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OUR CLASSES
ART OF THE CLOWN
Clown is not about putting on a red nose and performing gags—it’s about stripping away artifice to reveal the tender, ridiculous, and deeply human self beneath. Actors are taught to embrace failure, relinquish control, and find joy in the unknown.
ART OF THE CLOWN
Clown is not about putting on a red nose and performing gags—it’s about stripping away artifice to reveal the tender, ridiculous, and deeply human self beneath. Actors are taught to embrace failure, relinquish control, and find joy in the unknown.
Through repeated vocal and physical warm-ups, improvisation, and the cultivation of a relaxed instrument, students learn to drop pretense and access the spontaneous performer within. There is no mask to hide behind in clown—only a red nose and the truth of the moment.
By the end of this transformative journey, actors leave with a greater capacity for risk, connection, and emotional freedom. They are more alive, more present, and more open. Clown challenges you to step into the spotlight without needing to be clever or right—just utterly, joyfully yourself. And from that place, an actor can truly illuminate the human condition.
CLOWN: UNLOCKING THE SPONTANEOUS ACTOR
Clown is one of the most liberating and humbling disciplines an actor can engage with. At the Maggie Flanigan Studio, where we train artists committed to truth, vulnerability, and craft, Clown offers a necessary confrontation with the core of what it means to be seen. Facilitated by Sneha Sakhare and inspired by the work of master clown teacher Christopher Bayes, this two semester 20-week class invites students to discover their deepest creative impulse through physical play, vocal release, and radical openness.
Clown is not about putting on a red nose and performing gags—it’s about stripping away artifice to reveal the tender, ridiculous, and deeply human self beneath. Actors are taught to embrace failure, relinquish control, and find joy in the unknown. Through embodied ensemble exercises, rage-outs, spontaneous song creation, meditative grounding practices, and guided movement, students are challenged to play fully, fail joyfully, and return again with courage and curiosity.
Rooted in the foundational principles of the Meisner Technique, this work deepens the actor’s ability to listen, respond truthfully, and remain present in the moment. MFS believes deeply that an actor's impact on an audience must be rooted in your humanity. Clown insists you bring that humanity forward with reckless abandon. It trains your emotional availability, your imagination, and your willingness to be laughed at—not because you’re “funny,” but because you’re willing to be honest and vulnerable in front of an audience.
STUDENT TESTIMONIALS
“I was placed in the intense reigns of Charlie Sandlan. I became a better artist, actor, friend, sibling and daughter because of the studio. Even now, I crave the studio every day. What I learned is present in my work every day. I truly believe in everything they stand for.”
Jes Macallan
“Maggie taught me that I could control my work, my acting, and to throw all of the bullshit out that I had in my head about ‘what I should be doing’ and to just listen and respond honestly, in the moment. She gave me a craft. She is, quite simply put, THE BEST.”
Leslie Bibb
“Maggie Flanigan taught me the true meaning of artistry, passion, and professionalism. I am certain that I continue to work as an actress because of my training with Maggie. At every audition and every performance, her guiding voice is with me. It is a gift beyond measure.”
Andrea Anders
ACTING STUDIO NEW YORK NY
The Maggie Flanigan Studio is the leading acting studio in New York City where professional actors train for long careers. The acting programs at the drama school are based on the Meisner Technique and the work of Sanford Meisner. The two year acting program includes acting classes, movement classes, voice and speech for actors, commercial acting classes, on camera classes, cold reading, monologue, playwriting, script analysis and the Meisner Summer Intensive.
Call to Schedule an Interview
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SNEHA SEKHARE
Sneha Sakhare is a multifaceted artist based in New York City, with a background in acting, singing, and clowning, complemented by her rigorous training in various theatrical disciplines and Indian Classical music. She has created original works such as "Pandemic Chapatis" and "Divinity and Ice Cream", while her philosophy emphasizes the spiritual and authentic nature of clowning, encouraging performers to embrace vulnerability and emotional truth. With a former career in engineering, Sneha applies an analytical approach to her creative practices, guiding her students to recognize and celebrate their unique truths.
