Esper NEXT is a series of classes, workshops, and guest speakers/teachers in which our alumni may continue to hone their craft and develop skills for the rapidly changing professional world. These offerings are open to all who have completed the Two-Year Program at the Esper Studio.

Career Launch Program


We are thrilled to introduce the Career Launch Program, an advanced, 20-week experience designed to help our alumni transition from training into the professional world of acting.

 

Guided by long-time Esper Studio Acting and Audition Technique teacher, Deb Jackel, and Studio Director Suzanne Esper, this program focuses on industry-specific skills, advanced audition technique, and real-world exposure. Highlights include:

  • Scene Study with Suzanne Esper
  • Advanced audition and industry prep with Deb Jackel
  • Mentorships with working agents and managers
  • Workshops with casting directors and industry guests
  • Talk-backs with professional artists
  • Staged industry presentations in NYC
  • Digital presentation shared nationwide via Breakdown Services

Industry Workshops


Utilizing our wide network of industry guest teachers, workshops are offered in both one-night and multi-week formats. These workshops are designed to hone alumni skills in specific industry focuses while developing meaningful relationships with industry professionals.


Scene Study


Each semester, members of our Acting Faculty offer scene study classes exclusively to Esper Studio alumni. These 5-10 week classes provide an opportunity for alumni to sharpen their skills and either continue working with their teacher from the two-year program or gain a new perspective from a teacher they have not yet had the opportunity to work with.

New Work Nights


An opportunity for our alumni to present new work and works-in-progress to fellow Esper graduates and faculty. Alumni may submit scripts to be read at a table in front of an alumni audience or submit already produced films, shorts or web content for Esper community screenings. This provides an incubator-like environment for alumni to share their work and receive feedback within a group of their respected peers.

 

Alumni should check this page regularly for updates on upcoming offerings. We also send monthly Esper NEXT newsletters and announcements via email. Please contact the studio if you are a graduate and would like to receive these updates!

Upcoming Classes & Workshops


September 27, 2025
November 1, 2025

Scene Study w/ David Newer

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September 30, 2025
October 28, 2025

Scene Study w/ Karen Chamberlain

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September 30, 2025
November 18, 2025

The Audition Experience w/ Deb Jackel and Industry Guests

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November 8, 2025
December 13, 2025

Scene Study w/ David Newer

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November 11, 2025
December 9, 2025

Scene Study w/ Karen Chamberlain

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Past Classes & Workshops


Tawny Cypress - On-Screen Auditioning

Carly Zien - Stage Intimacy Workshop

Akil Davis - Advanced Mask Workshop


Jessica Blank – Taking the Reins

Scene Study with Suzanne Esper

Audition Gym with Deb Jackel


Scene Study with David Newer

Robert Z. Grant - Improv For Actors

Monologue with David Newer


Scene Study with Barbara Marchant

Bruce McCarty - Practicing the Process

David and Linda Laundra - Self-Tape Workshop


Richard Schiff (Alumni Talkback)

Sam Rockwell (Alumni Talkback)

Brad Dourif (Guest Speaker)


Dulé Hill (Alumni Talkback)

Timothy Olyphant (Alumni Talkback)

Teddy Sears (Alumni Talkback)


Shakespeare’s Speeches w/ Nancy Mayans & Suzanne Esper

Katheryn Winnick (Alumni Talkback)

2026

Upcoming Acting & Industry Classes
⸻ Esper Next
6/30/26

Crafting You Career w/ Deb Jackel and Manager Megan Lohne

This workshop addresses the skills, tools, and materials to market yourself to casting directors, agents, managers, and other industry professionals.

 

Deb Jackel and guest manager Megan Lohne, from Lohne/Graham Management, will review your headshots and resume and you will then perform a 2-minute scene of your choosing from a recent TV show, film, or play that you feel represents your work, and who you are as an actor/where you fit into the current marketplace. Together, Deb and Megan will provide feedback focused on how to present yourself authentically, accurately, and effectively in the industry.

There will also be a group discussion where you will be able to ask any questions you have about the business and getting/working with agents and/or managers

 

Date: Tuesday, 6/30
Time: 2pm - 5pm

 

Megan Lohne is a New York City-based talent manager, educator, playwright, and arts advocate. She is the co-owner of Lohne/Graham Management, where she represents actors working across Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theatre, television, and film.

With nearly two decades in the entertainment industry, Megan has worked as both an agent and manager, helping performers navigate every stage of their careers. Her clients have appeared in Broadway productions including Hamilton, Hadestown, Hell's KItchen, MJ, The Great Gatsby, Six, and Beetlejuice, at leading New York theatre institutions including Lincoln Center Theater, MCC, and Clubbed Thumb, and in television and film proejcts including The Pitt, The Gilded Age, Your Friends & Neightbors, The Diplomat, The Penguin, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Women of the Movement, American Fiction, and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Her clients work has also been featured at Sundance, TIFF, and Tribeca Fim Festivals, in Hallmark films, and in the upcoming Netflix series Little House on the Prairie.


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