SUNITA DESHPANDE

Improvisation

Sunita Deshpande is an actor, improviser, playwright, and educator whose work spans television, film, theatre, and comedy. A graduate of the Maggie Flanigan Studio, she has built a career that combines rigorous actor training with a deep love of improvisation, original storytelling, and ensemble collaboration.

In addition to performing professionally, Sunita is passionate about helping actors discover greater freedom, confidence, and playfulness in their work. Her approach to improvisation is grounded in truthful human behavior, active listening, and the belief that some of an actor's most exciting discoveries happen when they learn to trust the unknown.

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.”

Piper Perabo

“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

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CONTACT

Address:

147 W 25th St 5th Floor
New York, NY 10001

Phone:

(917) 794-3878
(332) 262-7852
(917) 768-3852
(917) 606-0982

Email:

studio@maggieflaniganstudio.com

LATEST POSTS

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.

Call to Schedule an Interview

(917) 794-3878

Education

Sunita is a graduate of the Maggie Flanigan Studio and has completed the full improvisation curriculum at both Upright Citizens Brigade and Magnet Theater. Her additional training includes Wynn Handman Studio, Labyrinth Theater Company, Ivana Chubbuck Studio, Cherry Lane Theatre, Second City, and the University of Florida.

Her diverse training reflects a lifelong commitment to developing both craft and creative versatility.

Experience

Sunita's work spans television, film, theatre, commercial, and original writing.

Her screen credits include Marvel's Daredevil, Law & Order: Organized Crime, 30 Rock, Broad City, HBO's Moonshot, the feature film Inheritance, and numerous national commercial campaigns, including improvising alongside Tina Fey in an American Express commercial.

As a playwright and filmmaker, her first short play was selected as a Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Festival finalist, and her award-winning short film, A Sari for Pallavi, received First Place at the Oscar-qualifying Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Philosophy

Improvisation isn't about being funny. It's about becoming more available.

Actors often believe improvisation requires quick wit or clever ideas. In reality, the strongest improvisers are simply present. They listen. They respond. They trust themselves enough to step into uncertainty without needing to know what comes next.

That ability serves every actor.

Whether you're standing in a commercial audition, receiving an unexpected adjustment in a callback, working on a film set, or stepping into rehearsal with a new play, your ability to remain relaxed, curious, and responsive often matters far more than having the perfect answer.

I teach improvisation with kindness, encouragement, and high expectations. My classroom is a place where actors are invited to take risks, make mistakes, discover their instincts, and reconnect with the sense of play that first inspired them to become artists.

Some of the most meaningful breakthroughs I've witnessed haven't happened because someone became funnier. They happened because someone stopped trying to be perfect.

When actors trust themselves, stay present, and fully commit to the moment, remarkable things begin to happen. That freedom is what improvisation has always meant to me, and it's what I hope every student experiences in class.

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