NEW YORK

start acting

PURSUE YOUR DREAM. WITH SKILL AND CONFIDENCE

ACTING TRAINING TO LAUNCH YOUR CRAFT

If you want to be a professional actor, you need to start somewhere. If you have talent and professional promise, our teachers are ready to give you an artistic home where you can learn to develop your gifts. Our Start Acting program is designed to give early-career actors a defined and reliable technique to sustain them in a promising career in film, television, and on the stage.

WHO IS IT FOR?

IF you want to be an actor,
THEN you need to begin somewhere.

IF you have talent and professional promise,
THEN getting off on the right foot is essential.

IF you understand there are no shortcuts and are ready to train,
THEN you need an artistic home where you can develop your gifts.

The Start Acting classes at The Freeman Studio are designed to give beginning and early-career actors a defined and reliable technique that will serve and sustain them for a long career in film, in television, and on stage.

In every step along the way, our governing aesthetic is to treat actors with the respect they deserve as creative artists. Because the work is prescriptive, class size is limited to ensure maximum personal attention.

WHY US?

We have earned a reputation as one of the premier acting studios in New York and nationally. Our actors work regularly in film, television, and on stage. We provide a strong peer group level and an environment respectful of the needs of creative artists, in an atmosphere where actors can create freely. But at the end of the day, what matters most is what happens between the teachers and the actors.

WHO WILL BE TEACHING?

Our faculty possesses a collective knowledge and expertise that enables them to achieve rare quality and results. Beginning and early-career classes are not delegated to novice teachers. Some of the same teachers who teach the advanced and master classes will teach the Start Acting classes, including the Head of the Studio, Scott Freeman.

THE GOAL

“In all artistic disciplines, the creative artist must learn the fundamentals. Musicians have their etudes. Dancers have their five positions. Actors need to know their basic technique too. For without it, they will flounder throughout their career, if indeed they ever obtain one.”

- Scott Freeman

The Freeman Studio – “A Place for Actors”

NEW YORK CITY STUDIO

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START ACTING - NEW YORK

How to Join

Whether you are a professional actor or just starting your journey, applying is easy.

01 - WHAT WILL BE TAUGHT?

Scott Freeman’s “Ten Points”, which are derived from fundamental Stanislavskian principles, provide the basic foundation for the Start Acting classes. While every actor must be a thinking artist, the emphasis is on making theory active. Therefore, basic concepts such as objective, obstacle, action, etc. will be taught so that the actor understands them, not just intellectually, but more importantly, viscerally. The classes will consist of a series of exercises, leading to scene work, where all the lessons will be applied.

02 - WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Once actors complete the Starting Acting course, they are eligible to enroll in our EMERGING PROFESSIONALS.

Once actors complete the EMERGING PROFESSIONALS course, they are eligible for our on-going scene study classes, on-camera classes & workshops. These classes are more vocationally minded and focus on the practical realities of being on set or in rehearsal, as well as auditioning.

Upon evaluation, some actors may be eligible to enroll in selected workshops and on-camera classes.

03 - HOW DO I APPLY?

An audition is required to be admitted into a class.

Once an actor schedules an appointment, material will be provided, if needed, and will be given ample time to prepare it. Actors are welcome to present a piece they select themselves.

It is not necessary for an actor applying to us to have previous training or acting experience.

It is important that they show both professional promise and commitment.

A strong peer level is essential to individual growth.

As we are investing in actors’ careers, class size is small to maximize personal attention.

To inquire and/or apply, please contact us.

04 - WHEN IS IT?

Class will meet once a week for eight weeks. 

Class Times

Saturdays | 2pm to 5:30pm

Saturdays | 10am to 1:30pm

Next Cycle

September 6th – October 25th

October 18th – December 13th

COST

Total cost for the eight-week experience: $698 (payment plans available!)

*Schedule & instructor subject to change prior to the opening of enrollment for a particular session.

WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT US

TESTIMONALS

Hear some honest words from actors who have recently or are currently training with us. Authentic stories of growth, breakthroughs, and inspiration from our passionate community of working actors. Start your journey with us today!

“Scott’s class gave me an invaluable vocabulary and technique that I use every day.”

— SANTINO FONTANA

Tony Award winner - Broadway: Tootsie, Cinderella, Billy Elliott : TV - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Mozart in the Jungle, Shades of Blue. Voice of Hans in film Frozen. Etc.

“As an NYU Tisch alum, it felt like I had been to every acting studio there is to offer in NYC. But what none of them have, is Scott Freeman. After years of studying with Scott, his technique echoes through my head every time I’m prepping a role or audition. What makes Scott so special is that he doesn’t follow an exact recipe when he approaches the work. He’s able to look at each actor and identify specific adjustments that are needed based on where they’re at in their career and what personal blocks they bring to the work. At the Freeman Studio you receive a catered toolbox all your own that fosters confidence in auditions, authenticity in performance, and the tools to take the craft into your own hands; eventually cultivating the ability to approach auditions and roles without the constant need for ‘coaches’ at every turn.”

— Jen Jacob

Beyond the Gates series regular, The Union on Netflix, Law & Order: Organized Crime, Girls, FBI

“The Freeman Studio has been an acting studio home for me for over 6 years. Scott often refers to his class as an acting gym, and that’s exactly what it’s been for me since I graduated college. It’s been a space to challenge my growth as an actor, work on material that I don’t always get to work on in my career, and keep in shape technique-wise throughout the ups and downs in this industry. More than that, it’s also provided an incredible sense of community and support. The people are the best part. I learn just as much by watching the other actors in my class as I do working on my own scenes – and it’s amazing to see so many of them consistently working as actors out in the world as well! I’ve recommended The Freeman Studio to more friends than I can count, and it’s been so beautiful to watch the studio grow and flourish over the years.”

— Sojourner Brown

Understudying Tony and Pulitzer award winning Purpose on Broadway, Guest star TV Elsbeth

“I recommend The Freeman Studio to those actors who are constantly seeking improvement, who want to work with other actors and colleagues who bring the same commitment and work ethic.”

— Jeffrey Grover

TV - Elsbeth, Feud, Dark Waters, I Feel Pretty, New Amsterdam

“There are many choices you have as an actor when it comes to taking class in NYC. There’s a lot of bullsh*t, quite frankly. What strikes me about Scott and his studio is how down to earth, safe, and truly challenging it is. He also has the most insane range of the theatrical canon for you to work with. He can really (humbly) take in your essence and bring pieces and writers to your attention that push your instrument forward. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, but he takes the work extremely seriously. He respects your own process and your own personhood. He also has no ego; something that is getting rarer with acting teachers these days. And to boot, the level of talent you get to watch in class is crazy good. The people are enormously gifted but also kind. A reflection of Scott and all of his teaching staff! My energy shifts for the better every time I walk out.”

— Samantha Smart

Charliebird, Wrote and stars in Tribeca Film Festival Awardee

“I’ve been at this acting dodge quite some time, but it was a revelatory turning point for me when I started at The Freeman Studio over eight years ago. What I immediately encountered then and there was a welcoming, collegial, safe working environment among a teacher and classmates of the highes industry and commitment. But, above all else, I found the kind of direct, personalized, perceptive guidance I needed. My most recent acting job asked for a part of me that I had lost, or perhaps just neglected. I honestly believe I would not have found it had I never become a student at The Freeman Studio.”

— Mark Jacoby

Tony Award nominee, Broadway: Phantom of the Opera, Showboat, Ragtime, Make Some Noise

“The Freeman Studio was (and will forever be) my creative gym. I felt so confident in my ability, my critical eye and my capacity for joy in the work when I was coming to the studio once a week. Scott has such a loving and nurturing hand in your creative process, while also pushing you to step outside of your comfort zone. I knew where, to build from within myself in order to find the most truth and that is the basics of what it means to be an actor. It was such a gift to have found this place, this home, on such a foundational level.”

— BRITAIN SIEBERT

American Rust, Retreat, NYU MFA Grad

“I found The Freeman Studio a few years into my development as an actor, and in the time that I have been there, I have been fortunate enough to study with a number of their teachers. Whether the work is theatrical or on-camera, the teachers at the studio have fostered my curiosity and imagination. They have given me tools and helped me refine what works for me and my acting work. On top of that, they are kind and caring individuals who make class fun and interesting. They attract kind and caring students alike, and the community borne of that is generous and supportive. I am deeply happy each time I return to the Freeman Studio, and I hope you will find your artistic home there too.”

— Clara Wong

You Hurt My Feelings; Recurring roles on Goliath, Billions, & I-Land

“The Freeman Studio is producing thoughtful, hardworking actors who care about the craft of storytelling and are deeply serious about the business of acting.”

— Adam Rapp

Tony and OBIE-award winning playwright, director, producer, showrunner & novelist; Pulitzer Prize finalist

“There are a lot of independent acting teachers in New York; there’s no one quite like Scott. He is respectful and specific in his responses to the work you bring in, and deeply effective at helping you tap into your potential as an actor. He also fosters a healthy and gentle working environment, and is completely free of the egocentrism characteristic of some other teachers. I would recommend him to anyone at any stage of their career.”