"Michelle Best is a master NYC based improviser and acting coach who frames listening this way - "listening is your superpower; It’s what tells you everything you need to know about what tactics you employ in order to accomplish your objective. Think of listening as data input. Only by truly receiving all that the person speaking is communicating - including the larger and often more revealing nonverbal communication - can you process what they are giving you so that you can respond from a place of pure understanding. From that place of understanding, you can communicate more directly, and to the core of what is specifically being addressed. You gain clarity, through listening, and can focus more directly on the 'how' to accomplish, having processed the 'what' that needs accomplishing."
"I have always been an impulsive woman, yet there are contrary messages we, as women, as mothers, have been taught or have had handed down to us. It is very difficult to be an artistically viable woman, and to try and be ‘good’ and ‘right’ at the same time, especially for mothers. There’s an inherent selflessness one must have to be a ‘good Mother’ and as an artistic woman, it is sometimes hard to give enough to our own creations-"
Hear from the experts about her work:
"There are a lot of people who understand improvisation intellectually. There’s a well-established body of theory and knowledge. Michelle knows this stuff. But fewer people can get on their feet and put the theory into practice as dynamically as she does. She has an instinct about how to find the most energized attack on a scene. This isn’t calculation. It’s a ferocious dedication to finding the truth and making the most active choices. People who have the chance to work with her (or indeed have her work for them) should count themselves lucky." -Jeffrey Sweet (Author, Something Wonderful Right Away)
"Working with Michelle is exhilarating and balls-to-the-wall fun! Her guerrilla style is bold. Chelle inspires a "make it happen" attitude in even the most recalcitrant participants." -Ali Farahnakian (PIT Founder and "Genius", according to Tina Fey)
“Michelle Best is a most compelling actor and improviser. Fortunate are those who work with her. The first time I saw her perform, and she asked me for advice, the only thing I said was, "Get famous, immediately". Michelle knows exactly who she is, watching her is seeing artistry in practice." -Gary Austin (Founder, The Groundlings)