Meisner technique

The Meisner technique is an approach to acting which was developed by the United States of American theatre practitioner Sanford Meisner.[1]

The focus of the Meisner approach is for the actor to "get out of their head", such that the actor is behaving instinctively to the surrounding environment. To this end, some exercises for the Meisner technique are rooted in repetition so that the words are deemed insignificant compared to the underlying emotion. In the Meisner technique, there is a greater focus on the other actor as opposed to one's internal thoughts or feelings associated to the character. The Meisner technique is often confused with "method" acting taught by Lee Strasberg, since both developed from the early teachings of Konstantin Stanislavski.

Components

Meisner training is an interdependent series of training exercises that build on one another. The more complex work supports a command of dramatic text. Students work on a series of progressively complex exercises to develop an ability to first improvise, then to access an emotional life, and finally to bring the spontaneity of improvisation and the richness of personal response to textual work.[2] The techniques developed the behavioral strand of Stanislavski's. The technique is used to develop improvisation skills as well as "interpreting a script, and creating the specific physical characteristics of each character the actor played".[3]

An example of a technique Meisner invented to train actors' responses is called the Repetition Exercise:

"In this exercise, two actors sit across from each other and respond to each other through a repeated phrase. The phrase is about each other's behavior, and reflects what is going on between them in the moment, such as "You look unhappy with me right now." The way this phrase is said as it is repeated changes in meaning, tone and intensity to correspond with the behavior that each actor produces towards the other. Through this device, the actor stops thinking of what to say and do, and responds more freely and spontaneously, both physically and vocally.The exercise also eliminates line readings, since the way the actor speaks becomes coordinated with his behavioral response."[3]

About Meisner

"To be an interesting actor – hell, to be an interesting human being – you must be authentic and for you to be authentic you must embrace who you really are, warts and all. Do you have any idea how liberating it is to not care what people think about you? Well, that's what we're here to do." — Sanford Meisner[4]

Meisner developed this technique after working with Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler at the Group Theatre and while working as head of the acting program at New York City's Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. He continued its refinement for fifty years.

"In 1935, Sanford Meisner, one of the founding members of The Group Theatre (along with Stella Adler, Bobby Lewis, Harold Clurman, and Lee Strasberg), joined the faculty of The Neighborhood Playhouse. Over the years, he developed and refined what is now known as the Meisner Technique, a step-by-step procedure of self-investigation for the actor now globally recognized and among the foremost of modern acting techniques."[5]

"Meisner believed that the study of the actor's craft was rooted in acquiring a solid organic acting technique. It was a cornerstone of his teaching that this learning process occur not in a theoretical, abstract manner, but in the practical give and take of the classroom, where as he once said, "the students struggled to learn what I struggled to teach." Through that struggle the gifted student, over time gradually begins to emerge solidly in his or her work."[5]

In 1980, a group of his alumni got together to preserve his teachings for future generations. Sydney Pollack directed a master class taught by Sanford Meisner. It was transferred to digital film in 2006.

Practitioners

The Neighborhood Playhouse had originally been founded as an off-Broadway theatre by philanthropists Alice Lewisohn and Irene Lewisohn in 1915, but closed in 1927. The following year, it re-opened as The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre with the addition of Rita Wallach Morgenthau. In 1935, Sanford Meisner, one of the founding members of The Group Theatre (along with Stella Adler, Bobby Lewis, Harold Clurman, and Lee Strasberg), joined the faculty of The Neighborhood Playhouse. Over the years, he developed and refined what is now known as the Meisner Technique.[5] On October 18, 2018, the New York City Council officially recognized The Playhouse's 90th anniversary and Meisner's contributions to the school with an official Proclamation.[6]

The William Esper Studio was founded in 1965 as a school for the performing arts in Manhattan, New York. Its founder, William "Bill" Esper (1932—2019), is often referred to as the best-known of Meisner's first generation teachers, and his most "authentic protege".[7]

List of Meisner-trained actors

Actors who have trained in the Meisner technique include:

See also

References
  1. Foster, Hirsch (2000). Actors and Acting (Hardcover ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521669597. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  2. "Compagnie AZOT — Méthode Meisner". www.cie-azot.com (in French). Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  3. "About the Meisner Acting Technique". Robert Epstein's Acting Studio. Robert Epstein and the Complete Meisner-Based Actor's Training. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  4. Jarrett, Jim. "The Meisner Technique". Meisner Technique Studio. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  5. "About Us". Neighborhood Playhouse. Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  6. "CM Kallos Awards Proclamation to the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre". Kallos.nyc. NY for Kallos. October 18, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  7. "The Actor's Art and Craft (review)" (PDF). Project Muse. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  8. Wallace, Chris (June 2014). "Alexandra Daddario". Interview. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  9. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=shlFV7PpqAI |
  10. "Between Takes at CBS — Amanda Setton". CBS. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  11. "Amy Schumer Biography". TV Guide. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  12. Norton, Graham (host) (8 November 2019). "The Graham Norton Show". The Graham Norton Show. Series 26. Episode 07. BBC One.
  13. Christoph Waltz — Dill Pickle. YouTube. Event occurs at . Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  14. Dvorak, Wayne. "MEISNER TECHNIQUE | The Wayne Dvorak Acting Studio | United States". www.waynedvorak.com. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  15. "Episode 813 - Griffin Dunne / Bill Burr — WTF with Marc Maron Podcast".
  16. Itzkoff, Dave (19 June 2013). "James Gandolfini Is Dead at 51; a Complex Mob Boss in 'Sopranos'". The New York Times. p. 2. Retrieved June 19, 2013."Mr. Gandolfini, who had studied the Meisner technique of acting for two years, said that he used it to focus his anger and incorporate it into his performances."
  17. http://elden-roros.no/portfolio_page/joakim-natterqvist/
  18. Urban, Karl. "Actor Biography" (PDF). Johnson & Laird. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  19. "Gilmore Guys: A Gilmore Girls Podcast — Gilmore Gabs — Keiko Agena".
  20. "Keiko Agena". Buddy TV. Buddy TV. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  21. Resume: Pitillo, Maria — Innovative Artists
  22. "How Did This Get Made? - Origin Stories Bonus: Michael Paré".
  23. "Actorium — Meet Us". Actorium. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  24. "wiki page on her career".
  25. Elise Bauman / Natasha Negovanlis - 'Heard Well' radio interview. YouTube. Event occurs at . Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  26. "Nestor Carbonell Quotes". Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  27. "Sam Rockwell: "It's just being there for the first time."". The Talks. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  28. "Sandra Peabody — Acting, TV/Film". Lakewood Center of the Arts. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  29. "Top Acting Classes NYC • Rutgers University". Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  30. Stephen Colbert shmoozes about family deaths. YouTube. Event occurs at . Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  31. "Conversations with Tatiana Maslany of ORPHAN BLACK". YouTube. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
  32. Wheaton, Wil. "in which i remember to keep it simple". Wil Wheaton dot Net. Retrieved September 17, 2015.

Sources
  • Banham, Martin, ed. 1998. The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. ISBN 0-521-43437-8.
  • Courtney, C. C. 2000. "The Neighborhood Playhouse." In Krasner (2000b, 291-295).
  • Hirsch, Foster. 2000. "Actors and Acting." In Wilmeth and Bigsby (2000, 490-513).
  • Hodge, Alison, ed. 2000. Twentieth Century Actor Training. London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-19452-0.
  • Kraner, David. 2000a. "Strasberg, Adler and Meisner: Method Acting." In Hodge (2000, 129-150).
  • ---, ed. 2000b. Method Acting Reconsidered: Theory, Practice, Future. New York: St. Martin's P. ISBN 978-0-312-22309-0.
  • Longwell, Dennis, and Sanford Meisner. 1987. Sanford Meisner on Acting. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-75059-0.
  • Postlewait, Thomas. 1998. "Meisner, Sanford." In Banham (1998, 719).
  • Wilmeth, Don B, and Christopher Bigsby, eds. 2000. The Cambridge History of American Theatre. Vol 3. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge UP. ISBN 978-0-521-66959-7.
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