THE MAGGIE FLANIGAN STUDIO, NYC'S TOP MEISNER TRAINING PROGRAM FOR ACTORS

October 5, 2016, New York, NY: The Maggie Flanigan Studio announces the beginning of accepting applications and interviews for its two-year Professional Actor Training Program for those interested in pursuing a serious and substantial career in acting.

The Maggie Flanigan Studio (MFS) has built a reputation over the last 15 years as one of the top training programs for actors in the United States. Twenty spots are available for the next First Year class beginning on Wednesday, January 4th, 2017. The First Year acting class will meet on Wednesdays from 6:00-9:00 pm and Saturdays 11:00-2:00 pm from Jan. 4th thru July 29th, 2017. Acceptance is based on a personal interview with Executive Director and Head of Acting, Charlie Sandlan.

MFS has created a comprehensive training program rooted in the technique of Sandy Meisner, supplemented with classes to help develop a complete artist. This requires a dedication to work ethic and artistry. Executive Director and Head of Acting Charlie Sandlan says, “Most actors in the United States today are lazy. They don’t train and don’t take the craft of acting seriously. They are caught up in the pop-culture superficiality of fame and celebrity. I’m not interested in working with nor training actors that care about that junk. We care about training artists who respect the art form.”

Sanford Meisner, who came out of the Group Theater of the 1930′s, created his technique as a response to the disagreement he had with Lee Strasberg’s approach to training actors, know as The Method- a technique whereby actors used their personal life history to connect emotionally to the material. Sandy believed that the imagination was a far more creative and healthy place to work from, and his technique, rooted in a simple repetition exercise, evolves over nine months into an incredibly deep, sophisticated improvisational practice which encompasses all the fundamentals of acting. Karen Chamberlain, MFS’s senior acting teacher, says “Meisner’s first-year technique is remarkable in how it grounds an actor in truth, and creates a very sensitive, vulnerable, organic actor who can create the perfect illusion of life. Consistently.”

Space is extremely limited in the January First Year class, and the MFS is only seeking aspiring actors who have a desire to fully understand the art form and possess the desire for hard work, and a willingness to embrace the struggle of creativity. This must include the courage to operate outside of your comfort zone, and risk failure. That is when growth can happen. Sandlan says “The majority of actors in the U.S. are lazy. They lack craft and are unwilling to put in the hard work required of any serious professional, let alone artist. The best actors are transformational and have mastered their craft. Few are willing to put in the effort to make that possible.”

Actors who are interested in applying for the January First Year acting class are encouraged to do so now. Spots are already being filled. Contact the Studio with any questions about the two-year acting program.