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SNEHA SAKHARE
Art of Clown
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.
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Jes Macallan
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Piper Perabo
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Andrea Anders
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TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
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.
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Education
Sneha Sakhare completed a one-year acting conservatory program at The Barrow Group Theatre Company in 2018. She is a recipient of the Lin-Manuel Miranda Family Foundation Fellowship (2022). Her clown and physical theatre training spans over five years of intensive study with Christopher Bayes at Pandemonium Studio, and continued training with Jim Calder and Aitor Basauri in New York City. She also trained in Balinese mask work in Bali, Indonesia. As a singer, Sneha studied Indian Classical music under Padmashree Padmaja Phenany Joglekar from 2015–2017, grounding her vocal work in traditional forms of devotional music. She is also a former engineer, bringing a rigorous and analytical approach to her creative and pedagogical practices.
Experience
Sneha Sakhare is an actor, singer, writer, and teacher of Clown and Physical Theatre, originally from India and based in New York City. Her work is rooted in the philosophy of “Prasada Budhi,” approaching art as a sacred offering. As a playwright and performer, she has developed original works including Pandemic Chapatis, No One’s Watching, Ragas of the Rooted Heart, and the devised piece Glimpse. Her solo show Divinity and Ice Cream premiered in a staged reading at Nooma Studio in 2024 and remains in development. Sneha has over five years of intensive Clown and Commedia Dell’Arte training with Christopher Bayes, and completed an apprenticeship with him at Pandemonium Studio and the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. She has also trained with Jim Calder, Aitor Basauri, and in Balinese mask performance in Indonesia. As a singer, she is classically trained in Indian Classical music and has performed devotional bhajans across India, receiving national recognition and performing for large audiences throughout the country.
Philosophy
I believe Clown is a deeply spiritual and authentic practice—one that is not about putting on a mask, but rather about taking one off. It is a return to presence, simplicity, and emotional truth. In the clown state, the mind quiets, the ego softens, and the performer meets the world with curiosity, vulnerability, and play. I believe Clown is a way to encounter what is real, strange, funny, tender, and unpolished—without shame. It invites the performer to embrace awkwardness and imperfection as vital aspects of humanity. Through this work, I guide students toward remembering that their truth—however awkward, beautiful, or unexpected—is not only enough; it is their greatest offering.
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first year meisner acting program
Begins January
6th, 2026
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