Acting Conservatory Named for Fred Griffin

A Scranton Fan of the Arts is Remembered…

For several years, The Northeast Theatre has been offering classes to actors in the region. The program has taken on several descriptive names during that time: The Actor’s Conservatory, The Conservatory Company, The Conservatory Program. “None of them were inspired,” notes producing artistic director, David Zarko, “we just didn’t have a reason to name it anything other than exactly what it is.”

That all changed when some friends of the Theatre decided to establish a memorial fund through the Scranton Area Foundation to provide Conservatory students with tuition assistance. They decided that the fund would be established to honor one of The Northeast Theatre’s most energetic, and beloved, board members; an unforgettable gentleman named Fred Griffin. “And it just seemed so right, not just the fund, but the Conservatory itself should be named in his honor,” adds Zarko.

Although Fred was an actor from time to time, and not a bad one either, he never thought of himself as one or pursued the art with any real intention. What he was, however, was an unflagging enthusiast, an outspoken critic, a passionate supporter, a loving presence, a threat and a treat to all the actors he encountered, a nourishing mentor, a friend to every actor he knew, and with a laugh and a sigh that gave actors inspiration and reason to continue.

“A Voice Like a Cornet - No Mute”

And what a voice! Actress and vocal teacher Page Clements used to say of Fred that he was the embodiment of everything done right vocally, his was a totally free instrument. He was never shy about speaking his opinion of the performance he had just seen, and you could hear his comments through walls and around the block without his ever raising his voice. It was endowed with perfect timbre and resonance, a voice that would have been the envy of any actor in Periclean Athens.

He had the physique of an actor, too; supple and sturdy at the same time, full of endurance and stamina. He rode across country on his bicycle when he was 72. He appeared in a skit The Northeast Theatre did as a promotional event at Keystone in a bathing suit, and even though he was at least 75 at the time, managed to pull it off. So, yes, in many ways, he had all the attributes of a great actor, even if he never became one; a voice that carried, an expressive and strong body, a simple honesty, and an ability to communicate.

“If we can give our students just those qualities that Fred came by naturally,” says faculty member and director, Mary Ethel Schmidt, “we’ll be doing very well indeed.”

Fred Griffin Conservatory for Actors honors the memory of a man who embodied the ancient traditions of theatre as an enthusiastic spectator, and served the theatrical arts with a gusto and zest that inspired all who knew him. He is honored not because he was a great actor, but because he knew one when he saw one. Without him and those like him, there would not be — and would never have been — a theatre.

About Griffin Conservatory

Griffin Conservatory is an program of professional level actor training suitable for both early career and mid-career actors: student, amateur, and professional. The training takes place entirely on weekends and Monday evenings, and includes classes in voice and speech, Meisner-based acting, Feldenkreis-based movement, show business, and a wide variety of workshops in specialized aspects of the craft for a total of more than 540 hours of instruction over a ten month period, September through June, 2008. The course is divided into study blocks of from three to six weeks with one or two weeks off between each block. All ages are welcome. Admission is by audition, and those who call 570-558-1515 for an audition by June 30 receive significant discounts. Details at www.thenortheasttheatre.us