Testimonials
Caitlin (Sporborg) Davies
is currently attending the MFA
program at Brown/Trinity Rep.
"Jodie Lynne McClintock is everything an
acting coach should be. A talented actress
herself, Jodie helped me to see my own potential
and worked tirelessly with me to hone these
skills and properly prepare me for my graduate
school auditions. In the process, not only did I
become a better actress and ultimately have
incredibly successful graduate school auditions
(I was accepted into Brown/Trinity Rep’s MFA
program) that I felt proud of, I also gained a
true mentor and friend. Having spoken to other
actors that have studied with Jodie, I know that
she works tirelessly with every student that
walks through her door to make them the best
performer they can be and has a high success
rate of getting people into the graduate schools
of their choice or cast in productions. I know
that Jodie will always be there for me to talk
about acting, my career, or my life. I highly
recommend Jodie Lynne McClintock as an acting
coach to anyone wishing to hone his or her
craft."
Jason Beaubien
is an actor (MFA grad ART/MXAT/Harvard
University) and creator of the web series Return
2 Sender.
"There aren't enough words to adequately express
my gratitude to Jodie. She is an amazing
teacher, actor, mentor, and friend. I would not
have gotten accepted to grad school without her
help and guidance. Jodie is an expert on all
facets of the grad school audition process and
has helped countless students regularly get
accepted into the top acting programs in the
country. From monologue selection to wardrobe
decisions to the application and interview
process, Jodie was there guiding me every step
of the way. She absolutely cannot be beat when
it comes to choosing a coach for grad school
preparation!
I continue to go to Jodie for audition prep and
have referred numerous friends and colleagues to
her. I have sent everyone from the absolute
beginner just entering the acting field to the
professional who is looking for help with
callbacks for Broadway, regional theatre,
television, and film to her and without fail,
every person has come out falling in love with
Jodie and her approach to acting! She is the
perfect combination of nurturing and support while still holding one to the highest of
standards. She has helped me break many of my
personal acting habits that I so often used as a
crutch and as a result my performances/auditions
have felt more natural and nuanced (and more
fun!).
Aside from being a great teacher, she is also a
terrific actress who is constantly working in
all mediums. She understands what it's like to
audition because she actually does it. Jodie has
experience with everything from Shakespeare to
sitcoms and is excited to share her wisdom and
insights. She wants nothing more than to see her
students succeed and her results speak for
themselves!"
Erin Whitney
is currently attending the MFA program at
Asolo/FSU.
"If I had not met Jodie McClintock, I think I
would still be running around New York City
broke, like a chicken with my head cut off.
Lucky for me, her Queens Studio provided the
ideal ambiance for focused, intelligent and
inspired work. On my first visit, Jodie pulled
from memory at least 30 or 40 contemporary plays
that had characters suitable for my look and
type. I checked these out from the Lincoln
Center library and scanned them for monologues.
Turns out, I was personally drawn to about half
of them. These I read out loud, and we discussed
how we felt about each piece. For graduate
program auditions, we settled on two of them and
also worked on four Shakespeare pieces. Working
with Jodie was like a breath of fresh air. She
is calm and considerate. Even when I was on edge
from a busy day, sessions were always
productive. This put me at ease and allowed me
to ask real questions I had about acting,
Shakespeare, directors, anything industry
related. Over the course of a few months we
delicately transformed the pieces into living
portraits that nailed the absolute right grad
program for me personally, and that continue to
nail auditions for me at regional theatres
around the country. Three years ago, I felt that
I had a great inner actress trapped inside me,
struggling to present my skills in the proper
way. Because Jodie is thorough, brilliant and
invested, my own hard work finally yielded
results; and I was able to finally discover
myself as an artist. It was an absolutely
invaluable experience, one I wish for everyone."
Daniel Lendzian
is currently attending the MFA
program at UT/Austin.
"There are people that one meets that change the
course of one’s life forever. For me, Jodie
Lynne McClintock is one of those people. I first
met Jodie while performing in a production of
Romeo and Juliet. I was blown away by her
performance, by her knowledge of, and connection
to the text. I felt as if I was in the presence
of one of those fabled RSC actors (little did I
know!) She was equally funny and moving in the
role of the Nurse, and I knew I had to get to
know her. In conversation, she told me that she
was an acting coach, and I quickly made the
decision to study with her.
I began coaching sessions with Jodie to prepare
for Graduate School Auditions. Soon after, I
began to realize that my work with her was the
perfect bridge between my undergraduate
education and the work I had done
professionally. Jodie helped me pick monologues
that were unique, and that spoke to me as a
human and an artist. Jodie has an almost 6th
sense when it comes to selecting audition
material for students, (and I continue to use
some of the pieces that we worked together).
Throughout our sessions, Jodie addressed
lingering technique questions that I had with
care and understanding. I became a better actor
working with Jodie in those months, and went
into my auditions feeling prepared and ready to
attend graduate school. After a number of
successful auditions and callbacks, it became
clear that I was not going to be accepted into
graduate school that year. Immediately, Jodie
helped me to start planning for the future. We
discussed many different options for the
upcoming months, and continued working together.
We decided that I should do another round of
graduate school auditions, and began
preparations. Jodie and I worked together on
every facet of my audition and the application
process. I went into my auditions feeling even
stronger than I had the year before. I, again,
received callbacks and great feedback, and
accepted an offer from The University of Texas
at Austin. This never would have occurred
without the help of Jodie Lynne McClintock.
I feel blessed to count Jodie Lynne
McClintock as a friend and mentor. She is a
constant source of inspiration, and I find
myself referencing her whenever I work. She is
the perfect blend of American and British Acting
styles, and her knowledge of classical material
is unparalleled. Also, I have made great friends
with students from the Queens Studio, which
feels like an artistic home. I cannot recommend
Jodie highly enough. If you are considering
working with her, please do it. You will be
eternally grateful.
Puja (Lalmalani) Mohindra
is an actress (MFA grad American
Conservatory Theatre) and has appeared in film,
TV (CSI Miami, Ghost Whisperer) and theatre
(South Coast Rep, NYTW).
I just wanted to take a moment and tell you
about a wonderful friend of mine, Jodie
McClintock . . . she is a fantastic teacher and
artist and an exceptional human being.
I'm introducing you to her because we are
bombarded with names and schools as we seek to
train in our craft and grow artistically. It
took me a year and a half to discover Jodie, and
as we all know, a good teacher can take you
places you never knew you could go, and a
not-so-great teacher can't . . . at worst, a
not-so-great teacher can even damage your
instrument.
I met Jodie through Anita Gandhi - whom some of
you know. Anita is one of more than 12 students
that have gone to grad school at Yale with the
help of Jodie's coaching. Jodie prepared
numerous other students who have received
admissions to grad programs at NYU, the Alabama
Shakespeare Festival, the American Repertory
Theatre at Harvard, Brown University, University
of Washington, the American Conservatory
Theatre, UC-Irvine, Univ. of California - San
Diego, and many others.
Earlier this year, I worked on "Far Away", at
the New York Theatre Workshop. The show starred
Frances McDormand and a fantastic young actor,
Chris Messina. Chris played a leading role and
did an amazing job. I later found out that he,
too, has studied under Jodie.
Excuse my rambling on about Jodie's glories, but I
absolutely adore her, so I appreciate you taking
the time to read this. I am telling you about
her because I think she's been a secret for too
long, and I want you to know what an amazing
resource, guide, and friend she can be as we
prepare for auditions, shows, films, and all the
other creative processes that we are blessed to
participate in.
I know that many of you have found your own
"gurus" in NYC or wherever you happen to be, but
I just wanted to introduce you to mine. I
appreciate and thank you for taking the time to
read this.
Anitha Gandhi
is an actress (MFA grad Yale School of
Drama) and has appeared in film (Starting Out in
the Evening), TV (Law and Order CI, Damages) and
theatre (Yale Rep).
I have learned so much from Jodie, it is almost
hard to articulate in words. She has helped me
break so many actor habits and I have become
freer with my choices. I judge less and give
more, She has taught me to take risks and go big
and then to gracefully trim down to reach the
truth in each character. Jodie is a genius when
it comes to classical texts and we would go over
every word of a piece to decipher the sound,
meaning, perspective, relevance, and
significance to the character, the play, and
within the context of the society when the play
was written. She coaches on every detail from
acting to what to wear to an audition and I
consult with her frequently on my professional
auditions on the simplest detail of what color
my shirt should be to the complex notion of what
my character wants. Everything I do onstage or
in an audition is credited to her constant
guidance.
Jodie treats her students like they are each her
children and their success is the most important
goal in her career.
I would not have gotten into Yale Drama without
her. That whole audition, callback, everything
was a result of her pushing and pushing to take
a chance and to not take the easy road. Every
question the auditioner asked me, I answered
solidly and without hesitation because Jodie
prepared from every possible angle. And she did
so in a way to allow for my own interpretation
and flexibility in order to be able to be molded
by someone else if need be.
Eric Stone
attended the MFA program at the Yale
School of Drama.
Without sounding hokey and pretentious, I can
honestly say that working with Jodie changed my
life and outlook on theater and what is means to
be an actor and artist in this society. Jodie
teaches with a unique combination of intense
focus, humor, direction, ease, compassion and
understanding unlike any other teacher I've ever
had or worked with. She is highly perceptive to
where every actor is in his/her work at every
given moment, and has the unique gift of pulling
out magnetic performances from the most unlikely
people. Jodie's authentic love and passion for
Shakespeare and the work is rooted in every
aspect of her teaching. She never "breaks-down"
an actor, but empowers them through work on both
the vocal and physical, as well as the
inner-workings and individuality of the
character. She is a teacher who believes in
action and playing action rather than in
wallowing, emotional self-indulgence. Jodie's
extremely healthy and joyful approach to these
methods of teaching produces amazing creativity
and individuality in every actor and
performance. I believe Jodie's productivity
stems from her abilities and talents as a
director and working actress.
On working monologues, Jodie helps the actor
approach the character as if he/she is actually
playing the part. She teaches from the beginning
processes of discovering a character through
text and character breakdown to the actual
playing of the scenes through action. Monologues
can often be a grueling process, but Jodie helps
the actor to discover and develop a character
from beginning to end, which was often thrilling
and fun. She is present in every moment and has
an enhanced perceptivity and keen eye for detail,
which makes every actor shine in their own truth
and imagination.
The private monologue work I did with Jodie in
1999 culminated into my acceptance to the Yale
School of Drama graduate acting program. Each
year Jodie coaches a large number of graduate
school applicants and virtually every student
has been accepted into one of the top-five
graduate acting schools in the United States.
I've recommended a number of friends to Jodie
and all have achieved success after having
working with her, including a friend accepted to
Yale drama this coming fall.
I've studied acting at both RADA in London, and
at the Yale School of Drama, and have not
encountered or worked with a teacher and actress
of Jodie's caliber and skill at either school.
Her love for the theater and acting is
infectious and she has enlightened me on a
myriad of levels.
If it isn't obvious from my above comments,
Jodie is a wonderful support to each and every
one of her students. She works with the student
from where they are in the moment and tells the
truth with their progress and ability in ways
that are always productive, healthy, and
creative. She always treats her students like
professionals, even if they are beginners, and
encourages them to be professionals by taking
risks and challenging themselves with the
business. Most importantly, she is honest and
direct at all times. Jodie has an ability to
point out a student's struggles/issues with pure
truth and directness, while simultaneously
making them feel respected, excited, and
engaged.
The beauty of working with Jodie is that she is
herself a successful working actress and is
equally on the line auditioning and performing.
She is extremely knowledgeable with every aspect
of the business - from theater to film to
television - and can direct and guide her
students with both business and career choices
and direction. This is unique in that many
teacher and coaches are removed from the
business themselves. Jodie approaches the work
as a religion, a vocation, and this is obvious
and admirable to all her students. She allows
her students to realize the struggles and truths
of acting and the business without making them
jaded, all the while inspiring a steep hunger
for learning and growth.
It is important to know that Jodie chooses to be
a teacher. She does it because she loves it and
not because she has been forced into it. She is
joyful and not jaded in her approach to the
work. And her joy and desire to give has given
life and spark to dozens of talented and
successful actors around the country.
Jeff Farkash
is a graduate of the MFA program
University of California Irvine.
Studying with Jodie is the best experience I
ever had working with an acting instructor.
Jodie hones in on your strengths and weaknesses
and incrementally builds from there. She is an
incredibly astute instructor who helps you to
work through your pieces, not by holding your
hand, but by allowing you to discover important
elements of the material and working on it to
improve your awareness and understanding,
thereby dramatically improving your presentation
of it. She creates a very open and enthusiastic
environment. And she certainly "knows her stuff"
- her list of prominent acting and teaching
credits is a mile long. I had studied previously
at a reputable acting conservatory before
meeting her, and didn't even begin to comprehend
Shakespeare until I worked with her. I only wish
I had more time - I was accepted into one of the
very best graduate acting programs in the
country (thanks to her instruction) and had to
leave New York. If I was still there, I would
have continued working with her
enthusiastically. And if/when I return to New
York, I will continue with her. That's how good
she is - that's how much I garnered from my
experience under her tutelage.
Her classroom is more open and encouraging than
any I have been in. She treats her students with
respect and understanding, enthusiasm and
encouragement. She is truly inspiring.
She's the best acting teacher I've ever seen,
and a terrific person to boot.
Amy Murphy
is an actress and producer.
I find working with Jodie a great experience.
She is very knowledgeable about theatre history
and has a lot of stories to tell about the time
of Shakespeare... Jodie knows and loves
actors. She is very supportive when working with
you and she has a lot of respect for the
different ways that each individual works. Jodie
can see your strengths and weaknesses very
quickly and she has wonderful ideas to help you
color all of your moments as you work. I learned
a lot from Jodie that I already knew, but didn't
know I knew as well. She has a positive energy
unlike many teachers, or people, that allow you
the safety to take risks and trust yourself
inside, in a very deep place, without feeling
indulgent or embarrassed. Jodie then helps you
to translate to behavior all of your
discoveries.
Jodie's classroom is very much a place for all
to be respected. She doesn't have any power
plays going on or any abusive teaching methods.
That is the opposite of Jodie. She is good at
creating a place for everyone to have a chance
to speak and have their time.
Overall, I would highly recommend Jodie to
anyone looking for a good coach, and I very
often do. I think that someone with as much
experience as Jodie and with the gift to impart
knowledge as well as create a safe and soulful
work space is a rarity in any art form. Simply
she's the best.
Fiona Marr
is an actress and recording artist
(Little Black Spiders) in London, England who
attended the Circle in the Square Theatre School
and Central School of Speech and Drama.
Working with Jodie was brilliant. She is a
genius in understanding Shakespeare and she
presents it to you with so much intelligence,
color, energy and love. She brings out your
imagination for the craft and stays close with
you in owning your own individuality to the
work. That's what I love about her! Coaching
privately with her was fantastic! In fact, I
didn't want the sessions to end.
Jodie's own professional background in the UK
was one of the first reasons I decided to go to
her. I was trying to enter into many of the
UK Drama Schools and I knew she would have the
hands-on experience that was necessary to assist
me. She also creates a very calm and focused
working place for you to be as free as you can
to undergo and explore the work. She is
definitely a master at what she does.
She has taught me so much about the craft, the
business, and a little bit about myself too.
Through her teachings I was called back many
times to UK Drama Schools and placed on the
Reserve List for the Bristol Old Vic Theatre
School and Yale School of Drama.
She is somewhat like a mother to all her
students. She is respectful, loving, direct and
honest.
She is the #1 master teacher here in New York
and she should be recognized for her
contribution, dedication and craftsmanship.
Artemis Preeshl
is founding producing artistic director
of “Artemis and the Wild Things”, a Fulbright
Fellow in India, an international acting fellow
at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, and an
associate professor at Loyola University in New
Orleans.
Jodie is very specific about the diverse
meanings of words. She is very insightful into
the application of the text to a given
production, especially as it relates to
alternative setting of Shakespeare.
She crafts each moment carefully.
She listens well, encouraging the actor to bring
out their own special interpretation.
She is gentle in her approach to students, firm
at times when she feels that the student needs
to be pushed. She strikes a good balance.
Emily Metz
is a writer, artist, and head of Touch of
Crass Productions in NY.
I have learned confidence. I have learned how to
break down text. How to play action. How to
recognize an impulse and go with it. How to
define character from text. How to support
voice. I have learned and continue to learn an
organic technique that I consider better than
most. Jodie treats her students with great
kindness and respect. I consider her to be an
extraordinary resource. She is a formally
trained actor who has a great ability to teach.
She does so with passion and joy.
Laura Mayhew Lash
is an actress (The Sopranos) and mother
of twins.
Jodie takes what I'm giving as an actor and
expands on it. She doesn't try to "change" me.
She also has a good sense for directing. She
treats every student as an individual and is
always respectful. Jodie came highly recommended
to me and I've been impressed and enthused about
her classes. |