Calling All Actors! Six-Week Summer Program Introduces Meisner Technique

Ever dreamt of being an actor?

Both of my kids were pretty serious thespians during their high school years, even to the point of singing solos onstage. As adults, though, they’re pursuing other interests.

But for those who believe that a career in acting is for them, the Maggie Flanigan Studio in New York is offering a six-week summer acting program where actors are introduced to the Meisner Technique.

The Meisner Summer Intensive begins June 8; applications are now being accepted. According to a statement released by the studio, the Meisner Summer Intensive covers the first third of Sanford Meisner’s first-year training, and although intensive, the program eases “participants into the rigors of professional actor training.”

“You cannot master the craft of acting in only six weeks,” Charlie Sandlan, executive director and head of acting at the Maggie Flanigan Studio, is quoted as saying in a statement. “But one can gain a better understanding of acting as an art form and an appreciation of the important fundamentals that any serious actor should master. Actors finish our summer acting program with greater insight and understanding of the hard work required to become a first-rate professional actor.”

The program teaches important fundamental skills, such as active listening and nurturing of the imagination. According to the statement, “Listening is the bedrock of acting, and [the] ability [to listen] must be rooted in the actor. The Meisner Technique encourages being present and curious—returning the actor to the freedom of his or her childhood—rather than just waiting for external cues.

The intensive focuses on the imagination, helping students to develop organically as actors. After spending a month working with Meisner’s repetition exercise, students spend the final two weeks applying what they’ve learned.

“…the ability to improvise spontaneously and personally from moment to moment is the mark of a well-trained actor,” according to the statement.

“Before I came to the studio I had no idea what acting was,” former student Carolina Solorzano says in the statement.

“I had no foundation and I didn’t know where to begin—I didn’t know how to approach it. The training I received here at the studio was comprehensive. I learned a lot. One of the things that just sticks out the most is being vulnerable. And I also realized that for me to learn behavior, I need to understand myself— and that way I’ll be able to respond truthfully.”

To learn more and to apply to the Meisner Summer Intensive, visit the website of the Maggie Flanigan Studio.