the American Class
The 10 members of Studio Six are graduates of the American Class of the Moscow Art Theater School-Studio, the acting conservatory at the famed Moscow Art Theater (MXAT). This historical class completed the full four-year course of training offered to Russia’s top acting prospects. The school’s curriculum includes concentrated scene-work and exercises in actors’ technique along with intensive training in movement, dance and voice. The students of the American Class were immersed in the theater culture of Moscow, attending premieres and exclusive performances by leading directors and companies from Russia and Eastern Europe. They lived in student housing and learned to speak the language as Moscow became their home for four years.
Through these shared experiences, the group became a tightly-knit ensemble. They formed lasting relationships with teachers and directors, and earned a strong reputation among students and the community of Moscow theater-goers. Throughout their final year of study, the class performed a rotating repertoire of seven plays to full houses in the Student Theater and the New Stage of the Moscow Art Theater. The success of this newly formed ensemble sparked anticipation for the future of this unique group.
STUDIO SIX BEGINNINGS
Studio Six Theater Company was conceived in August 2005 during the Artsland Theater Festival in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This festival brought the graduates of the American Class together with three of Eastern Europe’s most influential contemporary directors: Oskaras Korsunovas (Lithuania), Ivan Popovski (Macedonia), and Kirill Serebrennikov (Russia) to workshop and premiere three new plays in the United States. The shared enthusiasm over the success of the festival, and the desire to expand the reach and breadth of such cultural exchange, gave rise to a new offspring of the Moscow Art Theater. The group was fittingly named “Studio Six” by Anatoly Smeliansky, head of the Moscow Art Theater School, as they are the sixth studio theater born from the Moscow Art Theater since its inception in 1896.
In the fall, following the Artsland festival, Studio Six returned to Moscow for the theater season and staged three productions in collaboration with Russian trained directors, including the Russian premiere of Adam Rapp’s “Finer Noble Gases”. In 2007, Studio Six officially made New York their home. They incorporated, had their non-profit status recognized and made a successful debut in the 2007 NYC International Fringe Festival. Studio Six is building a presence in the New York theater community and forging relationships with other organizations. The next chapter of their story is being written right now.