Today we’d like to introduce you to Michele Condrey.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Michele. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I lived in L.A. for 13 years back in the 70’s. I studied acting for 7 years with the legendary Charles Conrad who was previously Sanford Meisner’s top associate coach before starting his own studio, The Charles Conrad Studio. After endless auditions and callbacks, I finally booked a co-starring role in a film slated to shoot in New Orleans. Six weeks before we were to go on location the financial investors backed out. I quit acting. It had been 7 long years of extreme effort, coming so close so many times to booking roles, emotional and financial commitment and I just couldn’t do it anymore. I focused my efforts on television production, which I had worked in consistently since my arrival in Los Angeles.
In 1982 I moved back to Dallas, where I was raised. I was done with the entertainment industry. Or so I thought. I worked in corporate America real estate marketing for about 4 years, including owning my own marketing firm with my best friend and business partner, Beverly Allen Collura. I started missing the entertainment industry and figured I’d see what was going on in the industry here in Dallas.
I ended up owning a background extras company named Texas Atmosphere. That came about in a very unique way. Texas atmosphere was formed by 4 very prominent women in the Dallas entertainment industry. Talent agents Nancy Johnson, Toni Cobb-Brock, Samantha Farson and Casting Director, Barbara Brinkley. However, they had never put any effort into it. They hired me (with no pay, only commission) to get Texas Atmosphere up and running. After a few months we all went out to happy hour after a long day or work. I had built Texas Atmosphere into the “go to” extras agency in Dallas, had computerized it (which was unheard of at that time) and provided extras for film, commercials and industrials. As we were sitting around the table enjoying a cocktail Barbara Brinkley said “Give me a dollar.” I had no idea what was going on, but handed her a dollar bill. She then said “Congratulations, you just bought Texas Atmosphere.” I was in shock and they were all smiling at me.
Eventually, agent Nancy Johnson and I started our own full-service talent agency named The Bureau. We had a broadcast department and I also brought Texas Atmosphere into the company as the extras division. We had a very successful talent agency and every week we offered (free to our actors) the Wednesday Night Workout where they could come and we’d work with them on auditioning for commercials and industrials. This made me realize how much I wanted to begin teaching film & television acting. No one was doing it in Dallas. Some were teaching acting for stage, but not film & television. I had never taught before, but I had studied with the best acting coach in L.A. twice a week for 7 years and was one of his advanced students.
After being a talent agent for some years, we sold the agency and I began teaching. I had 5 of my previous actors from the agency who begged me to start teaching and who promised to sign up on the spot if I did so.
I started with those 5 actors and a list. The list was comprised of what I absolutely wanted and didn’t want from my work life going forward. Here are a few of the things that were on it.
1. I don’t ever want to work with any A-holes again in my life!
2. I don’t ever want to have to wear business attire in my life.
3. I don’t ever want to drive in rush hour traffic again in my life.
4. I don’t want to advertise or have a published phone number.
5. I wanted all actors to come to me through word of mouth only.
6. I wanted to charge low prices so actors could afford my ongoing training.
I stayed true to these things. If a student turned out to be an A-hole to me, I kicked them out.
For many years you could not find me unless someone gave you my contact number. I was not published anywhere. I did not advertise.
I kept my prices low because we all know actors are broke, broke, broke and I wanted to make it easier on them.
I ended up having full classes and a waiting list that was a yearlong.
Eventually, of course, came the internet and I finally developed a website which included my contact information.
I have now been teaching film and television acting for almost 30 years. My teaching is strongly based on The Meisner Method of acting, which is what my coach taught me so many years ago. I have an associate coach, Michelle Sherrill, who teaches all the actors on my waiting list until a spot becomes available in one of my classes. If a more experienced actor comes in, and I happen to have an opening in one of my classes, (and my associate has no one ready to move up yet), they can do a cold read to see if I think they could start directly with me. Some of my actors have been with me up to 17 years!
R.E.A.C.T. actors work. And that’s what it’s all about after all.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I started with only 5 actors, so money was extremely tight. I couldn’t afford to rent a studio so the dearly departed voice-over talent, Mr. Bob Magruder, lent me a room to use for nothing to help me get started.
R.E.A.C.T. Acting Studio – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am known for turning out very strong film actors who truly listen, trust their instincts and act from their gut and not their head. That, in turn, is what sets me apart from others.
Your conscious mind is devoid of all reaction and emotion. It is totally logical. Art is not logical. All of emotion and reaction lives in the subconscious mind. The part of our mind we can’t see, yet it makes up over 90% of our brain power. I teach people to turn off their logical computer (conscious mind) and learn to trust their gut (subconscious mind).
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I only care about the success of my actors. My entire focus is on teaching them. Helping them. It’s not about me or my ego. It’s all about them. Money isn’t a motivator for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.reactactors.com
- Phone: 214-834-8770
- Email: studio@reactactors.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Michele-Condreys-REACT-Acting-Studio-150727431647988/
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