CALLERI STUDIO
The studio of acclaimed casting director
and acting teacher James Calleri
Hi there,
I’m excited to announce a special offering for Summer 2025!
July 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th, @7:30pm ET
Or
July 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st, @7:30pm ET
A 4-week online mindfulness meditation course built specifically for professional actors. This group and one-on-one course helps cultivate presence, grounding, and creative fearlessness.
Led by professional actor and certified mindfulness meditation instructor Rafi Silver, the course draws from science-backed Buddhist practices and personal experience to support performance from the inside out.
Why Mindfulness for Actors?
After nearly two decades as a working actor, I’ve seen how performance anxiety, self-doubt, and the noise of the industry can block creativity and dull instincts. Mindfulness meditation changed my life.
Through hundreds of hours of practice—on and off the cushion—I built a daily habit that helped me catch internal reactions in real time, rather than being overwhelmed by them. I learned to meet pressure with presence, not panic. I trained myself to create space between stimulus and response, to return to my breath, my body, and the truth of the moment—before it was too late.
This course was born from that shift. Rooted in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and backed by modern science, it offers practical tools to help actors build emotional agility, sharpen focus, and deepen resilience.
Because when we train the mind like we train the body and voice, we unlock a level of freedom and authenticity that lets our full creative potential come through.
Why Four Weeks?
Real change takes consistency. This course is structured to help you build a habit of consistently showing up for yourself—mentally, emotionally, and creatively. Four weeks gives your nervous system the space to shift, and your practice the structure it needs to stick.
Is This Course for You?
Do you struggle to align your creativity with calm, focused presence?
Do nerves, pressure, or overthinking ever block your instincts?
Are you curious how mindfulness can elevate your craft and center your process?
Are you looking for tools to manage stress in a demanding, high-stakes industry?
Do you want to build a daily practice that supports both your work and your well-being?
Would you like to strengthen emotional resilience, clarity, and self-trust—on stage and off?
Class Details
$275 per actor
Limited to 12 participants
Meets once a week on Zoom for 1.5 hours
Weekly Breakdown
Guided group meditation practice
Integration — Group Q&A, guided discussion, and mindful listening
What’s Included
A 10-minute guided meditation MP3 recording
A personalized “Daily Mindfulness Tracker” to log reflections and questions
Two private 30-minute Zoom tutorials (Week 1 & Week 4)
About Rafi Silver
Rafi Silver is a professional actor and certified mindfulness meditation instructor with nearly 20 years in the entertainment industry. He teaches mindfulness for performance at Columbia University in the MFA Acting Program and trains professional actors and athletes worldwide through his platform, PeakMind Performance. One of his select athletes will be competing in the 2025 Masters CrossFit Games. As an actor, his credits include recurring roles in Amazon’s hit new show Fallout, as well as Law & Order: Organized Crime, Manifest, Scandal, and more. He holds an MFA from NYU, a BFA from Syracuse, and instructor certifications from Dharma Moon and The US Tibet House.
Testimonial
"Rafi's class is necessary. The anxiety we have around this business and career path can cripple us, and everyone must learn to take their power back. I’ve learned how meditation can sustain me in this business—especially loving-kindness meditation. It’s easy to think that our value comes from people outside of us and our creator, but that couldn’t be any further from the truth. We were born with worth. Our love, kindness, and grace are gifts, not only for ourselves but also for others. This is a lifelong practice.”
— Aaron J. Anderson ("Good Bones" – Public Theatre)
Interested or have questions?
Reply to this email, reach out at peakmindfulness@gmail.com
Spots are limited to 12 actors per session.
Rafi Silver
Owner | Certified Mindfulness Meditation Instructor
Peak Mind Performance
914-589-8161 | www.peakmindperformance.com
UPCOMING CLASSES & COACHING
On Recess. Please email below for next class waiting list and or private coaching. Thanks!
Email info@calleristudio.com
PRIVATE COACHING —
AUDITION PREP & CAREER ADVISEMENT
AVAILABLE ANYTIME— with notice
Keep developing your acting skills and career remotely with an online- coaching session. Private 1-on-1 sessions for audition prep, audition tech or career advisement.
15. min co-star/ 30. minute/ 1 hour sessions
3 -Sessions Packages for auditions, coaching, consult at a discount.
Please contact the studio to check Zoom availability and pricing at james@calleristudio.com or click on link below. Thanks!
ON-CAMERA & IN-PERSON SCENE STUDY
Email info@calleristudio.com for information on any and all upcoming classes.
NO CLASSES SCHEDULED RIGHT NOW. ONLY PRIVATE ONE ON ONE CAREER ADVISEMENT, AUDITION COACHING AND ON SET COACHING AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT.
ON- CAMERA EXERCISE CLASS — LEVEL 1
In this five-week class, James will help actors hone their skills through a series of on-camera film exercises using taped assignments through Zoom. This is NOT a scene study class, but rather an on-camera exploration of the actor's inner life on film. This is visual storytelling through pictures. Join James as he takes you through a journey of the different states on film: Private in Public and the Public in Public actor’s work.
ON-CAMERA EXERCISE CLASS — LEVEL 2*
Delve deeper into enriching the life of your on-camera work with these film exercises. Under James’ guidance, students will continue to explore acting on-camera film work through Zoom and taped assignments. More visual storytelling through pictures… with the actor’s exercising the Private moment in Private and moving from Private to Public in film.
*pre-requisite: Private work or On-Camera Exercise Class — Level 1
ON ZOOM
Please email info@calleristudio.com for sign up and information. Thank you!
SYSTEMS TRAINING GROUP for ACTORS & ARTISTS
Learn a practical approach to growth and change for actors and performers. An open and safe space for compassionate artists, members are committed to regularly attending each session, which will provide a container and support for the group to build upon the work they do together. Actors have called it, “a giant exhale.”
Systems provides the artist with a sense of community. The group holds space and provides the opportunity to be guided in finding the “who and what you are”. We provide the tools for exploration and growth to find your authentic self.
Led by David Schwing, LCSW and facilitator, James Calleri ON ZOOM Find out more at: https://www.davidschwing.com/arts
To register to become a member or for more info, please contact James at info@calleristudio.com
// New enrollment open for waiting list Contact us for more details, rolling enrollment - info@calleristudio.com
ZOOM & LIVE CLASSES
Reinventing how to do the work.
ABOUT
photography by Revon Yousif
JAMES CALLERI
James has worked as a casting director for over 25 years, casting for Broadway, Off-Broadway and Film & Television. He founded and co-owns the award-winning Calleri Jensen Davis, a New York-based creative casting partnership with Erica Jensen and Paul Davis. The winner of 17 Artios awards with an additional 30 nominations, James also served on the board of Casting Society of America (CSA).
Broadway casting credits include the most recent Purpose, the revivals The Piano Lesson, Topdog/Underdog, in addition to Thoughts of a Colored Man, Burn This, Venus in Fur, Hedwig & the Angry Inch, The Elephant Man (also West End), Of Mice and Men, The Visit, 33 Variations, A Raisin in the Sun, Chicago, and James Joyce’s The Dead.
Television casting credits include Love Life (HBO Max), Queens (ABC), Dickinson (Apple +), The Path (Hulu) as well as Monk, Lipstick Jungle, Hope & Faith, Army Wives and Ed.
James is the Co-Head of Acting for the Columbia University’s MFA graduate acting program. He is the author of Acting Professionally: An Essential Career Guide for the Actor published by Methuen Bloomsbury now in its 9th edition. He has taught at many acting programs, including NYU Grad, Syracuse Tepper Program, North Carolina School of the Arts, Howard University, UC Irvine and as far as the Shanghai Theater Institute in China. The new and revised Acting Professionally: An Essential Career Guide for the Actor is out now!
JAMES’ BOOK
ACTING PROFESSIONALLY
An Essential Career Guide for the Actor
Filled with essential advice and highlighting pitfalls to avoid, Acting Professionally gives a clear understanding of how acting careers are built and sustained. Now in its 9th edition, it has become the leading book in its field since the first edition published in 1972.
Critically, this new edition reflects the vital changes in the industry as a result of the Black Lives Matter, Times’ Up and MeToo Movements, and the Covid-19 pandemic. It acknowleges and seeks to address the challenges of the industry often faced by actors when it comes to race, ethnicity, gender, diversity and sexuality.
It includes an extensive new section on the industry to reflect the 21st century, including signposting new resources and insights for the actor starting out, and considers the shifting landscape and opportunities offered by TV streaming, films, voiceover, internet, audiobooks, and podcasts.
This 9th edition speaks to the changed world of unions, representation, self-taping auditioning and other best and up-to-date practices in the industry, ensuring that it remains a book that’s useful, relevant and accessible to every actor starting out.
Purchase on Amazon, Drama Book Shop or whatever favorite bookstore!
Published by Bloomsbury Methuen Drama
CONTACT THE STUDIO
Interested? Questions?
Please fill out the below form and we’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible.