Alan Gardner

Alan Gardner is the Director of Acting & Performance at USA. He teaches classes in Acting, Voice, Movement, Auditioning Techniques, and Acting for Film & Television. A member of both Actors Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild, Alan has worked professionally as an actor Off- Broadway, in Los Angeles, Denver, Pittsburgh, Birmingham, and on national tour. His film work includes roles in Twenthieth Century Fox’s Oscar winning WALK THE LINE, in Universal Studios action thriller SUDDEN DEATH and in Alabama’s own award winning RUSTIN. He has also been seen in more than thirty television commercials including national spots for The Home Depot and Shoney’s. Alan is the co-founder/co-artistic director of Birmingham’s City Equity Theatre and prior to that founded and built South City Theatre where he directed and produced more than twenty full length plays in less than five years.
He has a B.A. Degree in Theatre from The University of Alabama at Birmingham and then went on to earn his M.F.A. Degree in Acting from The University of Pittsburgh where he worked as a teaching assistant and in the acting company of the Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival. Alan has over fifteen years of teaching experience at both the secondary and college levels. He takes pride in his work as a teacher and acting coach to all his students and shares their passion for the craft and art form. His foremost objective is to provide students with the quality training, experience and knowledge they need in order to successfully compete in the professional arena. Alan lives with his wife of sixteen years Francie and their sons, McNeill, Stuart, Hamilton and Walker.