Upcoming Experiences
Practices in Presence
A Three-Part Workshop Series
Presence is not something we manufacture. It is something we uncover through attention, practice, and encounter.
This July, the MSM Lab invites you to three workshops led by artists and educators working across voice, movement, performance, and image-making. Each workshop offers a different doorway into presence - through the voice, through the body, and through the camera.
Participants may enroll in individual workshops or join the full series.
Meet our Guest Artists
Freeing The Voice
A two-day Voice Workshop rooted in the Alexander Technique
withBanaue Miclat is an actress, opera singer, voice teacher, and faculty member of the University of the Philippines Diliman Department of Theatre Arts. Her work draws from the Alexander Technique, voice studies, and performance practice.
This workshop explores the relationship between breath, alignment, awareness, and vocal expression. Through guided exercises and practical exploration, participants will investigate what may be limiting the natural freedom of the voice and discover pathways toward greater ease, resonance, and presence.
ACTRESS | OPERA SINGER | VOICE TEACHER | U.P. PROFESSORBanaue Miclat
July 4–5, 2026
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Hook Studios, 7 South A Street, Barangay Paligsahan, Quezon City
Workshop Fee
₱6,000
The Intimate Lens
A two-day Intensive on Acting for the Camera
withDan Villegas
Dan Villegas is an award-winning filmmaker, cinematographer, and director whose work spans film, television, and commercial storytelling. His films are known for their emotional clarity, visual sensitivity, and attention to human behavior.
This workshop examines the unique demands of performance for the camera. Through scene work, on-camera exercises, and practical exploration, participants will investigate how presence, listening, and truthful behavior translate through the intimate gaze of the lens.
CINEMATOGRAPHER | DIRECTOR | PRODUCERJuly 18–19, 2026
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
CMB Film Services, 5 Ilaw St., San Francisco Del Monte, Quezon City
Workshop Fee
₱20,000
Daloy Movement Intensive
A two-day Embodied Movement Laboratory
withEa Torrado is a choreographer, movement artist, educator, and founder of Daloy Dance Company. Her work explores the body as a site of inquiry, memory, imagination, and encounter.
Designed for performers, artists, educators, and curious beginners, this workshop invites participants into a series of embodied practices that cultivate attention, responsiveness, and presence. Drawing from movement research, improvisation, and collaborative exploration, participants will investigate how presence emerges through relationship - with self, with others, and with space.
FOUNDER - DALOY DANCE COMPANY & DALOY MOVEMENTEa Torrado
July 25-26, 2026
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
GC Studios, 104 13th Ave., Brgy. Soccoro, Cubao, Quezon City
Workshop Fee
₱7,000
Bundle Rate
₱30,000
Savings: ₱3,000
Full Series Bundle
Attend all three workshops and experience three complementary approaches to cultivating presence.
(Includes Freeing the Voice, The Intimate Lens, and Daloy Movement Intensive)
First Principles Acting
MEISNER & SYSTEMIC COACHING
So many of you asked - and now it’s happening: Octave Karalievitch returns for the second batch of First Principles Acting.
If you missed the first run, here’s your chance to experience this bold, deeply honest approach to the craft. Join us for an immersive, filmed acting lab rooted in the Meisner technique and enriched by systemic coaching!
This isn’t just a workshop—it’s a transformational experience.
Don’t sleep on this. 💥
LEVEL 1
July 14-18 (5 days)
Monday to Friday
6 to 10pm
LEVEL 2
July 21, 23, 25, 27 (4 days)
Mon | Wed | Fri | Sun
6 to 10pm
Click here to sign up!
〰️
Click here to sign up! 〰️
Meet Octave
After studying science (mathematics and physics in preparatory classes, then the philosophy of science and knowledge), Octave shifted his focus toward psychology and cognitive science, developing a particular interest in three areas of research: creativity, education, and therapy.
Interested in personal growth and emotional freedom, he also trained in contemporary approaches to “brief therapies” and coaching such as NLP and Ericksonian Hypnosis, earning a Master Practitioner certification from the Society of NLP.
After training as an actor, he discovered many Russian and American techniques (including: Constantin STANISLAVSKI, Stella ADLER, Sanford MEISNER, Lee STRASBERG, Eric MORRIS…) and it was the Meisner technique that particularly drew his attention—beyond the emotional honesty it fosters in the actor, for its healthy, playful, and straightforward approach.
Noticing early on the connections between this method and his previous fields of study, he also became aware of the wide variety of its interpretations around the world. He then founded the Paris Meisner Studio to bring qualified teachers to Paris, allowing actors to train in a rigorous and supportive environment while exploring complementary aspects of the technique, its history, and evolution.
In his quest to deepen his understanding of the Meisner technique—for himself and for his students—he designed a novel system of research and development, of which the Meisner & systemic coaching program (also known as First Principles Acting) is the result.
Alongside his teaching and school leadership, Octave continues to train in related disciplines to enrich this ongoing research, having completed, among others, a 5-year Gestalt therapy curriculum at EPG, a trainer certification program, and a course in Radical Honesty developed by Brad Blanton (stemming from Gestalt and Ericksonian hypnosis, aligned with the “point of view” work in the Meisner technique).
He is also interested in traditional meditation practices and Buddhist mind-body systems, particularly Vipassana.
In 2022, Octave produced and co-directed the school’s first short film with Guillaume Caramelle, “C’est pas le Pérou !”, a comedy written by Aurélien Laplace. The film is available on OCS, CanalPlay, and Amazon Prime.
Postponed until further notice
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Postponed until further notice 〰️
Cultivating Confidence
by UK Casting Associate and NLP Coach, JADE RAMBAUT
Venue: Quezon City (TBC)
￡189
Scene work with scenes from movies Jade has worked on. Live, in the room, redirection.
NLP visualisation exercises and relaxation techniques to help ground you before approaching a character/scene, but also for life's ups and downs.
Final notes to go away with and tape at home. Personalized feedback on self-tapes after the workshop.
Self-tape is to be sent to Jade within 14 days of the workshop for final notes.
Industry Q&A, top tips.
Jade has worked for Sophie Holland Casting and Finnian Tweed Casting and has been responsible for casting projects such as: Indian Detective, Down a Dark Hall, The Witcher Season 1, Sweet Bitter, Redeeming Love, NBC Pilot season (2019 & 2020), Mary, Den of Thieves 2, Levon's Trade.
A multi-hyphenate of the highest order, Jade has also produced two feature films, 'Butterfly Kisses', which won the Berlin Bear (Berlinale Film Festival) and 'A Brixton Tale' (starring Jaime Winstone and Lily Newmark), is currently in pre-production on another two international features, and has joined forces with an Australian film development company!
With a background as a trained actor-turned-Casting Director, as well as a Qualified NLP, and CBT coach and a long-standing Associate and Coach in the European Entertainment Industry, Jade knows the best acting is when it is real, messy and unplanned and will be able to help you find the truth in your mess and communicate it through the scene.
Officially a Trauma-Informed Coach, Jade works closely with Frankie Fearis (Casting Associate) and Mimi Khayisa (Actress/The Witcher) on projects which support Actors and their Mental Wealth.
Past Events
First Principles Acting
MEISNER & SYSTEMIC COACHING
Join us for an immersive, filmed acting lab rooted in the Meisner technique and enriched by systemic coaching!
This isn’t just a workshop—it’s a transformational experience.
LEVEL 1
June 9-13 (5 days)
Monday to Friday
6 to 10pm
LEVEL 2
June 14-15, 21-22 (4 days)
Saturday to Sunday
2 to 6pm
Meet Octave
After studying science (mathematics and physics in preparatory classes, then the philosophy of science and knowledge), Octave shifted his focus toward psychology and cognitive science, developing a particular interest in three areas of research: creativity, education, and therapy.
Interested in personal growth and emotional freedom, he also trained in contemporary approaches to “brief therapies” and coaching such as NLP and Ericksonian Hypnosis, earning a Master Practitioner certification from the Society of NLP.
After training as an actor, he discovered many Russian and American techniques (including: Constantin STANISLAVSKI, Stella ADLER, Sanford MEISNER, Lee STRASBERG, Eric MORRIS…) and it was the Meisner technique that particularly drew his attention—beyond the emotional honesty it fosters in the actor, for its healthy, playful, and straightforward approach.
Noticing early on the connections between this method and his previous fields of study, he also became aware of the wide variety of its interpretations around the world. He then founded the Paris Meisner Studio to bring qualified teachers to Paris, allowing actors to train in a rigorous and supportive environment while exploring complementary aspects of the technique, its history, and evolution.
In his quest to deepen his understanding of the Meisner technique—for himself and for his students—he designed a novel system of research and development, of which the Meisner & systemic coaching program (also known as First Principles Acting) is the result.
Alongside his teaching and school leadership, Octave continues to train in related disciplines to enrich this ongoing research, having completed, among others, a 5-year Gestalt therapy curriculum at EPG, a trainer certification program, and a course in Radical Honesty developed by Brad Blanton (stemming from Gestalt and Ericksonian hypnosis, aligned with the “point of view” work in the Meisner technique).
He is also interested in traditional meditation practices and Buddhist mind-body systems, particularly Vipassana.
In 2022, Octave produced and co-directed the school’s first short film with Guillaume Caramelle, “C’est pas le Pérou !”, a comedy written by Aurélien Laplace. The film is available on OCS, CanalPlay, and Amazon Prime.
FROILAN BETANCOR-TONER
Intro to Meisner
2-Day Workshop!
7 & 8 December 2024 | Saturday & Sunday
10AM - 2PM (Philippine Time)
₱2000.00
Experience how the Meisner Technique is taught at Playhouse West LA, where Sanford Meisner himself taught for over a decade!
Froi is an Actor, Director, Teacher, and Staff Member at Playhouse West LA. One of the highest-regarded acting schools in Los Angeles, USA, Playhouse West has been providing Authentic Meisner Training for 40 years.
Live Webinar with Holly Gagnier!
21 September 2024 | Saturday
10AM - 12PM (Philippine Time)
Senior Staff Member & Director at Playhouse West LA, Holly is here to talk about her experience teaching the technique for over thirty years and studying under Sanford Meisner himself. Don’t miss out on this chance to meet a first-generation Meisner teacher!
Joining us is Froilan Betancor-Toner!
Staff Member and Teacher at Playhouse West LA, he has been teaching the technique for six years.
Casting Director Workshop
9 August 2024 The Box Studios PH
Meisner Studio Manila is thrilled to welcome UK Casting Director, Jade Rambaut to our studio! Jade has worked for Sophie Holland Casting and Finnian Tweed Casting and has been responsible for casting projects such as: Indian Detective, Down a Dark Hall, The Witcher Season 1, Sweet Bitter, Redeeming Love, NBC Pilot season (2019 & 2020), Mary, Den of Thieves 2, Levon's Trade.
A multi-hyphenate of the highest order, Jade has also produced two feature films, 'Butterfly Kisses', which won the Berlin Bear (Berlinale Film Festival) and 'A Brixton Tale' (starring Jaime Winstone and Lily Newmark), is currently in pre-production on another two international features, and has joined forces with an Australian film development company!
With a background as a trained actor-turned-Casting Director, as well as a Qualified NLP, and CBT coach and a long-standing Associate and Coach in the European Entertainment Industry, Jade knows the best acting is when it is real, messy and unplanned and will be able to help you find the truth in your mess and communicate it through the scene.
Officially a Trauma-Informed Coach, Jade works closely with Frankie Fearis (Casting Associate) and Mimi Khayisa (Actress/The Witcher) on projects which support Actors and their Mental Wealth.
ACTING FOR THE CAMERA
ACTING FOR THE CAMERA
January 11, 2023
Venue
CMB Film Services PH
Dan Villegas
The camera might be the most intimate acting partner an actor could have. Actors need to understand the importance of their relationship to the camera and to be at ease in front of it. This workshop will help to develop the actor's on-camera acting skills. and increase confidence and understanding on how to relate to the camera.
The workshop will be led by acclaimed cinematographer, producer, and director, Dan Villegas. Participants will finish the workshop with a recorded duologue scene partner from class.
Dan Villegas is a Filipino cinematographer and director. He won the 2014 Metro Manila Film Festival Best Director award for his film English Only, Please. He graduated from Ateneo de Manila University. He also took up film courses at the Marilou Diaz Abaya Film Institute and Berlinale Talents in Europe.
He has since directed box office hits such as “The Break-Up Playlist”, “How To Be Yours”, and “Always Be My Maybe”, the latter named one of the best Filipino films of 2016 by CNN. His entry at the 41st Metro Manila Film Festival, “#WalangForever” won Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Story, Best Screenplay, the Fernando Poe Memorial Award and Best Picture, and was in competition at the 2016 Osaka Asian Film Festival.