From 1935 to 1990, Sanford Meisner was an esteemed acting teacher founding the renowned NYC acting school The Neighbourhood Playhouse. There he created The Meisner Technique. It begins with a simple, yet riveting acting exercise called The Repetition. Specifically designed to enhance the key skills of listening and answering another human being fully. In this class, you will repeat with your classmates, embodying the art of “Living truthfully under the imaginary circumstances.”

 

This intensive focuses exclusively on the repetition exercise, which is the foundation of The Meisner Technique. Through observation and listening, repetition cultivates impulsive acting choices by focusing you on the other persons behaviour. This approach is designed to put you in your body, and get you out of your head. So that you are making organic emotional choice and not cerebral decisions. Every time an actor gets up to work (which is twice a class, every class), it will feel vulnerable, scary, and exciting. The class is for beginners, but more seasoned artists will find lots to work with here. Like going to the gym, repetition will keep your instrument alive, spontaneous and strong. Ultimately working, moment to moment, in an authentic way. The intensive style mimics the training schedule of the Neighborhood Playhouse and ensures the best results in the shortest period of time.

 

This technique has garnered success in every generation of actors — 37 of Meisner’s students won or were nominated for Academy Awards. Meisner-trained actors include Grace Kelly, Sandra Bullock, Chadwick Boseman, Diane Keaton, Allison Janney, James Gandolfini, Timothée Chalamet, Sam Rockwell, Jeff Bridges, Jim Carrey, Mackenzie Davis, Krysten Ritter, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and so many more.