American Readers Theatre

917-902-4174

Jeffrey Stocker is the Founder and Director of the American Readers Theatre, a 501(3)c not-for-profit arts organization which promotes literacy; located in New York, Pennsylvania, and Oregon.

He opened his own acting studio in New York City in 1978, when he created a unique audition "cold-reading" acting technique for both stage and film.  As a professional director he has directed over 100 stage productions and readings in NYC at the National Arts Club, Players Club, Princeton Club, and City College of NY.  He has collaborated with award-winning playwrights Edward Albee and Christopher Durang.

Jeffrey Stocker has also been on the teaching faculty of the Joffrey Ballet School in NYC, the Portland Festival Ballet Studio in Oregon, and the Magnus Midwest Summer Dance Intensive, where he created a highly successful acting program called ACTING FOR THE DANCER.

As the prestigious National Arts Club in NYC, Mr. Stocker served for many years as the Chair of the Theatre Drama Committee, and has directed Frances Sternhagen, Joan Copeland, Cliff Robertson, and Tammy Grimes in numerous readings there. In 2010 he directed Olympia Dukakis in NYC in a new play written by Robert Anderson called “The Last Act Is A Solo”.

His acting clients can be seen today performing in Broadway and regional theaters, on television, and in motion pictures.  Among them are: Anne Nathan, Crista Moore, Christopher Innvar, Sean McDermott, Aiko Nakasome, Rory Culkin, and members from the casts of “Mama Mia”, “Grease”, “Phantom of the Opera”, “Chicago”. “Ragtime’. “Les Miserables” and “West Side Story”, just to name a few.

Most recently, Jeffrey Stocker has been awarded grants from the EITC grant in Pennsylvania, the NEA for the BIG READ, Christopher D. Smither's Foundation for the creation of the Theatre Workshop/teen alcohol awareness program, and the Noel Coward Foundation.

Currently, Jeffrey Stocker is the Artistic Director for the Presby Players in Port Jervis,  New York, the oldest community theater in New York State. He continues to teach acting, and direct readings and full productions throughout the country.