The Atlantic Acting School wants to give a full ride to two promising actors.
“We usually don’t give out a full scholarship like this,” Mary McCann, executive director of the New York–based school, told Backstage. “We’ll give pieces of scholarships, so this is a really big deal for us.”
The school hopes the funding will help lure national-level talent, who could then perform in its attached theater company. “It would be great for members of the ensemble over the two-year period,” said McCann.
The scholarship is being offered in two different areas: One is for the full-time conservatory, which is a two-and-a-half-year program, and the other is for an evening conservatory, which is a one-year program done in three semesters. A full scholarship to the evening conservatory is $12,000. The daytime program is worth $42,500 over the two-and-a-half years. Both scholarships cover full tuition, but not room and board.
The conservatory program follows the same model as the undergraduate NYU theater program, with the same classes and same teachers, explained McCann. “That tends to [attract] a younger student.” The evening conservatory acts as more of a graduate-level program. Both have a class size around 15 students.
While most MFA programs provide full rides for their acting students, Atlantic offers something different from an academic environment. The school, which was founded by actor William H. Macy and playwright David Mamet, teaches the practical aesthetics technique, which encourages performers to be “analytic and spontaneous.” The school also boasts an active connection to the New York theater world. “We have many, many students who their first Equity job comes out of the Atlantic,” said McCann.
In some cases, actors end up with more than a job.
As part of the daytime conservatory program, each class forms a theater company at the tail end of their studies.
“In the first year, they learn the foundation of practical aesthetics. They have an introduction to New York theater,” said McCann. “In the second year, they do more advanced skill work, they have film classes, Shakespeare [classes], all of that. In the third year, they’re mentored through the process of creating their own theater company.”
The school gives the students a budget to produce their own play. “We have many theater companies that have come out of this program and are out there working together,” McCann said, pointing to the Pipeline Theatre Company in New York, which got some attention for its production of “Clown Bar.” The Harvard Sailing Team, a comedy troupe, also emerged from the program.
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