The Company Acting Studio was founded in 1996 by Lisina Stoneburner in Atlanta. The roots of the studio begin in the early acting education Lisina received throughout her artistic upbringing. Lisina was born and raised in New York City, New York. She is descended from writers and actors whose careers include her Grandfather, Arnold Manoff, who wrote for television, film and Broadway (who married Oscar Award Winning actress Lee Grant who became Lisina’s mother’s stepmother) and her aunt, Tony Award Winning actress, Dinah Manoff. Her Grandmother was also a writer and close friends with Stella Adler and the Adler family. It was this relationship that opened the door for Lisina’s first Conservatory training at The Stella Adler Conservatory in New York City where she studied for the first time at the age of 12.

 

This training led her to her acceptance at the famous School of Performing Arts (The Fame School) and subsequently her studies at The School of Fine Arts at Boston University. These Conservatory systems are the foundation for the design and philosophy behind The Company Acting Studio and all of its programs. Lisina’s training continued after college as she traveled the country working in local theatres and ending up in Los Angeles where she worked in the film and television business while also producing theatre. It was in Los Angeles that she began teaching actors privately. After arriving in Atlanta she continued to teach, began her own classes and grew until she opened the studio in August 1996.

 

The Company Acting Studio is a professional acting school for kids, teens and adults. The acting classes within each of the acting programs focus on acting and auditioning for film, television, commercials, and stage. It is an all encompassing acting school that provides the students with training in every facet needed to build a strong foundation for a professional career: scene study, improvisation, cold-reading skills, monologues, commercials, on-camera skills, body and voice technique, performance and industry lessons. It covers all aspects of acting and auditioning in front of the camera and on the stage. The methods and techniques, while based in the teachings of Stanislavski and Stella Adler are a combination of practical work experience and years of training with various instructors and in various styles over the years. The foundation of the system is based in the truth and believability of the characters created. Students learn to approach scripts and scenarios from the most imaginative and creative place possible, while bringing their own individual style to a piece. The studio works on real techniques and skills that bring stories, characters and ideas to life.

 

Throughout the years the community has come to know The Company Acting Studio through its outreach and charity work. Lisina was on the board of directors of Atlanta Coalition of Performing Arts, serving as vice-president for two of those years. She was Co-Founder of the annual ActorsExpo event that served actors in the Southeast for over 5 years and donated its proceeds to actor related charities. The studio has housed seasons of shows, produced The Company Players; a youth performance group dedicated to writing, producing and performing in their own productions, and ran the successful L.A. Ready Program for 4 years.

In 2002 John Stoneburner became a partner in the school and later in 2007 Lisina and John were married.

 

The Stoneburner's have built a studio with an unmatched track record in the Southeast for producing the most qualified, working actors, in addition to guiding countless actors to their acceptances into college acting programs and Conservatories in New York and Los Angeles. The students both from class and private training have had careers on Broadway, in feature films on television shows and commercials. Many have gone on to larger markets to pursue their careers in Los Angeles and New York successfully.

The studio currently provides the most comprehensive acting program for serious actors available in the region and is consistently recognized by arts school administrators, directors, casting directors, agents and managers across the country as the most well-rounded and professional training facility available to actors in the area.