Buffalo is well known for having a lively theater scene and has plenty of local actors who become hometown favorites. However, it can be difficult to emerge onto the acting scene in a national-sense and training is usually needed. Enter Greg Natale. Natale has been a theater professional for the last 25 years. You may have even seen at To Kill A Mockingbird at Studio Arena when he played Bob Ewell.
Natale will be holding a summer training session in the Meisner Technique. His Acting Studio is not only based on Natale’s experience as a theater professional, but also his experience with the Meisner technique. He was an instructor for two years in Los Angeles and he studied the technique for three years in NYC.
For those who don’t know, there are different methods of acting. To briefly sum up the Meisner technique, it teaches an actor to improvise in response to what is seen or experienced from other actors which is meant o create a kind of spontaneous behavior and emotional life as a bi-product. Hence it would make the acting look more genuine. Some acclaimed actors who studied this technique are Robert Duvall, Jeff Goldblum, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Lloyd, Steve McQueen, and Gregory Peck, amongst many others.
Now Natale is bringing the opportunity to learn the technique to Buffalo. His summer session will run five weeks in Allen Hall at the University of Buffalo’s South Campus. To register for the class, you need to have an interview with Natale. He can be reached at 602-4106 or gnatale516@roadrunner.com. He has classes for Young Adults (aged 16-19), Adults, Advanced Scene Study, and Professionals Workshop.
You can view more information about each session, including cost, on Natale’s website here. From his website you can also find out more about the Meisner technique, Natale himself, and what you might expect from the summer session. Natale will only have 12 to 16 people in the Young Adult and Adult classes, so if you're interested, you may want to hurry up and get an interview with the instructor before spaces fill up. There's also a discount available if you register before July 4th!