Built on the foundation of the work of Sanford Meisner, the master acting coach, Meisner acting classes are designed as a progression of exercises that build more complex acting skills as you move forward. Students that take Meisner acting classes often realize that a student of the technique is never actually “done” learning. Phrases such as improvisation, personal response, emotional memory, emotional preparation will take on new meaning for the student as they work through these exercises from simple repetitive phrase exercises to scene studies with complex texts.
At first, a student of Meisner acting classes often thinks that the exercises are simplistic and perhaps a little silly, since the initial exercises use no text, there are no lines, no story. This is so the student will tune into the subtle changes in the meaning of simple repetitive phrases as they are said back and forth between them and an acting partner, which changes the meaning of the phrase and helps them recognize the emotional shifts. Over time, if they remain open to the process, students in Meisner acting classes learn to rely on the emotional cues they get from other players in a scene or exercise and use them to create and live in a new reality they are creating in the moment.
Meisner was known for drilling the same question at actors again and again to push actors to have a “cause” or a reason to do, or feel anything as they moved forward in a piece, or during an exercise. Even activities with no movement, such as resting, sleeping, or sitting still are still considered “actions” and according to the Meisner technique must have a purpose and must propel the story forward. Known to be a brilliant, yet tough task master, Meisner believed that “acting is doing,” even if the moment in a piece calls for silence. His other well known saying “an ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words,” is a good way to sum up his theory about acting. Dialogue is all important as it tells the story and shows the characters, but unless spoken by an actor working truthfully and authentically, the words won’t matter.
It is about creating a new reality, every moment, even if the actor is simply working on a simple exercise. Many acting classes nyc will train the actor to use sound, feeling, emotion, physical space, and the sounds, emotions and physical expression of the other players to create an edgy exciting performance full of spontaneity. Learning this skill is the best way to change bad acting habits, especially the all pervasive myth that acting is “pretending.” Getting out of your own way is the number one goal of Meisner acting classes. The aim is to eliminate self awareness while acting, and always be present in the moment, as the character, and use that energy to create the new reality of the story. If this sounds difficult, then this training might be for you. If you are still convinced that acting is merely delivering lines as given, pretending to be a character than perhaps this kind of training is for you. The Meisner acting technique will force you to work far more deeply than that. First, you become a different person, aware of your habits and pre-programmed emotional responses, and then you learn to do it all over again as a character. Instead you become someone new,someone real, that changes as the work progresses in unrehearsed ways.
Using an entire set of imagined circumstances of a character’s memories, needs, obsessions, mistakes, etc. the character can just emerge and change as the story progresses, which is how Meisner works. This involves behavioral theories, including the elements of adaptation and communication which were aspects of the discipline known as Method acting. Putting his own stamp on method acting principles, Sanford Meisner developed a whole new training technique which has produced some of the most legendary actors of all time.
In order to generate truthful behavior in a new imagined reality, which is what theatre and film are about, an actor must focus on two things: the other actors they are playing with and moving forward in a committed way to the next moment in the scene. If they are open, and have achieved self forgetfulness, the impulses generated by fellow actors will feed this forward, moment-by-moment movement. Performances will have an edge, a sense of spontaneity which completely draws an audience into the story. This, in fact, mimics life. We have no idea what will happen moment to moment, but we continue on, talking, sitting, meditating, eating a bite, having a thought, all with the idea that we are moving toward something big or small. Gaining the ability to create this kind of spontaneity onstage with other actors, the lines and story emerging brand new every second, is the most rewarding things you will learn in Meisner acting.
The Maggie Flanigan Studio provides acting classes in NYC for serious actors. Find out more about meisner acting nyc at the studio website or read this article about acting instrument.