The Thespian’s Guide to Acting Schools in New York

These are the facts and myths that most know or believe of the city:

New York is the city that never sleeps.
New York is one of the costliest places to live in.
New York is the center of the whole world.
New York is inhabited by people who love to love, hate, argue and haggle.

Now being a peace loving writer, I certainly shan’t argue about which one of those is true and which one isn’t. But if you’re a thespian in search for good acting schools, then you certainly won’t care about that. But you’d naturally care about the list that I’m about to provide below.

New York is a cosmopolitan city where a lot of good acting schools abound. In fact, if you truly are in search for excellent thespian education, New York isn’t a bad place to start. Naturally, the tuition fees of these acting schools are comparatively more expensive than the acting schools in your local state but they’re worth it. And if you’re looking for more proof, all you need is to do a little research work and I assure you that a lot of Hollywood big stars owe their talents to the very acting schools I’m about to enumerate.

Assuming that finances are not a problem for you, there’s just only other thing then to tackle: admissions. Several acting schools in New York are quite choosy when it comes to the students they’d let in their hallowed halls so to improve your chances of getting accepted, make sure that your school or the proper figures of authority furnish you with glowing recommendations. Neither does it hurt to have high GPAs to back you up.

With those two warnings then, here are some New York acting schools that you can try applying to.

ACTeen: Acting For Teen: Operating for almost three decades already, the ACTeen is the pioneering on-camera acting academy for teens, particularly those aged between thirteen to nineteen years old. If you or your child is serious about pursuing acting for a profession then you should consider contacting this particular acting school and view their curriculum. Besides learning everything about film and theater, students are also provided with a choice of over fifteen electives.

Ted Bardy Studio Inc. : To echo their tagline, this acting school provides their students with intense and personalized acting instruction. Everyone’s welcome to be a part of their workshop (limited to a small number to ensure personalized instruction), may it be amateurs, intermediate actors or professionals out to seek to improve their craft. The Ted Bardy Studio Inc. uses the Stanislavski / Meisner approach in guiding their students through their uniquely designed 3 phase program. Ted Bardy Studio Inc. is located in the Union Square section of New York City.

Actor Theater Workshop : ATW is a professional, non-profit theater company and under it, the Scott Acting Conservatory operates to train professional actors and have them realize original creative techniques to further improve their craft.

Lee Strasberg Theater Institute : this acting school hopes that the techniques of the acting legend, Lee Strasberg, continue to live on through their students.

East End Ensemble : A school that started two years ago as a local acting workshop set up in a private home and meant to improve the communication skills of their adult students. If you want to have fun while learning, this funky acting school may be what you’re looking for. East End Ensemble can be found in Brooklyn, New York.

Read More

New York for the Adrenaline Junkie

For the fun loving thrill seeker New York City is one giant playground. Whether you are into extreme sports, extreme movies, or simply watching others go to extremes you should get a healthy dose of it all in this great city. From reading to gaming and extreme sports and every extremity in between you have come to the right city to fill all of your extreme needs in entertainment and art.

Web2Zone Cyber Center has all of your extreme gaming and computing needs. They offer regular tournaments for the serious games while also offering simple Internet access for those who'd like to socialize while they spend time in cyber space.

They are not your typical Internet Café. Not only do they offer a place to log in, they also offer one of the fastest Internet connections around. They do not offer wireless service but will be glad to loan you an Ethernet card or port for your laptop with proper collateral. For the gamers, events and tournaments are hosted regularly and plenty of opportunities abound to flex your gaming muscles.

For those of you looking for cooler extreme entertainment, how about checking out the Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers? This is a great way to keep things cool any time of the year while getting the great kind of workout you won't find in a traditional gym. This is definitely worth checking out and while you are here you can check out all of the other great things that Chelsea Piers has to offer its visitors. Among those neat things are bowling, the golf club, the field house, and the Spa. This is definitely a great place to spend the day in order to work out any excess energy you may have or to get your blood pumping and your day off to a fabulous start.

If you like the feeling of wind in your hair then perhaps a trip by ferry will fill that need. Really you don't need a specific destination in order to take a ride on the Ferry and enjoy the scenery. You can also elect to take specific tours on your ferry ride; check to see what's available during you stay and you might even find that you can combine two great activities with one trip. There are many different cruises available some last ninety minutes and take place during the day and others offer a view of the city at night as your spend two hours enjoying mixed drinks and city lights.

If the ferry ride doesn't fill your need for the wind in your hair, then perhaps you should stroll on over to Coney Island (strolling might not be the best option but get there somehow) and check out Astroland Amusements Park's The Cyclone.
This ride is super intense and often replicated but never quite duplicated. This ride is famous around the world and should satisfy even the biggest roller coaster geek and/or adrenaline junkie out there. Skeptical? The only way you'll ever know is to see for yourself. Of course there are other things that this park has to offer those who seek smaller, less intense thrills as well.

It really doesn't matter what specific thrills you seek, being in New York City, enjoying the smells, the sights, and the sounds are enough for many adrenaline junkies and many find that being in this city is like being nowhere else on earth. Take the time to see what activities you might find interesting and go for it. Seize the moments you have in this city and enjoy every activity you try during your visit.


 The purpose of a vacation is both to have fun and to relax. Be sure you don't spend the entire time seeking one adrenaline high after another or you'll find yourself needing a vacation in order to recover from your vacation. Seriously, with all the fun there is to be had most people forget the importance of scheduling some down time during their vacations, don't let this happen to you. 

Read More

New York Nightlife and Changing Directions

The nightlife is a big part of the New York culture, there's no reason if you are able, willing, and have no children to keep you in the room at night that you are your date for your New York City vacation can't get out and hit the town while checking out some of the wonders of New York nights.

The problem is that there is no one size fits all when it comes to nightclubs, bars, and lounges. Each of these is well represented in almost any New York neighborhood and it really is up to each individual to find the bar or club that works best for them. The best recommendation I can give anyone is to check out the acts that are headlining and find an act that you think will suit your style and tastes.

If you're in the mood for laughter, then a comedy club might be the best for you. If you're looking for a nice quiet place where you and your date or mate can converse quietly and contemplate life and love then a piano or jazz lounge might be the best option for you. Trying to suggest a bar in New York is almost as difficult as trying to recommend one on Bourbon Street, they are all somewhat alike and yet they are all very different. The trick is in finding the one that suits you best.

Now, if you want to get terribly sloshed and have a rousing good time, then I will suggest a karaoke bar. What could be better than an off key sing-along to bad eighties music? Not much, but laughing at someone else for doing it is much better than getting up there and doing it yourself.

 There is so much potential for fun to be had and only you are the one that can decide if you would even consider enjoying certain moments. We all have music we prefer, crowds we prefer, and more importantly music and crowds we'd rather avoid.

The good news is that within New York City there are bars that represent almost any musical tastes in history, and then a few more. Chances are that there's a bar somewhere that offers the kind of music you prefer or are in the mood for tonight. Some of these bars will have live bands or one man/woman shows and some will have DJs spinning tunes till last call or the sun comes up. There's Jazz, Hip Hop, The best and worst of the 80's, the 90's, alternative, country, techno, pop, smooth jazz, R&B, Manilow and Streisand, the 70's, Classic Rock, and so many more my head spins trying to think of them all.

Somewhere in the mix there has to be something that works for you, or perhaps silence or simple piano ballads are the way to go.

Whatever your music and whatever your mood there is a bar or a club in New York that has something that will speak to you. And if you are in a particularly dark mood, they have clubs for that too. Many of us use our vacation time to explore other aspects of our nature, if you are interested in trying out new music or a new crowd; New York City is a big anonymous city in which to try new things. Just don't have so much fun that you decide to stay.

Read More