"The highest level of creativity unfolds through play."

-- Albert Einstein

About Melanie Chartoff

As improvisationalist, Melanie began embodying the theories of Viola Spolin as a theater major in college. In New York City Melanie workshopped with Chicago's famed Second City troupe, and performed off-Broadway with The Proposition, an on-the-spot musical revue created from audience suggestion, also featuring Jane Curtin, Fred Grandy, and Josh Mostel.

In Los Angeles, she studied with Paul Sills, creator of Story

Theater, Gary Austin, founder of the Groundlings, Harvey Lembeck, and with Stan Welles, creator of long form improv, founder of The Empty Stage Theater.

"There is no element of my work as a writer, performer, dramatic actress or, for that matter, as a human, that these games have not empowered."

Melanie's improvisational skills were first on national display on ABC's late night sketch show "Fridays" where fellow players

included Michael Richards and Larry David, with whom she later worked on "Seinfeld."

An actress On and Off Broadway and in Los Angeles, Melanie studied with the legendary Stella Adler (see clip here), Uta Hagen, and in Los Angeles with Harry Mastrogeorge; and as a voice artist worked with countless teachers for singing and voice over. As a performer and teacher long interested in behavior, Melanie has worked with Drs Lou Ormont, Helen Janiger, Susan Harris and Fred Kahane and studied Process, Jungian and Reichian techniques as they apply to personality modification and enhancement.

For more information on Melanie’s career, please visit http://melaniechartoff.com .