Other Programs

All our classes are ages 18 and older.

Improv Mechanics

Coming soon.
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Method Acting

Train the Method this Summer

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Shakespeare

Dynamic Classical Training!

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Improv Mechanics

Sharpen Imagination, Presence & Spontaneity

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Method Acting

Foundations for Authentic Performance

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Featured Programs

Shakespeare, Stage Combat and Scene Study

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Meisner

July Open Enrollment.
Limited Spots!

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Core Class Program

Acting levels for the absolute beginner through intermediate.

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Meisner

A hybrid class for advanced actors.

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High Performance Improv

High Level Improvisation

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Core Class Program

Acting levels for the absolute beginner through intermediate.

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MEISNER TRAINING WITH ISAAC BYRNE
A progressive professional training path from

Dynamics to Advanced Meisner

Acting for Adults

Meisner Technique

with Isaac Byrne

Mondays | $250/month
New actors enter only during quarterly Open Enrollment

NEXT OPEN ENROLLMENT: OCTOBER 2026

Register For October
Audit

YOUR MEISNER TRAINING PATH

ENTER → MEISNER DYNAMICS → PROGRESSIVE TRAINING → ADVANCED MEISNER

Start in Meisner Dynamics
New students enter during quarterly Open Enrollment. Actors begin with the foundational Meisner exercises and progress through increasingly complex work as their skills develop.

Advance through the work
Meisner isn’t a collection of drop-in classes. The training is sequential. Each exercise prepares you for what comes next, allowing instinct, listening, emotional availability and imaginative work to develop over time.

Move into Advanced Meisner
Advancement is determined by your instructor—not by simply completing a set number of weeks. Actors who demonstrate readiness move into Advanced Meisner, where the technique is applied to increasingly demanding circumstances, relationships and scene work.

WHY DOES ENROLLMENT OPEN ONLY QUARTERLY?

Because Meisner training is sequential. The work builds class by class, and entering in the middle would mean missing exercises the rest of the group has already completed.

AZAA therefore opens Meisner Dynamics to new actors once every three months. During the first two weeks of each new quarter, prospective students may audit a class and experience the work before committing.

October is our next entry point. Once that window closes, new enrollment will not reopen until the following quarter.

Developed by Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse, this renowned acting method trains actors to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances. It’s less about “acting” and more about truthful doing; rooted in presence, listening, and instinct.

  • Presence Over Performance:

  • Repetition exercises remove self-consciousness and promote natural response.

  • Spontaneous Connection:

  • Sharpen your instincts and build real-time chemistry with scene partners.

  • Behavior-Based Truth:

  • Go beyond emotion mining and learn to react honestly and believably.

  • Text That Breathes:

  • Meisner’s layered approach equips you to work with both scripted and improvised material.

  • Pedigreed Experience:

  • Acclaimed director, actor, and playwright with years of Meisner training and teaching, based in New York.

  • Safe Space for Bold Work:

  • Isaac fosters a respectful, exploratory environment where risks lead to breakthroughs.

  • Emotionally Precise Coaching:

  • He guides actors into deep emotional availability and technical mastery.

  • Student-Praised:

  • Known for being generous, direct, and transformative in the classroom.

Meisner Dynamics

Mondays 6:00pm – 7:45pm MST | $250

This ongoing class welcomes both new students and actors with previous Meisner experience. You’ll progress through core Meisner exercises beginning with repetition and advancing into scenes and complex emotional work.

  • Develop instinctive, moment-to-moment truth in your work
  • Build foundational skills through the Meisner system’s sequential structure
  • Open artistically in a supportive, high-level training environment

Enrollment opens every three months with a limited number of spots available

 Advanced Meisner

Mondays 8:00pm – 10:00pm MST | $250

By invitation only, this class applies Meisner’s principles to high-level scene challenges including:

  • Complex relationships
  • Criminal action and power dynamics
  • Physical and vocal impediments
  • Death scenes and deep character work

This demanding and inspiring work sharpens emotional availability and technical precision, preparing actors for the toughest roles in their careers.

Frequently Asked Questions About Meisner Training

No. New students enter through Meisner Dynamics during quarterly Open Enrollment. Prior acting experience is recommended but isn’t required to begin the Meisner training path.

New enrollment opens quarterly. Because Meisner training is sequential and exercises build upon one another, new actors enter during designated Open Enrollment periods rather than joining at any time.

Meisner Dynamics is the entry point into AZAA’s progressive Meisner training. Students build the foundational skills and exercises of the technique and advance into Advanced Meisner when their instructor determines they are ready for more complex work.

Meisner at Arizona Actors Academy is ongoing professional actor training rather than a short-term workshop. Students progress through the work at different rates and advance based on readiness rather than simply completing a set number of classes.

Yes. During quarterly Open Enrollment, prospective students may audit and participate in a Meisner Dynamics class before deciding whether to enroll. The audit fee is credited toward tuition when you enroll.

Meisner training at Arizona Actors Academy is taught by Isaac Byrne, a protégé of renowned acting teacher Fred Kareman. The lineage of the work is direct: Sanford Meisner → Fred Kareman → Isaac Byrne.

That legacy matters at AZAA. Students aren’t simply learning exercises inspired by the Meisner Technique; they are training in a living tradition passed directly from teacher to actor across generations. Isaac brings that lineage into the classroom while guiding each actor through the work with rigor, patience, and respect for their individual artistic development.

AZAA’s Meisner classes are an in-person ensemble training experience with Isaac Byrne teaching live by teleconference. Students gather together in the classroom at Arizona Actors Academy in Phoenix, where they work physically and directly with scene partners and the ensemble while Isaac teaches, observes, and coaches the class live on screen.

This is not a conventional online acting class in which students participate individually from home. The actors train together in the same physical space, preserving the partner work, immediacy, and ensemble experience central to Meisner training while receiving live instruction from Isaac.

Featured Programs

Other Offerings

Private Coaching

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Teambuilding

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Private Coaching

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Teambuilding

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Outreach Programming

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