Acting Classes and the Meisner Technique: An Emotional Truth

To become an actor one must have a sensitivity and respect for what it is to be human. Acting classes that involve the Meisner technique are meant to remove existing notions of human behavior that are ingrained from nature and nurture. Cultural influences, inherited temperament traits can all be a hindrance if the character you are to portray has a completely different sense of these things. A great actor goes beyond merely putting on the shoes of another person. Rather they practice a discipline of imagination where they instill the same values of the character into their deepest selves and take on the natural emotional impulses and physical characteristics of the character.

Acting classes involving the Meisner technique have a deep respect for the human condition, be it noble, evil or more typically somewhere on the spectrum. The craft of acting is a term thrown around freely in many acting classes with little regard for the definition of the phrase. Above all, acting is a discipline and despite the creativity inherent in the practice, there is a need for a systematic approach to master the fundamentals. Sanford Meisner took a systematic approach developed by Stanislavski and adjusted it to be more accessible to American actors. If acting classes are part of an overall system, set up in progressive steps, that lead the actor further and further into mastering deeper and deeper skill sets, than it is likely utilizing some of Meisner's principles.

Having mastered the fundamentals, a student of the Meisner technique is able to listen fully to other actors involved in scene study, exercises or during a play and respond freely while concentrating in such a way that the focus is on each present moment as the scene unfolds. The focus and impulse are based soley on what the other actors do. The greatest actors will make this look extremely easy however, it involves a great deal of discipline and many many years of serious work.

As an art form, acting isn't something that can be taught using the intellect alone but, needs to be experienced and mastered through the heart as well. While acting as a discipline requires sensitivity it also requires a deep determination and lots of grit to get through some of the more difficult aspects of learning and practicing the craft. In short, acting is very, very hard work. Putting in the discipline and hours is really the only way actors trained in the Meisner technique will have the freedom to respond naturally and yet, true to character when the time comes.

The most truthful performances come from a deep understanding of the issues inherent in the story. A thorough, thoughtful analysis of each scene is required as well as each character's purpose for being present in it. Clues to a character's feelings, impulses, motivations, history etc. are in the text but they must also be created and imagined by the actor and made real. A great actor breaths reality into all of it and presents it spontaneously and naturally throughout a performance. While actors generally do not rely solely on Meisner techniques or any single method, any accomplished actor has adopted some of Meisner's fundamental principles.

Acting is not for the faint of heart. Working repeatedly, exercise after exercise, going over the text again and again is just one way the Meisner trained actor begins to research and then own a character's true actions and reactions. The goal is to literally live as another person, make their reality a new reality for the audience and put forth the themes and ideas as the playwright intended. Getting it perfectly right is extremely satisfying and it is every actor's hope that they will have the opportunity and the preparation necessary to pull it off.