Why the Meisner Technique
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Why the Meisner Technique *
Sanford Meisner and his technique has been a quiet force in the professional world of acting over the last century. The Meisner Technique is one of the most respected techniques in the industry and when a director or casting director sees that you have studied the Meisner Technique formally, they know that they can expect an actor who is a listening, present, spontaneous, impulsive, instinctive, authentic human being. The Meisner Technique is a brick-by-brick process designed to get an actor out of their head and into their gut. This clear, step-by-step approach to the craft of acting is one of the great strengths of Meisner Technique training, developing complete freedom and authenticity in your work.
In 1931, a fervent group of young actors, including Sanford Meisner, Stella Adler, Lee Strasberg, and Harold Clurman, amongst others, joined together to establish the Group Theatre. It was the first permanent theater company that brought “method” acting, rooted in methods of Konstantin Stanislavsky, to practice and prominence in America.
In 1933 Sandy became disenchanted with pure “method” acting. Sandy did not believe an actor needed to experience trauma in order to play a traumatized person. He also noticed harmful habits in actors who relied on their emotional scars. To that end, he developed a new approach, centered around the actor’s imagination. The other half of this approach stemmed from another fundamental problem Sandy had discovered; actors were rarely present and listening. Consequently, the audience didn’t believe them. Sandy created a process that turned his actors spontaneous, free, listening human beings. If an actor consistently implemented these techniques, their acting would be believable. For Sandy, authenticity was everything.
The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York provided him with a venue to develop that approach on his own. In 1936, he headed the Drama Department at The Neighborhood Playhouse, while continuing to act and direct plays produced by The Group Theatre until its disbanding in 1941. He also appeared on Broadway in Embezzled (1944) and Crime and Punishment (1948). He directed The Time of Your Life (1955) and acted in The Cold Wind and the Warm (1958). Sandy left The Neighborhood Playhouse in 1958
to become director of the New Talent Division of Twentieth Century Fox. He moved to Los Angeles, where he was also able to cultivate his career as a film actor.
Sandy returned to The Neighborhood Playhouse as Head of the Drama Department from 1964 to 1990. In 1985 Sandy and his long-time companion James Carville founded the Meisner/Carville School of Acting on the Island of Bequia in the West Indies.
Sandy received commendations from Presidents Clinton, Bush and Reagan. He was honored by California Governor Pete Wilson and was named the “Humanitarian of the Year 1990” by The Washington Charity Awards. His final appearance as an actor was in a guest starring role on a special episode of ER in 1995. Backstage West dedicated an issue to Sandy and his world-renowned “Meisner Technique.
Sanford Meisner passed away on February 2nd, 1997, leaving behind a legacy of actors, directors and writers committed to creating believable work through his technique, including Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Jeff Goldblum, Mary Steenburgen Robert Duvall, Jon Voight, Gregory Peck, Grace Kelly, Steve McQueen, James Caan, Tony Randall, David Mamet, Sydney Pollack, Bob Fosse, Sydney Lumet, Arthur Miller, Mark Rydell, and Eli Wallach.
Other notable actors who are trained in the Meisner Technique include Alec Baldwin, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christoph Waltz, Jim Carrey, Dylan McDermot, Sandra Bullock, Allison Janney, Timothée Chalamet, James Franco, Dave Franco, James Gandolfini, Jeff Bridges, Naomi Watts, John Turturro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Amy Schumer, Connie Britton and Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Ashley Judd, Sam Rockwell, and William H. Macy.
“Life beats down and crushes our souls and theatre reminds us that we have one. At least the type of theatre that I’m interested in; that is, theatre that moves an audience. You have the opportunity to literally impact the lives of people if they work on material that has integrity. But today, most actors simply want to be famous. Well, being an actor was never supposed to be about fame and money. Being an actor is a religious calling because you’ve been given the ability, the gift to inspire humanity. ”
Our Legacy
The Maui Meisner Studio is not just another acting school, we are part of a legacy that is dedicated to teaching the Meisner Technique in its most legitimate and authentic form. For Sandy, having his teachings carried on accurately, as purely and authentically as possible, was extremely important to him, because this craft was important to him. Sandy believed acting was a calling, and that this world needed actors, and here at the Maui Meisner Studio we believe the same.
In the world of acting, The Maui Meisner Studio is the acting grandchild of Sanford Meisner. Our founder and teacher, Maeve Montgomery, mentored under the last teaching protégé of Sandy, Jim Jarrett. Jim is one of the select few individuals in the world who were hand picked by Sandy to teach this technique, an honor he doesn't take lightly, and he has spent a vast majority of his career upholding and continuing Sandy’s legacy, becoming one of the most respected and qualified teachers of the Meisner Technique in the world. Maeve began her journey with Jim and the Meisner Technique nearly a decade ago, and with Jim’s blessing, is dedicated to honoring this technique to the same standard as the teachers and mentors that came before her.