The Conservatory began its journey in 1974, brainchild of Philip Meister, Albert Schoemann, and Mario Siletti-three theatre lovers with a dream and, probably, a closet full of doublets and swords. It was born as an offshoot of the National Shakespeare Company, which wasn’t just your local theater group, but a professional company bringing Shakespeare and classic plays to colleges and universities all across the U.S. and Canada. Picture actors in battered vans, props strapped to the roof, rolling into small towns and big universities, turning cafeterias into castles and football fields into forests. Not exactly “Hollywood glamour,” but far more enchanting.
The Conservatory’s early days were spent nestled in Woodstock, at the Byrdcliffe Theatre. You know, if you were going to do a midsummer night’s dream, Woodstock was the place to do it, flower crowns and all! By 1978, they moved summer operations to Kerhonkson, New York. Then, in 1977, the true magic began with the expansion to a two-year program right here in Manhattan, inside a cozy brownstone that also housed the Cubiculo, an off-off-Broadway theatre. Imagine raw, electric energy filling these halls-actors stretching, laughing, and probably, let’s be honest, occasionally weeping over a tricky soliloquy.
But theatre, like life, is full of drama. After Philip Meister’s death in 1982, Siletti and Schoemann kept the dream alive, moving the Conservatory’s full-time program down to SoHo. The school specialized in classical training, but brought in all sorts of modern techniques-imagine a room where actors not only recited “To be or not to be,” but also stretched, tumbled, and sang while wrestling with iambic pentameter. Voice and body, nerves and imagination, all set to work. First-year students sweated through acting technique, dance, improvisation, music, and Shakespeare, while the second year meant even more advanced study plus a grand finale: a solo show and a shot at a real Off-Off-Broadway showcase.
The faculty, too, was a who’s who of theatre wizards. Philip Meister himself, Mario Siletti, and brilliant teachers like Alice Winston and James Tripp guided students with equal parts rigor and mischief. Some would go on to teach at places like Stella Adler and NYU, shaping generations of actors.
Now, every good story has its plot twists. In the 90s, the U.S. Department of Education came knocking, demanding a Letter of Credit-a sort of financial safety net-for the school to keep its spot in the federal student aid program. It was a bureaucratic duel worthy of Shakespeare! The Conservatory felt the requirement was excessive, and after a legal battle longer than Hamlet’s monologue, the school unfortunately lost. Even after they tried to meet the terms, the Department wouldn’t budge. With funding gone, the two-year program closed its curtains in 1996, but the Summer Conservatory gamely marched on for two more years, even offering free Shakespeare in upstate parks as “Catskill Shakespeare,” until the final bow in 1998.
But oh, the lives touched here-alumni like Diana Scarwid, Annabelle Gurwitch, Miguel Perez, and Park Overall carved their own paths in stage and screen. Every stone of this building whispers their stories, filled with passion, struggle, and sparkling stage lights!
So, standing here, you’re not just outside a building-you’re on hallowed ground, where actors leapt, laughed, and loved their craft. Now, onward! Ready for your next stop? Or shall we do a dramatic exit together?
