The TK Studio is located at 68 34th Street in Industry City in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. The Studio is located only three blocks from the 36th Street station on the N, R and D lines, one express stop from Atlantic Avenue. The B35 and the B37 bus lines have stops nearby. Street parking and a pay parking lot are easily accessible.

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) give this training a strong chance of being “right” for a lot of actors. We want to understand what you’re looking for in terms of training, and then we’ll be honest about whether we believe 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 make a decision about 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.

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 protegés of Sanford Meisner at the renowned Neighborhood Playhouse. Terry is one of only a very few active teachers who can claim to be part of a 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. Many Studios follow the mantra, “If you have a heartbeat and a credit card, you can study here” – TK Studio does not. We would rather have one class of dedicated artists than five classes filled with non-committed students.

We don’t only offer Meisner training—much like a BFA or MFA conservatory, we want to train comprehensive actor/artists—so our students add Supplemental classes like Movement and Voice to their Meisner class, and Special Topic classes like Clown, Alexander Technique, and Chekhov Technique, among many others. We believe in training your whole instrument. Again like 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 which pairs 1st and 2nd Year students.

All acting techniques share the same goal: to train actors to do good work. We teach the Meisner technique because we know how effective it is for most actors. The benefits of the Meisner technique are varied, but most importantly, training at this level, and with this 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.

You can contact our studio by phone at +1-718-801-8999, via email at info@terryknickerbockerstudio.com, by completing this form, or by clicking the chat widget at the bottom right of this page. We’re here to help however we can, and welcome any and all questions—just reach out.

Once you have completed and submitted the official application on our website, we’ll review your materials thoroughly and contact you to set up an interview with Christopher Booth, our Director of Admissions and Enrollment.

For applicants to our Five Semester Conservatory Programs, if it seems like TKS is a good fit for you based on the conversation with our Admissions staff, the next step is a conversation with your prospective primary acting teacher. After that conversation, we will let you know if you are being invited to join the program.

Our intention with these interviews is to meet you, talk about your goals, establish a dialogue, and figure out together if TK Studio is the right fit for you.

Once acceptance has been granted, the student will have up to one week to make a deposit and accept the offer of a space in the class or program. After one week, that spot in class will be open to other applicants and the student runs the risk of losing their spot.

No, we don’t include an audition as part of our admissions process. Instead, we ask that you complete a brief application and submit it for our review. Once your application has been received, the Director of Admissions and Enrollment, Chris Booth, will contact you with enrollment details or to arrange an interview.

We want our classes and programs to be accessible to artists from all walks of life, and we have dedicated a lot of time, research, and thought into the price of tuition for our offerings. For the resilient and resourceful actor, looking for the highest quality professional training, specifically in the Meisner technique, we believe our programming will save you time and money in your journey to develop a successful acting career.

We do provide a limited number of Work Study opportunities to subsidize the cost of tuition for students who qualify. Work Study students are selected based on proven financial need, and positions are granted to students who demonstrate both a positive role in our creative community and a consistent commitment to their studies at TK Studio.

TK Studio is also proud to offer The Excellence Scholarship, which provides awards between $500 and $2,000 toward tuition for artists of color in the Conservatory Program.

Yes! We offer M-1 visas for students in our Summer Intensive and our Two Year Program. All other classes and programs can be completed on a tourist visa. You can find more information on our International Programs page here, or you can begin the process by applying here.