Meisner Technique
F05, S07 
Jennifer Rohn
“If you are really doing it, you don’t have time to watch yourself doing it.” Sanford Meisner was an actor and founding member of the Group Theater. He went on to become a master teacher of acting who sought to give students an organized approach to the creation of truthful behavior within the imaginary circumstances of a play. We will explore this technique using various exercises such as repetition, independent activity, emotional preparation, and focused scene work. The class will require extensive out-of-class preparation, with a minimum of six hours a week for rehearsals and the crafting of exercises. In addition, we will read and discuss several plays and Eleanora Duse’s biography, A Mystic in the Theater.