Finding the perfect NYC acting classes can feel overwhelming for new actors and professional actors alike. 

However, the real challenge isn’t just finding the best acting classes in NYC—it’s discovering the right one that will transform you into a skilled performer and a true artist. 

Here at the Maggie Flanigan Studio, we pride ourselves on a training environment that goes beyond the ordinary. We aim to nurture your talent with our experienced mentors and supportive community. 

Want to dig deep into the essentials of what to look for in a professional acting class? Then keep on reading. 

Aside from providing you with helpful tips, we‘re also here to tell you how our studio is a top choice for those committed to developing into a serious, first-rate professional actor.

Key Takeaways

• At Maggie Flanigan Studio, passionate, aspiring actors transform into professional artists through the disciplined study of the Meisner Technique.
• The studio offers a wide array of programs tailored for every stage of an actor’s journey, from beginners to seasoned professionals.
• Maggie Flanigan Studio equips actors with comprehensive acting training and prepares them for the business side of their careers with its unique Professional Actor Business Program.

How to Choose the Best Acting Classes in NYC

With the city bursting at the seams with talent and opportunity, choosing where to start or what’s next on your acting journey can feel exciting and a bit overwhelming. Doing your due diligence on the best NYC acting classes is essential in order to make a smart decision. We’re here to help break it down for you.

Are you taking your first steps toward pursuing a lifelong dream of becoming a professional actor?

Here are a few essential tips to help you select an acting class that aligns with your needs and sets the stage for your growth and success in a demanding and competitive business.

Assess Your Skill Level

Before exploring the extensive array of acting classes NYC has to offer, it is important to recognize and accept your current understanding and skill level when it comes to the acting process. 

Are you a newcomer to the world of acting looking for a beginner acting class to start your journey, or are you a working actor seeking advanced scene study to refine your craft?

Understanding where you stand will help you choose a class that challenges you without overwhelming you.

Explore the Curriculum Details

A well-rounded acting conservatory is key to developing into a versatile artist. Given this, you’d want to seek out acting classes in New York City that encompass a diverse set of subjects, including scene work, vocal exercises, movement training, and on-camera techniques. 

The curriculum should align with your aspirations. 

Do you recognize acting as an art form? Are you interested in becoming a transformational artist? Do you value artistry and craft? 

These are important questions to answer. 

Any serious NYC acting program should provide you with a solid technique that will support you in any medium, whether that is stage or screen. This cannot be accomplished in six weeks or six months. 

The best acting programs are two to three years long, and when you are finished, you should have the capacity to create organic, vivid, fully realized human behavior, consistently. 

Additionally, acquiring a solid understanding of artistic collaboration, along with solid professional habits will lay the groundwork for a sustained career.

This ensures you’re well-equipped for the demands of the industry, regardless of your focus.

Assess the Acting Studio’s Teaching Philosophy

The teaching philosophy of an acting school or an acting studio can greatly influence your learning experience. 

It’s a good idea to ask questions like: “Do they prioritize a core approach to the craft of acting, like embracing the Meisner Technique, which focuses on emotional authenticity and reaction?” or “Do they have a scattered, unfocused approach to the craft by employing a variety of acting techniques?” 

Once you have a deeper understanding of the school’s approach, you will gain more clarity in deciding on a program that aligns with your values and aspirations. 

Look for Experienced Instructors

The quality of instruction significantly impacts your growth as an actor. 

With this in mind, seek out acting studios with experienced and passionate teachers who have a strong professional background, and, most importantly, a dedication to mentoring their students. 

The best acting teachers in NYC devote their professional lives to the art of teaching. 

You want to avoid acting studios with a stable of teachers, especially those who are merely actors pulling out notes from classes they took ten years ago. Be on the lookout for master teachers who have dedicated time and energy to training actors.

Instructors who provide private coaching and personalized feedback can be especially beneficial for those looking to work on specific aspects of their craft. 

That said, it is not possible to develop an artistic acting process with only one-on-one, private coaching. A classroom environment is an important component of the best acting training.

Check for Performance Opportunities

Practical experience is invaluable. 

Acting programs that offer ensemble-building games, live performances, and an on-set experience give you the chance to put theory into practice and apply what you’ve learned in a real-world context. 

It is this kind of experience that will bolster your learning and equip you for the demands and expectations of a professional acting environment.

Evaluate Schedule Flexibility and Community Support

For working professionals or individuals juggling multiple commitments, the flexibility of acting classes in terms of scheduling and curriculum adaptation is essential. 

An acting school or studio that offers actors classes that fit within your busy schedule, like evening or weekend sessions and intensive summer programs, is worth checking out. 

The support and sense of community within the acting studio also plays a significant role in your development as an actor. A welcoming and encouraging atmosphere, where growth and creativity are fostered can significantly impact your confidence and progress. 

Be sure to look for studios that prioritize building a tight-knit community among students, teachers, and alumni, as this network will be invaluable throughout your acting career.

Inside Maggie Flanigan Studio: Our Unique Approach

Here at Maggie Flanigan Studio, we cater to a diverse array of students, from undergraduates to working NYC actors. Our adaptable schedules offer both full-time and part-time options, providing the flexibility needed to deeply engage with the craft of acting.

Our holistic approach to acting education also sets us apart, focusing not just on performance skills but also on enriching actors’ understanding of the broader acting world. 

 We are committed to personalized attention. Here, we maintain small class sizes to ensure each student receives the individual guidance needed to thrive.

The Maggie Flanigan Studio is also deeply rooted in the Meisner Technique, a foundational pillar that shapes our approach to training actors for professional success in film, television, and stage. 

The Meisner Technique, renowned for its focus on authenticity and emotional honesty, equips our actors with the fundamental skills necessary to perform truthfully under any given imaginary circumstance.  

Our goal is to shape actors who are not only rock solid in their craft but also rich in understanding and expressing the human condition, making them ready for anything a script throws their way. We believe that actors are acrobats of the human heart.

Our classes are filled with a variety of training methods, from voice training that enhances the expressiveness of your performance to Meisner repetition exercises that sharpen your listening skills and foster an authentic and spontaneous way of working.

We are committed to teaching our students how to do truthfully under imaginary circumstances, which is the essential definition of acting. 

Acting is experiential, and we believe that the best actors work from a deeply personal place, and have a willingness to put their souls on the line. This is what a serious artist can do. 

Comprehensive Training for Every Stage of Your Career

At the Maggie Flanigan Studio, we’re proud to offer diverse programs and classes designed to meet actors at every point in their journey. Our programs span from fundamental skill-building to advanced technique mastery and are designed to cater to different stages of your acting career.

Professional Actor Training Program

Our flagship offering, the Professional Actor Training Program, stands as a comprehensive journey into the acting profession. 

This two-year conservatory program is built around the Meisner Technique, focusing on emotional authenticity and organic behavior. It suits those committed to making acting their life’s work.

Covering a wide range of disciplines from intensive scene study, voice and movement workshops, combat training, breathwork, theater history, script analysis, film history, and cold reading, the Professional Actor Training Program is designed to immerse you in the craft of acting. 

By integrating these diverse disciplines, the program ensures you develop performance skills and also a deeper understanding of the artistic and technical aspects of theater and film. 

Meisner Acting Only Program

For those of you who are passionate about really getting to the heart of acting, the Meisner Acting Only Program will appeal to you.

This acting class focuses on Sanford Meisner’s groundbreaking approach to acting. It is an ideal match for beginners ready to build a strong foundation as well as for the experienced actor aiming to enrich and polish their craft.

What we focus on here is a process for illuminating the human condition—helping you establish a technique that will provide consistency in every professional setting.

Through a series of targeted exercises, including repetition exercises that enhance listening and spontaneity, students work to peel away pretense, allowing a genuine, moment-to-moment truth to emerge.

Summer Acting Program and Workshops

Our Meisner Summer Intensive is crafted as a stepping stone into the world of professional acting, highlighting that the journey to becoming a seasoned actor goes well beyond six weeks. 

Many who start here continue to our extensive two-year program, seeking to deepen their understanding and skill of the acting process.

Alongside the intensive, we offer a range of auxiliary summer classes catering to diverse interests and skill sets. 

Introduction to Playwriting helps aspiring writers bring their stories to life while Movement training enhances actors’ physical expressiveness. 

Our Film History class provides insights into cinema’s evolution, while Voice training aims to amplify and refine an actor’s vocal range and resonance.

Stage & Film Combat training teaches the fundamentals of safely portraying physical conflict, both hand-to-hand and weapons.

Professional Actor Business Program

In the world of acting, talent and training alone aren’t enough to guarantee a lasting career. That’s where our Professional Actor Business Program separates us from every other acting studio in the country.

Our optional third-year program is a testament to our commitment to comprehensive actor training. We provide not only an artistic process but an in-depth approach to understanding everything you need to do in order to run your professional business. 

After honing our students’ skills in the Meisner Technique and our conservatory approach to acting, students are ready to delve into the business side of their careers. 

In this program, students will get new professional headshots, a personally designed website, and a demo reel shot and edited in collaboration with REELARC. Over nine months, our students will work with a life coach, branding consultant, social media expert, and financial adviser. 

Our students will take additional classes in auditioning, the art of self-taping, on-camera technique, monologue, and cold reading. They receive workshops and talkback sessions with well-known and established actors, writers, directors, and producers. 

The business program culminates in two months of auditions with the top casting directors, agents, and managers in the industry. It is the most comprehensive approach to the business of acting in the country.

Most NYC acting classes send you out into the world without any help on how to navigate the demands of the business. Most actors take 7-10 years to figure out what they need to do, making many unnecessary mistakes along the way. 

Our Professional Actor Business Program gives it all to you in nine months. We want our students to be able to compete with the actors coming out of the top MFA programs in the country, such as Yale, Julliard, and NYU. 

Achieve Artistic Excellence with Maggie Flanigan Studio

Launching an acting career in the heart of New York City is an exhilarating challenge, filled with endless possibilities and fierce competition. At the Maggie Flanigan Studio, we’re here to make a lasting impact. 

Led by Artistic Director & Master Teacher Charlie Sandlan since 2012, the studio has grown under his guidance into a premier acting conservatory renowned for its dedication to training serious, professional actors. 

Together with our esteemed faculty, including artists like Emmy Award-winner Erin Cherry, Broadway veteran Dariush Kashani, and Tony nominee Annie McGregor, we’re here to bring depth and passion to our teaching, focusing on both the art and the business of acting.

Our alumni, including notable actors such as Piper Perabo, Isha Blaaker, Sea Shamooka, and Emory Cohen, are testaments to the quality and effectiveness of our training. They’ve taken the skills honed at Maggie Flanigan Studio and translated them into successful careers in film, television, and theater. 

If you’re ready to join the ranks of our distinguished graduates, contact us today about our upcoming classes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get into acting in NYC?

The first step is recognizing that training is essential for a long, sustained career. Find the best NYC acting classes that will challenge and develop your craft. 

A program like the Maggie Flanigan Studio is an example of an acting studio that trains you for the artistic and business demands that will await you. Make sure you have all your professional assets such as headshots, website, and demo reel, and establish relationships with other creative artists who inspire you. 

Once you feel confident in walking into an audition knowing you will present as a serious professional, then start auditioning as much as you can. No one will take you seriously if you do not take yourself seriously first.

Are acting classes worth it?

Acting classes are worth it, especially for those aspiring to pursue a career in the competitive and demanding profession of acting. 

Any serious artist in any medium masters their instrument, and it is no different for the actor. If you have aspirations to do more than extra work and day players, knowing how to create vivid, organic human behavior is essential.

Professional NYC acting classes provide essential training, from beginner acting techniques to advanced performance skills. Receiving valuable feedback from experienced instructors will help you refine your craft and prepare you for the professional expectations that await. 

Is NYC a good place for acting?

NYC is an excellent place for pursuing an acting career. NYC is renowned for its dynamic theater scene, prestigious acting schools like the Maggie Flanigan Studio, and countless opportunities in film, television, and beyond.

The city’s rich cultural diversity and myriad production studios make it a vibrant hub for actors at all stages of their careers.