Teaching Artist
Teaching Artist
As a teacher, I pride myself on leading students to make their own discoveries by working with them instead of teaching at them.
I currently serve as Director of the award winning First Stage Young Company, for which I also teach Movement and Acting Fundamentals. I also do private monologue coaching and work with clients on effective habits for voice and speech.
Testimonials
Matt's capacity to handle the demands of verse is an incalculable asset to any production he is a part of. Think of Matt as a brilliant sculptor, and the genius of Shakespeare's writing as the finest marble. I trust him implicitly to train actors in preparation for performance of Shakespeare.
—Christopher Carter Sanderson, Founding Artistic Director, Gorilla Rep., Professor, SUNY Oswego
"Matt's ability to breathe life into classic text is extraordinary. He has a tremendous talent for leaping straight to the heart of the material and guiding actors through it with care, zip, and attention to every sparkling detail. Thorough, professional, and gleefully talented as an actor, director, and teacher, he has the solid training and experience to teach this work, and the rare gift of heart that makes actors, directors, students, and audiences realize why this work must be taught."
—Ken Schatz, Independent acting coach
"Extraordinary... Matt provides an enormous wealth of insight, practical tools, and knowledge to actors of all levels approaching Shakespeare's texts. He gives simple suggestions for difficult matter, and most importantly, demands that we make decisions about the texts on our own, outside of direction. What we're left with is a glorious feeling of ability. We're no longer intimidated by Shakespeare or anyone who directs his work. I give him enormous credit for my success. Take Matt Daniels' Cues & All verse workshop. It's worth its weight in gold!"
—N.P., actor
"Having been lucky enough to work with Matt as my director as well as my fellow actor, I can say what makes his work so exciting is his faith to the text, his innate understanding of Shakespearean style, and the fearless way he brings the scope of classic text into full modern focus."
—M.J., actor
"Matt is both very inspired and very knowledgeable when it comes to the building blocks of Shakespeare's texts. That comes across clearly and gives him a natural 'credibility' which is priceless: because it gives the workshop a natural atmosphere of trust--in Matt and in the work. It's one of the intangibles that makes a good teacher, and Matt is a very, very good teacher. He has the ability to guide actors on a journey, while letting them actually take the journey themselves. It's a joy. That, combined with the real, practical knowledge of how to approach working on the text, made for an invaluable workshop."
—E.S., actor
"One of the best things I did for myself as an actress"
—A.G., actor