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Thirty years ago, General Hospital‘s creative team – at the time, Wendy Riche, executive producer, and head writer Claire Labine – brought the Nurses’ Ball to daytime TV. Hosted by Lucy Coe, played by Lynn Herring, the event brought citizens of Port Charles together as they lent their impressive musical talents to a worthy cause. Other daytime dramas had addressed the issue of AIDS/HIV before, starting with nurse Noreen Donovan (Marilyn McIntyre) on Loving, but General Hospital told an ongoing story with the Nurses’ Ball. A year after the first Nurses’ Ball in 1994, the show took Robin and Stone’s love story in a powerful direction when Stone (Michael Sutton) died from AIDS, and Robin (Kimberly McCullough) was diagnosed as HIV-positive. TV Insider chatted with Scott Barton, the show’s former publicist, who had previously worked with Elizabeth Taylor (ex-Helena Cassadine) in 1985 on the Commitment to Life fundraiser for AIDS...

1980: General Hospital's Tracy ignored Edward's plea for help.

1985: Bo & Hope were married on Days of our Lives.

1986: Days' Caroline told Bo that Victor Kiriakis was his father and Mary Beth Evans debuted as Kayla Brady. "History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1967: NBC daytime drama Another World was broadcast live for the final time.

1980: On General Hospital, Tracy (Jane Elliot) refused to help her father, Edward (David Lewis), when he had a heart attack.

1985: On Days of our Lives, Bo Brady (Peter Reckell...

1980: General Hospital's Tracy ignored Edward's plea for help.

1985: Bo & Hope were married on Days of our Lives. 1986:

Caroline told Bo that Victor Kiriakis was his father. 1986: Mary Beth

Evans debuted as Kayla Brady. "All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."

― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1967: NBC daytime drama Another World was broadcast live for the final time.

1980: On General Hospital, Tracy (Jane Elliot) refused to help her father, Edward...

The following is a list of Los Angeles-area stage and film acting schools, teachers, and coaches organized by category and alphabetically.Each of the entries contains the following information, if applicable: name of teacher or school; address; phone and fax numbers; email address and/or website; average number of students per class; whether beginning, intermediate, or advanced students are taught; whether auditing is permitted; whether a work/study program is offered. Descriptions of the class, school, or coaching are provided by the instructor of institution and edited by Back Stage.Schools of teacher who have been omitted may contact, in writing, Listing, c/o Back Stage, 5055 Wilshire Blvd., 6th floor, Los Angeles, CA 90036, so that we may include you in our next list.  Acting Technique/Scene StudyAARON McPherson STUDIOWest Hollywood, CA aaron@aaronmcphersonstudio.comwww.aaronmcphersonstudio.com310-918-5335Class size varies, 12 max. for auditioning class, 40 max. for scene study; day...

Whether you're an emerging artist, a polished pro who wants a brush-up or a different approach, or simply new in town and looking to network, acting classes are likely to be on your agenda.But finding the right one can be daunting. Back Stage's classifieds, display ads, and Acting Schools and Coaches list are "overwhelming, to say the least," says New York actor Nilla Watkins. Some actors, like Sara Galassini, think newspaper listings are unreliable and prefer to consult friends. So we asked actors who found teachers through Back Stage how they did it -- how they narrowed the field and what advice they would give to others -- and several themes emerged: Know thyself (determine what's lacking in your actor's toolkit), do the research (learn about different techniques, ask around, check websites), audit a few classes, and finally, go with your gut. Ask the Right Questions Two and a half years ago,...