ABOUT ME | Andrew Kottler

My Approach:

I do not teach students how to act. I teach students not to act. We can all tell when a performer is acting angry, sad, or happy. While they may be entertaining, the audience is left feeling empty. But when an actor is truly feeling on stage, the energy in the theater shifts, and we are drawn into a new dimension. All of the great acting teachers of our time knew this, and each sought to solve the ever-present problem: How does an actor act honestly under imaginary circumstances?

As an actor, I was forced to come face-to-face with my own struggle to be authentic. I sought out every technique I could find in search of the key to accessing my truth. Little did I know that in my quest to become a more truthful actor, I was gathering the vast array of techniques that would later become the hallmark of my classroom.

Over the years, I've studied with many brilliant teachers who masterfully taught “their” method. There were gems found in each method. But it wasn’t until I became a teacher that I began to experiment with each gem. I mixed and matched the methods, created new methods, and ultimately reached a crucial realization: There is no singular technique that is the key to great acting. Great acting happens differently for each individual.

My mission is to guide you toward finding your own unique way to a powerful performance. I will help you pin-point the exact qualities that separate you from the others. From there, our work is to find the specific gems that will uncover the great actor inside of you.

My Story:

My childhood dream was to become a famous actor. When I was 8 years old, my parents noticed what a joyful showoff I was on stage and promptly enrolled me in acting class. At 12, I relentlessly pushed them for head-shots, and was signed by an agent soon after. By high school, I was fully initiated into the highs and lows of an actor’s life, from bowing triumphantly at curtain call to staring mournfully at a cast list which did not include my name. In college, my confidence began to fade. The other actors in class seemed so much more self-assured, and my dream seemed to be slipping away.

Fortunately, after graduation, a new skill-set emerged. I discovered that I possessed a natural ability to inspire and guide others. Whether it was leading at-risk youth in the Pennsylvania woods, helping refugees in Israel, or working as a case worker in New York City, the mentor side of me began to take shape.

However, the actor still had unfinished business.

Sitting in an office cubicle in New York, I sensed it was time to move forward. I quit my job, bought a backpack, and rambled through India, Africa, and Asia for the better part of a year. Back in the U.S., one thing was certain: It was time to return to the stage.

In my hometown of Chicago, I put every dollar I had into acting classes. My teachers at the prestigious Steppenwolf School challenged me to dig deeper and deeper, and I began to land roles across the city. Strangely, something was missing. My acting simply didn't feel truthful. I could trick an audience, but not myself.

I moved to Los Angeles determined to find the missing piece. I began to explore trainings both within and outside the field of acting. I focused on freeing my body through yoga, somatic movement, ecstatic dance, and Qi-Gong. I began to travel to study with teachers all over the world, and followed my instincts wherever they led me. It didn’t matter if I was doing a stand-up comedy set, studying with a Japanese Butoh master, or sitting on a cushion in a meditation retreat, I was on a quest to break through as an artist.

Then, almost in an instant… the thought hit me; I want to teach acting.

My path to becoming a theater teacher was as providential as it was intuitive. Finally, the two elements that had guided my life, the artist and the mentor, were alchemized into the form of a theater teacher. Working at an urban performing arts high school in New York was a perfect backdrop for me. My students were brave, edgy, and very hungry for a new approach to acting. I began to develop my own methods, and my classroom transformed into a dynamic acting laboratory. The more I experimented, the more my students improved. Productions I directed won awards, and our graduates were accepted into the top acting schools in the country, with some going on to star in film and on Broadway. In the past 12 years I have taught well over a thousand students, and have witnessed countless victories and transformations. Many of those victories had little to do with acting, as students reported gains in confidence, increased self-acceptance, and being more comfortable in their bodies.

Now, living in Japan, I have taken the same leap of faith that I have always encouraged my students to take. Coming to the Far East was the answer to yet another call from my inner artist. It’s time for new collaborations with innovative artists of all ages and backgrounds. Together we can explore unlimited possibilities for growth and creation.

The next stage is waiting. Are you ready to take it?