what it takes through body, spirit, solid technique work, scene and script analysis for an actor to realize the craft. I wrote also for those who study with me and, in a lighter vein, because I'm tired of explaining the exercises over and over to new students.

"Influences on my work have come from people I studied with as an actor; namely, Michael Howard as an acting teacher and Harold Clurman for directing. Other influences have been Lee Strasberg, Sanford Meisner, and Stella Adler. These people have opened the door for me and my belief that as an actor one can work from the inside out (Strasberg) and on the creative ‘as if’ (Meisner, Adler, Robert Lewis). Ultimately an actor will most likely create from both schools of thought. Watching writer Elia Kazan's work gave me an appreciation of ‘heightened actions.’ Continuing to go to the theater and to read plays and biographies of playwrights, actors, and directors have also influenced me a great deal.

"I have been in love with the theater all of my adult life, and my pursuit of what I think makes good acting continues to be a lifelong process of learning. I love working with actors—most of them, at any rate—and I hope I will be able to continue to help them with their craft and their careers. To be on my end as a teacher and suddenly see the actor apply the tools to break open a role is a reward beyond description. The one fundamental goal of my book was clarity, and the search for it is in my writing. Time will tell how successful I've been."