The Actors Co-op Provides Unique Take On Training
Val McAdoo and Pete Postiglione of The Actors Co-op.
“There is a lot of theater in our area, a lot of focus on acting and learning the craft, but not specific to film,” says Val McAdoo, an accomplished local actor, producer, and now co-founder of Swarthmore’s newest business venture, The Actors Co-op.
Partner Pete Postiglione agrees. “Many people in the area have come out of theater, including me. I started in community theater in Narberth.” Since that amateur debut, Postiglione has become a professional actor, writer, and producer in the film and television industry with credits including Silver Linings Playbook. His newest film, Hollywould will be released on October 16.
The two Delaware County residents — Val and her family reside in Wallingford, while Pete calls Springfield home — decided on Swarthmore as an ideal setting for The Actors Co-op to offer classes for children and adults who aspire to learn acting and creating for today’s media. They teach performance in front of a camera, emphasizing that acting for film and television is very different than acting for the stage.
The educational approach is collaborative, teaching multiple aspects of the film and television business. “Our goal is to bring together various film professionals — writers, producers, cinematographers, musicians, and, of course, actors,” McAdoo said. “By including all aspects, students can discover the whole business. The kids and teens will all get roles in a short film written by one of our teachers, and all students and parents will be invited to a ‘Red Carpet Premiere’ to view the short film at the end of the eight-week session.”
Pete and Val recognize that the growth of the video generation has created a keen interest among children to learn more about how the entertainment industry works, and how they might become a part of it beyond their own YouTube uploads and counting the views.
“A lot of kids today are focused on filming. You can see it on their phone cameras every day,” says McAdoo. “I used to play with my Barbie dolls when I was little. Now my daughters do the same thing — but they film it and share it with their friends!”
The Actors Co-op can be found at 100 Park Avenue, Suite #1 in Swarthmore. Visit their location live, or tune into their website.
