Interview with Brenda Famurewa | Maggie Flanigan Studio

2 year acting programs at the Maggie Flanigan Studio train professional actors following the work of Sanford Meisner and the Meisner Technique. Brenda Famurewa, a current student at the studio, discusses with Katie the first year in the acting program at the studio.

Brenda Famurewa – The 2 Year Acting Programs

Brenda Famurewa, a current student at the studio, discusses with Katie the first year in the acting program at the studio

2 year acting programs – Brenda Famurewa – 01 – Maggie Flanigan (917) 794-3878

Q: Brenda, what did you think it meant to train as an actor before you started the 2 Year Acting Programs at Maggie Flanigan Studio?

A: What did it mean to train? Previously, I always thought that it was like getting your on-camera tips and scene study and just knowing what to do, how to say the line right before you go out to audition for it or put it in front of anybody.

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Q: Now that you just finished your first year and you’re heading into the second year, what do you think it means to train as an actor now?

A: Well, now, I think it’s a lot about your work ethic, for one. I think it takes a lot more work than people give credit to it. I believe that you have to really listen and honestly respond and to do truthfully.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your background in acting?

A: Well, I’ve been taking acting classes for about two and a half years. I started taking classes out in Atlanta. I went to three different studios in Atlanta. Each of them was monthly, once a week classes, scene study classes, on-camera classes. They weren’t as in detail or– I don’t know. They weren’t exact, as Maggie Flanigan has been, at least. I was training for like two years, and nothing changed. I feel like I’m still the same.

Q: Was this the first time you’ve studied Meisner technique?

A: Yes, this is the first time I’ve studied Meisner.

Q: How is Meisner different than what you expected?

A: I’m biased, but I think Meisner is probably the best technique out there. It teaches you to– I don’t even want to say, “It teaches you.” It’s just like– I don’t know. It shows you how to be not even just a better actor, but a better human. It shows you how to really listen to people, really respond to people, to read behavior correctly versus most other techniques I’ve studied. It’s just like, “This is how you read a script,” or, “This is how you would break this down,” which I don’t think is wrong either, but I think to listen and respond, Meisner has been a staple in that for me.

Q: What did you learn about yourself over this past year that was a surprise or that changed you?

A: I’ve learned so much. I’m going to cry. [chuckles] I’ve learned so much. I think I’ve learned that I’m incredibly resilient. I didn’t know before how closed off I had become to the world, or maybe it’s just the way I grew up, I don’t know. I think Meisner has shown me to be okay with who I am, to trust myself. It showed me that everything I feel is valid and that it’s okay; it’s not weak to show your vulnerability. It’s such a beautiful thing.

Q: How do you feel changed as an actor as well?

As an actor, I feel like I’ve changed so much. I think before; I would– I don’t know what I was doing back, but it wasn’t acting. [chuckles] I think now, I’m more determined. Like A: I said, it’s not just in the technique. It’s only made me a better person. I’m more determined. I’m more truthful. I come to life with– I know my triggers. I can’t even compare because I don’t think I was an actor before this program.

Q: What were the steps that led you to commit to the 2 year training program at the studio?

A: Well, before I moved to New York, I was taking a bunch of acting classes every month. As I said, I was doing this; I was acting for like a year and a half maybe or a year before I moved. I was taking on these classes, but I’m like, “Brenda, you haven’t gotten that much better,” or I’m like, “This sounds good,” but I That was in my head a lot. That’s one of the biggest problems in my head a lot. The classes were like– I don’t know, I felt like it was more like a show-and-tell like, “This is how you do it,” versus, “This is how you act,” or, “This is the truth behind acting.

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I was taking a bunch of classes that didn’t do anything to show real progress. About two years in, I was just like, “You know what? I need something more–” Not just acting because you still have voice and movement that you need. I was just tired of taking all those classes that didn’t transform me. Then, I decided to look into my research. Then, I found MFS, and I moved up here, and it’s been great.

Q: How have you seen the other acting classes at the studio, movement, voice, theater history, changed the work that you’re doing in the acting program as a whole?

A: Well, I think, especially with movement and voice– To start with movement, I believe Movement class has helped me to open up more and to be more vulnerable. It’s shown me where I hold tension in my body. I don’t know; I think in movement, you’re allowed to be softer, you see yourself becoming softer when you act instead of straining and all of that.

Voice class, I’ve been working on being more on my voice when you get to those high emotions and typically can’t understand what the person’s saying. That was my problem, but it’s gotten better. I don’t know, I think altogether, each component is pieces of a puzzle, that’s always building on to what I can do as an actor.

Q: Do you think you’d be where you are right now as an actor heading into the second year if you had not taken those classes?

A: No. I think that some of the classes I’ve taken definitely helped in other aspects that may not necessarily have been seen in the acting studio or the acting space, but specifically voice and movement, and even Reiki, especially, actually, I think it’s not just transformed but it’s like an illuminator, highlighted my experience at this program or only as an actor.

Q: How has the community at the studio made this first year better for you?

A: It’s been so great. I moved to New York for this program, so I didn’t know anybody in the city. It’s a different type of bond you have with people at the studio because you meet all these people who– For one, my classmates are people that I’ve never probably would have spoken to if I saw them on the street, we’re so different, but it’s such a different kind of love that you have for one another, a different type of respect, you get to see each other in ways that most people don’t.

My classmates have seen me at my most vulnerable where I’ve had friends for like ten years who don’t even know that side of me. I think it’s such an enjoyable experience. I believe Maggie Flanigan has such a– I don’t know, it’s a beautiful community, and I’m very, very grateful to it. I think that since I’ve been in New York, I’ve been blessed with people who I know if I needed something I could call. Or if I needed to be inspired, a lot of my classmates inspire me, which I think is excellent and push me as well.