Fabiana Medici is a former acting coach for the Teatro Vittorio resident company in Rome.

She is an actress and acting coach training actors and directors with different cultural backgrounds worldwide, including Rome and Buenos Aires.

Fabiana trained extensively with Susan Peretz and Dominique de Fazio. She trained in the Strasberg Technique with Charles Laughton and Geraldine Baron. She has trained at length in Ashtanga Yoga and theatrical acrobatics both in Los Angeles and Rome.

In addition, Fabiana specializes in in teaching children and teens. A published writer, Fabiana has penned Un Cuento Con Luna and Arturo (children's fiction).

She says about her work, "When I train actors, my goal is to lead them in building their confidence and guide them to gradually develop their own methodology of work, in an open, non-judgemental environment."

Jonathan Kraut is an experienced educator, former college professor and college dean.

He has developed new curriculum and learning systems with over 15 institutions and colleges, including UCLA. His expertise in accreditation, strategic planning and school operations, adds an academic perspective to the Conservatory.

Finding ways to support education, Jonathan actively serves our community through his local Chamber of Commerce, the Santa Clarita Valley Human Relations Forum, the Public Law council, and recently returned from rebuilding a school in Tsunami devastated Sri Lanka.

His undergraduate degree in Political Science is from UCLA and he holds an MBA from Pepperdine University

Mark Travis, a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and a former creative consultant to film director Mark Rydell, his highly praised work on A Bronx Tale, Survival of the Heart, Undressing New Jersey, Once A Man Twice A Boy, Wings, The Coming of Stork, Equus, the improvisational Linke vs. Redfield, and Verdigris have garnered a total of twenty-eight Drama-Logue, L.A. Weekly and Drama Critics’ Circle awards.

Mark’s television directing credits include The Facts of Life, Family Ties, Capitol and the Emmy Award-winning PBS dramatic special, Blind Tom: The Thomas Bethune Story. In 1990 he completed his first film, Going Under, for Warner Bros., starring Bill Pullman and Ned Beatty. In 1999 he directed the documentary, Earlet and in 2001 he wrote and directed The Baritones (a parody of The Sopranos). He is scheduled to direct Jeremy and the Aunties (based on his own script) in the summer of 2007 for Kevin Lee Filmproduktions in Munich.

Since 1992 Mark has been sharing his techniques on writing, acting and directing worldwide including Germany, England, France, Netherlands, Poland, Ukraine, Brazil and Japan.

With his partner, Frederick Johntz, Mark has served as a Creative Consultant on several feature films including: Men of Honor; Barbershop; Barbershop 2; The Day Reagan Was Shot; Norma Jean, Jack and Me; The Last Run; Tournament of Dreams, Del Rio and television episodes of: Lois and Clark; The Pretender; Picket Fences, 90210, Melrose Place; Strong Medicine; NYPD Blue; The Practice and Ally MacBeal.

Mark is the author of the Number-One Best Seller (L.A. Times), THE DIRECTOR’S JOURNEY: the Creative Collaboration between Directors, Writers and Actors. His second book on directing, DIRECTING FEATURE FILMS (published in April of 2002) is currently used as required text in film schools worldwide. He is currently writing his third book LifeStories: the Art and Craft of Autobiographical Storytelling.

 

Acclaimed as "the guru of all screen writers" (CNN), Syd Field is regarded by many Hollywood professionals to be the leading authority in the art and craft of screenwriting in the world today. The Hollywood Reporter calls him "the most sought-after screenwriting teacher in the world."

His internationally acclaimed best-selling books Screenplay, The Screenwriter's Workbook, and The screenwriter's Problem Solver have established themselves as the "bibles" of the film industry. They are used in more than 395 colleges and universities and have been translated into 19 languages.

Field chaired the Academic Liaison Committee at The Writer's Guild of America, West, is currently on faculty at the USC Master's of Professional Writing Program, has taught at Harvard, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, the AFI and many other noted institutions. He has been a special script consultant to 20th Century Fox, the Disney Studios, Universal and Tristar Pictures.

He is a creative screenwriting consultant to the governments of Austria, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Norway, and has collaborated with such noted filmmakers as Alphonso Cuaron (Y Tu Mama Tambien), James L. Brooks (Broadcast News, As Good As It Gets), Luis Mandoki (When A Man Loves A Woman), Roland Joffe (The Killing Fields, The Mission), and Tony Kaye (American History X).

By special invitation of the Ministries of Culture, Field has taught screenwriting workshops in Buenos Aires, Brussels, Berlin, Frankfurt, London, Mexico City, Munich, Oslo, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Vienna, Zurich, and Johannesburg, South Africa. He has conducted workshops for the Canadian Film Industry in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Edmonton, was the keynote speaker at the International Film Festivals in Berlin, Rio de Janeiro and Oslo, Norway, and the President of the International Film Jury at the 1998 Flanders International Film Festival, Ghent, Belgium. Field is also a special consultant to the Film Preservation Project for the famed Getty Center and was the first inductee into the prestigious Screenwriting Hall of Fame of the American Screenwriting Association.

Syd has taught at the Promenade Conservatory for two years. More on Syd Field can be found on his website at www.sydfield.com

Fabio Serafini was born in Italy and raised in England and Germany.

After working at The Munich English Theatre for three years, Fabio moved to Ashland, Oregon to pursue his BFA in Acting at Southern Oregon University. After completing his degree at SOU and taking a year off to play in a band, Fabio moved to Champaign-Urbana, Illinois to pursue his MFA in Acting at the University of Illinois. It was there that he had the opportunity to study with Daniel Sullivan.

After completing his degree, Fabio moved to Los Angeles and started working as a casting assistant with Mary Jo Slater at Slater/Brooksbank casting.

He has also recently co-starred on ABC'S "Alias" and the 20th Century Fox Feature "Garfield".

On stage Fabio has recently appeared in The Zoo Story, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Glass Menagerie, Romeo and Juliet and The Wool Gatherer.

Fabio has been teaching On-Camera classes at The Promenade Acting Acting Conservatory for the past 3 years.

 

Frederick has taught Film Directing at UCLA Extension, AFI’s Professional Training Program and the Film Farm in Kotla Poland. Frederick's film directing credits include the award winning short film Toast (CINE Golden Eagle), the concert video Talking Loud with Jim Carroll and Ray Manzarek; and Down the Pike. His theatre directing credits include Wonder in Aliceland, Birthday Girl, Ecstasy & the Ice Queen; Strange Voyage; The Harmfulness of Tobacco; and Dark Hours to name a few.

Jake O'Flaherty has booked over 100 commercials to date as well as voiceover and Television shows such as "CSI:NY", "King of Queens", "Grounded for LIfe" etc. Jake has been teaching at the Promenade Conservatory for 8 years, and teaches commercial as well as Improv classes. Jake has a new DVD coming soon called "A-Z Everything You Need To Break Into Commercials".

Watch Jake's FILM REEL of his bookings.

Jake looks forward to sharing his day to day experiences and knowledge with you.

Bruce Hermann studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York with Sanford Meisner, one of the most acknowledged master teachers of acting. His unwavering involvement in the entertainment industry, as well as his experience, provide students with much more than the “printed text” ever could. From his multi-dimensional classroom teaching to his work with individuals as a private acting coach, it is Bruce’s complete commitment to his student’s success that sets him apart from other instructors.

Bruce has been a faculty member at Ohio State, and actively participates as a professional actor and director on both local and national levels.

Natalia Lazarus
(SAG, AFTRA, AEA)
Artistic Director of the Promenade Playhouse.

Ms. Lazarus is a graduate of the Sorbonne University in Paris, France, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and the Film Program at New York University. She studied screenwriting under the legendary Syd Field for six years. He has named her his "docent" (star pupil) and is the only person in the world authorized to teach his trademark technique. She also studied extensively under Frederick Johntz and Mark Travis, the art of creating the One Person Show. Ms. Lazarus is now at the helm of the Promenade Playhouse and its subsidiaries: Promenade Acting Conservatory and Third Street Comedy. She has directed numerous theatrical productions ranging from Porno Stars at Home by Leonard Melfi, to How To Go Out On A Date In Queens by Richard Vetere as well as several shorts: All Grown Up, Darkroom, and No Promises ; which toured the country in numerous film festivals and won several awards. Her screenplay Norma Beckman's Return won her first place at the Hollywood Film Festival. Her second screenplay, The Rules of Revenge, was optioned by Wallis Nicita and Alan Kaplan. Ms Lazarus also penned the sitcom pilot And For Me, What? Her one woman show Birthday Girl premiered at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival in Scotland & continued its run in Los Angeles. She developed the workbooks: Character Preference (TM) and Character Expression (TM). She is currently working on the textbook, The Essentials of Acting.

As an actress, Ms. Lazarus has appeared on the New York stage in numerous productions ranging from The Dreamer Examines His Pillow by John Patrick Stanley to The Runner Stumbles by Milan Stitt. In Los Angeles, she starred in Frida Kahlo: A Portrait of Pain in the role of Frida to tremendous reviews. Film Credits include: Across the Line, Hanging With the Homeboys, Brincando: Portrait of A Puerto Rican, Touchstone, Maria Cristina, and Love It Is . TV credits include: Promised Land, On Common Ground, Passions, The Young And The Restless, The Bold And The Beautiful, You Be The Judge , and recurring roles on Reyes And Rey , and Port Charles , as well as commercial and voice over campaigns for Anheiser Busch, Bank of America, Dodge, Coca Cola, Texaco, Estee Lauder, Mitsubishi, McDonalds, Gerbers, and Smirnoff Vodka , to name a few.

Ms. Lazarus is fluent in Spanish, French, and Italian.