Who is the best Meisner teacher? For actors pursuing truth and spontaneity, this is a crucial question. The best Meisner teachers embody the power of Sanford Meisner’s technique, training actors to respond with honesty and emotional depth.
As one of the world’s most respected acting methods, the Meisner Technique grounds an actor in the essential fundamentals of the art form and develops the actor’s ability to do truthfully under imaginary circumstances. A well-trained Meisner actor is fully present, listening in every moment, spontaneous, emotionally available, and capable of taking on rich, complicated roles.
A great Meisner teacher should be a master of the technique, and should have not only gone through the training as a student, but should also have become a protege of someone who is a widely recognized expert of the two-year progression.
This blog explores the defining traits of a great Meisner teacher, what makes their guidance unique, and how learning from the best can enhance a serious actor’s career.
Key Takeaways
A great Meisner teacher does more than teach—they demand high artistic standards while also creating a safe and nurturing environment that supports failure and encourages deep personal exploration
Real Meisner training should not only instill craft and technique but also develop a professional artist who possesses work ethic and artistry.
The Maggie Flanigan Studio is one of the most respected acting studios NYC has to offer, with a 25-year history as one of the best Meisner studios in the United States.
The Meisner Technique: Foundations of Authentic Acting
Sanford Meisner transformed actor training in the performing arts, developing a technique that centers on genuine, truthful connections between human beings.
A master teacher at the Neighborhood Playhouse and a member of the Group Theater alongside Lee Strasberg, Sanford Meisner set out to create an acting technique centered on an actor’s ability to do truthfully under an imaginary circumstance.
The Meisner Technique was born out of Sandy’s belief that actors do not listen; they wait for their cues. He wanted to provide actors with a process for getting out of their heads, onto their spontaneous impulses, and fully present and responsive in every moment.
Meisner believed the best actors had emotional fluidity, vulnerability, and a vivid imagination. The two-year progression of his training instills these skills into an actor’s craft.
In the first year of Meisner training, students focus on the core fundamentals of acting. It begins with a very simple repetition exercise that evolves over nine months into an incredibly profound and sophisticated improvisational exercise.
The goal of the first year is to develop a truthful acting instrument where all of the fundamentals are second nature. The job of the actor is one thing, to create behavior, and a Meisner actor can do this organically and vividly from authentic experience.
Through the progression of the repetition exercise to emotional preparation and scene work, students learn to undo all of the parenting, socialization, and parenting that have erected the defenses and blocks used to get through life. The goal of the first year is to develop a truthful acting instrument, training an actor who is an acrobat of the human heart.
What Makes a Great Meisner Teacher?
For actors who are serious about the Meisner Technique, finding an acting teacher who knows the technique inside and out is essential. The best Meisner teachers have not only done the work as students but have also spent many years mentoring under a master teacher.
They have developed the ability to not just teach the technique accurately but also to create a safe and nurturing space while holding the highest artistic standards. A great teacher can be direct, honest, supportive, and inspiring when the need arises. These teachers are rare.
Here’s what to look for in a top-tier Meisner teacher:
Mastery of the Meisner Technique
When I began learning how to teach under Maggie, I had gone through the training at Rutgers where I received my MFA in 2001. I studied under William Esper and Maggie.
I understood the work as an actor, but teaching it was something else entirely. I began learning how to teach with Maggie in 2005, and I estimate I watched over 5,000 hours of her teaching over 10 years. I watched every single class she taught and filled reams of notebooks.
I have mastered the art of teaching the Meisner Technique and am very grateful to have been taken under Maggie’s wing. I learned how to hold a class together, teach to the individual as well as the collective, and developed the intuition to know when to inspire and when to challenge.
Focused on crafting artists, not just actors
Great Meisner teachers have a dedication to shaping artists, not just teaching people how to act. There are countless acting studios in NYC that can claim this skill. But the majority are full of shit. Most NYC acting teachers have no idea what they are doing. So, what makes an artist?
It’s someone who possesses craft and technique, and also has incredible attention to detail. It's the care with which you work that separates the artist from the hack.
Genuine commitment to each student
Top Meisner teachers recognize each student’s individual strengths and struggles. They provide clear feedback and hold everyone to high professional standards.
I tell my students quite often that they are my art. I look at a room full of aspiring actors and understand the responsibility I have to instill in them, not just an acting process but also to inspire them to become more deeply connected to the human condition.
Creates a space for bold choices and growth
The best Meisner teachers challenge their students to be vivid and to take risks. Creating behavior is the job of the actor, and when training, having a space to make bold choices is essential.
I want my students to step outside of their comfort zone and risk making an ass out of themselves. For this to be possible, a class must feel that they are safe to make mistakes and fail spectacularly.
They create a supportive environment where students feel safe to put their soul on the line in order to find their unique voice. This freedom allows actors to unlock their potential, develop their craft, and build the confidence to step into any role, ready to act with truth and authenticity.
How a Top Meisner Teacher Shapes Your Acting Career
The right Meisner teacher can completely reshape an actor’s journey, from building a strong technique to instilling a professional mindset. An expert in Meisner training will push each actor to grow in ways that make a real difference in auditions, on stage, and on screen.
Here’s how the right Meisner teacher can transform your path from a beginning student to a serious professional.
Develop lasting discipline and focus
Master teachers in Meisner training instill discipline from the beginning. I tell my students on day one that I do not tolerate laziness or the need to be defensive when it comes to constructive criticism. It’s very difficult as an adult to put yourself in the position of being a beginner again.
Being criticized in front of others takes a level of maturity and a healthy self-esteem. At MFS everyone is expected to conduct themselves as professional students. That means being on time, rehearsing regularly, respecting your classmates, and supporting them as well.
This kind of training sets our students up for the demands of the professional world. As an actor, you never want to be the problem, and our students understand this. They enter the business not just with a solid technique, but also with discipline, work-ethic, and a collaborative spirit.
Train you for versatility in theater and film
An experienced Meisner-trained actor is equipped with all the tools to adapt to the nuances of both theater and film. Acting is acting, regardless of the medium. There are some technical adjustments that need to be made, but at the end of the day, you can either create behavior or you can’t.
The best trained actors can do anything. Theater has a way of either exposing you as a hack or confirming that you are indeed a serious artist.
Top Meisner teachers don’t just teach an acting class. They provide craft and technique.
The mistake that most aspiring actors make is to be fooled into thinking that an on-camera class is going to teach them how to act. Understanding camera angles and eye lines is important, but it isn’t going to help you break down a script, implant meaning, create impulses, justify text, or do actions. This is what the best Meisner teachers can provide.
Instill a professional work ethic
Top acting teachers bring out more than raw talent. They shape a mindset and work ethic that will support an actor through the highs and lows of a professional career.
In my opinion, most actors are lazy. They do not work on themselves the way serious artists in other mediums do. Dancers, painters, and musicians work on their craft continuously; they are obsessed with it. I believe a serious actor should be the same way, dedicated to mastering their instrument, which is all of them: body, voice, imagination, and temperament.
The influence of a great acting teacher should inspire this kind of dedication. They provide actors with the mindset needed to sustain a long professional career.
No one will take you seriously if you do not take yourself seriously first. It starts with you, and the vision of the type of actor and artist you want to be. Great Meisner teachers should have a passion for instilling this understanding into their classroom dynamic.
Maggie Flanigan Studio: Where Acting Teachers Shape Artists
Our faculty doesn’t just teach acting; we shape actors who can move audiences, handle the demands of this career, and own their craft with skill and dedication.
As the Artistic Director, I’ve spent over two decades teaching the Meisner technique, and I can tell you that great acting always starts with great teachers. Every member of our team is a working professional who knows the demands of this industry and what it takes to succeed as a serious actor.
Committed to real, rigorous training
Our teachers know what it means to dedicate their lives to the craft of acting. From voice classes with Midori Nakamura, who guides actors in breaking free from vocal blocks, to movement classes with Tina Mitchell and Sara Fay George, who lead them in developing a pliable body capable of processing a rich experience free of strain and tension.
We skip the shortcuts and give students the deep training it takes to become a Meisner-trained actor who is fully prepared for both stage and screen.
Personal attention that fuels growth
Every actor’s journey is unique, and that’s why Maggie and I have always been committed to keeping our acting classes small and intimate. We’re here to offer the type of mentorship that fosters genuine growth, and that means delivering feedback that’s specific to each student.
I am not going to cram 22 students into a classroom. You are not just a number at MFS, but someone who deserves a commitment from us.
Erin Cherry, our senior acting teacher and an Emmy Award winner, works one-on-one with students to help them find emotional honesty in their work. She brings her experience to every lesson and challenges every student to get out of their comfort zone and play full out with themselves.
Her journey is similar to mine, getting her MFA with me at Rutgers, and then spending a decade learning how to teach under Maggie’s guidance. She has been with me and MFS now for 20 years, and I could not be more grateful and proud to have her by my side.
Training a complete actor
Great acting doesn’t come from memorizing lines. Instead, it comes from engaging your full self in the moment. Our acting program integrates voice, movement, and emotional truth, which demands vulnerability and empathy, along with deep insight into the human experience.
In movement classes, Sara Fay George guides actors to match physical presence with emotional depth, while Midori’s voice classes push students to explore their vocal range and flexibility.
Every class at MFS has been curated to provide our students with an MFA caliber training experience. We want our students to compete at the highest level, and have a skill set to take on the challenging and complicated roles that every actor dreams of taking on.
Continuing Maggie’s legacy of excellence
Maggie Flanigan opened this acting studio in 2001 with a vision for rigorous, meaningful training that focuses on the individual artist. I had the privilege of studying with Maggie closely for two decades, and I’ve carried her commitment to high standards into every part of this NYC acting studio.
The Meisner Technique we teach isn’t just a series of exercises; it’s a powerful approach to actor training that requires truth, courage, and depth. Maggie’s passion for training real actors lives on in everything we do here.
What Sets Maggie Flanigan Studio Apart in Meisner Training
My goal is clear: to make the Maggie Flanigan Studio the best place in New York City for serious actors to train with depth, integrity, and a commitment to craft.
This acting studio isn’t about shortcuts or surface-level tricks. It’s about real, rigorous training designed to transform you into a serious professional equipped to tackle any role in theater, film, or TV. Here’s what makes our acting school and training program truly unique:
Structured conservatory programs with flexibility
Actors come to this studio with different levels of experience, so we offer three structured programs to meet those needs.
The Bare Essentials Program includes the full two-year progression of the Meisner technique, along with a selection of two auxiliary classes. Our Core Program expands on that with additional classes in voice, movement, and theater history.
The Professional Actor Training Program (PATP) is our full two-year conservatory program, providing the most intensive experience for those ready to commit fully. It includes every class offered at MFS and is the closest thing to an MFA caliber experience.
Each program allows actors to move through the Meisner Technique at a pace that works for them while maintaining the high standards we set as an acting school.
Comprehensive training for the whole actor
A complete actor needs more than technical skills. At this acting school, we make sure students learn all the tools they need to work on stage and screen.
Midori Nakamura teaches voice with the goal of helping actors access their full vocal range and communicate with impact, while Sara Fay George brings a powerful approach to movement, connecting physical awareness with emotional truth.
Additional classes in artistic self-care, navigating the inner critic, and breathwork create a holistic training approach that ensures actors are well-rounded and fully prepared for the demands of a professional career.
Courses in film history and theater history also give our students a sense of lineage and context, crucial for any artist who wants to collaborate with other actors, directors, and producers.
Professional skills for real-world success
Actors don’t just need craft—they need practical skills to survive and thrive in this competitive industry. The Professional Actor Business Program (PABP), an optional third-year addition, teaches actors how to navigate the business side of their careers.
Most actors finish their training and have no idea how to begin their professional journey. It can feel overwhelming. Most actors take 5-7 years to figure out the business and the expectations of the industry. I created our PABP to take that 5-7 years, and give you everything in 9 months.
Our PABP includes professional headshots, a custom-built website, and a demo reel shot edited in collaboration with REELARC. Students work with life coaches, financial consultants, social media experts, and a branding consultant.
They receive classes in making content, learning from established producers, directors, screenwriters, editors, and cinematographers. They get extensive experience in auditioning technique for theater, film, and television.
The program culminates in a month of auditions in front of some of the top agents and casting directors in the business.
A tradition of excellence and integrity in teaching
Our faculty is made up of dedicated professionals who don’t take the role of an NYC acting teacher lightly.
As Artistic Director and Master Teacher, I lead a team that includes Emmy-winner Erin Cherry, along with other respected artists and master teachers. Together, we’re here to push every actor in our acting classes to develop authentic skills, a strong work ethic, and a deep respect for their craft.
The studio’s foundation is based on the philosophy and standards that Maggie Flanigan created—a commitment to excellence, individualized attention, and a supportive environment for growth.
Train with the Best Meisner Teachers in NYC
Finding the right Meisner teacher can be a struggle, especially if you’re tired of classes that offer surface-level tricks instead of real depth. Too many acting studios skim over the heart of Meisner’s work, failing to give actors the intense, focused training they need to respond honestly and instinctively.
At the Maggie Flanigan Studio, we take Sanford Meisner’s approach seriously. We focus on a training program that builds actors from the ground up and equips them with the ability to act truthfully and fearlessly alongside other actors.
If you’re looking for quick tricks, this isn’t the place for you. But if you’re ready to work hard, respect the craft, and develop into a Meisner-trained actor who can take on any role with confidence, then the Maggie Flanigan Studio in New York City is where you need to be.
Call today to start your journey with the best Meisner teachers in the business and begin building a career rooted in real skill and undeniable talent.
Summary
Finding the best Meisner teacher is about more than just learning the exercises—it’s about working with someone who becomes a mentor, a guide, and an anchor in your journey toward becoming a professional artist.
A great Meisner teacher is a master of the technique and has the resume to prove it. A teacher of this caliber pushes you to go deeper, to act with truth, and to collaborate with professionalism. This level of training and mentorship, rooted in the legacy of Sanford Meisner and the standards set by master teachers, is what defines MFS and our commitment to shaping serious actors in New York City.
If you’re ready to commit to real growth, depth, and mastery, the Maggie Flanigan Studio is the only place to get the level of Meisner training that shapes exceptional talent. Take that first step toward a career built on skill, honesty, and authenticity by joining our acting program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who taught Meisner?
Sanford Meisner created his technique in the 1940s as a response to his disagreement with Lee Strasberg and his approach to acting training. He believed that the Method was an unhealthy way to work as an actor. He believed the imagination was a powerful and creative asset for the actor to call upon.
Meisner trained and mentored William Esper, who trained and mentored Maggie Flanigan, who trained and mentored me. The lineage of great Meisner teachers is rooted in the passion for acting and the deep belief that acting is an art form.
Who is the greatest acting teacher of all time?
While opinions vary, Sanford Meisner is often considered one of the greatest acting teachers due to his transformative impact on actor training through the Meisner Technique.
Alongside other influential figures like Lee Strasberg from the Actors Studio and Stella Adler, Meisner’s approach has helped generations of talented actors perform with honesty, spontaneity, and emotional depth.
Who are the Method acting teachers?
Lee Strasberg is this country’s first major acting teacher, who rooted his work in the organic approach developed by Stanislavski and the Moscow Art Theater. Stella Adler was trained as an actor by Strasberg, but disagreed with him about many things. She opened her own studio and became renowned for her ability to analyze a script and character.
These instructors, along with Sanford Meisner’s unique acting program at the Neighborhood Playhouse, contributed to the evolution of actor training in the United States by developing actors who are grounded in the truth of the human condition.
Who is the most famous Method actor?
Marlon Brando is widely regarded as one of the most famous Method actors, known for his raw, emotionally charged performances in films like A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront. Brando’s work set a high standard for emotional authenticity in film and continues to influence talented actors worldwide.
