Green Shirt Studio

My original review from Jan 2013 disappeared from Unilocal,probably because the business moved to a different address. So here it is again, with an UPDATE below:
I took the free Meisner workshop by GreenshirtStudio back in early 2010 and was blown away. And, it’s been a while since having finished levels 1 through 4 of the Meisner training at the studio. Meanwhile, I’ve made some really great friends, met many gifted professional and amateur actors, and tested my own limits as a person and artist. To borrow a relevant quote… «Theatre is a safe place to do the unsafe things that need to be done.» And, in my experience, the co-​owners and head instructors of the studio have created such an atmosphere — of safety, challenge, compassion, and fun: D so that I can show up on the stage as my life and the script before me demand.
Unfortunately, and as with many refined artforms, the Meisner Technique can turn into a perversion of the art of acting in less able hands… this is evident from my stage time and conversations with students of other Meisner schools. Thankfully for the Chicago theatre community, GreenShirtStudio has done a remarkable job in setting an example of what a true Meisner acting studio can and should be.
UPDATE (Aug 2015): It’s been a couple years since I reviewed this studio and I have to say that it still holds a special place in my heart. I inevitably mention it to people I talk to who are even remotely interested in theatre/​acting/​creative expression. It made such a positive difference for me personally and I have so many fond memories of the classes I took! My recommendation is to do what I did and take one of their free acting workshops, which the studio offers from time to time. It’s a way to try out the work and the studio with minimal investment on your part. I recently checked their website and they do still offer them, so that hasn’t changed. Yes, the classes have tuition but it’s also clear that the studio is not out to make money at the expense of artistic integrity — all the instructors I’d met LOVED what they do, and it shows.

I truly love Green Shirt. I’ve been taking classes there for 5 years, since attending one of their free workshops. It didn’t take longer than that first day to realize what a good place I had found. Sommer and Andrew are both very talente4 actors but also very honest and sensitive teachers. Their experience and knowledge of Meisner training is extensive and intelligent. There’s no bs at Green Shirt, just a wonderful collection of people working together in an inspiring and joyous way to learn and make theater. They have currently been adding some exciting new classes and workshops in disciplines that are not always easy to find: Alexander, Feldenkrais, Linklater, and many others taught by a wide variety of excellent Chicago theater artists. If you come to Green Shirt you will be treated with kindness and respect for the unique bundle of talents and aspirations that you are.

«Living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.» Not an easy task! Well, Green Shirt Studio is the best place to learn how to do just that. Sommer Austin and Andrew Gallant have created a rich, supportive environment where you will be given the tools, encouragement and direction needed to build a strong acting foundation. They make sure everyone gets what they need and are generous with their time and attention. These two know their stuff and they’ve expanded to include a broad array of classes to help us actors round out our toolbox. I am a proud former and current student!

I took the whole 5 Levels of Meisner training with Andrew and Sommer. And it was a great learning experience. I had no acting background before this training. I learned every little thing about acting from them.
I would recommend Green shirt for an intense learning experience.

If you want to learn how to live authentically on stage and to bring honest emotion to a text, I can’t give a stronger recommendation than I can for Green Shirt Studio. The work and effort that Andrew and Sommer put into each class is unmatched and if you are willing to put in the work you are going to get a lot out the program. By the end of your time at Green Shirt you’ll have a method to approach any work or script and access the emotional life of those characters.
I recently finished their year-​long training program and I’ve grown so much as an actor and a human over that time. I learned how to connect with my scene partner in a true and honest way, so that every word and moment between us is packed with meaning. Sommer and Andrew call this «the invisible thread», because it’s so obvious when two people are actually connected and communicating with each other and seeing this on stage is captivating. I’m not exaggerating when I say that many of our in-​class exercises were more engrossing then a lot of the professional theater I’ve seen in the city.
And it’s that connection with my scene-​partners that really carried over into my daily life. In learning the Meisner process from Andrew and Sommer I came to realize how often I was on auto-​pilot in my daily life and closing myself off to the people around me. Thanks to their work I’ve become more open emotionally with the people I care about in my life.
Suffice to say I can’t recommend Green Shirt enough, whether you are an actor looking to breath more life into your scene or an improviser trying to create more honest and grounded characters on stage, Green Shirt studio will give you the tools you need.

I can’t begin to express the impact that Green Shirt Studio has had on my life.
Almost 2 years ago, I was cast as an extra in a big-​budget Hollywood film. Little did I know at the time that my life was about to take a huge, unexpected turn. I was bitten by the acting bug and consciously sought out a way to make my dreams a reality.
A few months later, I was standing in The Green Shirt Studio, my first professional acting class; filled with anticipation, excitement and apprehension. My first few weeks were extremely terrifying and thrilling. Under the watchful eye of one of the most caring instructors I have ever encountered, Andrew Gallant helped me break down some very difficult barriers and constructed a new-​found confidence and an immense love for acting.
In the following year and a half that I spent my Saturday mornings, I had the honor of watching my fellow classmates grow in more ways than we could ever imagine and discover how to truly live on the stage.
Upon my initial search, I sought out the help of Unilocal!reviews to decide where I should study. Green Shirt had the best reviews to be found for Chicago. If you look up their old location, you should hopefully be able to read the reviews that lead me here to begin with.
I have completed the entire Meisner program, including the conservatory, and performed the showcase alongside my fellow classmates in front of 20 of represented talent agents in Chicago. Andrew and Sommer have been such incredible influences on my growth as an actor and as a person. The program has seriously changed my life in such a profound way and I’m so proud and grateful to be a Green Shirt alum!

I literally tell EVERYONE I know and meet about Green Shirt Studio, and I figured it was high time I wrote a Unilocal review. Yet, there is almost no real way I can put into words here what it is doing for me as a person and as a performing artist because the experience is so sacred to me and ever-​unfolding. It’s the feeling of being involved in something so transcendent that to describe it is to underplay its value somehow.
I have NEVER, at any school, had teachers as committed, knowledgable, or passionate as Sommer and Andrew. I’m in Meisner Level 3 right now, and I can say with accuracy that my whole life has changed and blossomed because of this experience. It has affected my creative work, my personal life, and my whole outlook on the world in countless positive ways. I plan to go all the way through Meisner Level 5, and I will continue to take the other classes they offer after that. The studio space is huge, immaculate, and fully outfitted to facilitate learning in a comfortable, warm environment. It has become a sort of home away from home, and I look forward to my class with growing eagerness each week. I feel that I am on an amazing magical journey here that I have never known before. I am so extremely grateful that Green Shirt Studio exists; it is one of the gems of the city that makes me love Chicago and know why I am here.