Fellowships.
A nationally recognized figure in the field, Earle Gister played a seminal role in developing numerous training programs and national arts institutions. Legions of actors in theaters across the country, in every part of the entertainment field in Los Angeles and New York trace their careers to their study with Earle. So too, do many teachers, who benefited from his mentorship in the profession. The recipient of the Earle Gister Teaching Fellowship receives full scholarship to the Teacher Development Program.
Applications: Ongoing / Deadline for submissions – March 21, 2025
Eligibility and Selection Criteria
This fellowship is intended to support promising and gifted teachers who are at the start of their teaching careers. Applicants should demonstrate exceptional artistry and craftsmanship, a dedicated interest in teaching, and have been teaching full-time for no more than 6 years.
Open to any acting teacher, teaching artist, or coach. Teachers of all disciplines of actor training, including voice, movement, and technique are eligible to apply.
Application Materials
About Earle Gister
Earle Gister is regarded by many as one of America’s foremost acting teachers. Earle graduated from the esteemed Tulane Drama Department in 1962 and joined the training program at Carnegie Melon. By his third year, he had been promoted to chair of that department and soon became a national figure in the field. Earle played key roles in numerous other actor training programs at North Carolina School of the Arts, The Juilliard School, City College of New York, the British American Drama Academy and The Actors Center. In addition, he was also a co-founder of the League of Professional Theatre Training Programs, an advisor to the National Endowment for the Arts, and co-chair of the training panel of Theatre Communications Group. But he made his greatest impact during his years at Yale. He joined the university in 1979, when Lloyd Richards was dean, and stayed for 20 years, training legions of actors. He was named the first Lloyd Richards Adjunct Professor of Drama in 1994. For a total of 19 years Earle Gister was Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Chair of the MFA Acting Program at the Yale School of Drama. After his retirement from the Yale School of Drama in 1999, Earle continued to teach with The Actors Center and mentor teachers in its Teacher Development Program.