Intensives

The Meisner Technique is a highly regarded acting method developed by Sanford Meisner. It focuses on truthful and spontaneous acting, emphasizing the actor’s connection with their scene partner.

All acting techniques share the same goal: to train actors to do their best work. We teach the Meisner technique because we know how effective it is for most actors, and how easy it is to access no matter where you are in your acting journey. The benefits of the Meisner technique are varied, but most importantly, training at this level, and with our world-class faculty, means that you will be prepared to tell the most important stories of our time at the highest level of excellence with a finely trained instrument: heart, mind, body, and voice. Please visit our Meisner Technique page for more information.

Meisner training is very popular these days. Very few teachers are masters at teaching it. Terry spent over 30 years training and teaching with William Esper, one of the most respected protégés of Sanford Meisner at TheNeighborhood Playhouse. Terry is one of only a few active teachers who can claim to be part of this direct lineage of Sanford Meisner and his brilliant approach to actor training.

TK Studio is devoted to building a community of committed artists. We are selective about our admissions process. We would rather have one class of dedicated artists than five classes filled with non-committed students.

We don’t just offer Meisner training—we believe in developing the whole artist. Like a BFA or MFA conservatory, our students train in Movement and Voice alongside their Meisner work, with Supplemental classes and Special Topics like Clown, Alexander Technique, and Chekhov Technique. We train the full instrument. Again, like top quality university programs, “community” is one of our strongest values. The Studio offers numerous events and programs outside of classes, including discount theater tickets, social events, talks with notable actors, and a Mentorship Program that pairs 1st and 2nd Year students.

This is such an important question. You are unique—only you can answer the question of whether our studio feels like an artistic home for you and, thus, the right place for you to train. While we do pride ourselves on attempting to understand and know each of our students with deep respect for their individuality, we know that we will not be a fit for everyone—and indeed, any school that represents itself as such is at risk of being disingenuous. That said, our keen interest in seeing and understanding you (and your willingness to be seen) gives this training a strong chance of being “right” for many actors. We want to understand what you’re looking for regarding training, and then we’ll be honest about whether we can serve your needs. If we can’t, we’ll guide you as best we can towards a better fit for you and your unique interests.

To help you reach your decision, we invite you to spend time reading and digesting our Philosophy page, our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion page, our Testimonials page, and the rest of this FAQs page. These pages should give you a clearer understanding of the values and strengths of our Studio, and empower you to decide your artistic path. If you wish to connect with us further, please follow us on social media, read our TKS Acting Blog, and get in touch with us directly.

To be considered for admission to any courses or workshops at Terry Knickerbocker Studio, you must submit an official application through the website. There is no application fee to apply to TKS, only the following elements:

Your contact information

A forward-facing photo (don’t worry if you don’t have a headshot; we’re happy to accept other kinds of photos)

Your resume

Your answers to a few questions that tell us who you are.