Meisner technique

The Meisner Technique of actor training was developed by Sanford Meisner and based on earlier acting techniques created by Konstantin Stanislavski. Meisner broke with Stanislavski's rigid "System" after becoming disenchanted with what he felt was an inorganic, negative way of exploring acting for American actors.

Related Topics:
Sanford Meisner - Konstantin Stanislavski

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In 1933, Meisner, Stella Adler, Lee Strasberg, and others formed the Group Theater in New York. During the following years, he developed his namesake technique, which focused on providing actors with a way to "live truthfully under imaginary circumstances." The Group Theater and The Neighborhood Playhouse provided venues for him to explore and develop the Meisner Technique throughout the 30s, 40s, and 50s.

Related Topics:
Stella Adler - Lee Strasberg - Group Theater - Neighborhood Playhouse

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The Meisner Technique focuses on building awareness and connectedness between actors. The most well known aspect of the technique is the "Repetition Exercise," in which actors focus intensely on each other, repeating simple phrases and making straightforward observations about each other. As actors become more adept at the exercise, they are able to not only peel away layers of their own defenses, but also read the state of mind of their partner. The purpose of the exercise is to create a situation where each actor is exceptionally in tune with his/her own present state of mind, but able as well to read and play off of their partner in deeply truthful, honest ways.

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Meisner-trained actors are able to create a connectedness on stage that often leads to slightly different interpretations of the same material from one performance to the next. Above all, however, each performance is honest and true to the actors' present state of mind and interrelationships. Rather than focus purely on technical performance issues, actors are free to explore relationships with other actors and how the material can be interpreted based on the chemistry that exists on stage. For this reason, directing Meisner actors is often difficult, since the process frequently requires the director to allow scenes to develop organically, sometimes varying in emotional content or tone.

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Unlike the "Method" (actually the "System" as developed by Stanislavki), Meisner does not force the actor to somehow inhabit a character or live the character's life. Rather, Meisner actors draw upon a mix of personal experiences, both real and imagined, to create a characterization that presents real emotional content rather than affected emotion. Though the technique can be valuable for building true emotional content, it cannot replace entirely all other forms of acting technique and is usually put to best use when combined with other methods.

Related Topics:
Method - Acting technique

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