We Don’t Teach Meisner Here

Forgive me for minimal rant, but I have become known as a Meisner teacher and it isn’t true. I do not, nor have I ever claimed to teach Meisner’s technique.

Still, I am inspired by Sandy and particularly his theories and philosophy of acting. From the recordings, I don’t like his teaching style, I find it aggressive and the application of the technique to be emotionally focused.

I am not a Meisner expert, I am an expert in teaching the approach to acting that I am developing through practise as research at my Glasgow Acting Studio. It is heavily influenced by some of his ideas, but that’s where we part company.

And we do use a version of Repetition, but it’s so very different from Meisner Repetition that it may as well be a different exercise. Which explains why Meisner teachers love to email to tell me I’m doing it wrong.

No one owns Meisner, he’s dead.  Many people trained with him, many people are teachers of Meisner, many people claim heritage and many people teach utter rubbish with a Meisner label on it and never saw New York, let alone the Neighborhood Playhouse.

I have huge respect for Meisner and his remarkable theories on acting, but personally, he will always be a part of the triumvirate of Method teachers that changed American Theatre.  Although his ideas have slowly filtered to the UK, I do not chime with his emphasis on emotion, but I strongly connect with his motto that the ‘foundation of acting was the reality of doing.’