During our six-week-long intensive, you will learn to access your full range of emotions and develop a rich and reliable connection to imaginary circumstances. The exceptional faculty at Terry Knickerbocker Studio assists passionate actors to discover and harness their personal artistry, and stand confidently in an often crowded entertainment landscape.

Acting Intensive
The Acting Intensive At Terry Knickerbocker Studio focuses on the first 18 classes of the Meisner acting technique. We will teach you how to get out of your head, tap into your emotions, and follow your instincts.
Course Overview

Meet Your Instructor
John Maria Gutierrez is a multidisciplinary actor, dancer, creator, educator who performs on screen and stage nationally and internationally. As the first person in his family born in the US, John is carving out and balancing his own identity within his family, cultural history, and artistic expression.
What You’ll Learn
The Acting Intensive starts by teaching you how to listen deeply, respond truthfully, and express authentic emotional life under rich imaginary circumstances. You will start to develop core acting skills rooted in the Meisner Technique, Sanford Meisner‘s traditional sequence of improvisational exercises and basic scene work.
- The Fundamentals of the Meisner Technique: Gain a deep understanding of this renowned approach to acting, focusing on truthful, moment-to-moment reactions and emotional authenticity.
- How to Truly Listen and Respond: Develop the ability to stay present, fully engaged, and connected to your scene partners, making your performances grounded and compelling.
- Emotional Access and Expression: Begin to explore exercises designed to help you access your emotions and bring depth, vulnerability, and truth to your work.
- Improvisation and Spontaneity: Learn to let go of self-consciousness, trust your instincts, and respond naturally to what’s happening in the scene.
- Scene Study and Character Work: Apply your training to scripts, discovering how to bring characters to life with nuance and specificity.
Intensives Tuition


Intensive Essentials
- Meisner Acting
- Core Class (Voice)
- Core Class (Movement)
- Emotional Processing for Actors