The training that gets you to work.
The Gobetti/Ormeny Acting Studio has been developing serious, working actors for decades. Founded by Maria Gobetti and the late Tom Ormeny, the studio is a professional training environment — not a drop-in class, not a quick method — rooted in the Meisner technique, taught on the stages of The Victory Theatre Center.
Maria is the only teacher. Classes are small. Every actor works every session.
"Learning to act is not like making instant coffee. It takes time and real application. I do not offer a quick method."
— Maria Gobetti
WHAT MAKES THIS STUDIO DIFFERENT
Maria Gobetti does not teach a fixed system you copy or a “method” you perform. She works to help each actor uncover what is already there — and remove what’s in the way.
Training is rooted in truth, impulse, and the ability to respond fully and freely in the moment. Actors are trained to develop their own technique, not become an imitation of a teacher.
The classes are intentionally small because every actor should work every session — not sit in the back hoping to be called on. Maria remembers being in large classes and praying to work once a month. That is not how this works.
“No coach gives an actor talent. A fine coach helps the actor get out of the way of their own talent.”
THE CLASSES
THE BASIC CLASS — Twice Weekly
For actors beginning the technique, whether new to acting or new to the Meisner approach.
- The Meisner basics technique
- Partner work and repetition exercises
- Working moment to moment
- Scene breakdown and preparation
- Simple improvisations
THE ADVANCED CLASS — 6 Hours, Once Weekly
A rigorous continuation of the work, expanding into professional-level application.
- Character and advanced scene analysis
- Fast preparation under pressure
- Stage acting versus film acting
- Acting for the camera
- Audition techniques — scenes and monologues
- Building a career
- Video review for performance refinement
COLD-READING & COMMERCIAL WORKSHOP — Offered Twice Yearly
Essential for working professionals.
- Quick scene analysis and preparation
- Current television, film, stage, and commercial material
- Pre-planning opening and closing moments
- Applying prepared choices under improvisational pressure
INTERVIEW TECHNIQUE WORKSHOP — 3 Hours, Offered Twice Yearly
- What to wear, what to ask, what to share
- Building rapport quickly
- Staying positive; reading the interviewer
- Following up with purpose
- Assertiveness vs. aggressiveness
- Resume, photos, and wardrobe
PRIVATE COACHING
Available for one-on-one work — audition preparation, technique development, on-set coaching, and professional guidance. Maria has coached extensively on film and television sets, and with actors who prefer to work privately.
Contact the studio for availability.
A WORKING THEATRE ENVIRONMENT
Classes take place onstage at The Victory Theatre Center — a professional, producing theatre. Actors are not separated from the reality of the work. They are immersed in it.
Many students go on to perform in productions on the Big Victory and Little Victory stages, gaining real experience in front of audiences and industry professionals.
Alumni include Jeff Kober, Armin Shimerman, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Cady Huffman.
Student Testimonials of the Gobetti/Ormeny Acting Studio
— Student Testimonials
WHAT ACTORS SAY
BEYOND THE CRAFT
Training extends beyond technique. Maria works with qualified actors on the profession itself — agents, managers, auditions, and that critical transition from student to working actor.
The goal is not to keep you in class. The goal is to get you working.
A NOTE FROM MARIA
If you are called to act, it is important to study where the commitment to the individual is total — where truth and excellence are pursued with passion.
I do not offer a quick method. I am committed to fostering real impulse freedom and enhancing what is uniquely individual to each actor.
Given a complete beginner, it is possible to become effective within a year, and an accomplished self-starter within two. “Experienced” is another matter altogether — dependent on the opportunities to be on stage and on camera. I love actors. Nothing excites me more than seeing someone I have trained excel and become successful.
I hold small classes and I work very personally. In my classes, actors are expected to work every session — and to learn from watching others.
What matters to me is that an actor leaves with their own technique — not the “Maria Gobetti technique” stamped all over them. It is my pleasure to help talented actors synthesize everything they’ve learned into a cohesive technique that serves them for their entire career.
— Maria Gobetti
HOW TO ENROLL
All prospective students are required to audit a class before enrolling. There is no charge.
Choosing a teacher is a personal decision. This is a creative relationship that, in many instances, lasts throughout an actor’s career. Come and see the work first.