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Testimonials

What Our Students Say

Sydnie Wilson

I came to Studio 13 with no previous acting experience and I was nervous to find out what it would be like. From the very beginning, Barbara was so informative, and you can tell how passionate she is about the Meisner technique and teaching it to others. Everybody starts at the same place so you never feel like you are getting left behind, no matter how much acting you may have done before. We are currently only half way through the first module but my confidence has improved so much already. I would definitely recommend Studio 13 for anyone looking for actor training.

 

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Amanda Whelan

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After losing confidence in myself and feeling as though my passion of acting was leaving me, I'm so glad I decided to take the plunge and begin my training with studio13. From my first class I knew it was the place for me and instantly set my dim light back on! Each session I can feel myself growing as an actor. Barbara is an exceptional tutor, who's passion for the love of the arts shines through, but who is also very warm and welcoming. You are put at ease, and know that it's ok to make mistakes. Sorry is a forbidden word! Haha Each session I walk away with more and more knowledge, with helpful notes to take away with us, given out each week. I always find myself counting down the days until the next class. For anyone seeking actor training, studio13 is highly recommended. You will not regret it. In the words of Meisner himself... "You know, its alright to be wrong, but it's not alright not to try". Don't be like me and keep putting things off, do it now take the plunge! - 

Aran MacRae

Studio13 is a free (in the adjective sense) , mature and non-judgemental working and playing environment to approach the Meisner technique from. The sessions I've been a part of, led by Barbara Bentley, have been focused but loosely, without pressure, expectation or demand. This has allowed for free experimentation and produced an enriching learning experience for me. Barbara is the heart- warming gel that exists around all those in the classes at Studio13, which at its heart  is a community that has been steadily built by Barbara and her team. Next to the technique the student is at the centre of the classes, right in with that heart and attention and gentle guidance in some form is always close by.

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Alessio Tornese

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When I first came to Studio13 I was at a bit of a crossroads with my acting career, I’d fallen out of love with it, lost my drive, lost my confidence, couldn’t do the things I used to be able to. This all changed after just one session at Studio13. The classes are warm, friendly and have such a relaxed atmosphere that you feel so comfortable to express yourself. Previous places I studied, if you did something wrong it was seen as a negative and you’d be grilled for it but at Studio13 it’s seen as a learning moment and you're never made to feel bad about anything, Barbara is a phenomenal human being, she is so warm and loving to be around, I don’t think I've ever met anyone who can make you feel so warm and relaxed, she is passionate about her work and this drives myself and my classmates to work even harder. She speaks to us all as equals, not as a teacher to a student, but as equals. She is so easy to talk to and I never have any hesitation to ask her anything I’m unsure about. 

Rachel Lightfoot

I’ve been looking for decent acting classes in and around Sheffield for years, once I discovered Studio13 it was like discovering home! Such helpful, friendly tutor’s, great exercises and no pressure. I look forward to every class and enjoy each of the fully. I’d recommend that anyone wanting to start a career in acting, start here.

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Julia Bisby

Studio13 is so supportive and encouraging. I feel totally able to be truthful and vulnerable in class allowing me to fully enjoy and explore. They make it possible to trust in yourself through connection with other 

Alex Galbur

Studio13 have been both supportive and respectful every step of the way on my Meisner journey. I am part of a group of wonderful people. The doors of Studio13 are always open to new companions on this never ending journey. 

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Michell Darkin-Price

What a fantastic find. Professional teaching of the Meisner technique, and outside of London! Loving it.

Prue Gillett

Meisner Acting Coach
Professional Actress & Voice Coach

When I was an Acting coach in South Manchester, Barbara Bentley, Director and co-founder of Studio13 and the award-winning Open Door Theatre Company, was a student of mine for three years. During this period, she completed my two-year training programme in the Sanford Meisner Approach to Acting, making the time-consuming and often taxing return journey to Altrincham in all weathers. Shortly after I moved south, Barbara took the Meisner flame I’d shared with her back across the Pennines, where, I am delighted to say, it is now shining bright and warm in the heart of South Yorkshire.

In November of this year I had the pleasure of facilitating a Saturday workshop at the premises of Studio 13 Meisner, where I immediately felt at home, and I can sincerely say it would be difficult to find a friendlier or more welcoming and more hardworking, committed, ego-free group of participants than the ones I met there that day!

They represented the full range of Barbara’s students: 1) beginners mastering the fundamental principles of Meisner’s basic repetition technique, 2) intermediate students learning, through independent activities, to “invest fully in the reality of doing” or, through painstaking preparations, to tap into depths of emotion they didn’t realize they were capable of reaching, and 3) advanced students tackling text with respect and skill to produce TRUTHFUL acting of the highest calibre.

If you have never acted before but feel a strong urge to give it a try, if you already have a passion for top quality acting but aren’t quite sure how to achieve it yourself, if you would like to know what Hollywood’s best kept secret really is or if you simply want to learn how to listen more, communicate better and connect more deeply with your fellow human beings, make your way to Studio 13 Meisner in Sheffield NOW! I cannot recommend the School more highly.

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