Studio classes/workshops
NOW
Alex is currently teaching classes at Mulholland Academy. See below.
..teach goals..
If I have a technique, it is laying the groundwork for actors to exercise, rehearse, and perform as much and by any means possible. All while aiming for a constant state of being loose and precise at the same time- exceedingly loose in body and spirit, and very, very precise in action. I use technique from a wide swath of the contemporary and classical technique landscape.
My observation- over many years in the trenches, sorting training and performance challenges - is that any real lasting absorption and then practical benefit of actors “technique” only really comes from a very slow cook. Time. By all means, whatever it takes- however long it takes, absorb technique and use it to “put a little gunpowder” to your scene work, but then.. forget it.
Technique, any kind, it was never necessarily meant to teach you how to act. It is there to help you question.. activate..refine..it is to be used when you’re stuck, flat, off the mark, and significantly, to help you adjust, and finally, to right you when you are just not quite serving the “original intention” of the writer’s vision. You will have such days.
The road to a cold dead place that is mediocrity is littered with skilled smarty pants act technicians. It’s not enough.
Situationally intelligent, honest, spontaneous and very human acting is another thing; it is what we all wait for.
The actor’s job? Before you even get to this answer, give time and space to answering this: why, why act? Why are you doing this? Your understanding of this, settling it, it is i believe more important than so called..talent.
As you move to figure that out the job of the actor, there’s this: show up to play, very willing, open, working off the other actor with generous abandon and, at the same time, maintaining spontaneity and specificity with text -in rehearsals and especially at show time. And doing so, again and again, day after day as honestly and humanly as you can; your take on the world at that moment, using no more, no less than is needed, and then putting it all together out there-on stage, on camera- as a reflex. Unwavering, consistent, persistent, steady about things one day at a time, it all adds up to something.
Go at it, always, with ebullience and an open heart - because you WANT to do so. All the above..I believe it is the surest path for actors to be watchable, believable, and crucially, to perform for stage or camera in a way that consistently serves the story.
- Alex Murphy
“Learn to ask: what does the character in the script want? What does he do to get it? What is that like in my experience?..Every scene should be able to answer these three questions: “Who wants what from whom? What happens if they don’t get it? Why now?” -David Mamet
Alex Murphy classes-availble to public, from January to June 2026 at Mulholland Academy, Amsterdam, Netherlands. To apply for a spot in this class, open the link to view class description, times, dates, and description, then fill out the quick application for this, or any other Mulholland class you are interested in joining.
What’s coming:
Meisner Technique – Introduction
w/ professionally filmed Scene Challenges
Dates: Friday, April 24 to June 12, 2026
8 weeks.
Times: 6pm – 10pm (4 hours)
Location: WG Plein/Studio 163
Meisner Technique, an Introduction
w/ Alex Murphy
Note: For this special construction of Meisner repetition training, all actors will also be assigned a scene, and a segment of the scene will be professionally filmed in the 6th session. Camera footage with your scene segment will be transferred to all actors within a few days of shooting.
Additionally, with your scene partner, you will work your scene assignment weekly, as we go, all towards final stage performance of the scenes in week 8 with an invited audience .
Weekly, actors will rehearse the scenes with a partner during class sessions, and at select times with the mentor for each individual scene.
Sanford Meisner had very particular ideas about how to begin and advance work on a scene – and we’ll integrate that into our work.
Meisner Technique for actors is quickly becoming a centerpiece for any serious actor training program. The technique is on fire… from London to Manila to Prague to Dublin to Sao Paulo to Helsinki to Amsterdam – world-wide. It has become essential study for actors. Many of the most well-known actors working today have Meisner training on their resume.
The truth of ourselves is the root of our acting.” Sanford Meisner.
This class will drill down on the ethos and the practice of “repetition exercises” as set out by Sanford Meisner and the late William Esper, arguably the finest teacher of Meisner’s technique after Meisner himself. We will take a layered approach.
Repetition work is a practice that will serve the actor for the rest of their creative lives.
“It’s much more important that the actor have an understanding heart, an ability to empathise with other human beings, an ability to respond with his feelings, and not with his head. That’s what makes an actor.” William Esper.
You may use this link to go directly to Mulholland Academy’s website to apply for a spot in this class:
https://www.mulhollandacademy.com/meisner-technique-w-professionally-filmed-scene-challenges/
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Meisner Technique, Advanced into Masterclass practice
Dates: Thursday April 16 – June 18, 2026
Durations: 10 weeks
Times: 6pm – 10pm (4 hours)
Maximum class size: 10
Location: WG Plein/Studio 163
“Your acting will not be good until it is only yours. That’s true of music, acting, anything creative. You work until finally nobody is acting like you.” -Sanford Meisner
All actors for Meisner Advanced into Masterclass practice must have previously followed at least 20 hours of Meisner training for the pure repetition stage, and then must have at least 15 hours of the “Independent Activity/Knock at the door” improvisation phase as a minimum entry requirement.
Weekly, in Meisner Advanced into Masterclasspractice with Alex Murphy, we’ll warm up by returning to full on Repetition practice –as a ballet dancer returns, weekly, daily to the dance bar- working for honest moment by moment impulse as habit, which is the very basis for flow in all other Meisner exercises.
The Meisner Advanced into Masterclass arc of classes jumps back into IndependentActivity/Knock at Door improvisations, demanding a deeper more specific diveinto “Preparation/Daydream” as the window, the nexus into now and future practice which leads to the gold standard of all contemporary acting, in any medium: you, and the audience both believing both you and your partner are..who you say you are.
Moving through various signature stages of the Meisner “Knock at the Door/Independent Activity” improvisations, the actors will be expected to raise the stakes for every exercise via preparation, sheer commitment, honesty, and by allowing the absolute prize of unflinching subjective response -a moment by moment authorship- based on what you are actually hearing, seeing, and sensing from your scene partner. To seek an advanced grasp of Meisner technique is to begin to live the aforementioned process as reflex.
The final phase of the advance into masterclass practice leads ultimately toseveral sessions altering the “relationships” landscape, and then outlining and working with the expanded architecture for the “domestic exercise” improvisations where the repetition, practice -a tool, a means- it is finally abandoned.
There will be scenes assigned to all actors to prepare, rehearse and exercise with -actors will work some on the scene materials with Alex Murphy– and, additionally, each pair of actors will be urged to rehearse on their own as well.
In our final session, we’ll do a staged presentation of the assigned scenes for an invited audience.
As of March 20th, 2026, there are 3 spots available for this advanced Meisner class. Applicants must have had at least a full introductory course of Meisner repetition training -a 4 to 7 day Meisner intensive, or, Repetition training for 6 to 8 single class sessions.
You may apply here directly on the Mulholland Academy website:
https://www.mulhollandacademy.com/meisner-technique-advanced-into-masterclass/
For your application, you must include a CV with training experience for Meisner, and in general, or, if no actots CV, please take a few minutes to outline your experience with Introductory Meisner technique training.
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Just below, are visual suggestions of the actor training disciplines Alex will offer in rotation throughout the studio season, September through July, at Mulholland Academy, and, when time and space available, on tour as a “guest” teacher.
Meisner Technique
w/Alex Murphy
Fusion Techique w/ Short Play Production
w/Alex Murphy
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Alex teaches a weekly schedule of classes throughout the year at Mulholland Academy in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Please view this link for a sample of these classes, and a description of some of his classes and workshops. Additionally, you may begin viewing other classes Mulholland Academy offers each 7 week cycle throughout the year here:
https://www.mulhollandacademy.com/courses/
Using the link just above, hit the “Courses” page at the top right of the page for seasonal studios classes in motion now, and coming soon-there are both Advanced training classes, and classes for the Beginner, and for students wanting to start training seriously, building a base in Mulholland Academy’s series of Foundational level acting classes. Also, you may link in deeper to Mulholland’s 3 different Diploma programs:
1- The One Year, Full time Professional Acting Diploma Program, 2-The Two Year, Part Time Pro Performance Professional Diploma Program 3- The International Foundational Diploma Program for actors just starting.
https://www.mulhollandacademy.com/one-year-diploma-acting-programmes/
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Since 2018, Alex Murphy has served as Program Director for Mulholland Academy’s One Year, Full time Professional Acting Diploma Programme, The Two Year, Part time, Pro Performance Professional Diploma Programme, and the One Year, Part Time, International Foundational Acting Diploma Programme.
Please see the links below if you wish to apply to any one of the these Diploma training programs for the 2025/2026 season. We are currently accepting applications for September 2025/2026 programs.
Each program is designed to accommodate different levels of act training. Also, you may information regarding out our Professional Diploma programs. We are currently accepting applications for September 2025/2026 programs.
Again, See the “One Year Acting Diploma Programmes” page on Mulholland Academy’s website for info on the various levels of diploma acting study:
https://www.mulhollandacademy.com/one-year-diploma-acting-programmes/
You’ll get a full overview, guidelines, and pricing for each of the following diploma programs:
1- The One Year, Full time Professional Acting Diploma Programme
https://www.mulhollandacademy.com/one-year-professional-diploma-acting-programme/
2- The Two Year, Part Time, Pro Performance Professional Diploma Programme
https://www.mulhollandacademy.com/2-year-part-time-professional-diploma-acting-programme/
3- One Year, Part Time, International Foundational Acting Diploma Programme
https://www.mulhollandacademy.com/international-foundational-acting-diploma-programme/
Go to this link for full information, and to submit application:
https://www.mulhollandacademy.com/application-form/
