FACULTY Directory

With a passion for the performing arts and a devotion to developing and inspiring new talent, there is no better person to creatively and artistically lead AMDA than David Martin. As a producer, director, actor and teacher, Martin has done it all, from staging New York, London and regional productions of Shakespeare, Chekhov, Ibsen and Wilde, to producing numerous television shows with actors John Houseman, James Earl Jones, Edward Herrmann and Sam Waterson, to gala events such as Broadway Plays Washington at the Kennedy Center featuring Beatrice Arthur, Pearl Bailey, Ellen Burstyn and Debbie Reynolds. In his early days at AMDA, Martin produced and directed many critically acclaimed fundraising productions that helped establish the school’s reputation as a world-class performing arts conservatory, includingSing Happy, a tribute to John Kander and Fred Ebb starring Liza Minnelli, Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera; You’re the Top, a tribute to Cole Porter featuring Kevin Kline, Dick Cavett and Lucie Arnaz; and Hey, Look Me Over, a tribute to Cy Coleman starring Neil Simon, Imogene Coca and Mel Torme. Then, in the late 1970s, AMDA founder Philip H. Burton passed the torch on to Martin, who took over as Artistic Director. In the three decades since, Martin has overseen significant expansion, transforming the school into a thriving, fully accredited institution with campuses in both New York and Los Angeles.

Acting, Directing, Scene Study and Audition Technique.  London West End Theatre Credits; Mother Courage and her Children,  The Power Book at The Royal National Theatre starring Fiona Shaw and directed by Deborah Warner (CBE) Julius Caesar- West End and International Tour- Directed By Deborah Warner (CBE) Staring Ralph Fiennes and Fiona Shaw. Troilus and Cressida- West End and International tour for Cheek by Jowl, Directed by Declan Donnellan.   Mother Claps Molly House- The Royal National Theatre and West End Transfer- Aldwych Theatre-Directed by Nicholas Hytner. Lady Salsa-  The New London Theatre. You Can’t Take It With You- Southwark Playhouse.  Other Theatre (UK): Baghdad Othello-The Tricycle Theatre, Lettuce and Loveage-Birmingham Alexander Theatre, Glow, Theater Centre-National Tour,  The Wedding Dance- Bolton Octagon-National Tour. Macbeth and The Tempest-Edinburgh Festival. Theatre (US): Follow-  The Company of Angels Theatre Co. (LA).  Television: “Oscar Charlie”, “Murder in Mind”, “Down To Earth”, “Holby City”, “The Inspector Lynley Mysteries”, “The A-Z Of Politics”, “The Message, New Street Law”, and “EastEnders” - all exclusively for the BBC.  Film: “10/34”(Sussed Productions),“Plato’s Breaking Point” (Robark Pictures), “Virtuality” (Burnt Orange Productions), Psychi (Icontact Films), “Trace” (Kuruji Films).  Film (US): “Room 712” (Title01 Productions), “Snow” (USC Productions, LA).  Directing Experience: Shakespeare Project 2010 AMDA (LA), Henry IV Part 1, The Winters Tale, Faith Hope and Charity 2009 Birmingham Theatre School (UK).  Assistant Director- 2009 (Graduation Show) Birmingham Theatre School (UK).  Premiere and the first drama school in the world to perform the epic 7 hour Russian masterpiece as listed on Wikipedia.

Acting, Los Angeles
Jen is a cross-disciplinary director, teacher and speaker. She draws from acting techniques, yoga, energy work, vocal exercises, storytelling, teambuilding, and creative movement to help people connect to their unique and powerful personal expression. Performance/Production Credits: Los Angeles Directing Credits: Resident Director at Santa Monica Rep, directing credits include How I Learned to Drive, The Tempest!, Rubber Room, The Learned Ladies. Chalk Rep- Hell Money, The Science Hippie’s Lament, Ellie’s Third Eye and the Death of Dreams, Department of the Interior. Theatricum Botanicum and L.A. Playwrights Union- regular director for New Play Development Programs. Rogue Machine Theatre- Kopros. Los Angeles Natural History Museum in collaboration with the Jim Henson Creature Shop- Dinosaur Encounters, Ice Age Encounters.Regional Directing Credits: Trinity Repertory Summer Shakespeare- The Tempest. The Gamm- The Weir.Numerous Academic Productions at Brown University, Clark University, and Providence College.Acting Credits include: Film: History with Holly (series of shorts as title character), Evil Genius Productions. Theatre: The Gamm, Red Noses. Elemental Theatre: The Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. Company Member for Living Literature and Elemental Theatre, 2001-2006.  Hosting: SHINE storytelling 2012 to present, LA Natural History Museum 2008-2011, Rock Yoga and Yoga in the Car (Live Events and CD series), 2008-2010. Teaching Experience: Improvisation, Introduction to Theatre, Yoga and Movement Consultant for the Theatre Department, Providence College. Acting Technique, Scene Study, Improvisation, Voice & Speech, Period Styles, Introduction to the Theatre, Yoga and Movement Consultant for the Theatre Department, Rhode Island College. Cross-disciplinary curriculum development and core teacher for Yoga and Acting, Theatre Dojo. Scene Study, Perishable Theatre.Private Teaching: Audition coach, Scene Study, and Yoga since 2006.Guest Artist and/or Workshop Presenter at Santa Monica Rep, Director’s Lab West, American Jewish University, UCSB, USC, UCLArts and Healing Initiative.ARC Grant Recipient for Directing- 2010

Writer, director, coach. Creator and writer of the soon-to-be-released short film ALTER-EGO, a New Kind of Superhero. Winner of the New Noises Playwriting Award and finalist in the Palm Springs International Playwriting Festival for the drama A Place at Forest Lawn, which received its world premiere at the Arvada Center for the Humanities in Colorado, where it garnered rave reviews. The play has since been published by Dramatists Play Service. Writer, producer and director of the short film Third Strike. Directed extensively for the New York and Los Angeles stages and continues to coach professional actors, directors and writers in all disciplines. Acting consultant on Exposure, directed by Academy Award–nominated Walter Salles, Jr.; Disney’s The Jungle Book; and the recently released Lucky 13, as well as numerous other film and television projects. Performed on Broadway, off-Broadway and in national tours. Teaching credits include the Nina Foch Studio, Hollywood Way Studios and the USC School of Cinema-Television in the directing and writing programs.

A native of Virginia, Anne has acted professionally with many regional theater companies on both the east and west coasts, holding major and ensemble roles in contemporary and classical plays and musicals. She is also a trained vocalist specializing in jazz standards and classic Broadway repertoire. Favorite Roles: Ophelia in Hamlet(Temple Theatre, NC); Laertes in another, non-traditional production of Hamlet(Barter Theatre, VA); Actress 3 in The Dining Room(Centre Stage SC); Vera and The Ghost of Emily Dickinson in The Psychic Life of Savages(Los Angeles Theatre Center/Savage Players); Elena and Natalya in The Bear and The Proposal  (Savage Players, Los Angeles); Aoede in Mythical Playground(Broad Stage, Santa Monica); The Dead Woman in The Dead Womanworkshop (The Vagrancy, Los Angeles); Beth March in Little Women, The Musical(Temple Theatre); Anya in The Cherry Orchard, dir. Mel Shapiro (UCLA Little Theatre); Marian Paroo in The Music Man(Actors Repertory Theater of Simi, CA); Judy/Mrs. 3 in The Adding Machine, dir. J. Ed Araiza of SITI Company (Freud Theatre, UCLA); and Beverly in Is There Life After High School? The Musical(Los Angeles Theatre Center). Teaching Experience: Anne is passionate about teaching, as well as acting. She began her theatrical career by participating in two regional tours of educational theater pieces (with The Barter Players and Hampstead Stage Company), performing for packed cafegymnatoriums from New Hampshire to Texas and leading daily talkbacks and drama workshops with elementary, middle, high school, and college students. Shortly thereafter, Anne completed an educational theater internship at Flat Rock Playhouse (NC) and did additional teaching/outreach work with South Carolina Children's Theatre before becoming an undergraduate acting instructor, first at UCLA, and then at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in Los Angeles. Although she most loves teaching college-aged students, Anne remains actively involved in youth arts education and outreach programs: she recently taught with Discovery OnStage in Burbank and is also a founding member and Education Partner with ActOut!, a theater outreach program run by the Los Angeles-based theater company, The Vagrancy: http://thevagrancy.com/act-out/. Publishing credits: In her spare time, Anne writes poetry. Most recently, her poems have been published by Illuminations: An International Journal of Contemporary Writing; 491 Magazine; Word Riot; The Medulla Review; Spillway Magazine; Constellations: A Journal of Poetry and Fiction; and WomenArts Quarterly Journal. Since writing, directing, and acting in April Snow on Hokie Stone(a thesis project based on the lives and activism of survivors of the 2007 Virginia Tech Massacre), Anne continues to be interested in developing original, poetry-based performance pieces.

Director, producer, story consultant. Creative consultant on award-winning feature film Kissing Jessica Stein. Director, New York and LA workshops of Kissing Jessica Stein. Other film credits as director/producer include the recently wrapped Remember (shot on location in Puerto Rico), Making Putzel, Scenes from Polite Society and The Suzy Prophecy. He was the co-creator and director of Off the Page for HBO and the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. New York and regional theatre credits include Black Wannabe, Talk Radio, In Fireworks Lie Secret Codes, Acapulco, Worker Bee, All Men Are Whores, Seven Pages Unsigned, Laughter on the 23^rd Floor andCrossing Delancey. Assistant director to world premiere of David Mamet’s No One Will Be Immune and New York premiere of Arthur Miller’s Elegy for a Lady. He has worked to develop and present new work of playwrights including David Mamet, Arthur Miller , Stephen Adly Guirgis, Christopher Shinn and Adam Rapp. Upcoming films as director: Family Plot and the feature film Putzel, executive-produced by Mary Jane Skalski (The Station Agent, The Visitor).  He is represented by the Gersh Agency.

Theatre credits: The Pearl Theatre Company at City Center: The Philanderer, The Bald Soprano, Romersholm, Misalliance, The Subject Was Roses, Richard III, The Master Builder, Angel Street, The Gentleman Dancing Master, Heartbreak House, I Have Been Here Before, The Oresteia, The Country Wife, The Cherry Orchard and others; Keen Company: The Dining Room (Drama Desk Award), In The Matter Of J. Robert Oppenheimer; The New Group: Sin: A Cardinal Deposed (Obie Award); Lincoln Center Theatre Company: The Tenth Man; CSC: The Scarlet Letter. Film: Mr. Bear, Duplicity, Blood and Wine, Seabiscuit, Daylight. TV: Boardwalk Empire (HBO), Law & Order: CI (USA), Ed (NBC), The Prosecutors, Pete & Pete and all NY soaps. Acting instructor: Notre Dame, University of Washington, Pearl Theatre Company, private coaching.