Classes

“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 the ‘result’ of performance…or about having the pressure to ‘perform’ for an audience…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 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 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, exciting, sophisticated, and 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 at MC² Actors Studio

MC² Actors Studio is a conservatory based studio dedicated to the professional actor. Mario’s (and all of our instructors) main objective at MC² is to teach and support the actor in cultivating a craft that is tailored to work very specifically for him or her individually. The studio sets a very high standard when it comes to truth, authenticity, responsibility, accountability, commitment, respect, and professionalism in the work. Mario (and all of our instructors that have intensely trained with him) uses his own powerfully effective/intuitive teaching style in combination with the ingenious methods of Stanislavsky, Hagen, Adler, Strasberg, Meisner, Chekhov, and Alexander.

The actor needs to cultivate a craft that he or she can always put to the test, refine, mix and match, and trust. The actor needs to find solace in that he or she is working with and supported by a consistent, fail-proof, reliable technique. The craft of acting needs to make ‘human sense’ in order for it to be tangible and viscerally executable. The craft is not suppose to be complicated forcing the actor into his or her head. It needs to come out of  ‘theory” and really live within the actor based on how we humans, in all of our grit, glory and colorful complexity, function in life based on the myriad circumstances we are existing in. 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. Each of our MC² Actors Studio ensemble members is carefully selected 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 really wanting to do the work and explore the full spectrum of the human condition. It is also very important to that all those invited into a specific ensemble are working at a congruent skill level in order to keep the momentum of each ensemble’s class moving forward.  

Once each ensemble is formed, that specific ensemble comes together each week to wholeheartedly cultivate/strengthen the craft and all aspects of what an actor’s work demands. Actors are paired up by Mario (or their specific instructor) and then assigned a scene or exercise that excites, stimulates, and challenges their instrument. Scene work will always be from a well-written play or film that is age-appropriate, well-characterized and contains a mulittude of stakes and challenges within the circumstances. Each group is required to do all the necessary work on their scene. That includes all of the text analysis, the break down of given circumstances, becoming grounded in the character’s spine, formulating objectives, identifying obstacles, understanding intentions, viscerally endowing the stakes/relationships/objects/environment, creating environment, making strong and specific physical/vocal/emotional choices, choosing 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, all the necessary steps an actor must implement to bring any given text alive. Actors are then required to significantly rehearse their scene or exercise with their partner(s) before getting up in the space to make the most of their time in the space. This is to test the work the actor has done on their own and then, more importantly, drop it so as to experience what all that work has done for their instrument in relationship to the circumstances 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 enough 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.

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!

It is time to break free from all the barriers that hold you back from your greatest potential as an actor and aliveness in your work!

★ MC² Actors Studio is always happy to welcome auditors. We invite auditors once a month the last Thursday of each month. Mario has found over the years this to be the best way to welcome auditors into classes while also keeping in mind the best interest and integrity of the class structure and ensemble as a whole. All audit invites go out in order of when their request came in. There is a non refundable $25.00 reservation fee to audit class. This fee is implemented solely to be sure that actors requesting to audit class are committed to showing up to that class and to avoid “no-shows” which prevent other actors on our audit waitlist from getting a chance to observe class for that given month. Seats are only confirmed once an rsvp is received from the audit invite and the reservation fee link is fulfilled. 

★ Please note that all MC² Actors Studio classes, including MC²=Mario Campanaro’s Masterclass, are presently at full capacity. Should you desire to be placed on our waitlist and/or class audit list, please submit your information through the contact page or email assistant.MC2@gmail.com and someone from the administrative department will respond as soon as possible. 

★ When a spot does become available in one of our ensembles, our Studio Liaison will reach out to schedule an audition and brief interview with Mario. This session is also to discuss class requirements/expectations, learn a bit more about your background/training/relationship with the work, answer any questions you 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 the ensembles. If an invite is offered, we kindly ask that you please confirm your spot as soon as possible as there are other actors from our waitlist also trying to get into classes. All actors are placed in a specific ensemble based on their audition and/or interview. Each ensemble is carefully put together based on where each specific actor is in their 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.