| rev:text
| - First off, read the other reviews, any particular words that are popping up over and over again?
This is not an acting class, it is a cult.
Michele Lonsdale Smith is a woman who clearly exhibits the signs of a person with a severe Narcissistic Personality Disorder. I'm sure she will adapt to the recent criticism, and change her tactics to rope in more unsuspecting *desperate* individuals who want nothing more than to be successful actors.
She will feed you a load of **** she will make you admit things that *are* *not* *true*. And she will dissect you with her own brutal form of psychotherapy, even though she is not a trained or licensed practitioner.
The things that are positive in the class do not outweigh the negative things it will cause. You have probably seen amazing work in the class and I cannot argue about that. However I can't remember when my work wasn't motivated by fear of being destroyed by her or her other sub teachers.
She is a *master* manipulator.
She will praise you and tear you down as she sees fit, she will always keep you guessing as to why you have enraged her. She will not tell you, because that is how she will keep you afraid and hold power over you.
She will plant things in your head, and you will over think them, searching for the *truth* of it all. "Truth" is something that she constantly preaches. But it doesn't matter if you feel as though you are being truthful or not. She will let you know whether or not you're being honest, don't worry. The result will leave you doubting everything you say and do, even on a basic person to person level.
She will gaslight you, make you feel crazy, that you're a "drama queen" or that you are acting solely out of ego. Nothing is ever her fault.
If you disagree with her she will tear you down in ways you cannot even imagine. I have never heard her say "Yeah, you could be right about that"
She is infallible, and if you join the cult, you will do whatever you need to do to fit in, I.E. Recruit more people, advertise the plays she puts on, you will take her "notes" without question, simply because you want to belong.
You will Lie. You will lie until she leaves you alone, she won't know if you're lying but she'll pretend that she does, and if she is not satisfied with your answer she will probe until your brain comes up with something to appease her. The chances of it being "true" are very slim.
She will try and pretend like she's getting people to have solidarity with you when you admit the things that "make you human" guess what, your classmates will listen to what happened to you, the things you've done and said, and they'll still judge you, so don't over share, what does some horrible trauma that happened to you have to do with acting? Why does she/ and the rest of the class need to know about it? To make you fearless to admit those things? You don't need to be ashamed of what has hurt you, but this class is not the place to share it, as she is not trained in a professional way to deal with it.
She will use the things you admit, to put you in a box, and people will define you as that. They will not see you as a full individual, they will see you as "this person who experienced this trauma, therefore they are this way. I have seen done to multiple students.
Sometimes she will get lucky and know that you are lying and you'll go "Holy ****, she's psychic" No she's not, she has a very watered down knowledge of Limbic system, which is what the body's "Tells" are under duress. They are not factual either, they can be used as educated guesses. You want to get good at it like she is? Read a book called "What every body is saying" written by an FBI profiler, and he will tell you as well that it's very difficult to detect deception, something that she apparently is right about all the time. She also guesses all the time. Think of all the times you lied and that she *didn't* know. Remember that.
There is a large group of actors who are scared of her, and are scared to say these things, and I admit that I was for a long time, which is why I hadn't done this.
Her class is unsafe. Look up; Cults, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Cult Leaders, Gaslighting. If you're studying with her currently and are having second thoughts, there are many people who share your sentiments.
If you are still in class and you want to leave. You are not crazy, You are not alone. The abuse you went through is real, and you can leave if you want to.
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-disorders/narcissistic-personality-disorder.htm
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