What makes for great acting? Why do certain actors' emotional worlds move us and others leave us cold?  Why do certain voices compel us to listen and others tune us out?  Why is the inner life of one actor mesmerizing in a moment of stillness and another's boring in the midst of histrionics?  What makes the difference between good actors and great ones, in the work and in getting the job? The real question is how well the actor has learned to give herself permission to use the acting equipment - her emotional world, her voice, her body and her attitude. When I work with actors, I want them to be fearless - making work that's original, compelling, real - having the courage and skills to access everything within them - sexuality, humor, intelligence, need, unpredictability, warmth, confidence, aggression, vulnerability, charisma - revealing an inner life that's bold, authentic and arresting to watch. At the Antaeus Academy, we do scene work from the classics:  Shakespeare, Shaw, Chekhov, Williams, et al.  In my Private Class, actors tackle scenes and monologues from contemporary plays and films and work on audition technique; and in one-on-one Private Coaching we get the results needed to land the job.  Classes are based on the work of the late, great acting teacher and Williamstown Theater Festival director and founder, Nikos Psacharopoulos (see my books The Actor's Chekhov and Toward Mastery).  Like Nikos, I believe in teaching actors, not a specific "acting technique."  Using Stanislavski as a foundation, I draw on a variety of methods tailored specifically to the individual actor.  If it's not given to everyone to achieve great acting, it's at least possible to know how to attempt it.  That's what we're going for.