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OUR CLASSES
COLD READING
Cold Reading is a 10-class course dedicated to developing the actor’s ability to take a script, and in very limited time be able to come into an audition room and create behavior.
An actor's ability to cold read is one of the most valuable professional skills they can develop. Whether walking into an audition, stepping into rehearsal, or arriving on set with newly revised pages, actors are constantly asked to make immediate, truthful choices under pressure.
Cold reading is not simply reading well. It is the ability to take unfamiliar text and quickly transform it into vivid, spontaneous human behavior.
Most actors approach unfamiliar material by becoming preoccupied with memorizing words. Their attention remains trapped on the page instead of where the life of the scene actually exists—with the other person. Well-trained actors understand that the text is only the beginning. The work comes alive through listening, imagination, behavior, and genuine human connection.
Training for the Reality of the Profession
This ten-week course is designed to develop an actor's ability to work confidently with limited preparation while remaining grounded in the same truthful process developed throughout the Meisner Technique.
Professional actors rarely work under ideal circumstances. You may arrive at an audition and be handed new sides moments before entering the room. You may prepare one role only to be asked to read another. You may arrive on set with ten new pages to shoot that afternoon. Film and television auditions frequently provide little preparation time due to the confidential nature of projects.
This class prepares actors for those realities. Rather than relying on speed or instinct alone, students learn how to quickly apply their craft so that truthful behavior can emerge under pressure.
Applying Technique in the Moment
Throughout the course, students strengthen their ability to:
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Quickly analyze unfamiliar text
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Identify playable actions and objectives
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Build immediate relationships and circumstances
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Stay connected to a scene partner instead of the page
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Make specific, truthful choices under time constraints
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Trust preparation without overthinking
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Adapt confidently to changing circumstances
The goal is not perfection. The goal is developing a process that remains reliable regardless of how much—or how little—time an actor has to prepare.
Theatre, Film, and Television
Students begin by exploring the unique demands of theatrical cold reading, including partner auditions and callback situations.
The course then progresses into monologues, challenging actors to quickly transform large sections of text into spontaneous, emotionally truthful behavior.
The final weeks focus on film and television auditions, where actors learn to work effectively with readers while maintaining truthful connection, specificity, and freedom under the practical realities of on-camera auditions.
Intensive Individual Coaching
Cold Reading is limited to just four actors, creating an intimate working environment that allows for extensive individual coaching and feedback.
Each class follows the realities of a professional audition. Students are given thirty minutes to prepare unfamiliar material before auditioning. Every performance is followed by detailed notes, discussion, and the opportunity to immediately apply adjustments through additional work.
This process develops not only stronger audition technique, but greater artistic confidence, adaptability, and trust in one's craft.
Confidence Built on Process
Confidence does not come from hoping an audition goes well. It comes from knowing you possess a disciplined, repeatable process that allows you to work truthfully under any circumstance. Cold Reading teaches actors to meet uncertainty with preparation, imagination, and presence—qualities that define professionals throughout a lifetime of work.
STUDENT TESTIMONIALS
“As an actor, the core of what you have to rely on is your sense of truth and humanity. Not only did Maggie allow me to discover & embrace mine, she also taught me that As an actor, the core of what you have to rely on is your sense of truth and humanity …”
Narada Campbell
“Cold reading is a class that most directly correlates with booking work. Charlie teaches you how to step up to a few pages of sides, and in twenty minutes, apply the tools you are learning in acting class, into a character and script you’ve never seen before.”
Noam Harayz
“I watched myself go from being uncertain in my choices and unsure of how to craft in such a short period of time, to being confident in the decisions I make because of my refined process. Cherry gave me the tools I needed to utilize such a short amount of time in a worthwhile way.”
Joe Wood
CONTACT
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147 W 25th St 5th Floor
New York, NY 10001
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ERIN CHERRY
Erin Cherry is an accomplished actress with an MFA in acting from Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts. She has trained under renowned acting teachers Bill Esper and Maggie Flanigan, and received an Emmy Award for her role as Brenda on After Forever. As a teacher and private acting coach, Cherry aims to nurture simplicity in her students’ approach to acting by guiding them to step into their characters' shoes and illuminate their humanity.
COLD READING
Cold Reading is a 10-class course dedicated to developing the actor’s ability to take a script, and in very limited time be able to come into an audition room and create behavior.
ACTING STUDIO NEW YORK NY
The Maggie Flanigan Studio is the leading acting studio in New York City where professional actors train for long careers. The acting programs at the drama school are based on the Meisner Technique and the work of Sanford Meisner. The two year acting program includes acting classes, movement classes, voice and speech for actors, commercial acting classes, on camera classes, cold reading, monologue, playwriting, script analysis and the Meisner Summer Intensive.
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