Atlantic Acting School: Bridge the gap between classroom and career

Atlantic Acting School students receive training from working artists. Photo: Ahron R Foster

Atlantic Acting School began with a simple but revolutionary idea: acting should be clear, practical, and alive. In the early 1980s, playwright David Mamet and actor William H Macy developed a new approach to acting called Practical Aesthetics, based on the principle that the purpose of performance is to simply and truthfully tell the story.

“It demystifies the process,” says Mary McCann, the school’s longtime executive director and a founding member of the Atlantic Theater Company. “It’s a road map that frees you in every role and gives you a very clear set of analytical and physical tools.”

Born from Mamet and Macy’s first workshops, Atlantic Acting School has become one of New York’s most renowned training grounds for acting talent, growing up alongside the acclaimed Atlantic Theater Company, whose work over 40 years has resulted in two dozen Tony awards.
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Atlantic Acting School student performance

Students benefit from direct access to professional productions, masterclasses from teachers who are working artists, and the chance to be cast in Atlantic shows while still training. It’s a rare bridge from classroom to career, and it’s why the school’s slogan is ‘Atlantic Actors Work’.

“We really approach this seriously,” McCann says. “We want you to work, and we want you to work with us.” Practical Aesthetics itself is both rigorous and liberating, she explains. It begins with sharp script analysis, understanding the playwright’s intentions and breaking down the text step by step, and pairs it with deep work on living truthfully in the moment. “Half the work is on being present. That’s where the great acting lies.”

The result is an actor who can adapt to any role or medium, from stage to film to television. Alumni like Rose Byrne, Elizabeth Olsen, Anna Chlumsky and many more have used the technique to sustain long, varied careers.

‘We want you to work, and we want you to work with us’ – Mary McCann, executive director

Atlantic offers pathways for every stage of the actor’s journey. Its Full-Time Conservatory, a two-year programme, builds the discipline of a working actor. The Evening Conservatory gives part-time students a chance to train while balancing other commitments. The popular Summer Intensive condenses a semester’s worth of study into six weeks, attracting aspiring professionals from around the world, while kids and teens, aged four to 18, can start early in a programme that allows them to play, create and build lifelong friendships while developing their craft.

Life at the school – just a few blocks from Broadway – is energetic and rigorous. “It’s like training for a marathon,” McCann says. Classes start early, the bar is high and professionalism is expected from day one. Strict on-time policies and a culture of respect mirror the professional world, so graduates can step seamlessly into theatre, television or film sets.

That rigour is balanced by a close, vibrant community: alumni return for showcases, one-act festivals and creative nights, keeping an intergenerational network thriving. “I want students to leave knowing they have a technique they can rely on forever,” McCann says. “With hard work, they’ll be free to take on any role and to sustain a long, brilliant career as an actor.”

For more info visit: atlanticactingschool.org