Acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances. - Sanford Meisner
Sanford Meisner was one of the great pioneers of the training and teaching of American acting. His technique is one of the three major acting methods developed from and inspired by Stanislavsky's discoveries and the experiments that emerged from the Group Theatre. It remains a technique that is prized for its integrity and its ability to provide actors with the means to engage and access their tal
ent Meisner taught for many years a The Neighborhood Playhouse where he developed the curriculum that we teach at The Meisner Studio. Meisner based his technique on the principle of the reality of doing and in the belief that good acting should reveal the humanity in every character and that in order to be able to do that it is first necessary to acquire a deep connection to one's own. The structure of the Studio reflects traditional conservatory training: two classes that forms a company that trains together throughout the two years of primary training, culminating in productions designed to bridge the process learned in the classroom through rehearsals and into performance. The training seeks to develop actors, who are fearless in their exploration and able to create behavior that is vibrant, authentic and expressive by providing them with solid craft and a deepened access to their talent. The core curriculum leads the actors through a progressive and organized process to train the acting instrument by strengthening and challenging all the basic areas of actor training: his imagination to access and express the full palette of his temperament, his voice and speech to be resonant and free of habits that might interfere with his ability to communicate and physical training to develop the skills and flexibility that the demands of any character he is challenged with may be met with confidence. In the culminating semester the curricular productions bring the classroom work to the rehearsal process through to performance.
