User:ActingActor/sandbox

Early Life
Peter Frisch was born on August 24, 1944 and raised in the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx. At the early age of five years old, his mother, Violet, began taking Peter to a variety of theater and dance performances in Manhattan. When a teenager, Violet often skipped school to work at Astoria Studios doing extra work, and was later known as a regular at the famous Russian Tea Room on 57th Street during its heyday. Peter fondly remembers her story of her Ziegfeld Follies friends and of Salvador Dali, who habitually greeted her with kisses from her hand all the way up to her shoulder. On a less glamorous note, Peter’s father, Sidney, was a dress contractor with a factory in the Bronx.

Peter began his education at P.S. 108 elementary, then went on to the Barnard School for Boys from 7th-12th grade. As an eighth grader, Peter managed to get the lead in the high school play, the stage adaptation of Melville’s Billy Budd. Transformed by that experience, Peter, only 13 at the time, studied that summer in the teen program at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. At the age of 14, Peter was accepted into adult classes at the Circle-in-the-Square (downtown) where he studied with Allan Miller. At ages of 15 and 16 he joined the apprentice program at the Berkshire Playhouse (now Berkshire Theatre Festival), where he played seven roles in two summers. As a sophomore in high school he was asked to play the title role in Sophocles’ Philoctetes. Peter considers this the defining moment when he knew that being in the world of theatre was what he would do for the rest of his life. At age 17 Peter was accepted into the highly competitive acting program at Carnegie Tech (later Carnegie Mellon) but already feeling the pull of the directing craft, he decided to attend Western Reserve University instead (later Carnegie Mellon) to pursue a much broader degree in Humanities. While at Western Reserve, and in addition to his theatre work, Peter studied classical music including advanced theory, composition, conducting, woodwinds, etc. He also continued his piano studies and learned the oboe with Elden Gatwood of the Cleveland Orchestra. He had the good fortune to sing with Robert Shaw, an early idol, during his Junior and Senior years. In his senior year he also founded a theatre company that played various venues around Cleveland. After his time at Western Reserve, he stuck to his original plan to go back to Carnegie Mellon, where he received his MFA in directing in 1969.

Teaching
Peter's contributions of script analysis through his Trinity (Intention, Why and Obstacle), the transformation of the Trinity into the Emotional Preparation, the concept of creating Projections for emotional homework from the alpha level of consciousness, and the notion of “Dirty Acting” emerged from years of experimentation in the studio and the classroom.

Directing
Peter has directed 160 productions of classic, contemporary and new plays, opera, cabaret and film. Some the most notable were Chekhov’s The Three Sisters, Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte, Arnold Wesker’s The Kitchen, Love’s Labours Lost, J.B. Priestley’s Time and the Conways, American Dreams, his own adaptation of the Studs Terkel bestseller, Elmer Rice’s expressionistic The Adding Machine, and most importantly Henrik Ibsen's "Peer Gynt", which played at Harvard’s Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge. As a network television producer, Peter produced Fox Broadcasting’s Tribes and The Young and the Restless for CBS television. As a director of short film he also achieved some notoriety including a “Best of the Fest” award at the Seattle Film Festival for the macabre comedy Deadication.

Overview and Bio
● Eight years as Executive Director of historic, 1,552-seat Granada Theatre (2002-2010), including oversight of the $60 million design and renovation, staffing, programming, and theatre operations ● Six years as Head of Drama, The School of Drama, Carnegie Mellon University at the rank of Professor including the design./build oversight of the $36.5 million Purnell Center for the Arts. ● Artistic and Producing Director of two Equity theatres responsible for all artistic and management areas ● Over twenty years teaching and directing in top conservatory drama programs including Juilliard, Carnegie Mellon, Harvard, Cal Arts, and Boston University ● Directed 160 productions in the New York, regional, and university theatre including a full range of classic and contemporary plays, musicals and opera ● He received his M.F.A. in stage direction from Carnegie Mellon.

As a nationally recognized teacher and coach, Peter has held faculty posts at Carnegie, The Juilliard School, Harvard University, Boston University, Cal Arts, and UCLA. He has taught and coached professional actors and directors in New York and Los Angeles over the last thirty years. Prior to coming to Santa Barbara, Mr. Frisch served as Producer on The Young and the Restless for CBS-TV. He came to the show directly from Pittsburgh and a six-year stint as Head of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University's prestigious School of Drama where he also taught and directed for the mainstage. Moonlighting, he also directed seventeen events for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, working with musicians such as Mariss Jansons, Marvin Hamlisch and Rolando Villazon. During the past 35 years, Peter has directed over 160 productions in the New York and regional theatre, including a full range of classic and contemporary plays, cabaret and opera. He has been Producing Director of the Hyde Park Festival Theatre (NY), Resident Director with the Berkshire Theatre Festival and Artistic Director of American Playwrights Theatre in Washington, D.C. Peter received a Joseph Jefferson Award for the Chicago premiere of American Dreams (co-authored with Studs Terkel) and the Outer Circle Award for My Papa's Wine on New York's Theatre Row. At American Playwrights Theatre, his collaboration with Larry L. King led to a 1988 Helen Hayes Award for The Night Hank Williams Died. Also at APT, he won an inaugural Kennedy Center/American Express Grant for his production of Speaking In Tongues, about controversial film director Pier Paolo Pasolini. Previously in Los Angeles, Peter served as a Producer on Fox Network's Tribes. Single camera direction includes the macabre comedy Deadication, winner of a "Best of the Fest" Award at the Seattle Film Festival. Mr. Frisch has been a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Fulbright Awards and served as a board member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation. He is an enthusiastic amateur musician and has been published in a variety of journals from Stereo Review to The Washington Report on Middle Eastern Affairs.

Education and Training
M. F. A. in Stage Direction from Carnegie-Mellon University - Carnegie Scholar and Heinz Fellow, Carnegie-Mellon University (additional grad scene design class from Columbia Univ.)

B. A. in Humanities from Case-Western Reserve University Teen training and performance: acting classes at Stella Adler Studio, Circle-in-the- Square, American Academy of Dramatic Arts and four years summer stock as an actor at Berkshire Theatre Festival, New London Barn Players

UCLA Extension, classes and seminars in film production, post-production techniques and computer- generated special effects

Two years daily observation on sit-coms, soaps, episodics and feature films with directors, producers, cinematographers and camera coordinators

Extensive music education includes Theory, Woodwinds, Composition and Conducting at Case-Western Reserve and The Cleveland Institute of Music; instruments include piano (10 years), oboe, and cello; baritone, sang with University Circle Choir, Westchester Chamber Choir and with Robert Shaw

Awards and Honors
2008 Citizen of the Year, Santa Barbara Downtown Organization (for The Granada)

1999-2001 Chair, External Review, Univ. of Washington at Seattle Theatre Program, Middlebury College Theatre, VT., and Miami University, Ohio

1997 Elected to the National Theatre Conference

1995-97 Panelist, Fulbright International Study Awards - Drama Finals 1. Seattle Film Festival “Best of the Fest” Award for the film short Deadication – Director

1988 Helen Hayes Award for The Night Hank Williams Died Produced and Directed at American Playwrights Theatre

1987-89 National Endowment for the Arts, Panelist and Reviewer for Professional Playwriting Division

1987 American Express/Kennedy Center Award for production of Speaking in Tongues Produced and Directed at American Playwrights Theatre

1986 The Joseph Jefferson Award (Best Ensemble) for American Dreams (Terkel-Frisch), directed at Victory Gardens, Chicago

1984-86 Member, Board of Directors, Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation 1. Joseph Jefferson Award for American Dreams (Frisch-Terkel) at the Victory Gardens Theatre, Chicago

1985 Outer Critic’s Circle Award Nomination for My Papa’s Wine at the South Street Theatre, Theatre Row,

1971 Outstanding Faculty Member Award (“Student Chair”) New College, Sarasota, Florida

1966-69 Carnegie Scholar and Heinz Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University

Recognizable talents taught, coached or directed include:
Albert Brooks, Laura San Giacomo, Julianne Moore, Michael Chiklis, David Ogden Stiers, Denyce Graves, Keir Dullea, Susan Lucci, Michael Tucker, Jill Eikenberry, Orson Bean, Judith Light, Grant Shaud, Kim Hunter, Andrea McArdle, Elizabeth McGovern, Lolita Davidovich, and many others

"He taught more than any other teacher I had . . . is responsible for creating the kind of actor I am today. He taught me how to truly take risks in my work, invest authentically in my characters, and expect nothing but professionalism from myself and my colleagues. Peter’s standards were high and exacting, and as a student, I was thrilled to be held to them. It was the first time I had been treated like an actor, not just as a student. The method that Peter taught is still one that I use today – he gave me the tools to access, emotionally and intellectually, very dense material. He allowed me to see that with every character, every piece there is always a way that is deeper and truer than you first imagine.” - Julianne Moore