<p>I would really appreciate input from anyone who has ever taken acting classes or attended conservatory in NYC. I'm trying to figure out where I should be studying and where will offer the best training. </p>
<p>Let me just give a little background............ I'm 21 years old and graduated high school in 2012. At the beginning of this year, I auditioned for the Juilliard Drama Division (nowhere else) and it didn't go as well as I had hoped. I had spent many months pounding out Shakespeare, Moliere and Chekhov with an acting coach and got them into a great place, but when I arrived at the audition I totally lost my nerve and bombed my pieces. Pretty disappointing obviously, but you know, I moved on. </p>
<p>Right after that I enrolled in a small, part-time Meisner studio. About 12 hours of class every week (not including outside practice with scene partners) and it was truly an amazing experience. My Meisner teacher was a superb artist and though I was there only for about 6 months, I grew so much as an actor. I went to an audition last week and the director commented on how my craft had gotten so much deeper than the last time we worked together. The trouble is that due to scheduling reconfigurations and reformatting within the school, I wasn't able to continue in the fall. My teacher told me to keep practicing my craft independently and pick up where I left off in February when there would be new class openings..... not an easy thing to do because there isn't a lot of theatre opportunities near where I live, but I've been biding my time in sub-par local acting classes knowing that I'd be back into serious training later in winter. </p>
<p>Well I just found out that because of the school's scheduling conflicts, the training is being pushed back yet AGAIN and it looks like they're not going to be able to have me back until possibly even next May or June. As great as my experience was in the studio, I just don't think I can wait that long. It was one thing for them to postpone once, but I need to be in a rigorous atmosphere constantly........ I don't want to be training on and off like that, with my work starting and stopping randomly. This is a school that was supposed to take a little over a year to complete, but the way they're going about it it's gonna take forever.</p>
<p>So right now I'm looking at schools in the Big Apple, which is ultimately where I want to base myself as an actor. I'm thinking of taking a spring or summer intensive course to get my feet wet and to have a feel for what it's like to live and study in a big city, and then try to get in somewhere full-time next fall. I want a reputable 2-3 year program (and not one at a college or university....... I hate academics!) with great training, that will look great on my resume and also help me start the beginnings of a professional network so I can launch my career in the city. </p>
<p>Two choices that look interesting to me, at the moment, are Circle In the Square and the Atlantic Theatre Company. I'm also aware that there are a number of excellent studios in NYC (Maggie Flanigan and Bill Esper) where obtaining the real tools and knowing how to act once you're through is pretty much a guarantee, but performance opportunities and showcase exposure seem quite limited. Part of me would love to get the goods from continued study with a great Meisner teacher and finish honing those skills, knowing how much more sensitive and instinctual my acting has become over the past six months in a studio environment. But on the other hand, I would think that training with major companies like Atlantic and Circle in the Square would be much more beneficial for my career. At least in terms of looking good on my resume. Can anyone give me any testimonies on the quality of training at either of these places? Which one is stronger in terms of really developing you as an artist? Could one be assured to graduate with a real craft and tools that can be relied on?</p>