Every actor dreams of delivering a performance that allows an audience to live vicariously through them.. The Meisner Technique, with its emphasis on emotional preparation in acting, serves as an important bridge to this profound connection. 

For actors seeking to harness their emotional depth, emotional preparation is not merely a step but a journey. Join us here at Maggie Flanigan Studio as we explore the essence of emotional preparation and understand how it can revolutionize your artistic journey.

Key Takeaways

• The Meisner technique looks at self-induced emotion through the use of an actors’ imagination and their ability to daydream and fantasize.
• Meisner’s method offers the actor a healthy and creative way to work with their emotional palette.
• This technique emphasizes authentic, fluid emotion in a body that is pliable and capable of processing deep connection.

The Essence of Emotional Preparation

From the melodramatic emotional indication of acting pre 20th century,  to the organic revolution of Stanislavski, and the Lee Strasberg’s method acting, emotional accessibility has always been an integral part of the actor’s toolkit. While Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, and Konstantin Stanislavski all brought unique nuances to acting techniques, Sanford Meisner developed the Meisner acting technique, which has become a foundational artistic process  for thousands of actors. 

At its core, emotional preparation is what an actor does off-stage or off-camera in order to emotionally connect to the previous circumstance of a scene.. It’s about wedding the actor’s inner life to the previous imaginary circumstances, ensuring the emotions emanate from an honest, healthy, experiential place in the actor.

This process ensures that, when utilizing the Meisner technique exercises, an actor can breath life into the written words, and fully step into the shoes of another human being from a potent and connected place.

Emotional Preparation with the Meisner Acting Technique: An Intensive Exploration

Meisner training, while demanding, offers any serious actor an organic, artistic process for approaching a script. For actors willing to commit, here’s what sets Meisner-trained actors apart from the rest.

Word repetition: The starting point 

One of the distinguishing elements of Meisner training, the  repetition exercise plays a crucial role in honing an actor’s emotional connection. There are three ways an actor can come to a rich life on-camera and on-stage, and the first way is by being in real contact with another human being, and taking personally not only what is said, but  how you are being talked to. The repetition exercise, which begins at the onset of first year, challenges the student to work from a more vulnerable and empathic part of themselves.

Listening is the bedrock of acting, and it is one of the essential core fundamentals that separate the hack actor from the artist. The repetition exercise requires fully present, concentrated listening, and encourages the slow dismantling of the walls and barriers that have been erected since childbirth to keep us safe and protected from danger. 

The result? Over nine months of first year, this repetition exercise develops into a deep and sophisticated improvisation. The continual work of listening, taking in, and responding personally allows the actor to begin to open up emotionally. The actor begins to become more present, more vulnerable, and more empathic to what is happening.

This is the very foundation that has allowed great actors, such as Diane Keaton and Sam Rockwell, both famous Meisner actors, to deliver such honest performances.

Beyond words: Emphasizing emotional undercurrents

Sanford Meisner developed the Meisner Technique as a response to Lee Strasberg’s method acting, and his use of affected memory and emotional recall.. With its roots firmly planted in the Group Theater experience, Meisner training encourages actors to understand that the crux of a scene is not just in the spoken lines but in the emotional life that brews underneath. 

The Meisner technique recognizes that authentic responses and the human emotion conveyed between scene partners are what resonate most with an audience. As such, this technique pushes actors to move beyond mere dialogue. 

Since the goal is to tap into the deeper emotional currents beneath the spoken words, as the training progresses, this repetition exercise incorporates the addition of an independent activity.. The definition of acting is the ability to do truthfully under an imaginary circumstance. Meisner’s independent activity teaches the actor how to do just that. This is also the second way that an actor can come to life, by doing something meaningful. If the task at hand is important and necessary, and if it is crafted in a simple, specific, and personal way, then executed truthfully, the actor will come to life.

Whether they’re portraying a character, like the many iconic roles of Robert Duvall, or a fleeting moment of human experience, the goal remains the same—to foster an emotional connection that feels genuine and honest.

Crafting an authentic emotional life 

When Sanford Meisner introduced the Meisner Technique, he envisioned an acting process where actors had a solid fundamental foundation, along with an ability to break down a script and approach a character from a detailed, personal, and simple place.

Central to Meisner’s training is the idea that actors are acrobats of the human heart, capable of accessing the full gamut of human emotion.. By delving deep into these reservoirs, the actor can illuminate the human condition, and offer the audience a potent, visceral experience.

One of the hallmarks of this acting technique is its emphasis on imaginary circumstances.  By definition, acting takes place in the imaginary world, so every circumstance and relationship is not literally true. But the actor must respond to these imaginary circumstances and relationships AS IF it is reality. This is the flawless illusion of life. Sanford Meisner taught that actors should put themselves in their character’s shoes, making the issues of the character as potent and alive as the deepest issues they tackle in real life.. This requires empathy.

When this imaginative exploration is combined with an emotional connection from the actor’s imagination, it leads to a performance that’s both honest and captivating. Good acting, as Meisner felt, goes beyond the superficial. It’s not just about indicating emotion, but trusting in the organic quality of the actor’s inner life.

The actor’s guide in this journey involves practicing Meisner technique exercises that train students to respond spontaneously, from a personal place. Art is personal, and if the actor is not working in this way, then why should anybody pay to watch?. Spontaneity is essential to keeping the actor out of their head and onto their impulses. When an actor can work free an spontaneous, then who they are, their authenticity will come to the surface.

Immersing in character scenarios 

With the Meisner Technique, it isn’t enough for actors to simply understand or sympathize with  their characters life. Actors must actively step into their shoes. Sanford Meisner created this approach with a vision of creating organic behavior, rich in depth and understanding.

This means that any serious actor must be fascinated by human behavior. Who we are, and why we behave the way we do are essential questions for the actor. Actors must be astute observers of the human condition, and always remain open to the traumas, triumphs, and tragedies of life. 

An actor playing a seasoned barista might learn the craft of coffee-making firsthand, while someone depicting a painter might take up the brush and canvas to truly grasp the intricacies of the act. This is actor’s research, and any serious actor is going to do the work necessary to create the behavior of the character.

Such exercises, while seemingly straightforward, are crucial in fostering a genuine emotional connection to the role. It allows actors to move beyond the surface and tap into the authentic emotional undercurrents of their characters. 

By crafting and living out the independent activity, actors training in the Meisner technique not only develop solid craft and technique, but become better listeners, more present in every moment, and more liberated to express how they feel in every moment.

The end goal? To be able to consistently create vivid, organic, fully realized human behavior.

The Scene Partner: A Catalyst for Genuine Emotion

A unique feature of the Meisner technique is the intricate relationship and interplay between two actors. A scene doesn’t truly come alive because of a single actor’s brilliance but through the collective emotional energy of both actors.

The heart of acting, as Sanford Meisner often emphasized, lies in the genuine reactions that actors give and receive from their scene partners.

Bad actors will rehearse their lines out loud, in isolation, focusing on how they want to deliver their line. They will focus on the pitch of their voice, decide what words they want to punch, and the inflection they want to show. This is hack acting 101. However, in the Meisner technique, actors are taught to listen intently, fully present in the moment, and allow their line to express how they are feeling from moment to moment.

Through the Meisner repetition exercise, actors are continuously thrown into the deep end, where they have to remain hyper-aware of their fellow actor’s subtext and nuance.. This pushes them to move beyond line readings, or manipulating their inner life to fit a line.  Text should always rest on the truth of the moment.

Acting is essentially a subtext exercise. In life we are responding to it every second. What a person says and what a person means can be two totally different things. The line might be “i’m sorry”, but there is a big difference between a heartfelt apology and a half-assed one. An entire scene can be altered by the roll of an eye, a sigh, a smile, or a sharp tone. Really good actors are malleable to the nuance of another person’s behavior.

Actors such as James Gandolfini and Tina Fey, who have been trained in the principles of the Meisner technique, have often talked about the unparalleled connection they feel with their co-stars when performing. This genuine connection is evident in their performances, where every moment feels emotionally charged and authentic.

Importance of Professional Training for Effective Emotional Preparation

Acting has been around for thousands of years and is arguably the most important art form on the planet next to music.. It demands a profound understanding of the human condition, and a deep desire to illuminate the human heart.

Professional training plays an indispensable role in preparing actors for this challenging but rewarding art form. Techniques like the one created by Sandy Meisner provides a roadmap, a blue print so to speak, of how to read a script, break it down, and bring it to a full rich, nuanced life.

The audience is the most important part of the acting experience, and the goal, as actors, is to have a way of working that will allow the audience to have an experience, to come away moved in some way, more alive, and more insightful about themselves and how they relate to the world. This is the power of art.

Summary

Emotional preparation is a core fundamental of acting, and a substantial part of the Meisner Technique.. Sanford Meisner developed this method to provide a process, a way of working consistently with scripted material in an organic and experiential way.

The technique emphasizes the dynamic between scene partners, where spontaneous reactions are valued over rehearsed line readings. 

With professional training, actors can master these principles, ensuring their performances not only captivate but also deeply resonate with their audiences.

The Heart of Authentic Performance: Emotional Training at Maggie Flanigan Studio

Through a well-crafted curriculum grounded in the Meisner Technique, the Maggie Flanigan Studio guarantees to provide a challenging, safe, and nurturing environment, where actors will be held to the highest artistic standards. The Maggie Flanigan Studio is not for the merely curious, or part time hobbyist. The conservatory approach to acting training has been created for those who are deeply passionate and hungry to pursue a serious professional acting career.

Guided by Artistic Director & Master Teacher Charlie Sandlan, along with his hand picked seasoned professional teachers, MFS students are empowered to step outside their comfort zone, play full out with themselves, and commit to never settling for their second best.

If you’re keen on mastering the art of genuine emotional accessibility on stage or screen, don’t miss the opportunity to elevate your craft with the best. Experience the transformative power of emotional preparation with Maggie Flanigan Studio. Call today and embark on a journey to artistic excellence.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you prepare for an emotional scene in acting?

Meisner believed that the imagination and the ability to daydream and fantasize were the key tools to self-induced emotion. First an actor must boil down the emotional essence of the previous circumstance, then develop the ability to daydream vividly and graphically. When the actor is alive, they bring themselves back directly to the previous circumstance of the scene, and the emotion will attach. This is 100% teachable.

What are the steps to emotional preparedness? 

The first steps begin with the beginning of Meisner’s first year training. Emotional fluidity is very important. There are three ways an actor can tap into their emotional well: listening and taking personally what and how they are being talked to, truthfully doing something personal and necessary, and emotional preparation off-stage or off-camera.

Why is emotion important in acting?

Scripts in any medium are about people in action, people dealing with and engaging in potent and vivid relationships and circumstances. You certainly do not need to possess a deep emotional well in order to be a good actor. But if you want to truly illuminate the human condition, if you want to crack an audience open and shake them to their core, then you, as an actor must be able to access the full gamut of human emotion. Otherwise, the audience will come away having felt nothing. And that should be a crime to any serious artist.