Professional Arts Lab University of California, Santa Barbara
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Distinguished Guest Artists and Projects

The Professional Artists Lab offers actors, directors, writers, producers and other artists opportunities to immerse themselves in creative work. Visits and residencies are conducted both on campus and off-site (e.g., in Los Angeles, New York, London, etc.), in an effort to accommodate the schedules and needs of active professionals. In addition to developing projects, during their time with the Lab many artists choose to offer performances, presentations, master classes, and/or workshops to students and the public.

The Lab is privileged to have welcomed the following Distinguished Guest Artists (in alphabetical order):

The Acting Company Acting Company members Jessica Bates, Kevin Kraft and Jamie St. Peter offered master classes at the Lab in April, 2003. [Lab Activities]
Actors from the London Stage As Guest Artists of the Lab, British actors Andrew Dennis, Gemma Larke, George Mayfield, Paul McLeary and Julia Watson spoke about their work with the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and on London's West End, as well as in British film and TV. [Artist Biography and Lab Activities Information coming soon.]
Pilar Alessandra Pilar Alessandra, former Senior Story Analyst for DreamWorks, ImageMovers and Radar Pictures, gave a workshop on story analysis and script coverage in May, 2005. [Artist Biography and Lab Activities Information coming soon.]
Bruce Alexander Bruce Alexander and Jane Arden, two British actors who have worked frequently with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre and on London's West End, were in residency at the Lab in February, 2002. [Lab Activities]
Libby Appel During her Regents Lectureship at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Libby Appel was also a Guest Artist at the Lab. [Lab Activities]
Jane Arden Jane Arden and Bruce Alexander, two British actors who have worked frequently with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre and on London's West End, were in residency at the Lab in February, 2002. [Lab Activities]
Gareth Armstrong Gareth Armstrong, Royal Shakespeare Company alumnus and star of BBC radio, visited the Lab in February, 2004. [Lab Activities]
Richard Benjamin The multi-talented couple, actor/director Richard Benjamin and actor Paula Prentiss, were Guest Artists of the Lab in January, 2005. [Artist Biography and Lab Activities Information coming soon.]
Arvin Brown Arvin Brown, former Artistic Director of the Tony-award winning Long Wharf Theatre and acclaimed director of theatre, opera, television and film, was a Guest Artist of the Lab in January, 2005. [Artist Biography and Lab Activities Information coming soon.]
Steven Cosson Steven Cosson, founding Artistic Director of the New York-based theatre company The Civilians, paid a visit to the Lab in April, 2005. [Artist Biography and Lab Activities Information coming soon.]
Joe Dante Director/writer/producer Joe Dante (protégé of Roger Corman and tapped by Steven Spielberg to direct Gremlins) and partner Elizabeth Stanley, producer/manager and former DGA executive, were Guest Artists of the Lab in January, 2005. [Artist Biography and Lab Activities Information coming soon.]
Caroline Devlin While at the Lab, up-and-coming British actor/director/writer Caroline Devlin offered instruction in all three of these disciplines. [Lab Activities]
Ron Dexter Award-winning commercial director Ron Dexter engaged in his favorite activity while at the Lab: cinematography. [Lab Activities]
Charmian Gradwell British actor Charmian Gradwell, who's played London's National Theatre and West End, visited the Lab in February, 2002. [Lab Activities]
D. W. Harper D. W. Harper, independent filmmaker and co-founder of CLC Films, refined his screenplay for Dreamland during a three-month residency at the Lab, before heading off to begin shooting it at the Sundance Filmmakers Lab. [Artist Biography and Lab Activities Information coming soon.]
Glenne Headly Stage, film and television actor Glenne Headly, one of the original members of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, was a Guest Artist of the Lab in March, 2005. [Artist Biography and Lab Activities Information coming soon.]
Waris Hussein At the Lab, Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning British director and filmmaker Waris Hussein held the U.S. premiere of his inventive and bittersweet film, The Sixth Happiness. [Lab Activities]
Kathryn Ish A founding member of the legendary San Francisco improvisational troupe The Committee, film, TV and Broadway actress Kathryn Ish brought her expertise to the Lab. [Lab Activities]
Yves Jacques In Los Angeles, French actor Yves Jacques offered the Lab an inside perspective of his fascinating solo performance in the far side of the moon. [Lab Activities]
Peter Judson NYU Film School graduate Peter Judson premiered a rough cut of his film, Nobody Wants Your Film, at the Lab's Emerging Filmmakers Series. The feedback he received at the Lab assisted Peter in the final editing process. [Lab Activities]
Neil Koenigsberg While at the Lab, Neil Koenigsberg spoke openly with students about his experience in producing films and managing the careers of such artists as Jeff Bridges and Ed Harris. [Lab Activities]
Paul Kurta Producer Paul Kurta and writer, director and actor Perry Lang are taking Perry's latest script, Woman Sawed in Half through the development process at the Lab. [Lab Activities]
Perry Lang Writer, director and actor Perry Lang and producer Paul Kurta are to take Perry's latest script, Woman Sawed in Half through the development process at the Lab. [Lab Activities]
Sharon Lawrence Television, stage and film actor Sharon Lawrence - the memorable Sylvia Costas from NYPD Blue - visited the Lab in February, 2005. [Artist Biography and Lab Activities Information coming soon.]
Barbara Lebow Award-winning playwright Barbara Lebow has recently become a Playwright-in-Residence at the Lab, where she is currently in the final stages of developing her play, The Phenom. [Artist Biography and Lab Activities Information coming soon.]
Robert Lepage The Lab came to Los Angeles to talk with international actor, director, writer and filmmaker Robert Lepage about his creative process. [Lab Activities]
Phelim McDermott Actor, director, writer and Artistic Director of Britain's award-winning Improbable Company, Phelim McDermott offered master classes and discussed future collaborations during his residency at the Lab. [Lab Activities]
Paul Moriarity British stage, film and television actor Paul Moriarity visited the Lab and spoke about acting on stage vs. on film. [Lab Activities]
Ivan Passer Ivan Passer, one of the great Czech film directors associated with his country's "New Wave," was a Guest Artist of the Lab in March, 2005. [Artist Biography and Lab Activities Information coming soon.]
Paula Prentiss The multi-talented couple, film/television/stage actor Paula Prentiss and actor/director Richard Benjamin, were Guest Artists of the Lab in January, 2005. [Artist Biography and Lab Activities Information coming soon.]
Primer Prior to its release, TH!NKFilm generously granted special permission to the Lab to screen Primer, winner of the 2004 Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize and Alfred P. Sloan Prize (for films that advance the subjects of science and technology). [Lab Activities]
Santa Barbara Script Competition The Lab was honored to collaborate with the annual Santa Barbara Script Competition in its inaugural year. Staged readings of excerpts from its four prize-winning screenplays were performed at the Center Stage Theater by professional actors under the direction of the Professional Artists Lab. [Lab Activities]
Fiona Shaw Brilliant, award-winning British actor Fiona Shaw offered a standing-room-only master class to Film Studies and Dramatic Arts students in a very special visit to the Lab. [Lab Activities]
Small Town America Veteran actors Nathan Davis, George Gaynes, Bill Smithers and Don Stewart headlined a cast of newcomers and students in a staged reading of Small Town America; the Corwin Award-winning screenplay is by Film Studies student Zachary Hart, a remarkable young writer. [Artist Biographies and Lab Activities Information coming soon.]
SoCal Film Group Writer/directors Michael Gilvary and Marshall McAuley, producer Steve Barr, and actors David Russek and Debbie Fan - all members of the SoCal Film Group, a collective of up-and-coming filmmakers - came to the Lab to screen several short films and to talk about their creative process. [Artist Biographies and Lab Activities Information coming soon.]
Penelope Spheeris As a Guest Artist of the Lab in February, 2005, director/writer/producer Penelope Spheeris spoke with students about the enormous range of her work, from films such as Wayne's World to The Decline of Western Civilization (Parts I, II, & III). [Artist Biography and Lab Activities Information coming soon.]
Elizabeth Stanley Producer/manager and former DGA executive Elizabeth Stanley brought her unique insider's perspective to the Lab when she and director/writer/producer Joe Dante were Guest Artists in January, 2005. [Artist Biography and Lab Activities Information coming soon.]
Haskell Wexler Oscar-winning cinematographer Haskell Wexler shot superb footage at the Lab, and enjoyed his visit so much that he wound up teaching a course in the film studies department just a few months later. [Lab Activities]
Anthony Zerbe Film, television and stage actor Anthony Zerbe is a regular guest at the Lab, where he shares his passion and artistry. [Lab Activities]
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