The students at the Actors Gymnasium, 927 Noyes St., practice handstands, somersaults and combinations, twirling and spinning under their teacher’s watchful eye. Laughter echoes throughout the vast space, underlining the light-hearted learning atmosphere.
The students are not, however, actors, nor are they even adults. They’re children learning proper gymnastic techniques under the tutelage of Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi, an award-winning circus artist who helped found the Actors Gymnasium.
“Our original mission was to provide a new kind of physicality for actors,” says general manager Jennifer Jolls. “We have since expanded to include people of all ages and professions, aiming to teach gymnastics and the circus arts.”
The brainchild of Chicago theater critic Tony Adler and Lookingglass Theatre Company co-founder and Northwestern alumnus Lawrence DiStasi, Hernandez-DiStasi and theater administrator-performer Carlyle Coash joined the project in its early stages. Housed in the same building as the acclaimed Next Theatre and Jeremy Piven’s Piven Theatre Workshop, the Actors Gymnasium took its place at the Noyes Cultural Center in 1995. The gym is a training ground for a new kind of American theater.
A not-for-profit performing arts school, the Actors Gymnasium strives to give students a broader sense of the mind’s and body’s capabilities. Classes range from circus arts to gymnastics to stage combat – for students of all ages. Students learn how to fly on trapezes, spin on ropes and tap dance.
“When Tony Adler and Larry DiStasi created the Actors Gymnasium they wanted to make a performance workshop with the tools to help different kinds of performers,” Jolls says. “So we try to teach a variety of different skills, given our multi-disciplined roots. We want to be able to give our students the tools they need to succeed.”
The circus arts program is the gym’s most popular and diverse program. The class starts the same way that the beginner tumbling class does, but progresses to encompass a variety of more advanced skills. After the stretching and tumbling movement, the class splits into two groups. One group works on aerial skills, with ropes and bars, and the other group works on advanced ground skills. About halfway through, the groups switch places and every student leaves with a comprehensive set of skills.
The all-encompassing nature of the Actors Gymnasium’s method has even allowed for the creation of a performing ensemble. Named after DiStasi’s son, the Flying Griffin Circus made its debut in May 2000. The ensemble deftly combines theater and the circus arts, although they tend to focus more on physical feats than texts.
“Circus arts are definitely the highlight of our project, and the Flying Griffins embody that idea,” Jolls says. “They act as our own in-house circus, and we are working on their next production.”
Given its rich history and its founding members, the Actors Gymnasium is far from a traditional gymnastics school. The facility is affiliated with the Lookingglass Theatre Company and attract renowned artists from dance and circus arts institutions such as Pilobolus, Ringling Brothers and Cirque de Soleil. World-renowned performers benefit from the residency and fellowship programs, collaborating with the gym to expand on traditional theater and circus arts.
While the Actors Gymnasium focuses on teaching, its influence does not stop there. It provides every opportunity for its talented students to venture into the professional acting sphere. For example, Lauren Hirte, an Actors Gymnasium student, starred as Alice in Lookingglass’s anniversary production Alice Through the Lookingglass last spring.
“We don’t limit our responsibilities to simply teaching,” Jolls says. “We want to see our students succeed beyond our school, so we act as their agents as well. We book out our well-performing students to professional companies whenever possible. We serve as part school and part booking agency.”
The Actors Gymnasium offers classes for all age and talent levels. Class descriptions and schedules are available online at www.actorsgymnasium.com or by calling (847) 328-2795.4
Medill junior Michael Burgner is the PLAY theater editor. He can be reached at [email protected].