San Bruno
535 Sylvan Ave, 2nd Floor
San Bruno, CA 94066

(415) 322-8464

San Francisco #1
180 Capp Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94110

(415) 322-8464

San Francisco #2
414 Mason St.
San Francisco, CA 94103

(415) 322-8464

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San Jose
1930 Camden Avenue, Suite 4
San Jose, CA 95124

(415) 322-8464

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Christy has worked in the industry for over 20 years, she started out as one of 50 students (out of more than 3500 applicants from all over the country) chosen to study with Sandy Meisner for a month-long intensive on the island of Bequia in the West Indies. It soon became clear to the fifty students that these classes were essentially a month-long audition. When the classes ended, Christy learned that out of the fifty students in the summer program, she was one of only 22 chosen to continue to study in Sandy’s two-year private class. The following two years studying with Sandy were intense and immensely rewarding. When the two years ended, Christy was invited to join Sandy’s first ever Master Class, which at that time was called The Actors Lab.

After Sandy passed away, Christy continued to study at the Master Class level with John Ruskin in L.A. for four more years. In addition to her acting studies, Christy continued to act, write, direct and produce independent films, one of which brought her nominations for both Best Film and Best Actress. She also began teaching and taught at The Actors Group before moving to Northern California to direct films.

Her decision to open an acting studio in the San Francisco Bay Area came from her discovery of how difficult it was as a director to find local actors that could handle emotional material in a truthful and meaningful way. To solve the problem, she began teaching one class a week to help actors who, like her before she discovered the Meisner Technique, were looking for a way to connect meaningfully to their craft. She soon found that she enjoyed teaching as much as directing and acting.

Sadly, Sanford Meisner passed away without having the opportunity to see Christy become the great teacher they both knew she would be “some day.” It was from their shared and deeply held desire to help other actors fulfill their dreams of becoming honest and truthful actors that the Bay Area Acting Studio was born.

While coaching and teaching actors the art of acting and the Meisner technique, Christy became passionate about helping her talented actors take that next step and achieve their dreams of being working actors in the industry. She then teamed up with her long time friend and Mentor Kyle Fritz, a well established Talent Manager in Los Angeles for 20 years. She has been working as a Manager out of Kyle’s L.A. Office and coming back twice a month to teach her Master Classes and her well received “The Actor’s Edge” class, which prompted her to start a Tele-Seminar series where she teaches how to get an “edge” over the competition.

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Steve Voldseth is a Meisner-trained acting instructor who has worked both as a student and a teacher during his six-year tenure at the Bay Area Acting Studio.

Originally from the Midwest, Steve ventured to California with the sole purpose of attending college and instead found himself immediately “at home” among the vast diversities of art and culture. And although he admits to having a “moth to a flame” attraction for the performing arts since childhood, it wasn’t until a college film class screening of the classic film The Swimmer starring Burt Lancaster (based on a short story by one of his favorite writers, John Cheever) that he truly fell in love with all things theatrical. That singular experience led to a freelance film, TV and comedy writing career that, on the advice of a screenwriting professor, shifted to acting and then later, expanded again to include teaching acting.

As a working actor/teacher who “practices what he preaches,” Steve is a devout believer in the Meisner Technique, a “foundational approach to acting” that has served him well in an array of roles in independent film, TV, stage and web productions. His recent credits include a supporting role in John W. Kim’s thriller Blur with Katherine Towne and Charlie Hoffheimer and a starring role in director Alejandro Adams’ feature film Around the Bay which had its world premiere screening before a sold-out audience of 450 at the Cinequest 2008 Film Festival in San Jose, California. Both the film and Steve’s performance received favorable reviews in numerous industry publications including Variety. Recent stage credits include an Equity production of The Diary of Anne Frank (San Jose Stage Company) and A Debt by Any Other Name (San Francisco Theater Festival).

Prior to his current roles of actor and teacher, Steve worked as a professional comedy writer for over a decade with credits that include Jay Leno (The Tonight Show with Jay Leno), Craig Kilborn (The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn), Tina Fey (SNL), and Jimmy Kimmel (The Man Show). Steve is also among the team of writers for the syndicated comic strips Dennis the Menace and Frank and Ernest.

In addition to a Bachelors Degree in Psychology from San Jose State University, Steve also holds a graduate-level certificate in Advanced Screenwriting from the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television in Los Angeles.

For more information or to contact Steve directly, visit www.stevevoldseth.com

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Beth has had the acting bug since she was a little kid and her parents let her play a pickpocket in "Oliver." She spent many years on stage as well as back stage and even kicked up her heels in ballroom, latin, and swing dance exhibitions. She eventually found her way to TV and film in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. She began studying Meisner Technique with Christy years ago as an eight-week class, but just never stopped... Beth has been teaching since graduate school where she got her Masters degree in Geology/Geophysics. She also spends time on the computer doing everything from website design and graphic design to program and project management.

For more information or to contact Beth directly, visit www.bethbemis.com

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Pamela Broyles has shared her passion for creative expression with students for over 15 years—both as a dance instructor and an acting instructor. Prior to joining the Bay Area Acting Studio, Pamela studied dance professionally at world-renowned dance schools such as Broadway Dance Center, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and Steps on Broadway. In addition to teaching acting and dance, Pamela also holds a certificate in yoga instruction from OM Yoga Studio in New York City. Unknown to Pamela at the time, her love of creative performance and early dance training were preparing her for a career in acting and so when she discovered the Bay Area Acting Studio and studio founder Christy English Wioncek, she knew she had found her next artistic home. Whether it be acting, dance or yoga, Pamela teaches from the heart with the core belief that inside everyone there is an artist. Adept at creating a safe space for actors to play, to dare and to be challenged according to their abilities and talent, Pamela has dedicated herself to helping students gently tap into their own inner artists, providing them with the tools they need to help them develop and flourish as they evolve into professional actors and artists. Teaching at the Bay Area Acting Studio has become yet another opportunity to continue her “dance” with life and art.

For more information or to contact Pamela directly, visit www.pamelabroyles.com

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I began my journey through Meisner in Oct 2009 having only acted in college plays and a few local commercials. Since then, I have completed six short films, earned my SAG eligibility, taken new professional headshots with an accredited LA photographer, am now represented with an LA manager and SF agency, am auditioning regularly! Beyond the professional success I have achieved, the strides I have made in my acting are enormous. I always knew I had a passion for the craft and the desire to become the best actor I could be, but studying with Christy in this class has really given me the necessary tools, confidence and belief in my future as a professional actor to do so. And all the while, I've studied in the comfort of a unbelievably supportive and encouraging class environment without competition or lack of one on one attention.

Melissa’s passion for acting has been deeply enriched through her study of the Meisner technique with Christy, Steve, and Pam. She has taught improvisation and acting at San Jose Repertory Theatre
through their children’s programming, as well as with their resident improvisational outreach theatre
company, The Red Ladder Theatre Company, where she has worked with groups from preschoolers to teens and teachers to CEOs. She also spent time teaching an advanced children’s summer theatre conservatory and ongoing workshops through the St. Louis Black Rep, where she performed with their professional touring company and on their mainstage. Melissa has performed throughout the Midwest and Eastcoast with the St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre and St. Louis Shakespeare, and locally with San Jose Rep on Tour, San Jose Stage, Thick Description, Arclight Repertory Theatre, Asian American Theatre Company, and Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company.

Having earned her B.A. in Theatre Arts from San Jose State University during her beginning stages of acting, she continues to study the Meisner technique as her foundation. Her emphasis lies in film, commercial , and television, appearing in short films throughout the Bay Area. Her love for the craft and zest for life has brought her to teach here at Bay Area Acting Studio!

Gomez is an actor who has been seen on tv, local independent films and feature films. He has been studying meisner for 3 years with Bay Area Acting School. He is also a student of the Actors Edge Coaching Intensive for Actors. Gomez has work as a stage improviser for 5 years in the bay area. He was trained and is mentored by Christy Wioncek in actor teaching classes at the Bay Area Acting School.

Jay Ruby is a local actor working mostly in independent film. His last project was "To Kill a Demon". Aside from teaching acting, Jay also teaches high school (World History and Economics), and occasionally teaches martial arts. When he’s not teaching or acting, Jay is raising two boys.

Phil has been a teacher and student with Bay Area Acting Studio for more than four years. He is currently teaching the Acting for Non-Actors courses and studying in the Advance Meisner and Master Mind programs. He has been an actor for more than seven years, and has appeared in more than fifty films, television shows, commercials, theater and opera productions. He is also a member of SAG and AFTRA. He loves to bring his broad range of experiences to the classes he teaches and gets great joy from seeing his students grow and stretch themselves. Outside of acting, Phil is an active sponsor of two rescued big cats at Shambala Preserve in Southern California - a black leopard and a Canadian Lynx.