OUR CLASSES

PROFESSIONAL AUDITION

Bringing Your Craft Into the Room

There are many talented, well-trained actors who struggle to work because they do not audition well.

Auditioning is an art unto itself. It requires an actor to take the fundamentals of their training and apply them under very different circumstances: limited preparation, unfamiliar material, technical demands, pressure, adjustments, and the knowledge that a professional opportunity is at stake.

The Professional Audition is designed to bridge the gap between strong actor training and the ability to consistently bring that work into the audition room or onto a self-tape.

From Training to the Profession

A professional audition is not an acting class.

There is no teacher to guide you through the material, no extended rehearsal process, and often very little time to prepare. The actor must know how to analyze the material, make strong and specific choices, prepare independently, and then leave themselves alone enough for something spontaneous and truthful to happen.

Students will learn how to approach auditions with a clear process rather than relying on instinct, personality, or the hope that something interesting will happen.

The goal is not to teach tricks for booking a job.

The goal is to become an actor who auditions well.

Understanding Your Professional Identity

An actor must also understand how they are perceived by the industry.

Students will develop a clearer understanding of their professional type and how that type informs the roles they are realistically considered for. This is not about limiting the actor or reducing artistry to a category. It is about developing the self-awareness necessary to enter the profession intelligently and understand where opportunities are likely to exist.

The class examines what casting professionals actually need from an audition and why strong classroom work does not automatically translate into callbacks and professional work.

Film, Television & Theatre

Auditioning for film and television is different from auditioning for the theatre, but the fundamentals of good acting do not change.

Students will learn how to move between these mediums while maintaining the essential qualities of truthful work: listening, specificity, spontaneity, imagination, and genuine human behavior.

Whether working in person or on a self-tape, the actor must understand the demands of the medium without allowing technique, pressure, or self-consciousness to interfere with the work.

The MFS Approach

At the Maggie Flanigan Studio, we believe professional audition training should build upon strong acting technique, not replace it.

The best audition is not about trying to impress a casting director or figuring out what they want. It is about arriving prepared, making compelling choices, responding freely to adjustments, and having the confidence to bring yourself fully to the work.

The Professional Audition challenges trained actors to develop a reliable audition process so that when professional opportunities arrive, they possess the skill and confidence to reveal the full extent of their talent.

ALBERTO BONILLA

Alberto Bonilla is an accomplished actor, director, and educator whose career spans more than fifty film and television credits, Broadway and regional theatre, and extensive work as a director. At the Maggie Flanigan Studio, Alberto brings decades of professional experience to The Professional Audition, helping serious actors develop the specific skills necessary to consistently bring their best work into the audition room and onto the self-tape.

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

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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.