Brooklyn's Acting Out! Opens New Tantrum Theater

Acting Out!, a Brooklyn-based performing arts school with locations in Dyker Heights and Flatlands, nurtures Broadway-bound actors and wallflowers alike. With the opening of their new theater space, Acting Out! plans to expand their show schedule.

Students practice during a class at Acting Out!

When 6-year-old Eden signed up to take a class at Brooklyn-based performing arts school Acting Out!, it was not because she had visions of her name in lights. The shy girl tagged along with an interested friend, and her parents hoped that she would gain a bit of confidence from the experience. When it came time for the end-of-class performance, Eden was reluctant to go near the stage. Instructor Roberta Loew invented an assistant director position for Eden, and slowly but surely, her confidence grew until she asked to have an onstage role again.

“We care very deeply, very passionately, about these kids,” says Loew, co-owner of Acting Out!.

The school has been open for business for eight years, Loew says. This year, they were able to build the Tantrum Theatre to better showcase their students’ talent. The school has two locations in Brooklyn—one on the corner of Bay Ridge Parkway (7th Street and 15th Avenue) in Dyker Heights and one on Avenue N (at E. 48th Street) in Flatlands—and accepts students ranging from kindergarteners to teens and adults.

Children are placed in classes based on their personalities, talents, and interests, not strictly by age. “We place the children where they will thrive,” Loew says. Enrolled students can take classes that focus on audition preparation and confidence-building in addition to performance-intensive courses.

Loew and co-owner John Isgro are currently working to get a large film screen to host family movie nights, game nights, and other family-oriented activities for the community. They also hope to stage other performances in addition to their traditional June shows.