Gary Spatz's -The Playground Los Angeles: News, Reviews and Information

You can find us in the heart of Century City right next to the Wesfield Shopping Mall!

It has been Gary's privilege and pleasure to work with some the best and brightest kids in the world of entertainment over the past 20 years. This web site highlights some of his adventures as a teacher, and as an on-set acting coach for several TV series. Gary feels blessed to have had the opportunity to support the evolution of all the young talent that has come his way and it has been very exciting process to witness.
Whether his students become professional actors, writers, directors, musicians, dancers, or painters, Gary's reputation as a mentor is to nurture the creative source and be a positive influence.

Biography and Resume
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Gary was born in New York and raised in New York and Miami then moved to Washington, DC to attend American University before making the move to Los Angeles.

In LA, Gary Spatz continued his study of acting with Paul Sills. He was a company member (1978- 1985) of the respected American Theater Arts in Hollywood where he continued training, performing and eventually teaching. For the fifteen years after that, he was a teacher at The Young Actors Space.

For seven seasons, Gary Spatz served as the on-set acting coach for "Roseanne". He went on to work with Jonathan Lipnicki on "The Jeff Foxworthy Show", with Tia & Tamara Mowry on "Sister, Sister" and later, with Tia and Tamara's younger brother, Tahj, when he got the starring role on the WB series "The Smart Guy". Gary Spatz was also the acting coach for several Disney Productions including the feature film "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids" as well as The Disney Channel's "Mickey Mouse Club", on which he also served as the creative consultant.

After completing work as the acting coach for the children on the Emmy award winning CBS sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond" Gary currently coaches Dylan and Cole Sprouse for The Disney Channel series "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody." He also regularly coaches actors for auditions and callbacks for feature films, theatre and episodic television. Gary created the young actors' conservatory,The Playground, in Century City, CA in 2005. He currently teaches classes as well as serving as director of the conservatory program.

Gary's former students have gone on to star in countless television and film projects including, but not limited to the following:

Television: "My So Called Life", "Felicity", "Malcolm in the Middle", "Wonder Years", "That 70s Show", "Full House", "Step By Step", "Growing Pains", "Beverly Hills 90210", "Scrubs", "City Guys", "Evening Shade", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Summerland", "Melrose Place", "The Nanny", "All That", "Recess", "The Suite Life of Zach and Cody", "Lizzie McGuire", "Everybody Loves Raymond", "True Jackson, VP", "The Secret Life of The American Teenager", and "Gossip Girl". Film: "Bratz", "Drillbit Taylor", Terminator Salvation", Jurassic Park", "Spy Kids", "Boys Don't Cry", "October Sky", "Stuart Little", "The Believer", Planet Of The Apes", IMAX "The Magic Box", "Mighty Ducks II & III", "Honey I Shrunk the Kids", "Phantoms", "Camp Nowhere", "Honey I Blew-Up The Baby", "Forever Young", "Sleepless In Seattle", "The Brady Bunch", "M.I.III", "The Next Karate Kid", "Dutch", "Newsies", "Great Expectations", "Radio Flyer", "Murder by Numbers", " Lord of the Rings", "Dickie Roberts", "Beethoven I, II & III", "The Hunted", "The Notebook" , "The Missing" and "Million Dollar Baby".

Gary Spatz's Resume
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EXPERIENCE
Currently teaching classes for beginning and professional child actors and coaching many young actors for interviews, "callbacks", and screen tests for feature films, theater and episodic television.

TEACHER
The Playground - A Young Actors' Conservatory (Owner/Director) / 2005 - present Actorsite - Children and Adult Workshops - Scene Study / Improvisation / 2000-2003 Young Actors' Space - Scene Study / Improvisation for Children (6-18) / 1985-2000 American Theater Arts Conservatory - Games / Improvisations for Adults / 1981 - 1985

ACTING COACH
"The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" - The Disney Channel / 2004 - 2008 "Everybody Loves Raymond" - CBS / 2003 - 2005 "Triple Play" - (Pilot) - Disney Channel / 2004 "Magicbox" - (IMAX/3-D) - Director / Brett Leonard "Sister, Sister" - Paramount / 1994 - 1998 "The Smart Guy" - Disney Television "Roseanne" - Carsey / Werner / 1990-1997 "Jeff Foxworthy Show" - Brillstein / Grey / NBC "Daisy Mom" - (Pilot) Director / Andy Weyman / ABC Production / 1996 "Mickey Mouse Club" - Disney Television / 1990-1995 "Davis Rules" - Carsey / Werner "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids" - Disney Feature Creative Consultant to The Disney Channel / 1990-1995

REFERENCES
Irene Dreayer - Executive Producer, "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" Bonnie Liedtke - VP, Head of Youth Division, William Morris Agency Joe Johnston - Film Director, "October Sky", "Jurassic Park 3" Judy Savage - Judy Savage Agency Jay Daniel - Executive Producer, "Cybill", "The Naked Truth" Danny Jacobson - Executive Producer, "Mad About You" Danny Kallis - Executive Producer, "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" Gayle Mancuso - TV Director, "Friends", "Dharma and Greg" Howard Gould - Executive Producer, "The Jeff Foxworthy Show" Cindy Osbrink - Owner, Osbrink Talent Agency Bob Meyer - Executive Producer, "Roseanne", "Cybill" Patty Gary Cox - Producer, "Cory in the House" Dava Savel - Executive Producer, "Ellen", "That's So Raven" Phil Rosenthal - Executive Producer, "Everybody Loves Raymond"

Los Angeles, August 10, 2010: Acting Coach Gary Spatz (Rosanne, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody) joins the cast and crew of Smokewood Entertainment's theatrical film production Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer, set for 2011 release.

The film is based on the critically acclaimed international children's book series Judy Moody by Megan McDonald, scripted by McDonald and Kathy Waugh, and directed by John Schultz (Aliens in the Attic, The Honeymooners). Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness (Precious) are producing.

Gary Spatz is one of the most highly respected and active on-set coaches for young actors. His initial project was Honey, I Shrunk The Kids (1989) segueing into a six-year stint as acting coach for The New Mickey Mouse Club (1990-1995), Roseanne (1990-1997), and Everybody Loves Raymond (2003 - 2005). These credits and many others led to Mr. Spatz founding "The Playground", which quickly became one of the top training grounds for young actors in the United States.

"Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer is the first feature-length theatrical production I've worked on in many years," said Gary. "A television series usually requires two or three days a week during a season, leaving me plenty of time to devote to The Playground and private coaching. I've turned down features over the last five years because with a movie, you must be on the set for the duration. Essentially, you can disappear for 6-12 weeks. With all my other responsibilities, I couldn't do that - and wouldn't do that."

After being offered the Judy Moody script, Gary realized that he had to be a part of the project. "It had that special quality of being very sweet, very funny, but not at all caustic or cynical," Gary explained. "You don't come across those kind of scripts very often."

Gary was determined to work on the film, and the producers definitely wanted him deeply involved. He was thrilled when (executive-producer) Bobbie Sue Luther and (Director) John Schultz, offered him this project. "We all bent over backwards to accommodate a schedule in pre-production that would allow for rehearsals with this gifted young cast of actors."