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/oxqqExybwL32plus.google.com/112291205845820496849 https://flic.kr/p/GMJV2e
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/oxqqExybwL32plus.google.com/112291205845820496849 https://flic.kr/p/23FQvhY
The Summer Acting Program at the Maggie Flanigan Studio in New York includes the six-week Meisner Summer Intensive. Amilia Shaw discusses the acting program and what it was like studying the Meisner technique at the studio. [caption id="attachment_9818" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Summer Acting Programs Interview - Amilia Shaw - Maggie Flanigan Studio[/caption]
Summer Acting Program: Amilia Shaw Interview
Q: Why did you decide to study at Maggie Flanigan Studio, starting with our six-week summer intensive?
I had an acting coach, and he told me, he was like, "I really want you to go to the Maggie Flanigan Studio and do their six-week intensive over this summer." I had just finished my freshman year of college. I was like, "Yes, of course. Oh, my gosh, Meisner. Yes." There's so many well-trained Meisner actors out there that I respect. So I was like, "Of course, yes." I did the six weeks. [post_author]
Q: Had you studied Meisner previously? Did you have a little bit of an insight to what it was going to be like?
My first year at my previous university, I read Stanislavski's book. Stanislavski was one of Meisner's teachers, so I had that perspective. Growing up in middle school and high-school, I did this program on Monday nights, that we explored a bunch of different acting forefathers like Suzuki and Meisner.
Q: What did you think it meant to train as an actor before you started the six-week summer intensive?
I thought, being an actor, it was all about practice making perfect. It was about going into class, doing scenes over and over again to the point where it becomes like second-nature, but it's not.
Q: What happened during the six weeks that changed your perspective on training?
I came in, and I was just stunned at how repetitive everything was. For the six-weeks, it was all the same structure. It was the same exercise with different elements, of course, added and subtracted. I started getting more frustrated than I'd ever been in my entire life. It made me question for the first time, and I was like, "This is what I've wanted all along." I feel myself starting to become what I've always wanted to be. It's through this frustration, it's through this being put outside of my comfort zone that I didn't know I desperately wanted until I had been offered that.
Q: What happened during the summer intensive that was a surprise or that changed you?
I got really angry, and I-- I felt obligated or entitled to my emotions for the first time, and I started breaking out of a shell. It was like I was disenchanted.
Q: Did you take any other classes during the summer intensive like movement or voice?
Yes, I took Movement 1, and Voice 1, and On-Camera Auditioning. [caption id="attachment_9831" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Summer Acting Program Interview with Amilia Shaw at Maggie Flanigan Studio[/caption]
Q: How was that for you working during the movement and voice work simultaneously with the acting work?
It shouldn't be done any other way. They're so intertwined and interconnected. I'm over halfway through my first year here at Maggie Flanigan, and I've been taking-- well, I took the first semester off of movement and voice because I did it over the summer, but now I'm back in Movement 2 and Voice 2. It's such a relief to have that training on top of what we're doing in the room because it's everything that Charlie talks about in the room, it can be applied to what we do in movement and voice. Movement and voice are almost the same class in some regards because they're also interconnected.
Q: Why did you decide to leave your college program and join the two-year program?
It was very much an in retrospect decision because while I was at the university I was at, I was absolutely in love with it, and I had the best year of my life, one of the best years in my life. And it wasn't until I had been offered something I'd never been offered before when I came here that I needed to stay.
Q: How has it been working with Charlie? How do you describe him as a teacher?
Lots of people would say, "Charlie is so intimidating. He's so scary." I understand the perspective. I'm not scared of him. He repeatedly emphasizes that he only has our best interests in mind, and he has such a-- what am I trying to say, a sense of right and wrong that it's an inspiration to be in class with him, and you never feel like he is being belligerent for no reason. It's really touching actually how much individualized attention he gives us. It's nice because we're becoming more tight-knit because we're getting to know each other really well. I noticed that even with Charlie, we're building more of a relationship. He is getting to know me even better and I'm getting to know him even better. That just makes the work even better because it becomes more of a team effort. [caption id="attachment_9721" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Meisner Summer Acting Programs - Meisner Summer Intensive - Call 917-789-1599[/caption]
The Summer Acting Programs and the Meisner Intensive
The Summer Acting Program at the Maggie Flanigan Studio in New York includes the six-week Meisner Summer Intensive. Amilia Shaw discusses the acting program and what it was like studying the Meisner technique at the studio.
Q: Why did you decide to study at Maggie Flanigan Studio, starting with our six-week summer intensive?
I had an acting coach, and he told me, he was like, “I really want you to go to the Maggie Flanigan Studio and do their six-week intensive over this summer.” I had just finished my freshman year of college. I was like, “Yes, of course. Oh, my gosh, Meisner. Yes.” There’s so many well-trained Meisner actors out there that I respect. So I was like, “Of course, yes.” I did the six weeks.
"I thought that being an actor was all about practice making perfect. It was about going into class, doing scenes over and over again to the point where it becomes like second-nature, but it's not."
Amilia ShawStudent, Two Year Acting Program
Q: Had you studied Meisner previously? Did you have a little bit of an insight to what it was going to be like?
My first year at my previous university, I read Stanislavski’s book. Stanislavski was one of Meisner’s teachers, so I had that perspective. Growing up in middle school and high-school, I did this program on Monday nights, that we explored a bunch of different acting forefathers like Suzuki and Meisner.
Q: What did you think it meant to train as an actor before you started the six-week summer intensive?
I thought, being an actor, it was all about practice making perfect. It was about going into class, doing scenes over and over again to the point where it becomes like second-nature, but it’s not.
Q: What happened during the six weeks that changed your perspective on training?
I came in, and I was just stunned at how repetitive everything was. For the six-weeks, it was all the same structure. It was the same exercise with different elements, of course, added and subtracted. I started getting more frustrated than I’d ever been in my entire life. It made me question for the first time, and I was like, “This is what I’ve wanted all along.” I feel myself starting to become what I’ve always wanted to be. It’s through this frustration, it’s through this being put outside of my comfort zone that I didn’t know I desperately wanted until I had been offered that.
Q: What happened during the summer intensive that was a surprise or that changed you?
I got really angry, and I– I felt obligated or entitled to my emotions for the first time, and I started breaking out of a shell. It was like I was disenchanted.
Q: Did you take any other classes during the summer intensive like movement or voice?
Yes, I took Movement 1, and Voice 1, and On-Camera Auditioning.
Q: How was that for you working during the movement and voice work simultaneously with the acting work?
It shouldn’t be done any other way. They’re so intertwined and interconnected. I’m over halfway through my first year here at Maggie Flanigan, and I’ve been taking– well, I took the first semester off of movement and voice because I did it over the summer, but now I’m back in Movement 2 and Voice 2. It’s such a relief to have that training on top of what we’re doing in the room because it’s everything that Charlie talks about in the room, it can be applied to what we do in movement and voice. Movement and voice are almost the same class in some regards because they’re also interconnected.
Q: Why did you decide to leave your college program and join the two-year program?
It was very much an in retrospect decision because while I was at the university I was at, I was absolutely in love with it, and I had the best year of my life, one of the best years in my life. And it wasn’t until I had been offered something I’d never been offered before when I came here that I needed to stay.
Q: How has it been working with Charlie? How do you describe him as a teacher?
Lots of people would say, “Charlie is so intimidating. He’s so scary.” I understand the perspective. I’m not scared of him. He repeatedly emphasizes that he only has our best interests in mind, and he has such a– what am I trying to say, a sense of right and wrong that it’s an inspiration to be in class with him, and you never feel like he is being belligerent for no reason.
It’s really touching actually how much individualized attention he gives us.
It’s nice because we’re becoming more tight-knit because we’re getting to know each other really well. I noticed that even with Charlie, we’re building more of a relationship. He is getting to know me even better and I’m getting to know him even better. That just makes the work even better because it becomes more of a team effort.
Actors who study the Meisner technique learn what it means to be spontaneous. In this video, Charlie Sandlan from the Maggie Flanigan Studio, discusses the importance of authentic behavior and the ability to be spontaneous. [caption id="attachment_9810" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Spontaneity: Charlie Sandlan in Class - Maggie Flanigan Studio - Call (917) 789-1599[/caption] There are a number of fundamental skills that the Meisner Technique instills in actors. One of the most important is the ability to be spontaneous. It is an essential part of an actor’s capacity to create authentic, organic behavior. Aspiring actors who are coming to New York will often begin a search for acting classes that will challenge and inspire them to approach acting in an artistic and disciplined way. Meisner training has become one of the primary acting techniques in the United States because of its ability to ground an actor in the present moment, with the attention completely off themselves and onto the other, listening, and responding personally and spontaneously in every moment. That takes a full year to become second nature and cannot be learned in a film or scene study class. It is also possible to begin this training in a respected six-week summer Meisner intensive. [post_author] Professionally, a casting director may audition 200-300 actors for a major part. More than likely 280 of them will give the same audition, with the same clichéd line readings, and pedestrian behavior. The ability to craft personally, listen intently, and imaginatively interpret material is vital. What makes all of that work pay off in the experience of living it through is in the ability to respond spontaneously, out of your head, and impulsively free. That takes training and hard work to accomplish. True spontaneity in acting requires a stripping away of the socialization, education, and parenting that has instilled in us the habit of thinking before we speak. Dismantling this habit of withholding who we really are, of what we really feel, of breaking the tendency of apology and avoidance is one of the first major goals in a serious acting program. Spontaneity equals authenticity, and who you are, what makes you unique will not come to the surface without it. An actor who lacks spontaneity will hesitate. And hesitation makes it impossible to be impulsive. Your work will be cautious and dead. The beginning of the Meisner technique immediately begins to address the importance of listening, and responding spontaneously. If you are looking for NYC acting programs, you might consider starting with a six-week Meisner summer intensive. In six weeks, it is possible to work on yourself in a way that frees your instincts, grounds you in truth, and allows you the ability to listen and act on your spontaneous impulses. It is the bedrock of an actor’s craft. [caption id="attachment_9811" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Spontaneity and the Meisner Technique - Acting Students in Class - Maggie Flanigan Studio Call (917) 789-1599[/caption]
Actors who study the Meisner technique learn what it means to be spontaneous. In this video, Charlie Sandlan from the Maggie Flanigan Studio, discusses the importance of authentic behavior and the ability to be spontaneous.
Spontaneity: Charlie Sandlan in Class – Maggie Flanigan Studio – Call (917) 789-1599
There are a number of fundamental skills that the Meisner Technique instills in actors. One of the most important is the ability to be spontaneous. It is an essential part of an actor’s capacity to create authentic, organic behavior. Aspiring actors who are coming to New York will often begin a search for acting classes that will challenge and inspire them to approach acting in an artistic and disciplined way. Meisner training has become one of the primary acting techniques in the United States because of its ability to ground an actor in the present moment, with the attention completely off themselves and onto the other, listening, and responding personally and spontaneously in every moment. That takes a full year to become second nature and cannot be learned in a film or scene study class. It is also possible to begin this training in a respected six-week summer Meisner intensive.
One of the most important skills that the Meisner Technique instills in actors is the ability to be spontaneous. This takes a full year to learn.
Charlie SandlanExecutive Director, Head of Acting
Professionally, a casting director may audition 200-300 actors for a major part. More than likely 280 of them will give the same audition, with the same clichéd line readings, and pedestrian behavior. The ability to craft personally, listen intently, and imaginatively interpret material is vital. What makes all of that work pay off in the experience of living it through is in the ability to respond spontaneously, out of your head, and impulsively free. That takes training and hard work to accomplish.
True spontaneity in acting requires a stripping away of the socialization, education, and parenting that has instilled in us the habit of thinking before we speak. Dismantling this habit of withholding who we really are, of what we really feel, of breaking the tendency of apology and avoidance is one of the first major goals in a serious acting program. Spontaneity equals authenticity, and who you are, what makes you unique will not come to the surface without it. An actor who lacks spontaneity will hesitate. And hesitation makes it impossible to be impulsive. Your work will be cautious and dead.
The beginning of the Meisner technique immediately begins to address the importance of listening, and responding spontaneously. If you are looking for NYC acting programs, you might consider starting with a six-week Meisner summer intensive. In six weeks, it is possible to work on yourself in a way that frees your instincts, grounds you in truth, and allows you the ability to listen and act on your spontaneous impulses. It is the bedrock of an actor’s craft.
Spontaneity and the Meisner Technique – Acting Students in Class – Maggie Flanigan Studio Call (917) 789-1599
Summer Acting Programs Interview - Amilia Shaw - Maggie Flanigan Studio[/caption]
Summer Acting Program Interview with Amilia Shaw at Maggie Flanigan Studio[/caption]
Meisner Summer Acting Programs - Meisner Summer Intensive - Call 917-789-1599[/caption]
Spontaneity: Charlie Sandlan in Class - Maggie Flanigan Studio - Call (917) 789-1599[/caption] There are a number of fundamental 
Spontaneity and the Meisner Technique - Acting Students in Class - Maggie Flanigan Studio Call (917) 789-1599[/caption]
