Maggie Flanigan has been teaching professional acting classes in New York City for 30 years. She is the Artistic Director and Master Teacher of the Maggie Flanigan Studio.
Maggie trained as an actor and teacher of the Meisner work with William Esper and quickly became one of the most revered teachers at his studio. At Rutgers University, she served, with particular distinction, on the faculty of the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Professional Actor Training Program for 18 years. While there, she co- taught the acting classes in the MFA Acting Program and worked with the URTA auditions as well as co-directed the NYC and L.A. Industry Showcases.
As Maggie discovered for herself the core of the Meisner work, she took time to document his work in a unique way. She is currently working on a manual based on her writings and teaching experience.
It is widely acknowledged by actors familiar with Meisner and professionals in the industry that Maggie understands and teaches the Meisner work more clearly and precisely than any practicing Meisner teacher today. Maggie has shared Best Acting teacher in New York City twice in 2008 and 2006. She also won the Best Acting coach in NYC for 2008. She is also included in the book “Acting Teachers of America”. She participated in the author’s symposium as a panelist.
Maggie established the Maggie Flanigan Studio to offer smaller classes and give individual attention to serious actors in a conservatory based program. Maggie has carefully chosen the faculty to support an MFA based program. And she has chosen the curriculum to parallel a University MFA Program. During the past 8 years, the Studio has become a magnet for, and a community of, talented actors interested in the Meisner work.
Maggie was the leading actress of Stephen Adly Guirgis’ play “The Little Flower of East Orange” in a staged reading of the play in 2006 at the Public Theatre. She subsequently read the part again at the Drama Bookstore with Phillip Seymor Hoffman, Yul Vasquez and Stephen Adly Guirgis in 2009. Maggie also taught, coached and directed at the LAB Intensive Summer Program in 2009 at Bard College.
Throughout her teaching career, Maggie has had an astonishing impact on two generations of talented acting students. Maggie has become known and loved for her gift of clarity, her eye for truth and her ability to inspire actors and demand excellence from them. Maggie is a purist with a very high bar and high standards.
Some of her former and current students are Sam Rockwell, Chris Massino, KaDee Strickland, Piper Perabo., Stephen Adlis Guirgis,Yul Vasquez, Leslie Bibb, Vanessa Aspillaga, Peter Scanovino, Dean Winters, Kohl Sudduth, Scott Winters, Calista Flockhart, Kristin Davis, Jeremy Davidson, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Scott Hudson.