“Our studio is all about exercising the actor’s instrument. It is about going to the gym, artistically speaking. It is not about trying to ‘prove’ oneself as an actor/artist…or about playing a ‘result’ of performance…or about having the pressure to ‘perform’ for an audience while training…or about ‘getting the job’…or about being ‘perfect’…or about being addicted to adjustments to ‘get you there’. It is for you, the professional actor, as a safe space to cultivate the craft of acting…to be courageous…to take risks…to get messy…to get specific… to struggle when there is struggle…and to celebrate diving into all the obstacles and blocks that may be experienced in the work equally as celebrating all the breakthroughs and successes! It is not about ‘hoping’ your work goes well and it is not about being ‘lucky’ if it does. It is all about the craft of acting and how it supports the actor consistently. And within that, it is also about knowing that there is not always ‘The‘ way to get there. But there always is ‘A‘ way! And that way will resonate with you and stimulate your instrument to do honest, truthful, exciting, sophisticated, and very human unpredictable moment-to-moment work in relation to the circumstances at hand. That is a craft that will never fail you. It will always have your back. It will support you in your knowing and therefore open the door to that delicious desired freedom within the unknown of the moment. That is the craft that you want to cultivate! That is the craft that you want to continue to work with!” ~Mario Campanaro, Founder and Master Teacher
MC² Actors Studio, founded by master teacher Mario Campanaro, is a conservatory based and ensemble oriented acting studio dedicated to the professional actor. The studio’s main objective is to teach and support the actor in cultivating a craft that is tailored to work specifically for him or her. Our studio sets a very high standard when it comes to truth, authenticity, responsibility, accountability, commitment, respect, and professionalism in the work. Our instructors use their powerfully effective and intuitive individual teaching style in combination with the ingenious methods of Stanislavsky, Hagen, Adler, Strasberg, Meisner, Chekhov, Linklater, Rosenburg, and Alexander.
The actor needs to cultivate a craft that he or she can always put to the test, refine, mix and match and…most importantly…trust. The actor needs to find solace working with and supported by a consistent, fail-proof, reliable technique that allows him or her to fully live within the unknown of the moment. The craft of acting needs to make ‘human sense’ in order for it to be tangible and viscerally executable. If it does not mirror life, it is not going to be relevant or useful in the work. The craft of acting is not suppose to be this complicated equation forcing and imprisoning the actor into his or her head. It needs to come out of theory and viscerally resonate within the actor’s being based on how we humans…in all of our grit, glory, and colorful complexity…authentically and honestly live moment to moment within the full spectrum of life circumstances.
It has to vibrate within the actor’s mind, body and spirit so the actor can be fully free, alive and specific within the circumstances of any given text. That is the craft that allows the actor to throw caution to the wind, dissolve fear, live truthfully moment to moment and stay in love with the craft of acting!
Our classes are reserved for the professionally oriented actor. All MC² Actors Studio ensemble members are invited to study at the studio based on his or her audition and interview. It is of the utmost importance that all actors invited to study at the studio are there with the common goal of wanting to commit and invest really doing the work and explore the full spectrum of the human condition.
When a spot becomes available in one of our ensembles, our administrative department will reach out to actors from our waitlist to schedule his or her audition. This session is also to discuss class requirements, expectations, learn a bit more about his or her background, training, relationship to the work, answer any questions he or she may have about the studio and its approach to the work, and to see if it is a good fit overall before receiving an invite into one of our ensembles.
MC² Actors Studio is an audition entry studio. All actors are placed into a specific ensemble based on his or her audition and interview. Each ensemble is carefully put together based on where each specific actor is in his or her process and relationship to the work. This is to be sure that each class is solidified working at a congruent level allowing for a forward momentum as the work progresses. If an invite is extended, we ask that the invited actor confirm his or her spot as soon as possible as there are other actors from our waitlist patiently waiting to audition to get into the studio.
Prospective ensemble members are asked to prepare a 3-4 min monologue (must be off book) from a well written play. The monologue should be age appropriate while also containing clear active needs/stakes/relationships to others and the environment in which it takes place. We highly encourage all actors to choose a piece that he or she is excited by and passionate about working on. After their monologue, there may be a small work session and brief discussion regarding background, training, objectives etc. There will also be an opportunity to ask any questions that he or she may have about the studio and its expectations should he or she receive an invite as an ongoing ensemble member. When all classes are at full capacity, those invited to study at the studio will be placed on a waitlist for when a spot opens up in one of our ensembles.
Once each ensemble is formed, that specific ensemble comes together each week to wholeheartedly cultivate and strengthen the craft..and all aspects of what an actor’s work demands. Actors are paired up by their specific instructor and then assigned a scene or exercise that excites, stimulates, and challenges his or her instrument. Scene work will always be from a well-written play that is age-appropriate, well-characterized, and contains a multitude of stakes and challenges within the circumstances.
Each group is required to do all the necessary work on their scene or exercise. That includes all of the text analysis, the break down of given circumstances, becoming grounded in the character’s spine/through-line/super-objective, identifying the action of the scene, formulating actable objectives, identifying obstacles, understanding intentions, viscerally endowing the stakes/relationships/objects/environment, creating environment, making strong and specific physical/vocal/psychological/emotional choices, choosing appropriate character attire and then marrying all that work with personalization, imagery, substitution, emotional recall, as if’s, all the crucial endowment work for all of the aforementioned…in other words, any and all necessary steps an actor must implement to bring any given text alive.
Actors must significantly rehearse their scene or exercise with their partner(s) before getting up into the space in order to get the most of their time. This is to test the work the actor has done on their own and then, more importantly, drop it so as to live and experience what all that work has done for their instrument in relationship to the circumstances within the unknown of the moment with their partner(s).
It is not required for scenes to be off book for the first week (though it is highly encouraged) but actors should be familiar enough with the text to be off the page so as to allow for the necessary connection with their partner(s), to go after needs, and the ability to respond instinctually. All scenes must be completely off book by the second week. Actors remain with their scene partner(s) exploring the world of each assigned play and scene for four weeks.
Through this approach to the work, actors no longer need to depend on ‘luck‘ or become addicted to adjustments in the hopes of creating work that is consistently present, alive, spontaneous, instinctual, uninhibited, and truthful because the actor has gained a process…a craft… that he or she can always trust and rely on! He or she is in the known in order to fully and vibrantly live within the unknown of the moment.
To be scheduled for your MC² Actors Studio entry audition, please contact our administrative department here.
★ Please note that all MC² Actors Studio classes, including MC²=Mario Campanaro’s Masterclass, may be at full capacity. We only allow for 20 actors per ensemble. Should you be invited to study at the studio after your studio entry audition and there is not a spot presently available in one of our ensembles, you will be placed on our waitlist and contacted once a spot becomes available.
★ Please also note that MC² Actors Studio does not offer audit classes.
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