"When you can assume that your audience holds the same beliefs as you do, you can relax a little and use more normal means of talking to it; when you have to assume that it does not, then you have to make your vision apparent by shock; to the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost-blind, you draw large and startling figures."
- Flannery O’Connor
The two-tiered Directing Workshop Program (Directing 1 and 2) offers emerging stage and film directors the opportunity to work closely with a seasoned professional. The program is led by Studio Associate Director John Grabowski, who brings more than 30 years of teaching experience and has directed over 30 productions. Directors are encouraged to continue developing and directing plays at the studio beyond scheduled class time, fostering ongoing growth, collaboration, and hands-on experience.
Below are a host of Studio classes that directors could benefitt from.
Creative Reset w/ Andrea Navedo - Online is designed for artists who want to pause, reassess, and realign—whether at the start of their career or at any moment when clarity feels needed. Rather than beginning with strategy or outcomes, the work starts by reconnecting you to why you create. From that place, you can build a supportive structure around your creative life—so your path forward feels sustainable, meaningful, and true.
Directing I is for new and emerging stage and film directors seeking to develop story structure and learn how to communicate effectively with actors. Students work with Studio Associate Director John Grabowski, focusing on the essential work a director does before rehearsals and throughout the rehearsal process.
Note: This is not a film production class.
Filmmakers are often drawn to the class for its emphasis on text analysis and actor communication. Upon completion, students may be invited to continue into Directing II and direct a one-act play with the Chelsea Repertory Company at the Studio. Directing I is offered as a hybrid class, with both in-person and online instruction.
(For schedule click DATES & PRICES above.)
The Directing II class offers directors the opportunity to actually mount a one-act play for a workshop production to be presented by the Chelsea Rep LAB in public performances as part of the annual SUMMERFEST 2026: ONE-ACT PLAY FESTIVAL during the month of August. Directing I is a prerequisite. Directing II is offered in-person only and is contingent on the resumption of public performances which the Studio expects to be in 2022.
(For schedule click DATES & PRICES above.)
This small, intensive class, limited to eight students, is designed for non-native English speakers and bilingual individuals, including actors and business professionals, who wish to reduce strong native language accents and speak English with greater clarity and confidence. It is taught by an ESL-certified instructor; online or in-person one on one instruction is also available.
(For schedule click DATES & PRICES above.)
ROME, CAIRO and HAMBURG MASTER CLASSES wiith JAMES PRICE in MEISNER TECHNIQUE (Levels 1 & 2) and SCENE STUDY REHEARSAL TECHNIQUE CLASS offers concentrated instruction that introduces students to Sanford Meisner's system of training actors in developing basic acting skills following a step-by-step progression of exercises and based in acting principle that will promote developing the actor's ability to live organically, moment by moment, under imaginary circumstances. These acting classes cover the beginning Meisner techniques from word repetition through their first application to a scene. Merit Scholarships are awarded select students at the end of the workshops.
This class is a concentrated introduction to Sanford Meisner's approach to developing basic acting skills following a step-by-step progression of exercises that develop the actor's ability to live organically moment by moment under imaginary circumstances. This acting class covers the beginning Meisner techniques from word repetition through their first application to a scene and serves as a studio audition for people new to acting. It is by far the best beginner acting class in New York City. It is a pre-requisite for admission to The Acting Conservatory Program. Requires outside practice with a partner twice a week.
(For schedule click DATES & PRICES above.)
This six week Meisner Summer Intensive acting class is a "summer-only," intensive that meets three times per week. It is exactly the same curriculum and instruction as our "Introduction to Meisner-Acting Technique" class (10-weeks). Meisner Summer Intensive covers the beginning Meisner techniques from word repetition through the first application of the techniques to a scene. It is an excellent starting point for beginner actors.
(For schedule click DATES & PRICES above.)
Actor Lawrence Gilliard Jr (The Wire, The Walking Dead, The Deuce, Gangs of New York, Army Wives, etc.) brings his thirty-plus years acting experience to teaching new actors what to expect and how to navigate their way around that first-day experience of working on a film or television set. Participants in this intensive will learn the behind-the-scene fundamentals and gain invaluable insights into the acting industry in preparation to be ready for their first day on-set experience. "The readiness is all."
In all areas of acting, audition preparation, public speaking, directing, and playwriting, The Acting Studio – New York offers private coaching for actors working on theatre, film, and television roles, as well as for those preparing auditions. Coaching is also available for monologue and scene study classwork, voice and speech, accent reduction, and MFA graduate program preparation. Business professionals may also work with the Studio on public speaking, presentation skills, and foreign accent reduction.
Please note, all individuals who work at the Studio are required to complete an application, and the Studio does not teach acting through private one on one sessions.
(For scheduling, click DATES & PRICES above.)
Scene Study / Rehearsal Technique is an advanced hybrid class that focuses not only on scene work, but on how an actor is actually working. Created and taught by James Price, founding director of The Acting Studio – New York and a close friend and protégé of Sanford Meisner, this class reflects a lifetime of teaching, directing, and working with actors at the highest professional level and offers a first generation Meisner based rehearsal process not taught elsewhere.
(For schedule click DATES & PRICES above.)
Very few actors know what to do with their script beyond just memorizing their lines. While knowing your lines is important, it is only about 5% of the work an actor needs to do. This class focuses on the other 95% of the actors work in regard to understanding how to analyze the text, and make acting choices which become the foundation of their performance.
(For schedule click DATES & PRICES above.)
