MEISNER FOR KIDS

The Meisner technique is an approach to acting based on the practices of the American teacher and actor, Sanford Meisner. The main objective of the method is to develop the actor’s instinct and responsiveness while performing. Unlike Strasberg, who championed the notion of affective memory, in which actors attempt to relive a genuine, often traumatic memory from the past in order to generate sincere emotion, Meisner believed that this technique would only serve to remove the actor from the circumstances of the scene. Instead, the entire Meisner Technique is designed to keep the actor present and reactive within their imagined circumstances. The technique is based in three main principles: repetition, improvisation, and emotional preparation.