“Acting is the ability to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances.”

Sanford Meisner

Meisner Technique

Let us break down Meisner’s definition:

*What is truth?

*What is imagination?

Truth

“Truth is the blood of art. Without truth, a piece of art fails to touch the human spirit.”Bill Esper

“Truth is the blood of art. Without truth, a piece of art fails to touch the human spirit.”Bill Esper

Why is truth important?

Truth is how we judge the things we see.Think about what you say after watching a play or a movie?

Why is imagination important?

“Imagination is pivotal for actors because everything we do, every piece of our craft takes place in the world of imagination.” Bill Esper

How do actors bring truth to imagination?

“Because, if in fact the actors are skilled, what we are watching isn’t pretend. It is an actual event.”

Bill Esper

If the actors are skilled, we react to the events onstage or in the movie, as if they are real.

Acting is doing- really doing - truthfully under imaginary circumstances.

Remember:

Voice, Speech, and

Movement

are very important to acting.

These are essential external skills you are responsible for practicing and polishing.

“But (voice, speech, and movement are) not so important that you study them to the neglect of an

actor’s inner life - his emotional core. An actor without an emotional core is like a cardboard cutout of a human being.”

“The actor has the most complicated instrument of

all - himself!

His experiences, his imagination, his sensitivity. His physical body and his observations. Everything that makes up the sum total of a person’s humanity is part of the actor’s instrument.”

Bill Esper

“All I have to offer is the revelation of my soul.”Actress Eleonora Duse

Now. . .each of you write down how many letters are in your first and last name combined.

Did you pretend to count or really count?

Now do you understand the difference between “pretending” and “doing?”

Now, from where you are sitting, I want you all to listen

- really listen -

for a moment, because the sound I want you to hear is very far away. I want you to listen for the choir of angels singing above our heads. Try and make out the song they are singing.

Does it matter whether you heard them or not?

NO. . .it matters if you were really listening for them!

Acting is a creative craft, and that true excellence in its practice can only be attained by total mastery of technical craft.

In Japan to become a Bunraku puppeteer, youMust apprentice for twenty years!

The only true reason to approach any art is becauseIt is your passion.

Remember great talents make the art look simple. But an actor’s life is a hard one. . .it takes commitment, training, and practice. Musicians, dancers, painters, and singers all seriously commit to developing their skills. Acting is no different.

You must commit to practicing at home. . .rehearsal is key!