About the Class

Who are the classes for?  

All Professional Actors! We should all be constantly training in our craft.

When I lived and worked in Los Angeles as an Actor, the Acting Class I attended was filled with actors you would recognize. Actors like these understand the need to keep training, even though they are working: a safe space to try things, experiment, keep their instrument tuned, get challenged to do better work, and audition for better jobs. Just as athletes must always keep on training to keep their performance standards up, and improve on them – so must we as actors.

Can beginners to the Meisner Technique join the class?

Yes! Absolutely! Everyone has to start somewhere!

This is a Professional class for Professionals; And those who want to develop into Professionals. 

I was once a beginner in that L.A. class; and I learnt not only a new acting technique – but also how to develop the Professional mindset of an Actor, in order to compete with those actors with the recognizable faces. This Professional mindset is every bit as important as our skills and talents as Actors.

Professional Mindset

The notion of mindset is built into the Meisner Technique. 

In this class, you will be taught Meisner by one of a handful of instructors who teach the Full Meisner Technique – not just repetition. You will be taught how I was taught: how Sanford Meisner himself taught. To study the Meisner Technique is to also study its methodologies – not just what was taught by him, but the way he taught it.

I have studied with various teachers who have instilled the mindset in me to varying degrees. I learned most from the teachers who really pushed and challenged me the most. Those teachers made a better Actor out of me. 

The Professional mindset  is part of everything we do as Actors: everything we say we’re going to do (and following through with it); Our attitude towards auditions; The way we show up and put our best foot forward; The way we treat our fellow cast and crew members; and the way we approach the work. 

This is a business of relationships and reputations. Your next job is dependent on how you conduct yourself on this job. As Actors – our Professional mindset is the single most important thing, other than our talent, that is responsible for our careers. It truly is the difference between getting seen as a Professional and being offered Professional work, versus being passed over for Professional jobs.

When you have developed a Professional mindset – if a Professional opportunity comes your way, you will conduct yourself in the manner most conducive to getting yourself booked. Preparedness when the opportunity presents itself is key. These classes prepare you for Professional work opportunities.

A Supportive Environment

You are attending acting classes to improve; to be challenged. You will be challenged, pushed, and stretched – because you deserve that. You deserve to have the very best drawn out of you – in a supportive way. 

I don’t believe in bullying. Sadly, I’ve heard horrible stories about teachers who border on abuse with their students, and that is not right. I neither condone that, nor tolerate it. That’s definitely not what these classes are about.

Choosing the Right Acting Coach

It is important that a teacher knows their subject, has experience of the Business (in a class for Professionals), and is able to critique the work in a constructive manner. 

I have excellent ‘Meisner Credentials’. I was able to experience Sanford Meisner’s teaching having studied with various teachers who taught the Meisner Technique. I studied at Playhouse West in the early 90’s when Sanford Meisner was still alive. The Playhouse was connected with Mr. Meisner’s latest** teachings.

 ** Every teacher’s techniques evolve over time: Stanislavski’s did. By the time Mr. Meisner was on the West coast, his teachings too had evolved.

Those teachings were often passed on to the students at the playhouse the same day sometimes, via our instructor who studied with Sandy in the mornings and shared those teachings in the afternoon.

I attended Meisner’s memorial in 1997.

I’ve had very good results in this class with my students. You can read their testimonials below.

The best way to see if a teacher is a good fit for you is to try a few classes.

I offer a free class every so often to introduce you to the technique. It starts with the Word Repetition Game, or just ‘Repetition’, and each teacher does it differently. But the good teachers understand the essence behind the work, from repetition to the more advanced portions of the work. It may feel like it’s irrelevant to acting – but the foundation of every beautiful technique is its simplicity. And the Repetition Class (which I call the Fundamentals of the Meisner Technique class) is the foundation for everything else that will follow in the 2-year program.

New to Meisner?

With the Meisner technique you may not see the relevance of repetition or the other initial exercises right away.  If you are new to Meisner, It can take time to develop the perspective to see where the exercises are going.

It can be helpful to come to the classes with the initial purpose NOT TO UNDERSTAND, but  to EXPERIENCE the class.

Let it wash over you!

What about other acting techniques?

In this school I teach classes in the Meisner Technique, as well as other technique-agnostic courses. 

Each technique that we learn as actors is another tool in our toolkit: we will use them at some point or other. All acting techniques are valid, if they work for you. I happen to teach one at this school that I believe in very strongly.

Many actors who believe they are Meisner-trained, have actually only just skimmed the surface. You may want to see the section below to see if you are in fact a Meisner-trained actor. If you are, you already know the value of it. If you’re not, there’s a whole lot of goodies you’re going to uncover by becoming Meisner-trained.

The Meisner Technique

The Meisner Technique is not just repetition. Let me repeat that! THE MEISNER TECHNIQUE IS NOT JUST REPETITION. I teach a 2-year course, as is taught by many teachers who teach the Meisner Technique in earnest.

How do I know if I’ve studied the Meisner Technique?

• If you’ve never done the Independent Activity Exercise, you have not fully studied the Meisner Technique.
• If you’ve never done Emotional Preparation, you have not fully studied the Meisner Technique.
• If you’ve never done Spoon River, you have not fully studied the Meisner Technique.
• If you refer to it as the Meisner Method, you are confused! There’s Meisner and there’s Method. They are not the same!

– Though you may have studied aspects of the Meisner Technique.

Is there a book I can read about the Meisner Technique?

Although there are many good books written, I recommend ON ACTING by SANFORD MEISNER. Nothing like going to the source.

What if I book paid Acting work in the middle of the course?

With proof of your contract, I will be happy to honour the remainder of your already paid fees as credit to be applied to a later course. While I recognize the value of a Professional credit – an unpaid job, if taken in the middle of a course, is not credited. 

THE NEXT FREE AUDIT IS ON THURSDAY 23rd March 2023 AT 7.30PM. It is an online class, so you can join us virtually from anywhere on the globe.

TO JOIN US FOR THIS CLASS PLEASE E-MAIL INFO@ACTEACH.UK