My Approach to Teaching:
Acting is a great tool for understanding the world around us. The skills learned through theatre and film training have the ability to transform how you live your life. Confidence, risk-taking, and (above all) communication are at the root of theatre training and I believe everyone can benefit from stepping into the spotlight. Community building and fun are the foundation of my work. My classroom is a laboratory for self-expression and the door is open to all.
The only way to learn acting is by performing and so that is what we all do every day in my class. We will be constantly in conversation about the work, discovering your strengths, and highlighting the unique attributes that set you apart from the rest. Acting is reacting, so we focus on listening, hearing, and then taking action based on scene partners and the text. I tailor my approach to the actor and honor the differences that define an individual’s creativity.
My Perspective On Training For The Industry:
● There is no “right” way to live an artist’s life. There are a million different avenues and each is completely valid. Don’t compare yourself to others and honor what you bring to the table.
● Use material that excites you, challenges you, and makes you want to scream it from the rooftops.
● Find the love and hold onto it. Acting is a lifelong pursuit. Nurture your muse, take care of your heart. If you’re not having fun…you’re doing it wrong.
Meet Bridget O’Neill:
Bridget is an actor, theatre educator, world traveler, and public speaking professor who hails from a village in Wisconsin that’s so small it doesn’t have a stoplight. She has been acting since the age of 8. After receiving her BFA in Acting from Boston University she moved to LA to work in film and stand-up comedy for 6 years. In 2018 Bridget was offered to start an acting program in Tainan, Taiwan. While there she developed new methods of English language teaching based on theatre training techniques. She received her MA in Educational Theatre In Colleges and Communities from New York University in 2021. There she conducted research on the benefits of Documentary Theatre and Verbatim Performance methods in the English as a Foreign Language classroom. Since then she has taught acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse and public speaking at Marymount Manhattan College and Manhattan College. Her passion and dedication to her own art has grown through the practice of teaching.