18 Month Acting Program - Allison McHugh Interview

The 18-month acting program at the Maggie Flanigan Studio prepares professional actors for enduring acting careers. In this interview, Allison McHugh talks about how the Meisner Training has helped her get past emotional blocks. Katie: Before you started the 18 Month Program, what did you think it meant to train as an actor? Before I started the 18 Month Program, I had honestly no idea what it meant to train as an actor. I've taken comedy classes; I did all the Upright Citizens Brigade training. I've done a couple of one-offs like, "This casting director is teaching an intensive." I did a few of those. I've always wanted to act and then I never really, indeed, dared to say it out loud until the pandemic. Once I finally got that courage and was doing these one-off casting director intensive classes, I realized how much I was missing the fundamentals of acting. I've been on stage before, I do comedy, but there's so much more. In those short four-week courses, I learned that I had no idea what I was doing. I knew I was missing a huge chunk; I didn't know how much I was missing. Q: What do you think it means to train as an actor now that you're about halfway through the program? Now that I'm halfway through the program, I truly realized that I had no idea how freaking hard it was. The levels of vulnerability you have to get to in first-year, you break down all of these barriers, I guess, is the word. All these emotional blocks that we've learned throughout our entire lives, which I didn't even know I had, and then in the first couple of months of the first year, Karen would bring out specific just ways that our body would tense and all these things. I was just like, "Oh." The things I've done my whole life, and I didn't realize that I had been doing them until you have to start unlearning those things. There's just so much that goes into it emotionally and physically that when you're in it, you begin to understand it, but before that, honestly, you have no idea. Q: Since this is your first time committing to a training program, was this your first time explicitly working with the Meisner Technique? Yes. This is my first time working with Meisner. When I was looking at classes, I had gone to a couple of one-offs places that I talked about. They had talked about specific techniques; I met friends through UCB who had talked about particular methods and read a couple of books. Meisner was the one that stuck out to me the most. I may be, without understanding it at all, understood it the most, or so I thought. There was a bit of a gravitational pull towards it, and then I had a perfect friend who pushed me in this direction. Q: What about the Meisner Technique that you've learned so far from the first year and the first few months of the second year resonates most with you as an actor? I think emotional preparation is the wildest journey. It's so crazy that you go so many different places. I have this tendency to go back in time, and then I imagine things differently from how they happen. It's a mix of reality and fantasy. I genuinely have no idea what my brain is doing when it's doing it, but it's crazy. A lot of my emotional prep in the first year for my scenes was devastation. I do comedy, I've always been a light-hearted person, and I try to laugh everything off. So prepping for devastation, I had to dig and hurt my feelings, which was hard to do, but also when you're just having an emotional release like that, it was so cathartic. 18 Month Program Interview - Allison McHugh Interview - Maggie Flanigan Studio (917) 789-1599 Learn more about the Maggie Flanigan Studio by visiting the studio website. {URL] Actors who are interested in interviewing for acceptance into the studio acting programs should apply online and call the studio at (917) 789-1599 with enrollment questions. Maggie Flanigan Studio 147 W. 25th St. 5th Floor New York, NY 10001 (917) 789-1599 www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/... www.google.com/maps?cid=17904... www.youtube.com/channel/UC9vY... www.youtube.com/user/Maggiefl... twitter.com/MeisnerActing www.instagram.com/meisneracting/ maggieflaniganstudio.tumblr.com/ www.linkedin.com/company/magg... www.facebook.com/f/ s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/me... maggieflaniganstudio.business... www.pearltrees.com/maggieflani... acting classes NYC, acting classes in NYC, maggie flanigan studio, actors, maggie flanigan, Meisner technique training, Meisner technique, Meisner training, Meisner, Meisner work, Meisner acting, Meisner acting classes, acting conservatory, best acting studio in NYC https://flic.kr/p/2mUdLEs

consistency meisner technique charlie sandlan

Charlie Sandlan teaches in the acting programs at the Maggie Flanigan Studio. In this video, Charlie discusses why many actors have trouble being consistent in their acting and how the Meisner technique helps create the skill set that actors need. Maybe you can relate to this as an actor. You do a scene may be in a play or class, or perhaps you're on set, and something magical happens. You're out of your head. You're on your spontaneous impulses. You're fully emotionally alive. Something happened, and the director calls cut. You walk off stage, and you feel like you've been hit by a Mack truck. Then you say yourself, "How can I do that again?" and you don't know how. It's lost in the ether. That could be very frustrating, because you've got a sense of what it feels like to be present, but you don't know how to do it. The reason why you don't know how to do that consistently is because you don't have craft or a real technique that gives you a way of working, that's going to support you every single time you grab material, whether going in for an audition, you're going into rehearsal, going on set. You need to learn how to craft. It is essential. I think that the Meisner technique that was created by Sandy Meisner in 1930s is the most brilliant way to instill actors with fundamental skill. You've got to be able to get the attention off of yourself onto the other person or onto what you're doing. You've got to know how to listen, how to hear intently, how to go from anticipated moment to unanticipated moment. You need to be able to be surprised in every moment about what's being said to you, about what's happening to you at the moment, being played upon and changed by a notion of being. You need to know how to answer some particular questions. You need to know how to respond and pin down very individually and personally with the previous circumstances what the acting relationship is, what's your objective. You need to know how to do actions. Those all ultimately need to be second nature. Then you need an instrument that is open and pliable, that's capable of processing emotion that will allow your empathy, your humanity, your vulnerability to be able to operate. When you have that instilled in you, when you have a craft, when you have something that is just second nature to how you work as an artist, then those fleeting moments of being alive on stage or camera become consistent. Learn more about Charlie Sandlan and the acting programs and acting classes at the Maggie Flanigan Studio by visiting the studio website or calling the studio front desk at 917-789-1599. Maggie Flanigan Studio 153 W 27th St #803 New York, New York 10001 +1 917-789-1599 www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/ goo.gl/maps/oxqqExybwL32 plus.google.com/112291205845820496849 https://flic.kr/p/LV4MFv

New York acting programs - Devin Fuller

The Maggie Flanigan Studio New York acting programs train actors based on the Meisner Technique, created by Sanford Meisner. Devin Fuller, a first year student in the acting program, talks about what he thought actor training was when he first started studying at the studio. Q: Devin, what did you think about to train as an actor before you started the two-year program at Maggie Flanigan Studio? A: I think when I was starting out I thought that actor training was something that you could do and was probably helpful, but I thought, “Not everyone necessarily needs to train because I've heard stories about people who become successful without going to training programs.” I thought for me, I could show up and learn on set, and I could learn from experience, but I think ultimately what I've learned is that there’s this level of technique that you don't necessarily get just from experience. It does help for someone to train you and to learn from somebody because you can only get so far, I think, on your own. It helps to have a teacher. Q: What did you think or what did you know about the Meisner Technique before you started your first year here? A: I had taken a couple of classes before that dabbled in Meisner, nothing super advanced though. All I knew about it was repetition involved. I didn't see the process too much beyond some fundamental things about it. All I knew was that I knew some people who had trained in the Meisner Technique and they were outstanding. I was like, “I want to learn what this is about,” so here I am. [laughs] Q: Now that you've finished the full first year of the two-year program, how has your understanding of the Meisner Technique changed? A: I've learned it’s very-- It lets you get into a part of yourself that you might not know you have. I feel like before when I didn't have as much of an understanding of technique; I would show up then think, "Okay, how would this character feel?" I didn't really-- It was not in a particular way. I just felt along and tried to see what works. A lot of times, maybe it did work, other times it didn't, I got feedback. Now that I've trained a little bit, I've learned that having some structure to how you're approaching acting is very helpful. This technique is good at getting you out of your head and focusing on what the other person is doing. It's less about yourself. I've learned so much about reacting to people and understanding and also letting my true emotional response come out. There is a difference between acting angry and being angry, acting sad and feeling sad. It's like night and day once you realize that. It's been a great experience, and I've learned a lot. Q: What did you learn about yourself this year that was a surprise or that changed you? A: In everyday life, you have to tamp down a lot of your emotions. You don't want to be angry, or at least I don't want to be mad at people. I don't want to show I'm agitated but doing this, it's like you realize you can access those parts of yourself and you can be excellent. Like when you're angry on set, you’re not acting angry, you want to get to a point when you feel mad. It’s all in a controlled experience but-- I mean controlled in the sense that it's safe, but it’s just this-- You let yourself live out these experiences. It feels so rewarding to let yourself go to that place. It's so much more-- I think you get these rush of being like, “Wow, I did that. I let it myself get angry. I let myself cry. I let myself break down.” It’s fantastic, and you feel so much better. You feel like such a better actor after letting yourself go to those places instead of just faking it. Q: How is being part of the two-year program different from your experience at other studios or in other classes? A: Two-year program, it's different. Previously, I had taken a lot of classes that were just one-offs, like here’s a scene study class, here’s an auditioning class. Here you get a lot more of a focus. Those things were usually like, four weeks, eight weeks, ten weeks, whatever and then maybe like once a week and you’re done. Then you feel like, “Well, I feel like I've learned something,” but you don't necessarily feel like it changed you as much. Here, you envelop yourself in this program, and you feel like, “This is all combining together and really changing me as a person and as an actor,” much more than you could get from just a simple scene study class that you do once a week. You do feel the growth over time as opposed to-- From where I was at the beginning of the year versus where I am now is just so different. I've grown so much. Q: Well what's it like to be in acting class and have a bad day? A: I'd say [chuckles] the bad days you can feel really bad. I've had a few experiences where I felt, “Well, I didn't do my best.” I knew it, but I felt more motivated at the end of the day to do better next time. You do learn a lot about yourself. Whereas if you can take criticism, and you can understand it, and you know it is a motivator at the end of the day because you feel like you want to be better. You want to understand, “Maybe I had a bad day today, but tomorrow I can be better, next week I can be better. I can reach those levels that I want to reach; I can reach those heights I want to reach as an actor.” Bad days are just another reason to do better next time. Q: What's it like to be in acting class and have a good day? A: Be in class and have a good day. It’s [laughs] great. You feel like you've accomplished something. I feel like-- it’s usually after-- I think it takes a while sometimes to reach those good days. Because a lot of times if you feel like you've been just doing-- your work has been exceptional or maybe mediocre, not great but then when you do have those good days it does make it all worth it. You feel like, “I've impressed myself. I feel excellent about my performance or my activity.” You feel like, “This is why I do this.” It’s a feeling unlike any other that I get from doing anything else. That's why I do it. The good days are the best days. Learn more about Meisner acting and professional actor training at the Maggie Flanigan Studio, by visiting the acting programs and acting classes page on the studio website, or by calling the studio during studio business hours at 917-789-1599. Maggie Flanigan Studio 153 W 27th St #803 New York, New York 10001 +1 917-789-1599 www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/ goo.gl/maps/oxqqExybwL32 plus.google.com/112291205845820496849 https://flic.kr/p/LRByr4

best acting programs New York - Maggie Flanigan Studio - Sky Nelson

The Maggie Flanigan Studio is considered by many actors to be one of the best New York acting programs. During this interview Sky Nelson talks about the first year in the two year acting program. Learn more about why many actors consider this two year acting program to be one of the best acting programs in New York, and in the United States, by visiting the studio website or by calling the studio during open hours. Call 917-789-1599. Q: Sky, what did you think the Meisner technique was before you started the two-year program at Maggie Flanigan's Studio? A: I had a little bit of training in the Meisner technique. My old college professor studied with Maggie at Rutgers, so I had a little bit of an introduction, and she pushed me to come here. Just gave me a nudge in the right direction because obviously with Maggie's name attached and Charlie as the teacher, the training here was so far above what she could provide. I knew a little bit about the repetition and stuff like that, but we didn't get into the depth of activities. Q: Now that you've finished your first year of training, what do you think the Meisner technique is now? A: So much of it has to do with the depth of yourself I guess. Just exploring all those different parts, which I didn't understand before coming here, but you get to play in those parts of you that you don't see in everyday life. That's the big thing with I think Meisner, is just exploring all these different facets of yourself. From my understanding, that turns into character work, which is just really cool. My understanding has shifted from just being a repetition exercise that people do to get out of your head, to this whole expanse of exploring these deep parts of yourself that you don't usually play with. Q: Why did you choose Maggie Flanigan Studio as the place where you were going to train? A: I think that because I had that nudge from that professor. I looked into the Esper Studio, but mostly Meisner-based so these were the two that I was choosing between. I also had a buddy who took the summer intensive here and then got into NYU’s Grad Program and was like, "Dude, you got to do this. It's one of the things that got me into grad school." I was like, “I’m sold.” I room with him now as he's going to NYU, and I'm doing this, and it's enjoyable. Yes, just the attention to detail and the videos of Charlie online where he's talking candidly about acting, and this crisis in American acting, and all these things about, it's not all about being a pop star, and it's not all about being this commercial success, but it's about the artistry of it. That was cool and fun to hear about. Q: What did you learn about yourself during this year that changed you as both a person and an actor? A: That's a great question. The thing that I realized most about myself was that I could trust myself as an actor. By that I mean, I think everybody's We've all had those experiences where you go out on stage in college, or whatever, or maybe you’ll go professional and get it after college. You have one of those nights where everything is just so alive, and you're crying, you're feeling these emotions, and you're talking to these people, and you're doing these things. Then you go off stage, and you're like, "I have no idea how to do that again. There's no way I'm going to be able to recreate that." Coming here doing these activities week after week after week and coming alive, I think you want to have a little trust yourself that you do have the ability to do that, eight shows a week if that's asked of you hopefully. That's the big take away, is that you learn how to trust yourself this first year with your life inside of you. That you can let it out and it will be there for you time and time again. Q: What was it like to have a bad day in acting class? A: When you have a bad day, [laughs] it's a pleasant experience. You learn best from screwing up. That's how you learn the most. It's having a poor class and Charlie just ripping the activity to shreds or saying that you weren't connected at all because you learn the most from that. You step back, and you're like, "All right, what happens that didn't go well? What was he saying? What were his notes?" That's what I focused on, or at least I try to. When you're getting-- you're not being humiliated, but it feels like that at the time. It's just you don't have a hole deep enough [laughs] to crawl into to steal Charlie’s words. Yes, having an awful day is part of the process. Everybody has them, and it's tough for you to see the people that you think are infallible about having them. Q: What is it like to have a breakthrough or a perfect day at class? A: That's the best drug. It's just like when you come out of there, and Charlie does this-- [nods head]. That's everything. That’s like when you’re dreaming. When you go out of a class like that, you feel like you're walking four feet above the sidewalk as nothing can stop you. When you see somebody else who's been struggling with a piece of the exercise put it together, and they come alive, that is so cool because you see progress. It's tough to see progress in yourself but when you're looking at other people, and you're like, "Oh my God, they put that all together and now it's finally working for them,” That's cool too. I think that's just a way of measuring other peoples' progress, being able to step back and be like, “Okay, must be happening to me too." Q: What would you say to someone who thinks they do not need the training to be an actor? Yes. I think it can be easy to look at what people are doing, especially in movies and films or even TV to a point and say, "I can do that, that looks easy." That's why it's so difficult. It's because it's so invisible what these great actors are doing on TV and film. It's incredible. The amount of training that takes to fill a role is humongous. If you're sitting there thinking like, "I don't need the training," I would say do a little bit of reading about these actors and how much training that it took for them to get there. For the most part, you're finding people that are coming out of MFA programs to Juilliard, Yale, NYU, or conservatory programs here, wherever. I think that, to look at yourself and say, "I'm better than that," is maybe just not as humble as you would want to be. That being said, I understand the money thing. That's something holding people back, but you have to look at it as an investment. If this is something that you want to do, sign up for the six-week intensive. See, after six weeks, when you do your first rounds of scenes if that's something that's helping you. It's not for everybody. This type of training is not for everybody. It's for people that want to work hard and want to work hard in a specific subset and discipline of acting. If you find yourself after that six weeks in the summer thinking, "Hey, I learned a whole heck of a lot, I could benefit from this," work it out, find something. Come to talk to Charlie. Do it for yourself. If you want to be an actor, you're going to need to train. https://flic.kr/p/28omxVr

vulnerability sam rockwell maggie flanigan studio

Sam Rockwell is a trained Meisner actor who recently received an Oscar for his performance in “Three Billboards OutSide Ebbing”. In this video Sam talks with students at Maggie Flanigan Studio about vulnerability and anger. The key to being a tough guy is actually vulnerability, because under the rage that you see is vulnerability and hurt. A lot of times, not always true depending on your background, but then you'll see in class the women will cry first and then get angry. Not always. Depends where you're from. The men will get angry and then eventually they'll cry, right? A lot of times you see that. These are good things to think about, that underneath the rage is great sadness and vulnerability. I think that's a big key to emotional power. People like John Malkovich, Alfre Woodard, Viola Davis, Phil Hoffmann, and Gary Oldman, have emotional power. When you see that on stage or in film, and you're like, "How f*** did they do that?" That's a gift. You've all got it, it's just accessing them. We've all got that power, I think. You just got to access it. Yes? Learn more about the Meisner technique and the acting programs at the Maggie Flanigan Studio by visiting the studio website or calling 917-789-1599. Maggie Flanigan Studio 153 W 27th St #803 New York, New York 10001 +1 917-789-1599 www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/ goo.gl/maps/oxqqExybwL32 plus.google.com/112291205845820496849 https://flic.kr/p/GMJV2e

actor training film history class for actors jeff richardson

Jeff Richardson teaches film history classes for actors at the Maggie Flanigan Studio. In this video Jeff discusses why actor training needs to include film history and why actors needs to have a plan for regularly viewing classic films. One thing I constantly hear from young actors is: “I wish I’d seen more films.” They love movies, they say, but they don’t think they’ve seen enough of the classics. And it makes perfect sense that they would feel this way. Most of them want to act in film. Watching movies not only provides inspiration and influence, but it gives them a shared knowledge base with others in the industry. The filmmaking world is a world of film buffs. Unless you’re planning to get into the business through the backdoor of professional wrestling or reality television stardom, being able to talk about great films, filmmakers, and performances is an important skill. How well are you going to fit in at a meeting, audition, or film set if your entire knowledge of pre-2000 cinema consists of Titanic and Toy Story? OK... so how does one watch more movies? That sounds like a silly question, but it’s not as simple as it seems. Having a catalog of films in your head doesn’t just happen overnight. I’m a huge movie buff – I teach a film history class at the Maggie Flanigan Studio, and even I can feel overwhelmed by what I haven’t seen. For a young actor, even one who’s always loved movies, their lifetime of film-watching isn’t going to equal that of an industry veteran 10, 20, or 30 years their senior. And, let’s face it: life is busy, and watching movies – especially classics – is a commitment. When busy days become busy weeks, etc., it’s not easy to spend your limited free time watching a strange old film outside your comfort zone. So how to fix this “film shortage” problem? The first step is realizing that you have to make a viewing plan. And to do that, you need to learn something about film history to add to your actor training. Surveying a century of movies at random is not only inefficient, it’s likely to subtract from your enjoyment. You’ll get a lot more out of a classic film if you know a thing or two about its historical context, its cast and crew, its style, its reception and impact. In other words: why the film is considered a classic. By studying film history, you’ll gain an understanding of key periods, genres, and filmmakers, and, most importantly, you’ll have a crash course in your own interests. Once you know what appeals to you – and there absolutely is something for everyone – you can confidently create your own personalized film guide for future viewing. You’ll enjoy the films more and you’ll have more thoughts about them afterwards. Even just watching one film a week will steadily make a big difference. It’s a great method to kick start a purposeful, pleasurable film education that can continue for a lifetime. Learn more about the film history class with Jeff Richardson at the Maggie Flanigan studio, as well as the other acting classes and acting programs at the Maggie Flanigan Studio by visiting the programs page on the studio website or by calling 917-789-1599. Maggie Flanigan Studio 153 W 27th St #803 New York, New York 10001 +1 917-789-1599 www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/ goo.gl/maps/oxqqExybwL32 plus.google.com/112291205845820496849 https://flic.kr/p/23FQvhY

Movement Class for Actors | Breaking Physical Habits | 917-789-1599

Briana Packen teaches movement classes for actors at the Maggie Flanigan Studio. In this video Briana talks about why actors need to recognize and remove physical and mental habits. For more information about movement classes at the Maggie Flanigan Studio, contact the studio directly by calling 917-789-1599. movement class for actors, movement class, acting classes nyc, briana packen, charlie sandlan, maggie flanigan studio http://flic.kr/p/JGa2mJ

two year acting program phil portolano1

I feel like this studio prepared me for everything, the work, the business. I honestly feel like I know how to work as an actor and I’m confident in my abilities that I’ve gained from this place. http://flic.kr/p/J9GVo2