There are many acting programs who claim, “We are the best acting training in San Francisco” or “We are the #1 acting school in the Bay Area.” This implies it’s possible to be the best for everyone and every acting dream. The Meisner Technique Studio is not for everybody. However, we for anyone who wants to call themselves an actor and have it truly mean something.
Our students are passionate, professional, humble, resilient, and committed to taking their dream to entirely new levels. We have a community of actors, writers, directors, and filmmakers who have the same standards and respect for their dream and their investment as you do. Not only does the quality and caliber of our students makes us different but so does our location.
The MTS is located in the heart of the historic Presidio where parking is safe, abundant, and inexpensive. One final area that makes MTS extremely unique is this: When you graduate from The Meisner Technique Studio you’ll receive private coaching for all your auditions for the rest of your careers from Jim Jarrett – free of charge.
The Meisner Technique Studio was founded by Sanford Meisner’s last teaching protégé, Jim Jarrett. He is the only teacher in the Bay Area personally trained by Sandy to teach The Meisner Technique. His school is also the only Meisner training in the Bay Area with Sanford Meisner’s personal blessing to teach his way. There are many fine teachers of The Meisner Technique in the world. Only a handful present the teachings in the same order as Sanford Meisner did. Since this technique is meant to be a brick-by-brick development of the actor’s instrument, Jim believes it is imperative that the information is presented in the exact order and in the exact way that Sandy intended.
If you’re meeting with anyone who claims to have studied with Sanford Meisner, ask him or her the following questions:
- When did you study with Sandy?
- How long did you study with him?
- Did you actually complete the full training with him?
- Were you personally trained by Sandy to teach?
Trust your gut. You’ll know.
The school’s Founder/Director, Jim Jarrett, and Assistant Director, Melissa Thompson Esaia, teach all classes.
The maximum number of students in each class is twenty students. The class size is kept small as it’s imperative that you’re consistently working each week in class – and you will.
Tuition is $1,200 for the three-month session.
Tuition is due at the start of each session and may be paid by cash, check or credit card.
Tuition is non-refundable for two reasons:
- When you’re accepted into The Meisner Technique Studio, you’re committing to a three-month session of professional training. So, like any other professional training program, if you quit at any point you don’t receive a refund.
- Secondly and more importantly, you are going to be pushed, pulled, and stretched, and you will struggle. When people struggle with something new, many quit. WE DON’T WANT YOU TO QUIT during the growing pains of the training. Our hope is that in being clear about our refund policy, it may help you through the uncomfortable on your way to the comfortable.
The formal training consists of six three-month sessions, but you can only commit to the first session upfront. Beyond that, you must be invited to return every session.
It’s simple:
- You’re passionate about your dream
- You’re humble and open to learning
- You’re professional in every sense of the word – this means you’re never late for class, you never miss class and the work you do outside of class with your partners is just as professional and respectful.
If this describes you as a student, you’ll be invited to return every session.
We do not provide housing for students, but any time a student moves to the Bay Area to study with us, we do everything possible to help with their transition. We will spread the word to our entire network – students, faculty and alumni – to hopefully help you find a comfortable, safe, affordable place to live as well as a job.
Unfortunately we can not at this time. Although we have students from around the world studying with us, unless they have dual citizenship and/or a valid long-term visa, they can only study for as long as they are allowed in the United States.
It depends. Please schedule an interview with Jim. He will determine which class is best for you based on an assessment of your foundation and your current level.