The Maggie
Flanigan
Studio

Maggie's Teaching Philosophy

Acting at its best is a creative art. A solid craft is needed for the actor to have a mastery of their acting instrument. I have crafted a nurturing home for artists to sharpen their skills and solidify their craft. The work at my studio is based on the Sanford Meisner Technique and my thirty year’s experience teaching this work. I have created a conservatory-based program with a faculty hand-picked by me. All of my teachers have their MFA in Acting and have been trained by me both as actors and teachers.

mesiner technique nyc

Pretending and Emotional Memory

Looking to eliminate the practice of “pretending” in acting, one of the goals of the Meisner technique is to help actors to learn to “do” in the moment. Actors must learn how to commit to actions and dialogue quickly, deeply and truthfully so there is no chance to focus on yourself or get distracted as (more...)

Creating a Safe Place for Vulnerability

Receiving more individualized attention from an acting teacher or private acting coach can be a rigorous process that strips away many of an actor’s preconceived notions of their skills. An actor’s innermost thoughts and feelings can be difficult to expose to a larger class of actors. A good acting instructor should create a safe space (more...)

Acting in Faith- Meisner Acting

The Meisner acting technique calls for a great deal of faith on many levels. First, actors must have faith in the technique. Full mastery requires years of effort. One must acquire a complete library of imagined feelings and experiences of many different kinds of characters. Also, the actor must have faith in his fellow actors, (more...)

Meisner Summer Intensive – Now Interviewing

Summer Intensive Program The Maggie Flanigan Studio offer a six-week summer intensive, which meets three times a week. The program is an introduction to Meisner acting, offering students the opportunity to see if the technique is right for them. Read more: Meisner Summer Intensive (more...)

Emotional Preparation Using Meisner Acting Techniques

Actors trained in the Meisner acting technique acquire a unique ability to engross themselves fully into the emotional “state” of the character onstage thanks, in part, to a practice known as emotional preparation. The actors job is to paint an emotional landscape that includes a wide range of the deepest human lusts, compulsions, conflict and (more...)