It’s Cool to Care: Rediscovering My Craft at the Atlantic Intensive
When deciding whether to pause my life, travel 10,000 miles from Australia, and invest in the Atlantic Acting School Summer Intensive, a wise friend told me: “You’ll never regret a summer in New York City.”She was absolutely right. The decision came almost on a whim. I booked my flights just three weeks out and secured […]
The Magic of Practical Aesthetics
I just finished the Summer Intensive program at Atlantic Acting School! It was a joyous, unforgettable experience taking those intense six weeks of full-on immersion into Practical Aesthetics, and sharing those weeks with some of the most talented people I know. I came to Atlantic without preconceived notions of the technique. The goal of every […]
My Atlantic Summer Intensive Experience: Just the Beginning
My name is Keisha Amponsa Banson, and I’m a recent graduate of Atlantic Theater School’s Summer Intensive. It’s been about six weeks since I finished the program, and I can honestly say it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I was incredibly grateful to be awarded the Resident Artist Scholarship, which […]
“Breaking the Myth of “Too Late”: A Latina Actress’s Journey Back to the Stage”
In 2020, I celebrated ten years of building a career in acting and comedy, while being a mother on the side (on the side?! Lol!). Pursuing a career in the performing arts requires a lot of determination, but let me tell you, things definitely get 1000 times harder when you add parenting to the mix. […]
“Jane the Virgin” star Gina Rodriguez
Actor, director, producer, activist, and Golden Globe-winning “Jane the Virgin” star Gina Rodriguez has been breaking barriers in Hollywood—and shows no signs of stopping. Not only does her leading role as Jane in The CW’s telenovela-inspired dramedy make her one of the few Latina women headlining a TV series, but she’s also worked on an […]
“I learned not to fight feelings that felt uncomfortable but…release it. Make it art.”
I’m writing this from backstage of the production I’m currently in, waiting to go on. The play is The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe. I play Soccer Mom, the one adult amongst a girls high school soccer team. Our characters are all moving through their daily activities, trying to figure out the world, moment by unpredictable moment. It’s […]
From New Zealand to New York: Chasing My Dream Over 8,000 Miles
Romain Mereau is a 2019 graduate of Atlantic Acting School’s Full-Time Conservatory program. It was like a surge of electricity that filled my body and crackled in my lungs. Against the background bustle of the office in Auckland, New Zealand, where I worked, a friendly voice on the phone had just told me some of […]
“Finding ways to honor everyone’s artistic process”
I joined Atlantic’s Conservatory program during a very difficult time in my life. I was experiencing depression and had decided not to do anything pertaining to acting for three months. During one of my weekly email deleting days, I came across an email for Conservatory auditions. There wasn’t much time left for submission, so I […]
“A vessel for stories that reflect my ancestors and the community that raised me”
My time at Atlantic has given me the tools to construct work professionally while never letting go of the playfulness and care that came naturally. When I walk into a room, I remember the standards that instructors like Karen Kohlhaas engrained in me: to honor the work and the talent of others in the room […]
Every Second Counts
“I VALUE HARD WORK. SO WHY DON’T I WANT TO DO IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN?” Why was my love for art, for storytelling, not enough to push me every day? Crickets…my disappointment was palpable. As I began my career, my ability for storytelling was equal parts fun and frustration. For a long time I […]