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Breaking Character: Ex-Acting Students Speak Up (Part 1)

Published: July 24, 2023, 8 a.m.

Today\u2019s episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.\xa0

Alberta Mayne Bligh, Brooke Henderson, and Erin Boyes are among the 26 ex-students who recently spoke up about their experience under the acting tutelage of\xa0Mich\xe8le Lonsdale-Smith in a revelatory story published in The Cut. Lonsdale Smith is, by many accounts, a dogmatic leader who claims her techniques help actors tell the truth about their unresolved human motivations and make the world a better place. But what happens when details of your personal life are put on stage? What if your teacher fat shames you? Makes personal accusations, belittles, and berates you? You know, for the sake of deepening your craft or\xa0 \u2013 culty red flag \u2013 self-improvement?\xa0

Our three guests today are ex-students of culty acting classes, each with their own thriving careers in film, theater, television, directing, development and even art therapy. In the first of this two-part series, we dive into what attracted these acting students to Lonsdale Smith and what happened \u2013 the good, the bad, and the messy.

Please note, this series includes details of sexual abuse. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you, or someone who know, is a survivor of sexual assault, abuse, grooming, child abuse, or human trafficking, RAINN\u2019s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers support at 800.656.HOPE (4673).

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Notes:\xa0

May 16, 2023 article published by The Cut about Mich\xe8le Lonsdale Smith.

Alberta Mayne Bligh can be reached on Instagram and Facebook.

Erin Boyes produced Three Days with her producing and writing partner, Dani Barker. It touches on the culty side of acting classes. Here\u2019s Erin\u2019s website: http://www.erinboyes.com/

Brooke Henderson is known for filmwork but she\u2019s pivoted from acting and is now doing post-grad work in art therapy in Toronto. You can find her on Instagram.

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Also\u2026

Let it be known far and wide, loud and clear that\u2026

The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody\u2019s mad at you, just don\u2019t be a culty fuckwad.

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