José Angel Santana, a renowned young actor in 1984, was deeply concerned about the destructive influence of media violence on the lives of young people. Instead of continuing to contribute to such content, he decided to dedicate his full-time efforts to helping young people in 1987.
Throughout his 35-year career, Santana worked with teenagers and young adults, initially as the Drama Director of Jane Fonda's Laurel Springs Performing Arts Ranch, and later as the co-founder and Drama Director of Santa Barbara's award-winning City At Peace Youth Program. He combined professional actor training with the openhearted methods of conflict resolution and mediation to develop a unique approach to teaching empathy to young people who might have otherwise fallen through the cracks.
This endeavor was partially funded by Santana's successive years as a recipient of the Artist in Communities grants awarded by the California Arts Council from 1996 to 1999. For his work with City At Peace, he was recognized as a Santa Barbara "Local Hero" in 1999.
Today, José Angel Santana, Ph.D., is an award-winning teacher, mentor, actor, director, photographer, and innovator in the field of interpersonal communications. He is the creator of "You, and...," which combines techniques from The Meisner Technique and Viola Spolin Improvisation with best practices from the field of conflict resolution and mediation, including Non-Violent Communication. This combination, he calls the "Performance of Mutual Understanding."
Santana serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Film at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He teaches his course, The Art of Connecting (You, and...),to artists and creative media executives in the division of Professional Development at the School of Visual Arts (NYC),since 2007.
From 2008 to 2012, he was the Area Head of the Directing Actors Department of the Tisch School of the Arts, Kanbar Institute, Film & Television Graduate Film School. He continues to mentor some of the most promising filmmakers working today.
Santana is an Artist in Residents who teaches Theater & Film to teachers and students for the Union City, NJ Board of Education. He collaborates with TESOL DRAMA INTERNATIONAL, teaching teachers how to use Drama in Education to enhance teacher-student engagement and improve mutual understanding.
Santana received his B.A. in Mass Communications from The University of Vermont. He is a graduate of The Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theater, training under Sanford Meisner. He has an M.A. and Ph.D. in Mythological Studies with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology from the Pacifica Graduate Institute, home of the Joseph Campbell Library.
He is a lifetime member of The Ensemble Studio Theatre.
