Scene Study · preview

Somatic
Scene Study

Somatic Training + Scene Work

Most acting training separates mind and body. This class puts them back together.

It marries scene study with body-based tools: Meisner, Michael Chekhov, and voice and movement work.

Ellie chooses and casts each scene to address each actor's individual challenges, using theater, film, and television scripts.

Start breathing: your impulses come alive. Move your body: your emotions flow. Connect mind, body, and heart: you become undeniable.

  • Get out of your head
  • Reconnect to your instincts
  • Book work
  • Find an artistic home

Two ongoing classes

Scene Study at Michael Howard Studios

Wednesdays · 6:00–8:30 PM · Chelsea

A multilevel class for actors ready to go deeper: a space to reconnect with your body and instincts, learn the tools that transform how you work, and create an artistic home.

Advanced Scene Study at The Drama League

Tuesdays · 6:00–9:00 PM · Tribeca

An invite-only group for advanced professional actors: a protected space to deepen artistry, work your edges, and expand beyond type.

Tuition
$295 a month, ongoing and month-to-month.
Commitment
Three months to start, then come and go as your work allows.
Admission
By interview, and sometimes an audition.

Artistry + Industry

By signing up, you're stepping into a tradition that began in the 1930s with the Group Theater. The "Big 3" teachers (Strasberg, Adler, Meisner) and working actors, from Marlon Brando and James Dean to Diane Keaton and Al Pacino, wanted a space away from the industry: to stretch beyond "type," change how they were cast, and stay grounded in real artistry when the business pushed commodification.

This class carries that forward, for actors who are actually working. It honors both sides of that life: growing as an artist and being ready for the industry. Your artistry is what makes you castable, and knowing the business gives your art somewhere to go. Most classes lean too far one way. This one holds both.

What people are saying

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“I'd put my ‘actor mind' and ‘actor body' in two different boxes. This was the first time in years I felt that barrier break down.”
Nicole CannonThe Magnificent Revengers
“Ellie opens an actor's heart and mind, pulling out honest impulses that can be so hard to unlock.”
Autumn ChiklisThe Shield & Brosa Nostra
“If you want to push and test your own limits as an actor, find Ellie Heyman now.”
Kate MulliganThe Lincoln Lawyer · Fame · The Ugly Truth
“Ellie brings a deft, vibrant intelligence to every collaboration.”
Lydia R. DiamondPlaywright · Stick Fly, Toni Stone

Admission

The classes are often full or near capacity. If this sounds like your artistic home, reach out.

Email Ellie