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FIRST YEAR MEISNER ACTING PROGRAM
Begins January 7th, 2025
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(917) 794-3878
Feeling Like a New Artist and a New Person
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The Six Week Meisner Summer Intensive at Maggie Flanigan Studio prepares actors for professional acting roles and long substantial acting careers. Sakile Lyles talks with Logan about Meisner training and the Summer acting program in this interview.
Summer Acting Program – Sakile Lyles Interview – Maggie Flanigan Studio
Meisner Summer Acting Program – Sakile Lyles Interview
Logan: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us. When did you know that you wanted to be an actor?
Sakile: I probably knew when I was running around the house doing monologues from movies at five or six years old, but I still thought I wanted to do everything, but then I was Jack in the Beanstalk and into the woods when I was like 12, and I was like, “This is amazing.” Yes. Especially being a little girl playing a boy’s role, I got to go into it and be someone completely different. Yes.
Q: That’s great. Did you train anywhere before Maggie Flanigan Studio?
A: I did. I went to Howard University for musical theater. Very different, a different realm, but yes.
Q: Not knowing what the experience would be training at Maggie Flanigan Studio, what did you expect training to look like here?
A: Well, I heard through the grapevine that one of my teachers back at Howard trained under Maggie Flanigan, and so she always encouraged all of her students to go here. She’s like, “If you move to New York, you got to go to Maggie Flanigan,” and so I knew it was going to be intense just like she was, but I just always had a feeling I should be doing Meisner because I just knew it would open me up. After all, it says get out of your head. So I was like, “Oh, I’m always in my head. I should probably go there.” Yes.
Q: How did you find Maggie Flanigan Studio?
A: Howard. I’d always heard about it from my teachers there.
Q: What made you decide to take the Six-Week Summer Intensive?
A: Well, my husband took Maggie Flanigan first. He took the Summer, and then he did the first and the second year, and I just loved watching him grow and learn. So I was like, “Okay, let me take the six-week program. He seems to have grown so much. Let me try it too. I’ve always been drawn to Meisner,” so yes.
Q: But you’ve never studied Meisner before?
A: I did study Meisner before, but I felt like there were holes in my education there. I studied it up here in New York, but I was like, “Okay, from what my husband is telling me, they filled in a lot of gaps for him here,” and so I was like, “I think that’s exactly what I need to open me up to my full acting potential.”
Q: Great. How do you feel the Six-Week Summer Intensive changed your perspective of Meisner and acting training?
A: I would say the most significant thing is what I take personally was very different from what I thought I took personally, and there were a couple of exercises Charlie did with us, like how would you spend $100,000? That opened me up to what I care about and how I can incorporate that into being an artist. So I thought that was awesome.
Q: That is awesome. What would you say the most challenging part of the Six-Week Summer Intensive was?
A: It’s tricky. I will say my experience, I felt what Meisner would be like, but Charlie is very intense, and he expects a lot from his students, so I always knew, “Okay, I have to bring my best, I have to bring my A-game.” Sometimes I was hard on myself, but I always knew I had to come with it, had everything prepared, and had to get-go to the thrift store and get all of my things for activities, so that was tricky, but yes.
Sakile Lyles Audition – Meisner Summer Acting Program – Maggie Flanigan Studio
Q: Great. On the flip side of that, what would you say the single best part of the Six-Week Summer Intensive was?
A: I would say getting to know myself and myself as an artist moreover that Summer. I was like, “Oh,” I was shocked to find more things out about myself, especially you go into acting training, you’ll be like, “Oh, I’m going to learn how to be other people and like be other characters,” but then I got more in touch with me, so that was awesome.
Q: Great. How would you describe the atmosphere at Maggie Flanigan Studio?
A: I love how incredible people are. I think that was another significant part of the Summer Program. I got to meet new people, we got to vibe together, we got brunch together, we would go out and chill, and I still have those connections. So that’s just something I love about the atmosphere here.
Q: Great. Say an actor is on the fence or trying to decide, “Should I train? If I train, should I train at Maggie Flanigan Studio?” What would you say to that person if they considered the Six-Week Summer Intensive here at Maggie Flanigan Studio?
A: Well, I would say do it, but I would say six weeks, you can dabble in it, you could see how you feel about it to see if that’s something you care about if that’s what you want. If you wish for an intense program where you’ll feel like a new artist and a new person, this is the place you want to go. I haven’t heard of any site better that teaches Meisner in New York City.
Q: Great. Is there anything else about your experience here at Maggie Flanigan Studio that you feel you’re dying to share or that people should know before they apply?
A: I don’t know. I will say, as intense as Charlie gets, he is like a big teddy bear, and he’s a great guy, and he really cares about his students and really cares that they succeed, and so as much as it is intense, there is love underneath it as well, so definitely that.
Meisner Training and the Summer Acting Program
Learn more about the summer acting programs at Maggie Flanigan studio and the Meisner Intensives by visiting the studio website (https://www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/new-york-ny). Actors who have a question about the application process can call the studio at (917) 794-3878.
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STUDENT TESTIMONIALS
“I was placed in the intense reigns of Charlie Sandlan. I became a better artist, actor, friend, sibling and daughter because of the studio. Even now, I crave the studio every day. What I learned is present in my work every day. I truly believe in everything they stand for.”
“Maggie taught me that I could control my work, my acting, and to throw all of the bullshit out that I had in my head about ‘what I should be doing’ and to just listen and respond honestly, in the moment. She gave me a craft. She is, quite simply put, THE BEST.”
“Maggie Flanigan taught me the true meaning of artistry, passion, and professionalism. I am certain that I continue to work as an actress because of my training with Maggie. At every audition and every performance, her guiding voice is with me. It is a gift beyond measure.”
“Maggie Flanigan is uncompromising, her instincts as a teacher are razor sharp. She doesn’t miss a beat”
“Maggie Flanigan has been one of the most important people in my artistic life. I want to work with Maggie trained actors. As an actor myself, she is my first source. I do not say this lightly, if you are serious about acting, and willing to work very hard, then go to Maggie.”
“Maggie helped me find my sense of truth, an actors greatest asset. Maggie is an expert at instilling that vital ingredient, which allows an actor’s potential to become limitless. My work will forever be rooted in the clarity and honesty she helped me develop.”
“After working for ten years, I did the 2 year program, and now feel that I have the tools I need to become the actor I’ve always dreamed of being. Maggie Flanigan instilled in me a clear sense of truth and a standard of perfection. I am a better actor because of this studio.”
“As an actor, the core of what you have to rely on is your sense of truth and humanity. Maggie allowed me to discover and embrace mine. Trusting my sense of humanity and truth has given me the ability to take risks in my work and my career decisions.”
“Maggie Flanigan has the unique ability to get an actor to the essence of what is true in a moment. She creates a safe and caring environment in which to work.”
“Maggie Flanigan introduced me to my own spirit and my own sense of Truth. Her passion for teaching and ability to communicate are rare gifts to any actor looking for a technique to set his or her talent free. Maggie’s voice has been the one constant guide in my career.”
