The Hollywood Performers Academy is the newest studio school to help spotlight-hungry kids and teens follow their dreams. Built on the legacy of the Hollywood Professional School (which, after opening in 1935, ran for 50 years and boasts noted alums like Elizabeth Taylor and Judy Garland), the academy just opened its doors in September for its first year of students. “I think its time has come,” said Wesley Staples, Hollywood Performers Academy advisory board director and former Studio Teachers union president. “There’s a movement in the entertainment industry toward homeschool and independent study. I find that 98 percent of my children are now homeschool or independent study, [but] they are coming more and more unprepared and a little behind because sometimes parents just aren’t up to calculus and French and Latin and chemistry and physics.” That’s where the Hpa steps in. Staffed with dual-credentialed teachers, the school’s educators personally design...
- 10/28/2015
- backstage.com
Dear Jackie:We recently had a very bad experience with a neglectful, abusive, and incompetent studio teacher. This troublesome teacher is a union member, and the production company has not taken any action other than a warning. I think the lack of action is due to the union issue. I was told, "We can't get rid of her." She has no classroom experience and no education background, but her competency was just one issue. At first she was present all the time on set and said that that was her responsibility—to observe the children on set and insure their welfare. As the weeks went by, she stopped coming to the set and told me that she only needed to be "nearby." "Nearby" meant she remained in the school trailer grading papers from her second job while the kids (both under 16) were in various locations on the sound stage. Other abuses occurred,...
- 2/17/2010
- backstage.com
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