The Oasis of Insanity: The Study and Pursuit of Acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse

Upon the recommendation of a pretty girl, a young Harvard grad reports to a small theatre on a chilly November evening in Los Angeles to begin an acting class. So begins his unique apprenticeship with a brilliant and temperamental teacher, an apprenticeship lasting fully 18 years until that young student takes over the school upon the master’s death. The apprentice is Allen Barton, today an established Los Angeles director, teacher and playwright. The master is Milton Katselas, one of the most renowned acting teachers of his era. The school is the Beverly Hills Playhouse, the famed training ground for thousands of working actors over the last 40 years. “The Oasis of Insanity” is Barton's story of his coming of age under Katselas' unique tutelage, as well as his own valuable guidebook to the study and pursuit of acting in the 21st century.