The Sanford Meisner Approach: An Actors Workbook

Any study of the craft of acting will invariably lead you back to Stanislavski. The big three acting teachers (Meisner, Adler and Strasberg) were all attempting to make the grandfather of naturalistic acting accessible to the American actor, and by extension, the American theatre. The difficulty in Stanislavski's books (An Actor Prepares, Building a Character & Creating a Role) is that they are written from the first person perspective or they present what is essentially a transcript of the classroom. Similarly, "Sanford Meisner on Acting" by Sanford Meisner and Dennis Longwell takes a similar approach. Even in the Sanford Meisner Master Class DVD, the format is one very much like a documentary with some great commentary from Mary Barter. In all of the above texts one must infer the objectives and process to Sandy's exercises. Meisner evolved Stanislavski's principles. Silverberg has broken them down with precision and made them accessible. It is not a book one reads "to know" how to act. It is a workbook where one must "do" the exercises. When one does them with a partner (and hopefully with a teacher to guide them) they have a palpable result and give the actor a technique (an organic habit) that they no longer think aout but do instinctually. Thank you, Larry, for sharing Sandy's life work with the rest of the world.

Speaking as another graduate of the Neighborhood Playhouse who actually studied with Sandy (as well as continuing to study with him in his private class after graduation), I had some reservations about Larry Silverberg's book. Acting is experiential, not intellectual. Larry Silverberg implies that Sandy's technique can be learned from a book and practiced by amateurs. That was never Sandy's intention. Learning the Meisner Technique is an organic process that requires the guidance of a trained teacher. Preferably, this should be someone whom Sandy actually trained as an actor and as a teacher. The problem with expressing "the reality of the doing" in writing seems almost self defeating. To put it bluntly, you've got to do the work. Sandy once said, "You know those books, AN ACTOR PREPARES and ACTING: THE FIRST SIX LESSONS? Tell you what, you learn to act and then read those books to see if they knew how to act." Read Larry Silverberg's book and SANFORD MEISNER ON ACTING to see if this is the Meisner Technique seems to suit you. Then you will need to make the commitment to study and learn first hand. Be warned, it requires talent and hard work.The vital issue is to acquire a viable technique to be able to work on a professional level. Sandy's technique is time proven, providing you learn from the right teacher. Above all, Sandy knew that acting can be painful at times and the actor's life is a hard one. However, he wanted acting to be a healthy process. "Acting is fun," he used to say, "don't let that get around." It becomes fun when you begin to know what you're doing.Just remember, that reading about the process is not the same thing as doing the work itself. For the record, Sandy Meisner was the greatest teacher of any subject that I ever encountered in my life. He was truly one of a kind.