Get Ready for a Great Ride

The 18-month acting program in NYC at the Maggie Flanigan Studio is a Meisner based acting program for serious actors who are commuted to professional actor training. In this interview with Sydney Nordan, Sydney talks about the decision to leave college and semi pro soccer to train at the studio.

18 Month Acting Program in NYC – Sydney Nordan – Maggie Flanigan Studio – (917) 789-1599

Sydney Nordan Interview About the 18-Month Acting Program in NYC

Q: Sydney, tell me about your background in acting?

I actually did not study anywhere else, and I don’t really have any kind of background in acting.

Q: What did you think Meisner training was before you started the 18-month program at Maggie Flanigan Studio?

I actually knew really nothing about acting, and I actually read about it on this studio, our website online. Then I looked into a few other places and other definitions of it, but I really didn’t understand it fully until I came here.

Q: What were the specific steps that led you to Maggie Flanigan Studio?

I knew that I really wanted to be serious about acting, and I wanted to find a very serious studio. I was ready to commit myself and my time 100%. I actually researched about a lot of studios in New York, and I called and actually talked to you on the phone. I asked you a ton of questions. Then I came in and I had an interview with Karen.

"You will not get better acting teachers than you will find here. These teachers are so good at their craft but they are also just real human beings who love you and want to help you. This relationship doesn't die when you graduate from here. You are Maggie Flanigan family, and it's beautiful."

Sydney NordanStudent, 18-Month Acting Program

I was going to interview at other studios actually, and I wasn’t completely set until I met with Karen and Charlie. I just got this incredible vibe about this studio and what they were doing and how passionate they were when they talked and how they treated me. After my interview– I actually cried with my interview with Karen. After my interview, I was like, “Let me come. Let me be here, please.” Then I joined the studio after that.

Q: Where were you living before you moved to New York? Did you move here specifically to pursue your acting career?

Absolutely. I moved here– I originally had no plans. I’m from Alabama. I’ve transferred up here to play soccer in college actually from the University of Alabama. I played in Connecticut for two years. Then when I decided and I started into this program, I was actually commuting about two and a half hours and I was playing soccer. I was going to college, I was taking eight classes because I was ready to graduate. I was working two jobs and it just– this program was absolutely worth it to me.

We were doing our scenes. Charlie came in to visit and to see our scenes, which he does in first year. He told us after our class, he was just like, “If you want to do this work, you have to fully commit. You need to be here, be on time, and everything like that.” I sat in my seat and I sobbed because I realized I was doing so many other things that I couldn’t fully commit.

I actually have played soccer my entire life. I played semi-professional and professionally overseas. I did not end up finishing out my last year of eligibility in college. I had one more year, I did not do it. I decided right then in that class when he talked to us that I was moving to New York. I actually moved in with a girl who is going to the studio right now and we’re best friends and we live together. It’s been amazing, but I did commute for the whole first– the January session.

Q: Did your family support your decision to move here?

My family doesn’t know that I’m up here acting actually. They think it’s a hobby. I made the move by myself. I did everything by myself. My cousins, they support me and my acting friends here support me and they’re my family here. That’s all that really hasn’t mattered to me. My parents just wouldn’t understand the whole turn from– I was supposed to go down this road and then completely changed my life to a career that isn’t always stable and they don’t get that, but you know, like I said, my friends here are my family and I love it. Acting has completely fulfilled my life and I have never been happier than I am right now at the studio.

Q: What advice would you give to people or prospective students watching this video who are thinking about moving to NYC to train?

Get ready. It’s going to be a great ride. Honestly, you learn so much about yourself. I didn’t even know who I was until I came here. I’m actually gay and my family doesn’t even know. I was so conflicted on the inside about that. Last year through the acting training, I came completely out because I couldn’t hide it anymore. You just learn how to look at other people and look at the world in such a new perspective. I think that you should be aware when you come to training that that’s what’s going to happen to you. You are going to open up. You are going to be emotionalized. I don’t know, the world is just a really bright place. It’s really good.

Q: Do you have any advice for people who are feeling anxious or scared or nervous?

It was a hard journey but I ultimately, I needed to do this. I needed to do it for myself. I knew my family wasn’t going to be completely behind me. I honestly believe that this is your life. You have to do what is going to make you happy, ultimately. That’s just, that’s really it. Be ready. You’re going to have your days. I had a day that I just broke down and just and cried. I was like, “What am I doing? My whole life is different.” There is such beauty in that, your life is going to change. Everyone evolves. I think, honestly, just step into it with courage and go for it. Just be happy.

18-month Acting Program in New York – Maggie Flanigan Studio – (917) 789-1599

Apply for Admission to the 18 Month Acting Program in NYC

Learn more about the acting programs at the Maggie Flanigan Studio by visiting the Maggie Flanigan Studio website: http://www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/. Students who are interested and ready to train at the studio should apply online or call with questions about the programs at the studio at (917) 789-1599.

The post Get Ready for a Great Ride appeared first on Meisner Acting - The Maggie Flanigan Studio New York NY - 917-789-1599.

via Get Ready for a Great Ride
by Maggie Flanigan

Get Ready for a Great Ride

The 18-month acting program in NYC at the Maggie Flanigan Studio is a Meisner based acting program for serious actors who are commuted to professional actor training. In this interview with Sydney Nordan, Sydney talks about the decision to leave college and semi pro soccer to train at the studio.

Sydney Nordan Interview About the 18-Month Acting Program in NYC

Q: Sydney, tell me about your background in acting?

I actually did not study anywhere else, and I don't really have any kind of background in acting.

Q: What did you think Meisner training was before you started the 18-month program at Maggie Flanigan Studio?

I actually knew really nothing about acting, and I actually read about it on this studio, our website online. Then I looked into a few other places and other definitions of it, but I really didn't understand it fully until I came here.

Q: What were the specific steps that led you to Maggie Flanigan Studio?

I knew that I really wanted to be serious about acting, and I wanted to find a very serious studio. I was ready to commit myself and my time 100%. I actually researched about a lot of studios in New York, and I called and actually talked to you on the phone. I asked you a ton of questions. Then I came in and I had an interview with Karen.

I was going to interview at other studios actually, and I wasn't completely set until I met with Karen and Charlie. I just got this incredible vibe about this studio and what they were doing and how passionate they were when they talked and how they treated me. After my interview-- I actually cried with my interview with Karen. After my interview, I was like, "Let me come. Let me be here, please." Then I joined the studio after that.

Q: Where were you living before you moved to New York? Did you move here specifically to pursue your acting career?

Absolutely. I moved here-- I originally had no plans. I'm from Alabama. I’ve transferred up here to play soccer in college actually from the University of Alabama. I played in Connecticut for two years. Then when I decided and I started into this program, I was actually commuting about two and a half hours and I was playing soccer. I was going to college, I was taking eight classes because I was ready to graduate. I was working two jobs and it just-- this program was absolutely worth it to me.

We were doing our scenes. Charlie came in to visit and to see our scenes, which he does in first year. He told us after our class, he was just like, "If you want to do this work, you have to fully commit. You need to be here, be on time, and everything like that." I sat in my seat and I sobbed because I realized I was doing so many other things that I couldn't fully commit.

I actually have played soccer my entire life. I played semi-professional and professionally overseas. I did not end up finishing out my last year of eligibility in college. I had one more year, I did not do it. I decided right then in that class when he talked to us that I was moving to New York. I actually moved in with a girl who is going to the studio right now and we’re best friends and we live together. It’s been amazing, but I did commute for the whole first-- the January session.

Q: Did your family support your decision to move here?

My family doesn’t know that I'm up here acting actually. They think it's a hobby. I made the move by myself. I did everything by myself. My cousins, they support me and my acting friends here support me and they’re my family here. That's all that really hasn't mattered to me. My parents just wouldn't understand the whole turn from-- I was supposed to go down this road and then completely changed my life to a career that isn't always stable and they don’t get that, but you know, like I said, my friends here are my family and I love it. Acting has completely fulfilled my life and I have never been happier than I am right now at the studio.

Q: What advice would you give to people or prospective students watching this video who are thinking about moving to NYC to train?

Get ready. It's going to be a great ride. Honestly, you learn so much about yourself. I didn't even know who I was until I came here. I'm actually gay and my family doesn't even know. I was so conflicted on the inside about that. Last year through the acting training, I came completely out because I couldn't hide it anymore. You just learn how to look at other people and look at the world in such a new perspective. I think that you should be aware when you come to training that that's what's going to happen to you. You are going to open up. You are going to be emotionalized. I don't know, the world is just a really bright place. It's really good.

Q: Do you have any advice for people who are feeling anxious or scared or nervous?

It was a hard journey but I ultimately, I needed to do this. I needed to do it for myself. I knew my family wasn't going to be completely behind me. I honestly believe that this is your life. You have to do what is going to make you happy, ultimately. That's just, that's really it. Be ready. You're going to have your days. I had a day that I just broke down and just and cried. I was like, "What am I doing? My whole life is different." There is such beauty in that, your life is going to change. Everyone evolves. I think, honestly, just step into it with courage and go for it. Just be happy.

Apply for Admission to the 18 Month Acting Program in NYC

Learn more about the acting programs at the Maggie Flanigan Studio by visiting the Maggie Flanigan Studio website: http://www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/. Students who are interested and ready to train at the studio should apply online or call with questions about the programs at the studio at (917) 789-1599.

The above blog post Get Ready for a Great Ride is republished from Acting Studio Blog

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by Maggie Flanigan

Sydney Nordan - 18 Month Acting Program in NYC - Call 917-789-1599

Watch video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/YMhvsQG0DLo
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18 Month Acting Program Interview - Sydney Nordan - Call (917) 789-1599

Watch video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/S44fsqlV760
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Karen Chamberlain - Maggie Flanigan Studio Faculty

How Actors Can Sustain Their Careers The Maggie Flanigan Studio is considered by many actors to be the best acting studio for Meisner training in New York and in the United States. With this blog post and video, Karen Chamberlain discusses the dedication and persistence that is required for actors to sustain their acting careers. www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/actors-work-ethic/sustaining... 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/2c3fvJT

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by Maggie Flanigan

Karen Chamberlain - Maggie Flanigan Studio Staff

How Actors Can Sustain Their Careers I was recently asked to speak about how one sustains a career as an artist. It’s an enormous question that has no single answer. I believe it requires dedicated training, passion, fortitude and the courage to say “Yes” to artistic projects that excite you even when you don’t know how you will possibly afford to do them. It demands belief in oneself, personal health and committing to practices that keep your heart open to the world. I believe that it also asks you to not be rigid about how the art in you expresses itself. You may be an actor now but you may also be a writer, a painter or a director. The expression of what you have to offer the world may have more than one venue. "To sustain a career in the arts, you have to stay in love with doing the work for the work itself and free yourself from the expectations of the where, when and how of it." Karen Chamberlain Acting Teacher, Faculty 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/2c3fvLg

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Why Do You Want To Be An Actor - Charlie Sandlan - Maggie Flanigan Studio

Why Be An Actor www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/actors-work-ethic/why-be-an-... Charlie Sandlan - Maggie Flanigan Studio Call (917) 789-1599 Charlie Sandlan is the Executive Director, Head of Acting at the Maggie Flanigan Studio. In this video, Charlie discusses the most important question that he asks students during their admission interview. Learn More About the Acting Programs at the Maggie Flanigan Studio The acting programs at the Maggie Flanigan studio are for actors who are interested and committed to creating the foundation that they need to have long professional acting careers. Students who are serious about professional actor training should visit the acting programs and acting classes page to learn about the programs and to apply for admission. Students who have questions about the actor training and programs at the studio can call during studio hours at (917) 789-1599. Before I decide whether or not I am interested in teaching someone, the first question I ask is, “Why do you want to be an actor”. I don’t think this is a question that most people really confront when they talk about their dream of pursuing an acting career. Our pop-culture is quite superficial, and to paraphrase Emerson, democracy descends to the lowest common denominator. We live in a society where fashion, money, and fame dominate. Our politics and social media traffic in lies and twisted untruths. It’s very challenging for an aspiring artist to weed through the superficiality in order to illuminate the truth of the human condition. Professional acting is an incredibly hard business. 70% of all SAG/AFTRA and Equity actors earn less than $16,000 a year, actually obtain health insurance, or contribute to a retirement plan. Most actors need other jobs to survive, often throughout their entire careers. There is no guarantee of work, no promise of security and stability. It is an incredibly competitive, and money driven business, where artistic integrity must be forged like steel with a deep fire of grit and resilience. It demands sacrifice, the missing of weddings, birthdays, funerals, and vacations in order to pursue your craft. The majority of actors who move to NYC or LA have no clue about acting as an art form, they invest cheaply into their business with little or no training, bounce around for 3-5 years and then quit and do something else with their life. The odds are stacked against you. So why do you want to act? I believe the answer must begin with shaping the vision of the actor you want to be. This requires insight into what makes acting so beautiful, and why we revere the best among us. If your answer is “I want to be on TV, I want to be a movie star, and I want to be famous”, you should stop now and pursue something else with your life. I believe the answer must lie in your understanding that acting is an art form, in your deep wish to be a true artist, with a fascination for human behavior, and courage to bare your vulnerability, empathy and humanity to an audience so they can live vicariously through you. A need to challenge us to think more deeply about how we relate to each other, to hold a mirror up to us to reflect back what makes us human. If your answer is “I love the human condition, I want to step into as many different shoes as I can, I want to illuminate humanity. I want to master the art of acting, and I’m willing to bust my a** to do it”, then you might have a chance. If you want to be an actor, then ask yourself, what’s my contribution? If you have a voice, a desire to add something of value to this beautiful art form, if you believe you have talent, then do right by it. Train yourself. Dedicate yourself to an artistic life. Yes it is hard and challenging, but the rewards are immense and truly satisfying. So make sure this question is pondered with the respect with which it is asked. Search yourself for the truth, not what sounds cool. 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/Ri4DLQ

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by Maggie Flanigan

Why Do You Want To Be An Actor?

Charlie Sandlan is the Executive Director, Head of Acting at the Maggie Flanigan Studio. In this video, Charlie discusses the most important question that he asks students during their admission interview.

Why Dp You Want To Be An Actor – Charlie Sandlan – Maggie Flanigan Studio

Why Do You Want To Be An Actor?

Before I decide whether or not I am interested in teaching someone, the first question I ask is, “Why do you want to be an actor”. I don’t think this is a question that most people really confront when they talk about their dream of pursuing an acting career. Our pop-culture is quite superficial, and to paraphrase Emerson, democracy descends to the lowest common denominator. We live in a society where fashion, money, and fame dominate. Our politics and social media traffic in lies and twisted untruths. It’s very challenging for an aspiring artist to weed through the superficiality in order to illuminate the truth of the human condition. Professional acting is an incredibly hard business. 70% of all SAG/AFTRA and Equity actors earn less than $16,000 a year, actually obtain health insurance, or contribute to a retirement plan. Most actors need other jobs to survive, often throughout their entire careers. There is no guarantee of work, no promise of security and stability. It is an incredibly competitive, and money driven business, where artistic integrity must be forged like steel with a deep fire of grit and resilience. It demands sacrifice, the missing of weddings, birthdays, funerals, and vacations in order to pursue your craft. The majority of actors who move to NYC or LA have no clue about acting as an art form, they invest cheaply into their business with little or no training, bounce around for 3-5 years and then quit and do something else with their life. The odds are stacked against you. So why do you want to act?

"The majority of actors who move to NYC or LA have no clue about acting as an art form, they invest cheaply into their business with little or no training, bounce around for 3-5 years and then quit and do something else with their life."

Charlie SandlanExecutive Director, Head of Acting

I believe the answer must begin with shaping the vision of the actor you want to be. This requires insight into what makes acting so beautiful, and why we revere the best among us. If your answer is “I want to be on TV, I want to be a movie star, and I want to be famous”, you should stop now and pursue something else with your life. I believe the answer must lie in your understanding that acting is an art form, in your deep wish to be a true artist, with a fascination for human behavior, and courage to bare your vulnerability, empathy and humanity to an audience so they can live vicariously through you. A need to challenge us to think more deeply about how we relate to each other, to hold a mirror up to us to reflect back what makes us human. If your answer is “I love the human condition, I want to step into as many different shoes as I can, I want to illuminate humanity. I want to master the art of acting, and I’m willing to bust my a** to do it”, then you might have a chance.

If you want to be an actor, then ask yourself, what’s my contribution? If you have a voice, a desire to add something of value to this beautiful art form, if you believe you have talent, then do right by it. Train yourself. Dedicate yourself to an artistic life. Yes it is hard and challenging, but the rewards are immense and truly satisfying.

So make sure this question is pondered with the respect with which it is asked. Search yourself for the truth, not what sounds cool.

Professional Actor Training Programs – Maggie Flanigan Studio

Learn More About the Acting Programs at the Maggie Flanigan Studio

The acting programs at the Maggie Flanigan studio are for actors who are interested and committed to creating the foundation that they need to have long professional acting careers. Students who are serious about professional actor training should visit the acting programs and acting classes page to learn about the programs and to apply for admission (http://www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/). Students who have questions about the actor training and programs at the studio can call during studio hours at (917) 789-1599.

The post Why Do You Want To Be An Actor? appeared first on Meisner Acting - The Maggie Flanigan Studio New York NY - 917-789-1599.

via Why Do You Want To Be An Actor?
by Maggie Flanigan

Why Do You Want To Be An Actor - Charlie Sandlan - Maggie Flanigan Studio

Watch video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/kEr7sE6bF3I
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via Why Do You Want To Be An Actor - Charlie Sandlan - Maggie Flanigan Studio
by Maggie Flanigan

Why Do You Want To Be An Actor?

Charlie Sandlan is the Executive Director, Head of Acting at the Maggie Flanigan Studio. In this video, Charlie discusses the most important question that he asks students during their admission interview.

Why Do You Want To Be An Actor?

Before I decide whether or not I am interested in teaching someone, the first question I ask is, “Why do you want to be an actor”. I don’t think this is a question that most people really confront when they talk about their dream of pursuing an acting career. Our pop-culture is quite superficial, and to paraphrase Emerson, democracy descends to the lowest common denominator. We live in a society where fashion, money, and fame dominate. Our politics and social media traffic in lies and twisted untruths. It’s very challenging for an aspiring artist to weed through the superficiality in order to illuminate the truth of the human condition. Professional acting is an incredibly hard business. 70% of all SAG/AFTRA and Equity actors earn less than $16,000 a year, actually obtain health insurance, or contribute to a retirement plan. Most actors need other jobs to survive, often throughout their entire careers. There is no guarantee of work, no promise of security and stability. It is an incredibly competitive, and money driven business, where artistic integrity must be forged like steel with a deep fire of grit and resilience. It demands sacrifice, the missing of weddings, birthdays, funerals, and vacations in order to pursue your craft. The majority of actors who move to NYC or LA have no clue about acting as an art form, they invest cheaply into their business with little or no training, bounce around for 3-5 years and then quit and do something else with their life. The odds are stacked against you. So why do you want to act?

I believe the answer must begin with shaping the vision of the actor you want to be. This requires insight into what makes acting so beautiful, and why we revere the best among us. If your answer is “I want to be on TV, I want to be a movie star, and I want to be famous”, you should stop now and pursue something else with your life. I believe the answer must lie in your understanding that acting is an art form, in your deep wish to be a true artist, with a fascination for human behavior, and courage to bare your vulnerability, empathy and humanity to an audience so they can live vicariously through you. A need to challenge us to think more deeply about how we relate to each other, to hold a mirror up to us to reflect back what makes us human. If your answer is “I love the human condition, I want to step into as many different shoes as I can, I want to illuminate humanity. I want to master the art of acting, and I’m willing to bust my a** to do it”, then you might have a chance.

If you want to be an actor, then ask yourself, what’s my contribution? If you have a voice, a desire to add something of value to this beautiful art form, if you believe you have talent, then do right by it. Train yourself. Dedicate yourself to an artistic life. Yes it is hard and challenging, but the rewards are immense and truly satisfying.

So make sure this question is pondered with the respect with which it is asked. Search yourself for the truth, not what sounds cool.

Learn More About the Acting Programs at the Maggie Flanigan Studio

The acting programs at the Maggie Flanigan studio are for actors who are interested and committed to creating the foundation that they need to have long professional acting careers. Students who are serious about professional actor training should visit the acting programs and acting classes page to learn about the programs and to apply for admission (http://www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/). Students who have questions about the actor training and programs at the studio can call during studio hours at (917) 789-1599.

The previous post Why Do You Want To Be An Actor? is courtesy of Acting Classes New York Blog

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How Actors Can Sustain Their Careers - Karen Chamberlain - Maggie Flanigan Studio

Watch video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/SMJCDn_3CR4
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5 Star Review

I consider my four years in undergrad to be some of the most formative years of my life.... https://flic.kr/p/2bXdhEu

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How Actors Can Sustain Their Careers

The Maggie Flanigan Studio is considered by many actors to be the best acting studio for Meisner training in New York and in the United States. With this blog post and video, Karen Chamberlain discusses the dedication and persistence that is required for actors to sustain their acting careers.

Karen Chamberlain – Meisner Technique Acting Teacher – Maggie Flanigan Studio (917) 789-1599

How Actors Can Sustain Their Careers

I was recently asked to speak about how one sustains a career as an artist. It’s an enormous question that has no single answer. I believe it requires dedicated training, passion, fortitude and the courage to say “Yes” to artistic projects that excite you even when you don’t know how you will possibly afford to do them. It demands belief in oneself, personal health and committing to practices that keep your heart open to the world. I believe that it also asks you to not be rigid about how the art in you expresses itself. You may be an actor now but you may also be a writer, a painter or a director. The expression of what you have to offer the world may have more than one venue.

"To sustain a career in the arts, you have to stay in love with doing the work for the work itself and free yourself from the expectations of the where, when and how of it."

Karen ChamberlainActing Teacher, Faculty

When I look back at my own artistic career, I would say that my commitment to my training sustained me for the first decade in the professional world. Training in the Meisner Technique gave me a respect for and ownership of craft. I knew how to work which gave me self-esteem. I was also willing to leave the city. There was a point in my late twenties when I wasn’t booking work and life in this expensive city had me working crazy hours at my survival job to pay the rent. I was exhausted, unhappy and uninspired. A friend was understudying at The Roundabout Theatre and offered me a free ticket to see Blythe Danner in a British play called The Deep Blue Sea. I still recall everything about being in that theatre that night. She was brilliant. I wept through the entire performance. I was so happy to just be in a theatre. I hadn’t even realized how homesick I was. When the play was over, I literally stayed there weeping until the ushers kicked me out. I walked home to Chelsea in the rain, swearing with every step that if artistic work appeared, I would give up my beloved New York City apartment. That night I couldn’t sleep and stayed up all night writing a ten-page impassioned letter to Blythe Danner which I promptly left at the stage door the next day. That afternoon, out of nowhere, I got a job offer. It was a directing job, not an acting job but it was doing something I loved. I would have to move to a small town in Pennsylvania in two months, just when my lease was up. I would make barely enough money to live on. Remembering my promise to myself, I took the job. Back in a Theatre, I was home again! When my contract was up, I didn’t have enough money to come back to New York so I went to live with my parents in Boston. I started auditioning almost every day and I booked two plays, three commercials and a number of voiceovers in the span of eight months. I came back to work in New York but with my priorities straight. I chose to live with a lower rent in New Jersey so I could pursue my craft.

It’s twenty years later and my artistic career continues to evolve. I may credit that most to staying an eternal student and keeping my curiosity alive. I am also a very hard worker and I make career and life choices that feed my spirit. I love teaching which I consider to be an art form. The classroom is a place where the work is pure, done for the love of the work itself and the standards for good work are never higher. Getting to work in that environment feels like a privilege. The courage my students have is inspiring and the classroom keeps me in love with why I ever wanted to act in the first place. For me, it is still important to continue to work as an actress and director whenever it does not interfere with my commitment to my students. It always gives me something new to bring back to the room. I recently did a play in Provincetown for their Tennessee Williams Festival. It was luxurious to only be able to think about the play and be in such a beautiful place. I had the time to take long walks and sit and listen to classical music and I felt in the optimal place- open, relaxed and inspired- to do my creative work. It is not always easy to create that space for yourself in this city, especially in the early days of your career when you are juggling paying the rent with artistic work, but it is essential for the artist. I came home with renewed commitment to take at least an hour every day to meditate or walk so the creative voices can get through. I remind my students about the value of doing the same, whatever their version of that may be.

Karen Chamberlain – Meisner Technique First-Year Acting Class – Maggie Flanigan studio (917) 789-1599

Someone joked to me the other day at an audition, “You know, Karen, if you can get to the age of 60 and not go crazy, there is a ton of work for older actors and fewer of us in the race!” I laughed but inside I was thinking, “Oh, perfect! Now I have a retirement plan! I’m open!” And that’s it really. To sustain a career in the arts, you have to stay in love with doing the work for the work itself and free yourself from the expectations of the where, when and how of it. You must stay healthy, inspired and open. As a side note, Blythe Danner did write back. It turned out she knew the small town where I had taken the directing job. It was the same town where her grandparents had owned a farm and she often visited their farm as a child. You never know what’s going to happen. Follow your heart and keep the faith.

The Maggie Flanigan Studio has built its reputation on sending out students who are fully prepared for a long professional career. The acting programs at the studio provide our students with the most comprehensive and rigorous training available.

Complete Training for Professional Actors

The Meisner training and the complete acting curriculum at the Maggie Flanigan Studio ( http://www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/ ) help actors create the foundation they need in order to have long acting careers. The entire faculty at the studio is dedicated to helping actors who are serious and passionate about their acting reach their goals. Learn more about the acting programs at the studio by visiting the acting programs page on the studio website.

The post How Actors Can Sustain Their Careers appeared first on Meisner Acting - The Maggie Flanigan Studio New York NY - 917-789-1599.

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by Maggie Flanigan

How Actors Can Sustain Their Careers

The Maggie Flanigan Studio is considered by many actors to be the best acting studio for Meisner training in New York and in the United States. With this blog post and video, Karen Chamberlain discusses the dedication and persistence that is required for actors to sustain their acting careers.

How Actors Can Sustain Their Careers

I was recently asked to speak about how one sustains a career as an artist. It’s an enormous question that has no single answer. I believe it requires dedicated training, passion, fortitude and the courage to say “Yes” to artistic projects that excite you even when you don’t know how you will possibly afford to do them. It demands belief in oneself, personal health and committing to practices that keep your heart open to the world. I believe that it also asks you to not be rigid about how the art in you expresses itself. You may be an actor now but you may also be a writer, a painter or a director. The expression of what you have to offer the world may have more than one venue.

When I look back at my own artistic career, I would say that my commitment to my training sustained me for the first decade in the professional world. Training in the Meisner Technique gave me a respect for and ownership of craft. I knew how to work which gave me self-esteem. I was also willing to leave the city. There was a point in my late twenties when I wasn’t booking work and life in this expensive city had me working crazy hours at my survival job to pay the rent. I was exhausted, unhappy and uninspired. A friend was understudying at The Roundabout Theatre and offered me a free ticket to see Blythe Danner in a British play called The Deep Blue Sea. I still recall everything about being in that theatre that night. She was brilliant. I wept through the entire performance. I was so happy to just be in a theatre. I hadn’t even realized how homesick I was. When the play was over, I literally stayed there weeping until the ushers kicked me out. I walked home to Chelsea in the rain, swearing with every step that if artistic work appeared, I would give up my beloved New York City apartment. That night I couldn’t sleep and stayed up all night writing a ten-page impassioned letter to Blythe Danner which I promptly left at the stage door the next day. That afternoon, out of nowhere, I got a job offer. It was a directing job, not an acting job but it was doing something I loved. I would have to move to a small town in Pennsylvania in two months, just when my lease was up. I would make barely enough money to live on. Remembering my promise to myself, I took the job. Back in a Theatre, I was home again! When my contract was up, I didn’t have enough money to come back to New York so I went to live with my parents in Boston. I started auditioning almost every day and I booked two plays, three commercials and a number of voiceovers in the span of eight months. I came back to work in New York but with my priorities straight. I chose to live with a lower rent in New Jersey so I could pursue my craft.

It’s twenty years later and my artistic career continues to evolve. I may credit that most to staying an eternal student and keeping my curiosity alive. I am also a very hard worker and I make career and life choices that feed my spirit. I love teaching which I consider to be an art form. The classroom is a place where the work is pure, done for the love of the work itself and the standards for good work are never higher. Getting to work in that environment feels like a privilege. The courage my students have is inspiring and the classroom keeps me in love with why I ever wanted to act in the first place. For me, it is still important to continue to work as an actress and director whenever it does not interfere with my commitment to my students. It always gives me something new to bring back to the room. I recently did a play in Provincetown for their Tennessee Williams Festival. It was luxurious to only be able to think about the play and be in such a beautiful place. I had the time to take long walks and sit and listen to classical music and I felt in the optimal place- open, relaxed and inspired- to do my creative work. It is not always easy to create that space for yourself in this city, especially in the early days of your career when you are juggling paying the rent with artistic work, but it is essential for the artist. I came home with renewed commitment to take at least an hour every day to meditate or walk so the creative voices can get through. I remind my students about the value of doing the same, whatever their version of that may be.

Someone joked to me the other day at an audition, “You know, Karen, if you can get to the age of 60 and not go crazy, there is a ton of work for older actors and fewer of us in the race!” I laughed but inside I was thinking, “Oh, perfect! Now I have a retirement plan! I’m open!” And that’s it really. To sustain a career in the arts, you have to stay in love with doing the work for the work itself and free yourself from the expectations of the where, when and how of it. You must stay healthy, inspired and open. As a side note, Blythe Danner did write back. It turned out she knew the small town where I had taken the directing job. It was the same town where her grandparents had owned a farm and she often visited their farm as a child. You never know what’s going to happen. Follow your heart and keep the faith.

Complete Training for Professional Actors

The Meisner training and the complete acting curriculum at the Maggie Flanigan Studio ( http://www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/ ) help actors create the foundation they need in order to have long acting careers. The entire faculty at the studio is dedicated to helping actors who are serious and passionate about their acting reach their goals. Learn more about the acting programs at the studio by visiting the acting programs page on the studio website.

The preceding post How Actors Can Sustain Their Careers was originally published to Acting Studio New York Blog

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by Maggie Flanigan

5 Star Review

After finishing my acting training at Maggie Flanigan Studio, I was confident I had all of... https://flic.kr/p/PcvrJT

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by Maggie Flanigan

18-Month Acting Program New York - Maggie Flanigan Studio - (917) 789-1599

Watch video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/7TCoO8SETig
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via 18-Month Acting Program New York - Maggie Flanigan Studio - (917) 789-1599
by Maggie Flanigan

January 18 Month Acting Program - Hailey Vest Interview - Call (917) 789-1599

Watch video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/eBFX_oPTxnw
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via January 18 Month Acting Program - Hailey Vest Interview - Call (917) 789-1599
by Maggie Flanigan

Unlocking the Box

The January acting program is an 18-month program at the Maggie Flanigan Studio that trains professional actors using the principles and teachings of Sanford Meisner. Hailey Vest discusses in this interview coming to New York, the Meisner work and how the training at the studio has improved her auditions.

January Acting Program in New York – Hailey Vest Interview – Maggie Flanigan Studio

Q: Hailey, what were you doing before you came to the studio? Did you study anywhere else?

A: Yes. I grew up acting. I started being on stage when I was about three with dance and then turned to musical theater. Then I went to SCAD and got my BFA in performing arts there and started doing a lot of film work there as well. I’ve been trained how to act, but it was so general. I feel like that’s what you see a lot of right now, it’s this general way of approaching something where it’s like, “Okay, cool. That was awesome. Let’s move on.” Acting is messy. Not every performance is fantastic. I want to learn something.

Acting is the only thing I've ever wanted to do. I've never felt that I've had all of the tools or the keys to be able to lock into my power or my creative instinct as much as the Maggie Flanigan Studio has given me, and it's all through the teachers and these classes.

Hailey VestStudent, January Acting Program

When I moved to New York after college, I was auditioning all the time, and I just felt like something was missing. You go from being in shows and being on set every weekend, and it’s just kind of like, “I’m not doing this as much as I used to.” Honestly, Maggie Flanigan kind of saved my life in the way that I get to go and learn every week. I’m rehearsing every week and getting better. It’s a craft here. It’s not a general blase type, “Oh, cool. That was your objective. Nice try. Keep going.”

It’s no. It’s either you did it or, “Hey, this is how we’re going to make it better.” You learn. It is a craft. It is a skill. It’s what acting is. That’s what this studio provides. It gives you a craft. It’s not just a whitewashed idea of what this is.

Q: Have you studied the Meisner technique before you started the 18-month January acting program at Maggie Flanigan studio?

A: I mainly studied Stanislavski before coming here. I’ve never done Meisner before. One of my really good friends, he was studying Meisner, not here, but he’d come, we’d go hang out or something, and he’d start talking about, “Yes, I had to bring this activity to a door.” I’m like, “What? This sounds so cool, but I have no idea what you are talking about.” I’d never done Meisner before, but I am never going back. That’s for sure.

Q: How is the Meisner training at the studio different than you expected?

A: I can tell you the first couple weeks, it was a shock. I met with Karen. We had our interview of being accepted. She’s amazing. I love her. Of course, it’s me. I asked her, I was like, “What books can I read? What research can I do before I start?” She’s like, “Don’t read anything. Come in not knowing a thing because you will get in your head. Just show up. That’s all you have to do. Show up and be ready to work.” I was like, “Okay.” Still, I went and got everything out of my Amazon cart, but she’s oh man. You can’t go back once you know Meisner, once you have an idea of it.

The first two weeks I was very, very scared of my partners. I’m an actor, but I’d never really been forced to do confrontation. I can go in and do confrontation as a character because I can understand that, Susie is upset by this. The first year is like, “How would you respond? What’s the truth in that? What’s the truthful response from you as Hailey?” I’d never been asked to do that before. It was kind of scary because we’re put in a society where it’s– I have no– I’m not allowed to use my emotions. I’m supposed to be serene all the time and happy and bubbly.

It was like, you get in here and it’s just like, “Use it. Be raw. If you are mad, be mad. Be mad at a 10.” My emotional range of what I thought that I’m capable of, doubled, it tripled. The first year is fantastic. You learn so much about yourself.

Q: When you moved to New York, and you started to audition, were there specific problems that led you to decide to seek professional training?

A: When you go to auditions, the holding rooms are always chaotic with so many people there. You’re trying to make sure you know all your lines. It’s very daunting in some sense, but that’s how it is. You put a bunch of people all trying to be one person, and it gets a little– it’s a lot. I was finding that my training is like, I knew what I was supposed to be doing, I knew how I wanted to read something.

Maybe my first initial response to the sides that I was given perhaps wasn’t exactly correct, but like, I went in, and I gave 100%, but I could always feel that something was missing. That, like, I kept hitting this wall that I knew I could push through, and I could see it, and I could feel it, like, “Oh, it’s here,” and I’d get stopped about right here, and it just felt wrong. My friend told me about Maggie Flanigan, and I made the wall comment, and she goes, “Oh, I had the same thing. I don’t anymore,” and I was just like, “I have to check this out. I have to.”

Because you can go into an audition room, you can go, and you can give it your all, but if your all is already walled up and boxed up the moment you step in there, you’re only giving 80%. Maggie Flanigan unlocks that box and lets you like, unleash your power and have power over the audition, where I didn’t have that before.

18-Month Acting Program in Januaryhttp://https://ift.tt/2eQKYcD with Karen Chamberlain- Maggie Flanigan Studio – Call (917) 789-1599

Q: You mentioned your friend recommended the studio. Did you interview anywhere else, apply anywhere else, or was it just here?

A: I was just like all of those people. I’ve been looking in other places for probably a good six months before I even really heard about Maggie Flanigan, where I’d taken some like classes, and there you’re promised to be with a casting director and a couple of agents, and you really only get 10 minutes of doing a monologue in front of them, and they go, “That was good, try this next time,” and then that’s it. I was just like, “This isn’t training, this is–” I also just spent $700 for that. That’s ridiculous.

I heard about Maggie Flanigan, and I did the math on it, and honestly, for what we’re getting, it is the cheapest training in New York. For the amount of time you get to spend with a teacher, the amount of time that you’re here, like it is honestly, financially the best decision I have ever made. I can easily, like any time there’s a new class that I want to take, I know it’s going to be worth it. I don’t have to go talk to seven different people to be like, “Hey, was it? Did you talk to the teacher?” I know that it’s going to be 100% exactly what I need.

Because usually you’re also sitting in a classroom with 50 other people and you’re there for maybe three hours, and you get five minutes with somebody, and it’s rushed. The teachers don’t take the time with you at other places, in all the other acting studios that I’ve been and researched, but here it’s– I mean, we spent a good hour on my scene today. A full hour of just like ripping through it. You don’t get that anywhere else.

Q: What made you decide to commit to Maggie Flanigan Studio instead of the other studios you were looking at?

A: Man, mainly all the time, the amount of time that you get to spend with the teachers. The teachers here are incredible. I had the– honestly, it’s the honor of getting to work with both Karen and Charlie, because it’s wonderful being able to work with one person, but I feel it’s even better to be able to work with two, mainly because they’re both brilliant in different ways.

I feel like I have both Karen and Charlie in my tool belt and being like, “Oh, I don’t know how to approach this. Karen would do it this way. That makes a lot of sense. Charlie would do it this way.” Oh my gosh, with both of them, everything is so much clearer rather than, “This is–Wait, where am I?” The teachers here are incredible; you get the most out of all of the time that you spent here. It’s about a craft; it’s not about a studio trying to make money off of actors. It’s for the people who want to work, the people who aren’t fulfilled by being extras and background work.

It’s like, “This is what I want to do. Acting is not a side hobby; this is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do.” I’ve never felt that I’ve had all of the tools or the keys to be able to lock into my power or my creative instinct as much as the Maggie Flanigan has given me, and it’s all through the teachers. It’s all through the classes.

18-Month January Acting Program – Maggie Flanigan Studio – (917) 789-1599

Admission to the Acting Programs at Maggie Flanigan Studio

Actors who are interested in long professional acting careers, who are ready to commit to professional actor training, are encouraged to apply to the Maggie Flanigan Studio ( http://www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/ ). The acting program that begins in January is an eighteen-month program that provides the professional actor with the toolset that they need for a career in the acting industry.

Admission to the studio is based on an interview with Charlie Sandlan. Students should submit an application online and call the studio (917-789-1599) with questions about the acting program.

The post Unlocking the Box appeared first on Meisner Acting - The Maggie Flanigan Studio New York NY - 917-789-1599.

via Unlocking the Box
by Maggie Flanigan

Unlocking the Box

The January acting program is an 18-month program at the Maggie Flanigan Studio that trains professional actors using the principles and teachings of Sanford Meisner. Hailey Vest discusses in this interview coming to New York, the Meisner work and how the training at the studio has improved her auditions.

Q: Hailey, what were you doing before you came to the studio? Did you study anywhere else?

A: Yes. I grew up acting. I started being on stage when I was about three with dance and then turned to musical theater. Then I went to SCAD and got my BFA in performing arts there and started doing a lot of film work there as well. I've been trained how to act, but it was so general. I feel like that's what you see a lot of right now, it's this general way of approaching something where it's like, "Okay, cool. That was awesome. Let's move on." Acting is messy. Not every performance is fantastic. I want to learn something.

When I moved to New York after college, I was auditioning all the time, and I just felt like something was missing. You go from being in shows and being on set every weekend, and it's just kind of like, "I'm not doing this as much as I used to." Honestly, Maggie Flanigan kind of saved my life in the way that I get to go and learn every week. I'm rehearsing every week and getting better. It's a craft here. It's not a general blase type, "Oh, cool. That was your objective. Nice try. Keep going."

It's no. It's either you did it or, "Hey, this is how we're going to make it better." You learn. It is a craft. It is a skill. It's what acting is. That's what this studio provides. It gives you a craft. It's not just a whitewashed idea of what this is.

Q: Have you studied the Meisner technique before you started the 18-month January acting program at Maggie Flanigan studio?

A: I mainly studied Stanislavski before coming here. I've never done Meisner before. One of my really good friends, he was studying Meisner, not here, but he'd come, we'd go hang out or something, and he'd start talking about, "Yes, I had to bring this activity to a door." I'm like, "What? This sounds so cool, but I have no idea what you are talking about." I'd never done Meisner before, but I am never going back. That's for sure.

Q: How is the Meisner training at the studio different than you expected?

A: I can tell you the first couple weeks, it was a shock. I met with Karen. We had our interview of being accepted. She's amazing. I love her. Of course, it's me. I asked her, I was like, "What books can I read? What research can I do before I start?" She's like, "Don't read anything. Come in not knowing a thing because you will get in your head. Just show up. That's all you have to do. Show up and be ready to work." I was like, "Okay." Still, I went and got everything out of my Amazon cart, but she's oh man. You can't go back once you know Meisner, once you have an idea of it.

The first two weeks I was very, very scared of my partners. I'm an actor, but I'd never really been forced to do confrontation. I can go in and do confrontation as a character because I can understand that, Susie is upset by this. The first year is like, "How would you respond? What's the truth in that? What's the truthful response from you as Hailey?" I'd never been asked to do that before. It was kind of scary because we're put in a society where it's-- I have no-- I'm not allowed to use my emotions. I'm supposed to be serene all the time and happy and bubbly.

It was like, you get in here and it's just like, "Use it. Be raw. If you are mad, be mad. Be mad at a 10." My emotional range of what I thought that I'm capable of, doubled, it tripled. The first year is fantastic. You learn so much about yourself.

Q: When you moved to New York, and you started to audition, were there specific problems that led you to decide to seek professional training?

A: When you go to auditions, the holding rooms are always chaotic with so many people there. You're trying to make sure you know all your lines. It's very daunting in some sense, but that's how it is. You put a bunch of people all trying to be one person, and it gets a little-- it's a lot. I was finding that my training is like, I knew what I was supposed to be doing, I knew how I wanted to read something.

Maybe my first initial response to the sides that I was given perhaps wasn't exactly correct, but like, I went in, and I gave 100%, but I could always feel that something was missing. That, like, I kept hitting this wall that I knew I could push through, and I could see it, and I could feel it, like, "Oh, it's here," and I'd get stopped about right here, and it just felt wrong. My friend told me about Maggie Flanigan, and I made the wall comment, and she goes, "Oh, I had the same thing. I don't anymore," and I was just like, "I have to check this out. I have to."

Because you can go into an audition room, you can go, and you can give it your all, but if your all is already walled up and boxed up the moment you step in there, you're only giving 80%. Maggie Flanigan unlocks that box and lets you like, unleash your power and have power over the audition, where I didn't have that before.

Q: You mentioned your friend recommended the studio. Did you interview anywhere else, apply anywhere else, or was it just here?

A: I was just like all of those people. I've been looking in other places for probably a good six months before I even really heard about Maggie Flanigan, where I'd taken some like classes, and there you're promised to be with a casting director and a couple of agents, and you really only get 10 minutes of doing a monologue in front of them, and they go, "That was good, try this next time," and then that's it. I was just like, "This isn't training, this is--" I also just spent $700 for that. That's ridiculous.

I heard about Maggie Flanigan, and I did the math on it, and honestly, for what we're getting, it is the cheapest training in New York. For the amount of time you get to spend with a teacher, the amount of time that you're here, like it is honestly, financially the best decision I have ever made. I can easily, like any time there's a new class that I want to take, I know it's going to be worth it. I don't have to go talk to seven different people to be like, "Hey, was it? Did you talk to the teacher?" I know that it's going to be 100% exactly what I need.

Because usually you're also sitting in a classroom with 50 other people and you're there for maybe three hours, and you get five minutes with somebody, and it's rushed. The teachers don't take the time with you at other places, in all the other acting studios that I've been and researched, but here it's-- I mean, we spent a good hour on my scene today. A full hour of just like ripping through it. You don't get that anywhere else.

Q: What made you decide to commit to Maggie Flanigan Studio instead of the other studios you were looking at?

A: Man, mainly all the time, the amount of time that you get to spend with the teachers. The teachers here are incredible. I had the-- honestly, it's the honor of getting to work with both Karen and Charlie, because it's wonderful being able to work with one person, but I feel it's even better to be able to work with two, mainly because they're both brilliant in different ways.

I feel like I have both Karen and Charlie in my tool belt and being like, "Oh, I don't know how to approach this. Karen would do it this way. That makes a lot of sense. Charlie would do it this way." Oh my gosh, with both of them, everything is so much clearer rather than, "This is--Wait, where am I?" The teachers here are incredible; you get the most out of all of the time that you spent here. It's about a craft; it's not about a studio trying to make money off of actors. It's for the people who want to work, the people who aren't fulfilled by being extras and background work.

It's like, "This is what I want to do. Acting is not a side hobby; this is the only thing I've ever wanted to do." I've never felt that I've had all of the tools or the keys to be able to lock into my power or my creative instinct as much as the Maggie Flanigan has given me, and it's all through the teachers. It's all through the classes.

Admission to the Acting Programs at Maggie Flanigan Studio

Actors who are interested in long professional acting careers, who are ready to commit to professional actor training, are encouraged to apply to the Maggie Flanigan Studio ( http://www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/ ). The acting program that begins in January is an eighteen-month program that provides the professional actor with the toolset that they need for a career in the acting industry.

Admission to the studio is based on an interview with Charlie Sandlan. Students should submit an application online and call the studio (917-789-1599) with questions about the acting program.

The above blog post Unlocking the Box is courtesy of Acting Studio Blog

via Unlocking the Box
by Maggie Flanigan

5 Star Review

When I started training at Maggie Flanigan Studio my voice was not in good shape. But by... https://flic.kr/p/29ZT8Jq

via 5 Star Review
by Maggie Flanigan

Training Like an Athlete

The 18-month acting program at Maggie Flanigan Studio is an acting program in New York that introduces serious actors to the Meisner Technique in a small intimate studio environment. Troy Press talks about his experience in the acting program and the work ethic that students will need to have.

18-Month Acting Program New York – Maggie Flanigan Studio – Call (917) 789-1599

Q: Troy, what did you think it meant to train as an actor before you started the six-week summer intensive?

A: Before I started the six-week program, I thought that acting was more performance-based. A lot of classes that I’ve taken at other places that I’ve trained have been a lot about jumping right into scenes, jumping right into the script, so maybe that is the way the text is being read. When before you get to even all that stuff, I am not even sure I was also being taught correctly. Now I’m second guessing it on all the techniques that I’ve learned before because this technique has hit home with me.

I thought that acting was very performance-based. It has to do so much from within yourself of just listening, being present and being direct, having a point of view on things and taking in precisely what is happening at that moment, working off somebody else and then for you. It’s just having a great conversation with somebody the same way sometimes somebody can say something to you, and it makes your day or moves you or motivates you to go to the gym or motivates you to open the door for somebody maybe the next time. It’s about taking advantage of those moments in your life.

Q: Was there a moment where your perspective changed on what it means to train as an actor?

A: Yes. I think from the jump; Charlie said it straight by saying what this class is going to entail and he laid it out. I’ve appreciated that because me being a competitive athlete and playing at a high level, I had that mentality of somebody just saying, “This is what it’s going to be. Take it or whatever”. We’ve had people that dropped out of the class. People can’t handle the heat or whatever it is, and it’s nothing against them.

If you struggle with taking the heat of a challenge, I don't think this is the place for you. If you want to get better every single time you step here, this is the right place. The studio lives up to the hype.

Troy PressTwo Year Acting Program, Student

It’s just maybe this isn’t their style, or perhaps the craft isn’t a fit, whatever it is. For someone like me it kicks it up a notch, it sparks something, it makes me go ten times harder. I love being with my back against the wall. You put me there any time of the day. I love that feeling, and I think this class is a prime example of that because they’re going to give you the tools. They’re going to provide you with the resources and the time to do it. If you’re not putting in the work and you’re not mentally preparing and just coming in open, ready to work and prepared to leave everything at the door when you step in, then this probably isn’t the right place for you.

Q: What did you learn about yourself that was a surprise or that changed you over the past six weeks?

A: What did I learn about myself that’s a surprise? Surprise wise, I’d say just, I knew I had certain things installed within, but being able to pull them out when needed at the appropriate time. That it’s not something that you should look down upon if you have something that could trigger you or if you have emotions that maybe you’re like, “You know what, I might not want to say that because this could offend somebody.” These are just the things that make you who you are.

Sometimes as human beings we walk around in the world, and we are acting because we are putting on this friendly appearance, “How are you? Great to see you today, blah, blah”. When inside you’re probably feeling a different way about it. Maybe you are thinking about the way somebody just looked at you, the fact that you just got off the subway, the way you feel about somebody at work, the way your mother just spoke to you; you want to release all of that. In life, we are doing the acting technique. We are not present at all times.

Here, I’ve just been surprised at how simple the training can be, and how it can open up things for yourself. Yes, I would say that’s what’s changed me. It’s just being present. Taking the time to listen to people. There are still conversations that I have, and you start to check out at some point because you’re like, “All right, this person’s going nowhere,” or whatever. At the same time, there are times now where I’m in a conversation, and I’m giving that person my full attention and, feeling more confident about the interaction that we’re having because I’m taking what he or she is saying and hopefully they’re doing the same. And living in the moment right there at that time.

Q: People have a misconception that they can wake up and be an actor with no training. How has your previous training as an athlete helped you prepare and be open to the rigorous training program here?

A: I love that question because if you think about it from an athlete standpoint, it’s the whole day. If you’re an athlete, you wake up and what are you putting into your body is probably the first question. Are you getting a morning workout in is perhaps the second question? From there how are you fueling up? How are you recovering? Are you getting your vitamins? Are you going to stretch? Are you going to a sauna? Are you taking a hot shower? Are you doing yoga to get your mind right? These are all just some small, although they’re big things, that’s just a percentage of it.

On the athletes side for me I used to have 5:00 AM wake-ups, it was running in the cold, sweatshirts tied tight for an hour and a half, and that was just the start of the day, then going back to fueling up and then watching film about how we’re going to get better. Then we could have our craft again, of actually playing against each other and competing and then later that night it was usually a nighttime lift of some sort, getting the muscles and then recovery meal at night.

Now, I don’t know if it was the healthiest pattern, but it just talks about the work ethic that goes into something like that. Then even if you’re coming here and it’s like, “Okay, well, I have class tonight from 6:00 to 9:00, that’s my day’s work”. That’s three hours where what I just spoke about when I was playing at a very high level I was busting my a** from 5:00 AM till 10:00 at night on top of doing other stuff in my life and other work things.

Now I’m just saying three hours compared to a whole day and I’m not thinking, “Oh, maybe if I have this healthier option I’m going to perform better in class.” Yes. You will perform better if you are healthier. You’re going to be in a healthier state of mind. Everything should tie-in, and you should translate that mentality from crafting to the athlete or whatever it is that you do.

Acting Programs New York – Maggie Flanigan Studio – Call (917) 789-1599

Q: You mentioned you studied at some other studios, with some other teachers. How is the experience been different here?

A: Yes it’s been different. A different style is probably the easy answer to start. I’d say this is a little bit healthier in terms of if you have to dig for a particular scene or role or for crafting work, because obviously, you want to live it out, but maybe you’re not pulling from a real experience like what I have done before, and that can be draining on you. To me, it felt like sometimes it hurt the scene itself because you’re just going back to that moment.

Maybe I’m pulling something out of it, and I’m talking to the person the way I did talk to them, instead of being present with you, or whoever it is and feeding off of them. Maybe my mind was already made up and, again, I think for the mind and the heart and other places that it just feels more natural to not dive into whatever it is. If you’ve lost a loved one or if you’ve broken out with somebody, or whatever.

It’s tough because you have to be somebody that can zone in and be able to live it, breathe it and believe it. If you don’t do that, you could say, “You know what, maybe it is easier to pull something from my past,” in that sense to go into, if you needed to pull from a scene or a moment or whatever. I don’t know, and I could see both sides of it. Maybe it isn’t the worst idea to if you need to get somewhere to use something from your memory to get you to a place, but I think overall, this has made me feel healthier and more truthful and more alive.

Q: Why did you ultimately decide to study at Maggie Flanigan Studio?

A: I decided to study here because it was recommended by a lot of fellow actor friends of mine, a lot of people in the industry. I finished filming a feature last summer, and one of the writers was telling me all about the studio. Every time you hear something, you’re like, “Yes, whatever.” Then, I started listening to it more and more and more. This studio lives up to the f****** hype. I’m here for a reason and excited about wherever it goes, wherever it takes me for sure.

Q: How would you describe Charlie as a teacher?

A: Yes, Charlie. I love everything there is about the man. I feel if you struggle with taking the heat of a challenge, I don’t think this is the place for you. If you want to get better every single time you step here if you’re going to feel like there’s a comfortable place for you to create, which I find is tough in any city that you are. Once you get somewhere and you start feeling comfortable like, “I can start creating for myself. I can open up.”, I think this is the place. I think, Charlie, as we like to say in the athletic world, to me is the G.O.A.T. He is the greatest of all time.

18-Month Acting Program at Maggie Flanigan Studio with Karen Chamberlain

Learn More About the 18-Month Acting Program at Maggie Flanigan Studio

To learn more about the 18-month acting program as well as the other acting programs at the Maggie Flanigan Studio, visit the acting programs and acting classes page on the website (http://www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/). Admission to the studio is based on an interview with Charlie Sandlan. Interested students should visit the admission page and contact the studio with any questions. Call (917) 789-1599.

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via Training Like an Athlete
by Maggie Flanigan