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Seth Michael May | Acting Coach SAG/AFTRA AEA

@sethmichaelmaystudios

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For working & professionally trained actors dismantling performance habits.
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#acting #actingclass taken in New York City by @sethmichaelmaystudios

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7

a year ago

🎬As actors, we know that when we are “in the moment”, we are acting at our best - but most “scene study” classes don’t teach us how to do that consistently.

When we approach text work - we often struggle to connect, feel stiff or fake, and often end up thinking – we don’t have what it takes.

But I believe that every actor has innate creativity – and that traditional acting classes aren’t always the best way to bring that out.

For me, acting is about remembering how to play and use our imaginations, like when we were kids, and learning to bring that back into the work.

When you work with me, over time, the layers come off, enabling you to use your whole self and full creativity in your work. You’ll feel more confident in your choices, trust yourself to take risks, and learn to approach text with the same freedom.

If you want to re-connect to your impulses or breathe new life into your work, let’s work together, and put some spontaneity into your acting.

MUCH LOVE,
Seth Michael🎭🎥

#actor #actorslife #acting #actingchallenge #actingtips #actingclass #actingcoach #actingschool #actingwars #films #newyorkactor #methodacting #actingskills #actingtechnique #act #newyorkactor #improvisation #onlineactingclasses #meisner #actingstudio #LAactor #talentagency #haroldguskin #impro #creativity #leestrasberg #stanislavski #filmmaker #theatergames #storytelling taken in New York by @sethmichaelmaystudios

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2 years ago

TESTIMONIALS ✨
We guarantee satisfaction✔️

🎭Check the link in bio for more class related queries 🎭

#actor #actorslife #acting #actingchallenge #actingtips #actingclass #actingcoach #actingschool #actingwars #films #newyorkactor #improvisation #actingskills #actingtechnique #acting #newyorkactor #improvisation #onlineactingclasses #meisner #actingstudio #LAactor #talentagency #horroractor #screamqueens #oncameraacting #hollywood #robzombie #kristinaklebe #horrorfilm by @sethmichaelmaystudios

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5 years ago

Congratulations, Pushty Suri! 🎉🥂🌸, my client and online assistant of 5 years at Seth Michael May Studio/ www.sethmichaelmay.com

Wow, I’m so thrilled for you! She just finished recording for Radio Mirchi — one of the biggest radio stations in India — for their upcoming audio drama on cyber crime. That’s such an amazing opportunity, especially for your FIRST VOICEOVER BOOKING!

I know how hard you’ve been working, and seeing you land this makes me incredibly proud. Can’t wait for the release at the end of the month — it’s going to be fantastic!
Super excited and grateful to be part of your journey. @pushtysuri , Keep shining! 🥂🌸✨

#radiomirchi #voiceover #actingwork #voiceoverartist #actingclass by @sethmichaelmaystudios

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5 days ago

Your audience isn't watching your face.
They're watching your thoughts.

The difference between a performance that feels "acted" and one that feels real is usually invisible.

It's what your character is thinking between the lines.
It's the silence you fill.
It's the memories only you know.
It's the conversations happening inside your head.

That's what the camera captures.

So before your next self-tape, ask yourself:
✨ What am I thinking?
✨ What do I want from this person?
✨ What am I refusing to say?

Because great acting isn't about saying the lines perfectly.
It's about making us believe there's an entire life happening behind your eyes.

👇 Which of these 5 tips are you going to try first?

—

🍂 Ready to go beyond "good acting" and build performances that actually book work?

Our 3-Month Fall Session is now open.

For 3 Months, we'll train the skills most actors skip:
• Emotional truth without forcing emotions
• Scene study & script analysis
• On-camera technique
• Audition preparation
• Character development
• Building a rich inner life that reads on camera

Whether you're preparing for auditions or looking to level up your craft, this is the kind of consistent training that creates lasting growth—not quick hacks.

📩 DM us "FALL" and we'll send you all the details before spots fill.

#actingclass #actingcoach taken in New York, New York by @sethmichaelmaystudios

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6 days ago

Are you playing that instrument?

Ready to take your acting to the next level?

This isn't your traditional scene study class. Learn a process that combines improvisation and text to create honest, instinctive performances that connect.

🎓 Certified • 🌎 Online • 🍂 First Fall Batch

DM us today to book your seat.

#actingtips #actingclass #actingadvice #actorsaccess by @sethmichaelmaystudios

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1

14 days ago

Your next breakthrough won't happen by watching acting reels and tips online. It happens in the room.

Every actor reaches a point where talent isn't enough.

You know the lines.
You understand the scene.
But something still feels... performed.

That's where the real work begins.

Our 3-Month Intensive Acting Class is built for actors who want more than techniques—they want a process they can rely on. Through the marriage of improvisation and text, you'll learn to listen deeply, make bold choices, trust your instincts, and create performances that feel truthful every single time.

This isn't about becoming a different actor.

It's about becoming a more honest one.

🎓 Certified upon completion
🌎 Live Online
🍂 Our First Fall Batch
👥 Limited Seats

The actors who grow the most aren't the ones waiting for the perfect opportunity—they're the ones preparing before it arrives.

Your next audition could change your career.
The question is...

Will you be ready when it does?

📩 DM us "FALL" to receive the full course details and secure your seat before the Early Bird offer ends.
#actingcourse #actingclass #actingcoach #onlineactingclasses #improvisation #scenestudy #newyork by @sethmichaelmaystudios

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16 days ago

THE FALL BATCH IS HERE. 🍂

Some acting classes teach you what to do.

This one teaches you how to think, listen, and create.

At Seth Michael May Studios, we believe great acting doesn't come from memorizing techniques—it comes from building an authentic process. This 3-month intensive is designed to bridge the gap between **improvisation and text**, helping you create truthful, spontaneous performances that live far beyond the page.

Over the course of three months, you'll strengthen your craft through scene work, improvisation, script analysis, character development, emotional accessibility, and the art of truly listening. Every class is designed to challenge you, stretch you, and give you practical tools you can take into every audition, rehearsal, and performance.

Whether you're just beginning your journey or looking to deepen your existing process, this intensive offers a safe, rigorous space to grow alongside a community of passionate actors.

🎓 Certificate awarded upon successful completion.
🌍 Live Online Classes
🍂 First-Ever Fall Batch
✨ Limited Seats Available

If you're ready to stop performing and start living truthfully in every scene, we'd love to work with you.

📩 DM us for details and to reserve your spot. Early Bird pricing is now available.

--------------

📅 FALL BATCH DETAILS

🗓️ August 24, 2026 – October 21, 2026
⏰ Mondays & Wednesdays | 11:30 AM EST
💻 Live Online | 3-Month Certified Acting Intensive
🎟️ Early Bird Offer Available
📩 DM to Book Your Slot by @sethmichaelmaystudios

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1

17 days ago

Often, when I tell my clients this.

You are more talented than you give yourself credit for. You wouldn’t tell a stranger let alone a friend half the/fuck that a quarter of the negative shit you tell yourself.

Stop holding yourself back. The only thing that sucks about you 99.8 percent of the time are your excuses.

If you really want this get involved. If you don’t know how comment with: question? ⬇️

#actors #actresses #artists #actingclass #actingcommunity by @sethmichaelmaystudios

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19 days ago

Happy 250Years of America's Independence!!

And on this occasion, I, Seth Michael, is offering 25% on our Private Sessions! 🎉

GET 5 PRIVATE SESSIONS AT JUST $500✨🥂

Comment "July4" or DM to book your slots now.

Are you ready?

#actingclass #july4 #july4thweekend #actingcoach #actor taken in New York by @sethmichaelmaystudios

13

0

a month ago

Subject: Why a Cat Can Out-Act Most of Us – And How to Fix That

Dear Actor,
We all carry a quiet suspicion that we ourselves are boring, and that only the character in the play is interesting enough to hold an audience.
Uta Hagen addressed this brilliantly in Respect for Acting. She wrote:

“I like to make the example of observing a live animal on stage. Even though the actors are in the midst of strong dramatic action, the audience will be riveted on a cat—sitting quietly in a chair, following a bit of blowing lint with its eyes. Now, a cat cannot be as fascinating as a human being! But the cat’s sensory apparatus is more powerful than a human’s, and it is more single-minded in its purpose, with no mental distractions to blur its instincts. The cat really exists with strong, spontaneous, forward-moving attention…
I refuse to let a cat win! I know I am more interesting, but I can learn from the cat to develop my sensory apparatus, and that I should aim for the same unanticipated involvement of the moment—will I or won’t I pounce?”

#actor #cat #utahagen #spontaneousscenestudy #actingclass by @sethmichaelmaystudios

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6

a month ago

Ted Danson was almost let go from Damages, the producers, were so unhappy with his first reading with the cast. At Glenn Close, behest, he went and saw my coach, the late great Harold Guskin.
Harold’s work with Ted involved a typical confrontation about research. Ted had to find his sense of entitlement in the character not from research:His! (Read in comments below for story)
A big reason why Cheers became such a massive hit with ‘80s audiences — apart from giving viewers the vicarious thrill of hanging out in a windowless bar for 22 minutes — was the Sam and Diane relationship. The will-they-won’t-they romance between a former Boston Red Sox relief pitcher and an overly pretentious grad student became the stuff of TV comedy gold.

And a big reason why the offbeat pairing worked so well was the lightning-in-a-bottle chemistry between Ted Danson and Shelley Long. Not every pairing of actors could sell both earnest love scenes and episodes that required going full Three Stooges on one another.
But Long never would have been cast in the role had Danson gotten his way. On a recent episode of Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast, the Becker star hosted guest Andy Richter and, at one point, the two discussed the process of collaborating on comedy shows. Danson admitted that his suggestions to Cheers’ creative team were largely ignored. And, often, producers succeeded by making decisions that were specifically contrary to Danson’s advice.

“I had the reputation on Cheers if I suggested something… This is not self-deprecating humor or false humility, I was dead wrong,” Danson explained. “And if they did the opposite, it would work brilliantly.”
One example of the show’s producers giving Danson’s ideas the George Costanza “opposite” treatment involved the casting of the Diane Chambers part.

“One of my first obvious ones was Cheers casting Shelley Long,” he recalled. “And I’m going, ‘Oh, no, not Shelley. No, no, no. That’s all wrong. She’d be terrible for that.’ And she, you know, right out of the shoot, she became this instant brilliant character actor doing a brilliant job. And it was like, ‘Oops.’”

#damages #cheers #teddanson #casting by @sethmichaelmaystudios

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a month ago