Mission Statement
Actors Bridge Ensemble is a non-profit acting school and professional theater company established in Nashville in 1995. Our mission is to tell the stories Nashville needs to hear as we produce socially conscious plays responsive to the current cultural moment, create new work, train theater artists, and become a safe home for our artists and audiences to find their authentic voices on stage and in life.
The company is led by co-founder and Producing Artistic Director Vali Forrister.
Actors Bridge Ensemble has 4 program areas:
1. Acting School (Meisner Technique training)
2. Professional Season of Plays
3. Act Like a GRRRL
4. Directors Inclusion Initiative
In the last 26 years, our Acting School trained over 5,000 actors in the Meisner Technique, the acting method taught in most professional conservatories and graduate schools. We have produced 24 Seasons that have included over 100 plays, 90% of which were either Nashville Premieres or World Premieres of new plays. We have collaborated on 5 devised theater pieces.
For the last 17 years, Act Like a GRRRL has inspired hundreds of teenage girls to find their voice and speak their truths and has created 19 original scripts and performances.
Now in its third year, the Directors Inclusion Initiative trains emerging theater directors of color through workshops with regional faculty, panels with local professionals, and ongoing mentoring culminating in a biannual showcase festival of their work.