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. In NYC, student actors who are looking to improve themselves in their craft should certainly consider a two year program.
Learning never ends for true actors. Actors who appear to have “natural” talent more than likely spent years developing these skills. Great strength and dedication is required of actors who decide to focus years of their lives solely to improving in their art. In order for professional actors to separate themselves from the hobbyists, two year acting programs are a must.
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. Similar to military training, Meisner training can feel like boot camp. Each student is charged with stripping away their exterior to bare their true, often vulnerable, identity.
The military strives to give the soldier an identity that will survive difficult situations and be an asset to the armed forces. 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.
Every person has their own needs, emotions, personalities, and compulsive behaviors. These personal traits can either help or hinder an actor. In order to allow the character to shine through, it is absolutely necessary for actors to be aware of and know how to control these traits.
Unfortunately, actors are prone to falling into poor habits. In short classes, actors might be able to partially address these habits. There is no question, however, that two year programs are far more effective at correcting these problems. Correcting bad habits and forming new ones is not an easy chore and doing so requires that the actors make themselves vulnerable and truly bare their souls and true personalities. Creating relatable characters for an audience is the goal of the two year acting program and, in order to do so, actors must be willing to strip away their tough exterior to reveal and analyze themselves as they truly are. 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.
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