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. From exercises that involve improvisation to word repetition, and exercises that teach students how to emotionally prepare, these Meisner exercises cover a wide range of skills and a deep awareness of what is required of the professional actor.
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. The aim of these beginning exercises is to remove the crutch of dialogue and storyline, and instead teach the students to use emotional clues they get from other actors. Fine tuning this reliance on emotional reaction, on committing in the moment, to the action that is happening, and to creating a new reality in the moment is what professional Meisner acting classes are about.
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 listening or sleeping is thought of as an "action" and has a purpose when using the Meisner technique. Meisner was considered by many to be a tough, yet brilliant coach, who was known for coining the phrase "acting is doing." If one had to sum up his theory about acting, it would be his other well known quote "an ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." 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.
The student who excels is one who recognizes this and discovers an ability to create a new reality every time they act, even if for a simple acting class exercise. Enroll in the proper acting classes nyc and you will discover how to use the sounds, emotions and physical expressions of the other players to have authentic, truthful moments every time you act. No matter how good a student is at it, "pretending" rather than "being" is a bad acting habit that needs to be broken. Once bad habits are broken in Meisner acting classes an actor becomes completely self forgetful, able to "be" someone else, rather than merely pretending. Being mindful, with zero self awareness, of the new reality being created in a piece and being present in it fully as a character, is the greatest experience an actor can have. If this sounds difficult, then this training might be for you. Too many up and coming acting students believe acting is simply a matter of "becoming someone else" and reciting the lines as given, and doing it well. The Meisner acting technique will force you to work far more deeply than that. Yes, you essentially become someone else but, not a pre-determined someone else. The work challenges you to become someone new, someone that constantly evolves, as the work moves forward.
Students learn to recognize the emotional truth in acting, the goal Meisner classes. There is a behavioral aspect to this which involves theories about adaptation and communication, and an emotional aspect that stems from the Americanized discipline called Method acting. Sanford Meisner felt that American acting was different and put his own unique stamp on the training, while at the same time developing a whole new system, which has produced some of the greatest actors of all time.
Committing to emotional responses and physical actions and focusing only on what the other actors are doing is the way to propel a story forward with energy and excitement is the foundation of Meisner acting. This will move the story forward, every moment and every actor will live truthfully and achieve complete self forgetfulness, which is the key to great acting. Performances will have an edge, a sense of spontaneity which completely draws an audience into the story. This, in fact, mimics life. This is, in fact, how we live; having no idea what may happen at any moment, how others might react, what they will say, what we will say in return. This ability to re-create "real life" as it unfolds, telling the story in a way that you genuinely having no idea how the story will unfold every time, is the most important thing you can learn in Meisner acting.
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. The aim of these beginning exercises is to remove the crutch of dialogue and storyline, and instead teach the students to use emotional clues they get from other actors. Fine tuning this reliance on emotional reaction, on committing in the moment, to the action that is happening, and to creating a new reality in the moment is what professional Meisner acting classes are about.
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 listening or sleeping is thought of as an "action" and has a purpose when using the Meisner technique. Meisner was considered by many to be a tough, yet brilliant coach, who was known for coining the phrase "acting is doing." If one had to sum up his theory about acting, it would be his other well known quote "an ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." 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.
The student who excels is one who recognizes this and discovers an ability to create a new reality every time they act, even if for a simple acting class exercise. Enroll in the proper acting classes nyc and you will discover how to use the sounds, emotions and physical expressions of the other players to have authentic, truthful moments every time you act. No matter how good a student is at it, "pretending" rather than "being" is a bad acting habit that needs to be broken. Once bad habits are broken in Meisner acting classes an actor becomes completely self forgetful, able to "be" someone else, rather than merely pretending. Being mindful, with zero self awareness, of the new reality being created in a piece and being present in it fully as a character, is the greatest experience an actor can have. If this sounds difficult, then this training might be for you. Too many up and coming acting students believe acting is simply a matter of "becoming someone else" and reciting the lines as given, and doing it well. The Meisner acting technique will force you to work far more deeply than that. Yes, you essentially become someone else but, not a pre-determined someone else. The work challenges you to become someone new, someone that constantly evolves, as the work moves forward.
Students learn to recognize the emotional truth in acting, the goal Meisner classes. There is a behavioral aspect to this which involves theories about adaptation and communication, and an emotional aspect that stems from the Americanized discipline called Method acting. Sanford Meisner felt that American acting was different and put his own unique stamp on the training, while at the same time developing a whole new system, which has produced some of the greatest actors of all time.
Committing to emotional responses and physical actions and focusing only on what the other actors are doing is the way to propel a story forward with energy and excitement is the foundation of Meisner acting. This will move the story forward, every moment and every actor will live truthfully and achieve complete self forgetfulness, which is the key to great acting. Performances will have an edge, a sense of spontaneity which completely draws an audience into the story. This, in fact, mimics life. This is, in fact, how we live; having no idea what may happen at any moment, how others might react, what they will say, what we will say in return. This ability to re-create "real life" as it unfolds, telling the story in a way that you genuinely having no idea how the story will unfold every time, is the most important thing you can learn in Meisner acting.
About the Author:
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 emotional preparation.
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