Finding the Right Acting Teacher

Charlie Sandlan is the executive director and head of acting at the Maggie Flanigan Studio. In this blog post, Charlie discusses the qualities of the best acting teacher.

What Are the Qualities of the Best Acting Teachers?

So you are in NYC or LA and have been hopping from acting class to acting class, frustrated by the lack of seriousness of your classmates, and a teacher who isn’t pushing you or even giving you a clear idea of what you need to work on to fix your acting. How many times do you find yourself doing a memorized monologue or scene, and hearing a few comments from the teacher, a “good job”, or fed some line readings, and off you go until next week’s redundant class? I interview so many students who are aching to be really taught and criticized.

The question that many aspiring actors don’t know how to answer when looking for an acting training program is, “What kind of teacher should I actually be looking for?

I believe that great teachers should be able to offer a few things:

A good acting teacher should set a very high bar. Have you ever found yourself in a class with actors who aren’t serious? They come and go when it's convenient, show up late and leave early, aren’t interested in rehearsing, and you have a teacher who does nothing about it. If you really want a career as a professional actor, then it’s important to understand what the word “professional” actually means. Showing up on time, not missing class, coming prepared, and rehearsing consistently should be non-negotiable.

Good acting teachers should never be abusive or criticize you in a personal, inappropriate way. There are quite a few teachers who look to embarrass or humiliate their students. The criticism you receive should always be about the work, and never personal.

The best acting teacher should not only push you but also have the capacity to inspire in you the desire to play full out with yourself and provide you with a process to help you become the serious actor you desire to be.

A trustworthy acting teacher should also be able to provide a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment for you to begin the hard work of becoming more open, and vulnerable. You should be challenged to never accept your second best, encouraged to operate outside of your comfort zone, and given the permission and freedom to fail.

Any good acting teacher or instructor should also interview you personally when you apply, giving you an opportunity to ask questions and get a sense if he/she is really interested in investing their energy into you, or whether you are just another number and dollar sign.

Finding the best acting teachers for you is one of the most important decisions to make when searching for actor training programs. If you are aching to be really pushed, then make sure you do your due diligence. You don’t want to throw your money away.

About the Acting Teachers at Maggie Flanigan Studio

Learn more about the acting teachers at Maggie Flanigan Studio and the professional actor training programs that the studio provides by visiting the studio website ( http://www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/ ). Interested actors with questions about the two-year program should call the drama school during weekday hours at 917-789-1599.

The previous post Finding the Right Acting Teacher is republished from Acting Classes NYC