Instructors

Amber Dupuy

Brian Fahey

Gabriel Folse

His television appearances include Walker Texas Ranger, Gideon Oliver and The Young Riders. His feature film appearances include Miss Congeniality, A Perfect World and Wyatt Earp.

He has also appeared in national and regional commercials and was given the Singular Performance nomination by Robert Fairies, theater critic for the Austin Chronicle, for originating the role of Garland in Ellsworth Schave's A Texas Romance. He has served on the Austin Arts Commission, Theater Panel and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and The American Federation of Television and Radio Announcers.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from the University of Texas at Austin.

Gabriel Folse has taught thousands of students in the course of 20 years. He has taught continually since 1984. Students have been from all walks of life- from business and medical professionals to housewives to full time students.

Gabriel Folse, Acting teacher since 1984, professional actor since 1981. Currently appearing in the film God In the Machine. The production completed shooting in May 2002. Films currently in release and on replay are highlighted on the film website imdb.com.

His background includes study from a variety of film acting methods including Meisner, Stanislavsky, and Charles Conrad, and with a variety of instructors from California, New York, Texas and New Mexico. Gabriel has developed a unique teaching style. This style incorporates experience of 34 years in the martial arts, the study of psychology, philosophy, religion, and real world experience of film, television and stage work. Some of the most appreciated and formative learning came from the University of Texas' own Bob Foshko. Gabriel has had the pleasure of working with and learning from Bob since he first arrived at the RTF Department. And the process continues to this day.

His first film acting teacher was Edward Dmytryk. The classes were held at a school known as "The Austin Community Movie Company." This school was begun as a film specific program which featured classes including lighting, acting, and theory. The theory class was taught by Tom Schatz, another University of Texas teacher and author. After three years of working and studying, that same company asked that Gabriel teach their beginning acting program.

As an interesting note, the first film Gabriel appeared in was a graduate thesis film from the University of Texas at Austin, based upon a Stephen King short story entitled The Children of the Corn. The short film, directed by John Woodward, went on to win the Dramatic Merit Award at the Student Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Several years later the short story was made as a feature film by a major studio.

"I feel it is important to note that if not for my early exposure to the professional manner, courtesy, and gentleness of men like Bob Foshko and Ed Dmytryk, my choice of careers may have been far different. The real world of the film industry is not filled with men like them, and can use more good men at all levels."   - Gabriel Folse

Additional information:
As an actor, Mr. Folse has worked with many top film professionals in many locations from Texas, Arizona, California and New Mexico and with many top directors including Clint Eastwood, Lawrence Kasdan, Oliver Stone and Jon Avildsen. His experience has included work in studios in Los Angeles and western sets on large budget feature films, location shoots on modest movies of the week and guerilla style filmmaking on low budget independents. All of this knowledge from the audition to the rehearsal to the set to post production gives him valuable insight to impart to the students.

In addition to teaching and acting, he has also written and produced and directed several short films and have completed several feature length film scripts.

He has also been a casting assistant to Jo Edna Boldin and has participated in casting films and movies of the week. He worked as her "reader" and was a part of discussions at the first interview stage and later at the callback stage with the directors. This gives his take on the audition process valuable insight, both to the requirements for the actor and also to the tools required, namely headshots and resumes.

Additionally, Gabriel's diverse professional experiences include a year with a comedy improv troupe, and producing and directing commercial marketing videos for local business professionals and for Ballet Austin. He has also worked as a professional headshot photographer for four years. [Video]

Babs George

Ms. George has been nominated numerous times for her work on Austin stages, receiving the Austin Critics Awards, the B. Iden Payne Awards, and the Austin Chronicle's "Best Actor/Actress in Austin" Award and Best Acting Teacher. She has been teaching for 15 years. In addition to teaching at The State Theatre School, she is also an instructor at St. Edward's University's in their Acting Program. "Teaching acting is an individual discovery process," she says. "It really is a journey which keeps me constantly surprised, both as a teacher and as a performer and thus, dedicated to its artistry."

Ms. George teaches from many different perspectives but is personally intrigued by the intuitive responses in the acting environment that seemingly emerge from somewhere deeper than ego, personality and learned behavior. She endeavors to help students open themselves up to that profoundly knowledgeable, creative and inspired response by using physical movement from Ann Bogart's Viewpoints as a springboard, and a method of approaching scene work based on her training with Charles Conrad of CEC Studios in Los Angeles.

Ms. George will be training this year, (2004-2005) in Washington D.C. under the Master Teacher and famed director, Michael Kahn at the Academy of Classical Acting, affiliated with The Shakespeare Theatre and George Washington University. There she will garner an M.F.A. in Acting with comprehensive advanced training in Jacobean and Shakespearean texts. She will return to Austin to resume her position at The State Theatre School of Acting as well as at St. Edward's University.

Carrie Marks

Shana Merlin

Matt Radford

As a Shakespearean, Matt co-adapted, directed and starred in Venus and Adonis for the renowned Citizens’ Theatre in Glasgow, and has taken title/lead roles in Timon of Athens, Titus Andronicus, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet (twice), Macbeth, Twelfth Night, All’s Well That Ends Well, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (twice) and Measure for Measure.

Matt is an associate director of Actors From the London Stage, a company formed by Patrick Stewart, which for the past thirty-five years has toured colleges across America.

He recently directed Much Ado About Nothing for Baker Shakespeare at Rice University in Houston, and was the Director of Text on Love’s Labour’s Lost and Moliere’s The Learned Ladies for the Summer Shakespeare company at Notre Dame, Indiana.

Since 2004, Matt had been enrolled in the Ph.D program in Renaissance Drama in the English Department at the University of Texas, Austin. He teaches upper division Shakespeare through Performance, as well as text workshops for Austin Shakespeare.

Paula Russell

As a member of Actors Equity Association, SAG, and AFTRA for 30 years, Paula acted in theatre, film and television and directed critically well-received theater in Los Angeles at The Cast, The Ensemble Studio Theatre, Actors Playhouse and independent venues. She interned by invitation as director-in-training on “Taxi,” “Cheers,” "WKRP" and Newhart” under James Brooks, James Burroughs, Will McKenzie, Joan Darling and others.

She taught weekend Actor/Director Intensive Seminars: “You Can Never Get It Neat” at UCSB Extension, Monterey City College, Orcas Center Theater, Actors Theatre of Orcas Island, Alleywood Studios, Old Pueblo Players, Tucson, and at venues in Santa Barbara, Tucson, Austin and Hollywood.

She taught acting & on-camera commercial classes at SAG franchised La Belle Agency in Santa Barbara for 3 years, two-year ongoing weekly class for Orcas Center Theatre, annual Six-Week Scene Performance Workshop at Actors Theatre (in 5th year), Directing and acting intensives for Orcas Conservatory, and Theatre at Orcas High School.

She created the syllabus and taught Conflict Resolution Through Theatre Games at elementary schools and to faculties throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.

Paula facilitated the training of law enforcement officers in domestic dispute mediation through filmed improvisation for the Burbank, California Police Department. She has coached political candidates, diplomats, mayors, lawyers & public speakers.

Most recent professional work as an actor includes three SAG commercials in 2006-7, the title role in "Always, Patsy Cline" under an Equity contract and a special appearance in The Vagina Monologues.

Paula has been on stage or back-stage since the age of two. She studied acting with Paul Rebillot, at San Francisco State University, where she had her own radio show, and at The College of Marin before moving to Los Angeles. Her first mentor/teacher there was the late, great Francis Lederer who trained with Eva Le Gallienne and founded the American National Theatre and Academy.

For several years, Paula studied and did plays with Stella Adler and Sandy Meisner teacher, Mary Carver from whom she learned a solid working craft. She was accepted into Sherman Mark’s advanced scene-work master class. Other influences include working-out at Off-the-Wall improvisation group, several years performing Shakespeare at Ellen & Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum, working on Tennessee Williams with Brando’s “Streetcar Named Desire” understudy, actor/coach, Clark Gordon and acting under the direction of his wife, Eve McVeagh, voice: Robert Edwards, Tae Kwon Do: Jun Chong, and Alexander Technique with Pam Hartman.

The fierce, brilliant musical performance teacher, David Craig’s unparalleled work with precision, focus, timing and back-story still influences Paula’s work as a teacher, director, actor and singer.

Commercial workshops with the wonderful Carolyne Barry still influence Paula’s teaching, especially in camera and cold-reading/audition technique.

Whether one has years of experience or is a novice, there is an astonishing gift that Joan Darling offered to artists through a unique combination of deep and playful exercises, analysis, sensory work and philosophy. It’s a privilege to pass this gift on to those who seek a joyful place of disciplined, passionate purpose in which to work, experiment and grow.

David Thompson

David Thompson is considered one of the master storytellers of Texas.   With a dual M.Ed. from Mercer University (Macon, GA) and the University of London (U.K.) in language arts acquisition and open classroom pedagogy plus an MLA in folklore and the oral tradition from St. Edward's University in Austin, TX, David has been inspiring teachers, students, professors, ministers, social workers, et al with the uses of storytelling in their professions.  He is a frequent lecturer and performer in higher education in Central Texas.

David has appeared numerous times on three continents and has told in locales as varied as an oversized drainage pipe (Heidelberg Germany) to street corners (Baltimore, MD) to Red Square in Moscow, Russia.  He sits on the Executive Board of the Tejas Storytelling Association, is one of the founding members of the Central Texas Storytelling Guild, has gold-medaled 4 times at the National Irish Storytelling Competition in Boerne, TX, and has appeared frequently on NPR.

But the true passion is epic storytelling.  His presentation of the first tablet of the ancient Babylonian creation story, the Enuma Elish, has been recorded and is used as standard supplemental audio in classes at St. Edward's.  His many other tellings include Ba'al Builds his Palace (ancient Canaanite epic), The Shahnameh, the Epic of the Kings of Iran (selections), the entire Ulaid cycle of Ireland, Prince Igor's Campaign (Russia), and The Jataka Tales of the Buddha, just to name a few.  At present David and his storytelling partner, Lucinda Wise, are creating a multi-sensory historical storytelling experience centering on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911.  The plans are to present this to the general public March 25, 2011 - the 100th anniversary of the labour disaster.

A long time advocate of storytelling in higher education and with adults, David brings his 35+ years of storytelling expertise to the State School in hopes of training yet another generation of storytellers.  And to quote him, "Storytelling is not memorization; it's embracing the story, stripping it to its bare bones, and re-building word by word each and every time you tell."

M.J. Vandivier