Sanford Meisner

In one of my Voice acting classes, one of my voice coaches, Pat Fraley discussed  Sanford Meisner’s approach to acting.
Now I’m reading Meisner’s “On Acting” book I received for Christmas.




The book follows an acting class of eight men and eight women for fifteen months, beginning with very basic repetitive acting exercises and finishing with polished scenes from contemporary plays.

It’s like being  an observer in one of his classes. There are students going through exercises and being critiqued by Meisner. I can identify with many of the students, especially when he’ll tell them they just don’t get it. There are several “wow” moments as I process what’s going on in Meisner’s creative mind.

There is so much to learn and unlearn when it comes to acting.
It’s about truthfulness.
And doing something unexpected.
Making choices, and not guessing.  Preparation entails  living the emotional life before the scene begins.
And while true preparation and eventually performance happens, ultimate success occurs because your focus diminishes self consciousness.

A refreshing examination into the process of acting.
Can’t wait to finish.