I know that there a several posts on Madelyn Burns, and as I was reading them I came across a post that says that in order to take a class with Madelyn Burns you need to have an agent referal? Is this true? Is there anyway my 14 yr old daughter could take a class without a referall? I know that Madely doesn't have a website, but is there any other places I could get info on her?
Any help appreciated.
Thanks!

You don't necessarily need an agent referral for Madelyn Burns but she prefers them. If you call and speak with her, I am sure she would accept your daughter into a class.

Diane Hardin has a really terrific class for teens as well. Dianes class will have more kids your daughter's age since they are grouped specifically into a teen group. This is a big deal to some kids. Diane's intensives are also really fabulous but you dont get the agent showcase that Madelyn provides.

Madelyn really does bring in the top agents & managers in the industry and they are usually the heads of the departments. The classes are also taught by well known Casting Directors.

So, these are two very different options and it is important to weigh what it is you want to get most out of the class. IE: agent exposure, commercial class, film etc. Diane really works on Improv, emotion and is great for film. Madelyn has specialized classes so it is either Commercial, soap, Musical Theater, Television etc.

Both are terrific and my DD loves both.

The number you are looking for is 212-627-8880.

There are other places to take classes as well and we have done pretty much all of them but these two give the most bang for the buck and I feel are the best. Along with Lane Napper of course but you DO need a referral for him. He is awesome.

Thanks!
We were also looking into Diane Hardin. Since we live in VT, we're really trying to meet "acting people" (sorry, couldn't think of another word) in the city.
What beneifts come with Diane Hardin? Does she give you a "boost" like Madelyn does with the showcase. I know that Diane doesn't do showcases but does she refer to agents?
Please let me know. Thank you!
P.S. Also, about how much do Madelyn's classes cost?

Diane is wonderful. She is probably the best acting teacher my DD has ever had. Book early--her classes get filled quickly. As for Madelyn, I'd love for my DD to take one of her classes, but they seem to be for several weeks in the evening, which just doesn't work for us right now.

Country-acting-gal,

You will meet lots of acting people at both. Both Diane and Madelyn have some high profile, very successful kids that they teach. Both also have students that are currently on Broadway. As far as being exposed to Casting directors and agents, that will only happen at Madelyn Burns because the teachers are agents and Casting Directors there and of course, you get the agent showcase at the end.

I know that both Madelyn and Diane have students that come from far and wide to take their classes. In Madelyn's case, that is usually the summer camps or mini camps that take place over the course of 1 week or 4 days. Diane only does 3 day or 1 week intensives. It is unlikely you would be able to do the 6 week program at MB's because of your location.

Both Diane and Madelyn have kids that come from Florida, Boston, The Carolina's, Mississippi etc for the weeklongs and mini's. Those families usually find a reasonable hotel in NJ or greater NY and drive the 30 minutes in for the classes that weekend.

Both programs are great. If you are looking for the agent exposure I would say take the Madelyn program. The camps usually have 5-7 different casting directors teaching the class and at the end, the kids perform for a group of agents. I know many kids that have been picked up by agents/managers from the camps and others who were called in to work on Soap Operas or audition for Broadway shows, etc. from Madelyn's. But that is the exception, not necessarily the norm. I think it is important to remember that you are signing up for a class in either case.
Both places will provide wonderful classes for your DD. At Madelyn's, you get the added bonus of performing for some of the top agents in the industry. I would call both places and they can tell you what they have coming up.

Madely's waiting area is usually a pretty active place with lots of industry parents shooting the breeze so you will learn a tremendous amount just by sitting there waiting for your daughter while she is in class. Both Diane and Madelyn cater to industry kids who for the most part alreeady have representation because they were referred there by their agents. Both are great places to get your feet wet.

Good Luck!

Actorsmommy,
Thanks you soo much! That was very informative!
Country_acting_gal

Diane referred my dd to a top mgr. She also did the same with a different mgr for a friend's dd. In both cases, she spoke to us privately after class, though neither of us approached her about it so I'm not sure how often she does this. I don't think we would have gotten the appt without her referral.

Dianes class is much harder to get into than Madalynes. Her classes are the best my d has ever taken! But they are not a showcase they are true acting classes.
Madalynes classes are really for being seen, so its not something you should have your child do before they are ready, or it will only be a waste of money.

This is going to be unpopular but my daughter has taken 3 classes with Diane and found the last one (full week) boring, repetitive, and uninspiring. Perhaps it was Diane overload but she found the scenes old and overdone, the improvs useless and ridiculous. She had the parents come to watch on the last day and I was incredibly unimpressed by both the selections and execution.

My daughter loved the weekend workshops but after the week-long she's done completely with Diane. Perhaps it was a bad fit with her and the other students, perhaps my daughter "aged out" at 15, I don't know. Just thought you should hear a differing opinion for what it's worth.

Just so you know - my daughter has 2 agents, has been in television shows and commercials and has taken classes with Keri Lea (miss her terribly) and Denise Simon as well as other more local training. Not bragging just trying to validate our experiences.

Let the attacks begin! :-)

I would hope no one would attack you for your experiences and opinion. My DD also prefers the 3 days with Diane to the weeklong. I must say that Diane gave my DD her true love for acting . Her first session was so new and so fun for my DD. Subsequent sessions have been more reinforcment of things that she learned from session one but I still think she learns from the process and has gotten better and my DD always finds them fun. She is also a bit younger than yours which may be the difference. The older she gets, I notice the less willing she is to repeat things.

At Madelyn's it's not really an issue because every teacher is different so each one brings a new perspective and has their own style. In a four day camp, you are dealing with 5 different casting directors.

I think each have their pro's and cons. Continuity and reinforcement can be good as can keping things fresh. Just depends on the individual child and where they are in their learning curve at any particular moment. Have you worked with Lane Napper? He is incredible and makes it a point to change things up all the time.

I would like to add an opinion too about all the people discussed here - just my two cents. My daughter did classes with both madelyn and diane. She liked diane a lot but the work done in the weekend workshop was boring for her as she had learned a lot of the same work with other local theatre groups and performing arts camps. With madelyn's workshop with a CD and agent, it was the more of the same stuff she had done elsewhere - you sing a song, get critiqued, and then read some lines. Wasn't worth the money. Only my opinion, but I think they collect the headshots and resumes to be nice since you're paying the money...who knows what they do with them once you leave the room.

I'm not a big fan of showcases anymore especially after reading the book "How Not to Audition". The author specifically says you should never pay to meet casting directors or agents. And these agents/CD's who come to the showcases are paid to come. As actorsmommy says, at these showcases, it really is the exception than the norm that anything comes out of them.

You don't have to be referred by an agent to take madelyn's classes. In fact, once you go to one of her classes, she'll keep calling you to inform you of other classes to the point of annoyance after awhile. I just felt like it was too much of a sales job. I just asked her to take us off the list, and she did with no problem. The workshops were just too pricey.

As for Kerry Lea, my daughter didn't get much at all from the audition class she took years ago. She found it way too basic with things she already knew. Maybe her other classes were much better. As for Denise Simon, we didn't do an acting class with her, but took a cabaret class with her and a voice teacher she worked with monica robinson (who was very nice).
It was over 6 weeks but my daughter didn't feel like there was any acting/coaching going on (she was supposed to help them act the song). I think it is really the vocal coach's job to do that, and the one we currently use really helps my daughter with song prep. But again, it wasn't an acting class so I can't comment on her outside of this cabaret class.

My daughter is with a big agent in NYC now, and she only recommends Diane Hardin (she used to recommend Kerry Lea too when she was in business) if you need to take classes. Our agent doesn't participate in the showcases, and she said she never would. She discovered my daughter in a show she was in over the summer. We weren't looking for an agent, and she approached us. She just happened to be in the audience, and asked if we had an agent. We came to her office to audition and then signed with her. She said that that was how she found most of her kids at shows where there are young performers. Who knew!

quote:

Only my opinion, but I think they collect the headshots and resumes to be nice since you're paying the money...who knows what they do with them once you leave the room.

I would disagree with you here only because I know SO many kids that have been called in by Telsey and other CD's because of Madelyn's showcases. Some of those kids have parents who in fact are regular posters here but choose not to go into detail about it (for all different reasons). But I can unequivically tell you that many kids get called in to audition, work and get signed by agents there. Then again, age, experience and how well they do act/sing in the workshop plays a part of it as well.

I know kids that it has happened to on their first showcase and others where it happened after 6 months of training but I also know that the Musical Theater classes have the highest rate of call-ins because those kids have that extra talent.

I DO agree with you that the pure "pay-to-meet agent" places are not something I would want to get invbolved in. There are many seminars like that in NYC. But both Diane and Madelyn offer classes that take place over days/weeks. The agent showcase is really just the kicker to it all but a nice kicker nontheless. Thats why I said it is important to remember in both cases that you are signing up for a class. If anyone could pay a fee and guarantee that their kid would get signed by an agent, then every kid in the city would have an agent. It just doesnt work that way. The purpose of the training is to get better, have fun, progress, and hopefully be good enough to get signed (if you arent already) or start going out more (if you are signed) because your agent see's the progress and believes in you more.

It sounds like your daughter hasent liked anyone that she has taken classes with which is a shame that she just never seemed to find the right fit. Maybe she just doesnt like classes period. Was she doing community theater before because that of course is a much funner environment?

By the way medevinci, the part I wrote about remembering that one is paying for a class was not meant for you. Clearly you had a very good grasp of just what it was you signed up for at each place. I think your issue was that your daughter already had the training that the various classes were offering. Clearly she had talent because she eventually got signed on her own. Kudos.

quote:

Originally posted by Medavinci:

on Jan. 20....
We took the Disney workshop with Jen Rudin Pearson who was great; however, the person from Gen TV who was supposed to come couldn't make it. Someone else showed up but I don't know who they were or where they were from. Is it just word of mouth for future classes? I know Madelyn Burns didn't have a website, but she said she'd notify us of future classes by phone. We haven't heard anything...

and then...on Feb. 3...
I would like to add an opinion too about all the people discussed here - just my two cents. My daughter did classes with both madelyn and diane. She liked diane a lot but...With madelyn's workshop with a CD and agent, it was the more of the same stuff she had done elsewhere - you sing a song, get critiqued, and then read some lines. Wasn't worth the money. Only my opinion, but I think they collect the headshots and resumes to be nice since you're paying the money...who knows what they do with them once you leave the room....
You don't have to be referred by an agent to take madelyn's classes. In fact, once you go to one of her classes, she'll keep calling you to inform you of other classes to the point of annoyance after awhile. I just felt like it was too much of a sales job. I just asked her to take us off the list, and she did with no problem. The workshops were just too pricey.

Medavinci, I am just wondering about your change in opinion in less than 2 weeks...on Jan 20 you liked the workshop your child took at Madelyn Burns and wondered why she hadn't called you about additional workshops. And you claimed the agent you were expecting (Dina Bogner, the legit agent from Gen) was not there, when in fact she was. Then, on Feb. 3 you said the Madelyn Burns workshop was more of the same and not worth the money...and now she was calling you about classes "to the point of annoyance." I just don't understand the complete 180. Also, you mentioned that you "think they collect the headshots and resumes to be nice since you're paying the money...who knows what they do with them when you leave the room. Well, I can tell you what they do with them...the CD/agent goes through the pile and pulls out the headshots of the kids they want to call in for interviews or auditions. With a big CD like Jen Rudin, if you are lucky and talented enough to be what she is looking for at that very moment in time, and she pulls your headshot and calls you in, attending the workshop could turn in to a huge, career-shaping opportunity.

Same goes for the showcases...Madelyn's showcases are attended by some of the top kid's CDs, agents and managers in NYC. Paid or not, these reps do call/sign/book kids from the showcases. If your kid is already signed, the showcase is a great opportunity for your agent to see a kid's growth as an actor. Your kid's agent/manager rarely gets to see your kid in action. If they like what they see, an agent will likely really get behind your kid and will start putting them out there. If CDs like what they see, they will call your kid in, or just cast directly from the showcase. I have witnessed all of the above scenarios. And, besides all of the opportunities, my kids just like running scenes and interacting with their professional friends.

OK, I'm going to throw my 2 cents in as well. I wasn't wanting to post anything yet because you never know what can change in this business in a week's time.

My dd has taken classes with most of the people mentioned in this conversation. This is my take on them from our experience. I am by no means an expert.

Diane Hardin...excellent for scene study, character development. My dd prefers her weekend workshops to the week long intensives. Diane is very good at what she does and is very well respected.

Madelyn Burns...excellent for audition techniques (since many of the teachers are casting directors). My dd has a job for a very well known and long running children's show on Friday that she was booked for directly from one of Madelyn's workshops. She was called in to audition for 2 Broadway shows as a direct result of a workshop and came very close to booking one of those. As for the calling, she is always sure to call and tell us what she is offering, but if we say we aren't interested in a particular class, she doesn't keep calling and asking about it. Since she doesn't have a website, that is really her only way of letting people know what is going on. As for the agents, managers and casting directors at the showcases, the first time my dd did a workshop with her I figured that she probably got a lot of B-listers there. I was very surprised to see that she always pulls in the high profile A-listers.

Kerry Lea...I LOVE her as a person and she is as nice as they come, but I'm not sure my dd got anything from her classes, but that was several years ago and my dd was much younger then. It would be interesting to see if my dd would get more from a class with her now, but that isn't a possibility.

That is just our personal experience.