The Actors Ensemble was founded in the early 1980’s by actors Ted Pugh, Fern Sloan and Charles Harper. It is a theater company which holds the art of acting, the actor’s process and the creation of new work as its central themes.
Séamus Maynard
Artistic Director of TAE
Séamus Maynard completed his degree in acting at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama- a vocational, professional acting training, in London. In addition he has developed his own unique approach to the art of acting which incorporates a variety of disciplines most notably an approach formed from working with Rudolf Steiner’s indications on speech and Michael Chekhov’s view of acting as an art. He has taught acting, speech and movement at a number of colleges. As an actor and musician Séamus has worked with Improbable Theatre (London), The Belgian National Theater (Brussels Belgium and Salzburg Austria), Triple Shadow (La Mama NYC), Heads Theater Company (NYC) and The Actors’ Ensemble.
He is the author of A Solo Interrupted (a play), Ascalon (a play, and the book -Parzival A Journey of Initiation.
Ted pugh
Co-founder of TAE
Ted Pugh began his career at the Arena Theater in Washington DC in the early 1960s. Soon after he became a founding member of the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut under the direction of Jon Jory. He has appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in regional theatres in the US. He was trained at the Michael Chekhov Studio in New York City, certified as a teacher by Beatrice Straight and Dierdre du Prey in 1983 and taught at the Studio for the last seven years of its existence. He has taught workshops throughout the US, Europe and Russia, and is currently on the faculty of the Michael Chekhov School in Hudson, NY.
fern sloan
Co-FOunder of TAE
Fern Sloan, an actor for over 40 years, began her career at the Guthrie Theatre, and has performed and taught the Michael Chekhov technique in the US, Canada and Europe. She was certified by the Michael Chekhov Studio in New York City to teach the Michael Chekhov technique and was on its faculty for the last three years of its existence. She was co-director and on the faculty of the Speech and Drama Program of Sunbridge College. Prior to founding The Actors' Ensemble, she played leading roles Off-Broadway and was seen in numerous regional theaters in the US. Fern is on the faculty of the Michael Chekhov School in Hudson, NY.
This is an interview with Ted Pugh and Fern Sloan about the history of the Ensemble, and was created by Ragnar Freidank, film artist, longtime actor and director with TAE, and current Director of the Michael Chekhov School.