The finest actors working in theater and film today share common traits. Their acting is specific, truthful and emotionally honest. The Meisner Approach is particularly well-suited to develop these traits and provides solid skills that the actor will always be able to count on.

The approach develops confidence and flexibility by liberating the actor from a need for control. The Meisner-trained actor surrenders to intuition, living organically from moment-to-moment and applies a very strong and personal point of view to the text.

While Meisner-trained actors do make specific choices around script interpretation and the character requirements of the role, they experience their acting as if the imaginary circumstance were happening for the first time, every time, performance after performance.


Most actors report that their Meisner training finally revealed to them what great acting is and gave them a specific process by which to achieve it. Prior to their Meisner instruction, many actors feel that their work was "well-spoken" or even "thoughtfully executed," but that it lacked something critical at its core. It remained a lukewarm imitation of life and, in this way, was not truly authentic.

In contrast, after completing their Meisner training, actors describe their work as "feeling alive." By learning to make more specific choices and by applying a finer use of instinct, actors stop watching themselves and become better able to bring a deep sense of truth to their work without becoming self-absorbed.


All technique classes meet twice a week, each student works every class, and students are expected to work with classmates between classes in outside rehearsals.

Our program divides the training into three levels: Tech I, II and III. Because our program continues through summer months and is not divided along the traditional academic schedule, our students complete their training in a year's time. Traditional "second year work" begins with Tech III and is carried through the student's experiences in the Advanced Performance Workshop.

Tech I (3 months)
Actors are introduced to basic Meisner principles and make habits of a specific skill set that immediately makes their acting more truthful and specific. Listening and partnering skills are emphasized, as actors learn to live in the moment without manipulating their performance.

Tech II (4 months)
Emotional preparation. Tech II helps actors achieve authentic emotional life through use of the imagination rather than sense memory or emotional recall. Close attention is paid to relationship and the circumstances of the scene, allowing genuine feelings to become more accessible to the actor. Scene work is presented in an open class format to test the actor's ability to successfully apply emotional and physical preparation when performing in front of an audience.

Tech III (4 months)
Focusing on what laymen might refer to as "character" work, this level focuses on physical and vocal adjustments such as accents and time period or cultural specifics. Exercises in text interpretation emphasize actions and particularization. The course finishes with monologue work examined through a performance project, bringing all aspects of the Meisner training together in a final open class presentation.