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OUR CLASSES
Self-Care for Actors
The actor's instrument is not only the body and the voice. It is also the mind and nervous system.
Professional actors willingly choose one of the most psychologically demanding careers imaginable. Auditions, rejection, uncertainty, performance pressure, comparison, and creative vulnerability all place extraordinary demands on an actor's inner life. Yet very few conservatory programs prepare actors to understand the psychological realities of the profession.
At Maggie Flanigan Studio, Self-Care for Actors was created to fill that gap.
Grounded in contemporary psychological research and designed specifically for performers, this ten-week course helps actors understand and regulate the psychological demands of a professional acting career. Students develop practical tools to remain present, emotionally available, and connected to their work while building the resilience necessary to sustain a lifelong artistic practice.
Understanding the Actor's Nervous System
Many of the struggles actors experience are not signs of weakness. They are predictable responses to pressure.
Throughout the course, students develop a deeper understanding of how the nervous system influences attention, emotional availability, confidence, and performance. Rather than judging these experiences, actors learn why they happen and how to respond more effectively.
Topics include:
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Nervous system awareness
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Presence under pressure
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Attention and performance
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Emotional regulation
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Returning to baseline after performance
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Stage fright and performance anxiety
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Self-criticism and perfectionism
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Self-confidence and self-trust
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Emotional availability while being observed
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Building long-term psychological resilience
Every topic is taught with one goal in mind: helping actors remain connected to the work instead of becoming consumed by internal evaluation.
Practical Tools for Professional Actors
This is not a therapy course. It is professional training.
Students leave with practical, evidence-based strategies they can immediately apply to auditions, rehearsals, performances, self-tapes, and the day-to-day realities of a professional acting career.
Using contemporary psychological research alongside simple body-based practices, students learn how to recognize stress before it becomes overwhelming, regulate attention under pressure, recover from emotionally demanding work, quiet self-critical thinking, and strengthen confidence without becoming dependent on external validation.
The goal is not to eliminate vulnerability. The goal is to help actors remain available to their craft even in the presence of uncertainty, rejection, and creative risk.
Building a Sustainable Artistic Career
Acting requires openness. It asks you to continually place your imagination, emotions, and humanity in service of another person's story. That kind of work requires care.
At Maggie Flanigan Studio, we believe the healthiest actors often become the most truthful actors. When the nervous system is regulated and attention remains rooted in the present moment, actors become more capable of listening deeply, responding honestly, taking creative risks, and sustaining meaningful work over the course of a lifetime.
Self-Care for Actors reflects our commitment to developing the complete artist—not only technically, but psychologically. Because understanding and regulating the psychological demands of a professional acting career is every bit as important as understanding script analysis, movement, voice, or character.
The healthier the human being becomes, the more truthful, courageous, and resilient the artist becomes.
Self-Care for Actors is a ten-week course consisting of ten classes.
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.
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New York, NY 10001
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BREATHWORK FOR ACTORS
This 7-week course is designed to delve into the transformative power of intentional breathwork. Tailored specifically for actors + artists.
DR. ALEXA ISPAS
Dr. Alexa Ispas is a psychologist, author, educator, and internationally recognized specialist in the psychology of actors. Her work is dedicated to helping performers navigate the unique psychological demands of a creative career, providing practical tools that strengthen resilience, confidence, and long-term artistic well-being.
