G r e g N a t a l e A c t i n g S t u d i o Meisner Technique Scene Study Private Coaching Training for actors serious about their craft
 
Meisner Technique At the G r e g N a t a l e A c t i n g S t u d i o the acting method that will be studied is the Meisner Technique. It was developed by Sanford Meisner of the Group Theatre (1931-1941), and then perfected by Meisner for the next five decades at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, a conservatory program still in existence today. Meisner Technique is based on a series of exercises developed to help the actor hone their ability to “truly listen” and “take in” another person. Ultimately the technique teaches one to improvise in response to what is seen or experienced from other actors thus creating spontaneous behavior and emotional life as a bi-product. As each phase of the training is mastered, the actor is able to bring the freshness of instinctual response and behavior to a scripted text. Only then can Meisner’s definition of acting… “Living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.”… be achieved. Meisner believed "The foundation of acting is the reality of doing." Meaning, the more fully the actor believes in the reality of what he is doing, the stronger and clearer his behavior will be by association. The early training is based heavily on an “independent activity” that teaches the actor to find purpose in everything he is doing. By combining the activity which places a strong demand on the actor’s attention, along with “taking in” his partner, the actor has a profound sense of purpose, and becomes fully involved in the “reality of the moment”. The most fundamental exercise in Meisner training is “Repetition”. Actors are asked to observe and respond to another’s behavior and the associated subtext. If actors can "pick up the impulse", or work spontaneously from how their partner's behavior affects themselves, their own behavior will come directly from the stimulus of the other person, instead of from a preconceived idea. Because true behavior is occurring, the actor’s belief in the moment is real and strong. False or faked behavior can quickly become stale or read as untrue to the theatre audience, and even more so for film and television because of the extreme intimacy of the camera. Later, as the exercises evolve in complexity to include "given circumstances," "relationships," “actions and obstacles,” as well as “emotional preparation” the learned skills of “true listening” and “instinctual response” remain the foundation upon which the written word and character development are added. In the latter stages of Meisner training, the work focuses extensively on crafting a role. As students mature in the work, they get to know themselves and can make use of this self-knowledge by choosing actions compelling to their own particular instrument. Preparation must be accomplished with specificity and personalized choices so that they have importance and meaning, allowing the actor's attention to move away from self and onto the moment. This process allows the actor to “fully come to life”. Thorough preparation encourages spontaneity, giving the actor the freedom to improvise with subtext and the associated emotions in response to any given moment in time. Meisner training addresses the development of character after the foundation work is mastered. Through behavior, based upon all that is known about the character from the text, the actor carries out actions truthfully from his own point of view, as well as the other characters around them. This creates real behavior, rather than simply playing an external action, emotion or attitude. Meisner actors create behavior that rises out of deep meaning to the character, but, just as importantly from themselves as individuals. It is the importance of the latter meaning that allows the actor to fully and honestly embody the traits of the character, rather than “acting at” them. As Meisner puts it, "An ounce of behavior is worth more than a pound of words." Actors • Writers • Directors • Designers Who Have Studied Meisner Technique Joan Allen Kim Bassinger Warren Beatty Sandra Bullock James Caan John Cassavettes Dabney Coleman Charles E. Conrad Tom Cruise Griffin Dunne Robert Duvall Horton Foote Bob Fosse Jeff Goldblum Lee Grant Jennifer Grey Joel Grey Philip Seymour Hoffman Anne Jackson Allison Janney Diane Keaton Grace Kelly Christine Lahti Christopher Lloyd Sydney Lumet William H. Macy John Malkovich David Mamet Dylan McDermott Darren McGavin Steve McQueen Arthur Miller Dermot Mulroney Jack Nicholson Geraldine Page Gregory Peck Michelle Pfeiffer Suzanne Pleshette Sydney Pollack Tony Randall Jean Rosenthal Mark Rydell Susan Sarandon Maureen Stapleton Mary Steenburgen John Voit Eli Wallach Kai Wong Joanne Woodward