The Meisner technique is an acting technique used to help bring actors into the present moment. Being in the moment is extremely important to an actor because it brings their attention to their current situation rather than those of their thoughts. It helps clear the mind and therefore unlock the imagination needed for the creative and performing process. The technique is also used to help the actors become more reactive to their situation and changes within and scene. Due to the methods of the process, the actors are trained to be preservational and to notice change in the other actors. This change causes a feeling to change within the actor which they can then reflect in the performance. This change should not be hidden but instead revealed. This emotion is a natural emotion causes by the actors response to change. The technique also encourages the actor to become more spontaneous and improvisational. If a person or an actor is in the moment, they are likely to be able to generate new ideas during a rehearsal or performance. They may react to the situation different during repetition because their feeling will change. They may have an impulse to perform a new action or play with the script. The Meisner Technique encourages this and therefore is particularly useful for devised performances. The technique is extremely effective as it can be done anywhere and requires only a short amount of time. It does require at least 2 people but I'm sure an actor could apply the technique to a solo situation by using a mirror and observing changes in their own features.
The basic technique generally requires two actors in order to practice. Each actor will stand and face each other so they can see the full body of each other and close enough to hear and observe change. Actor A will observe a fact of Actor B's appearance. They will state something similar too "You have a red shirt". Actor B will respond "I have a red shirt". The actors will keep repeating these lines without using any 'acting'. Just simply, repeat the lines with complete neutrality. Eventually, the feelings in an actor may change, they may get bored or find the situation funny. A physical change may manifest within an actor. IF an actor is observant, they will notice the change. They should reference the change, "you look bored", or some association with their change. The other actor should then continue to repeat from their own perspective. The technique has not only change the actors feelings, but also changed the moment. Due to observation an actor has also been able to react to change and therefore change the situation.
If at anytime, one of the actors breaks the repetition such as asking a question or asking for the other actor to repeat the statement, the moment is lost. Losing the moment is similar to remembering a script, where when we are going through a script and forget a line, it breaks the flow. We are unable to get back into the moment. By applying this technique to script, I found that when I forget a line in a scene, I do not look at the line and carry on, the moment is lost. I go back to the beginning of the script and start again. I build the moment from the beginning. Each rehearsal, each read through, will bring a change. The actors feelings change and they may reflect this in their representation of character or interpretation of script.
Another application of Meisner in practice is for example a scene where a character (A) is trying to get to the airport but has lost their passport. Another person (B), a friend perhaps, visits the house. The friend is asking questions, being a distraction whilst the other is trying to look for the passport. Person A needs to remain focused on finding the passport, their objective whilst at the same time dealing with person B's questions. This technique is therefore useful for helping an actor to become focused on their objectives within the scene. The dialogue could b completely irrelevant to the objective, but but the actor should still be demonstrating their pursuit of their objective through body language, gesture, subtext and actions. Their focus will change their action and reaction with the other character. They may become distant or frustrated regardless of the script.
The Meisner technique is potentially more useful for Film than stage although its can be used anywhere. With stage, the actor has time to get into character and they perform in a single liner time frame. They are more freely able to stay in character and have more time before performing to prepare. The performance is more fluid and performed live. Film is completely different due to the production process. Scenes are filmed in multiple location and may be needed to film multiple times. An actor may need to constantly break in and out out of character. Therefore, the Meisner could be used by the actor before performing a scene to help bring them into the present moment.
Class Meisner Workshop
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