Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Two Year Acting Conservatory - A Safe Place to be Vulnerable

7:25 PM
By Maggie Flanigan


Two year acting programs are commonly known as the conservatory approach. These two year programs are targeted towards professional actors who recognize their need for continual study and improvement. The tradition of a master training an apprentice has been in practice for centuries. Aspiring as well as professional actors seek out this type of program to improve their skills and set themselves apart from the competition.

Actors who are true professionals know that the process of studying is never over. When an actor appears to act without trying, it is a sure bet that they have spent years training. Great strength and dedication is required of actors who decide to focus years of their lives solely to improving in their art. However, when it comes to being an actor in New York, taking the time to study is what will make the difference between hobby and career.

Two year acting programs are a wonderful opportunity to learn the Meisner method. The technique teaches students the basic methods first with the lessons become more and more complicated as each skill is mastered. Meisner training can have almost a boot camp feel. Each student is charged with stripping away their exterior to bare their true, often vulnerable, identity.

The goal of military training is to repurpose the soldier's identity around the military. Long-term programs in New York that teach Meisner require student actors to learn more about themselves. This allows actors to become one with their characters instead of allowing their own emotions to hinder their performance.

Emotions and desires are an integral part of the human person. These personal traits can either help or hinder an actor. Acting requires that actors understand their personalities and be able to control them so as to better portray their intended character.

Bad habits can run amok amongst professional actors. Shorter classes may help to remedy these habits in part. There is no question, however, that two year programs are far more effective at correcting these problems. Stripping away poor habits and creating a whole new outlook can be very difficult for students, particularly since it requires a significant vulnerability on the part of the actor. Attending a two year acting program helps actors to better understand themselves so that they are well equipped to portray their characters and bring them to life on stage or on screen. Coaches in quality two year programs work with the student actors to help them to rid themselves of their poor habits and build better ones, allowing them to create better characters and work well with the other actors in the production.




About the Author: