SANDY MEISNER ON 'HIS TECHNIQUE';

IN MY OPINION:

WILLIAM REYNOLDS:

SANDY MEISNER ON 'HIS TECHNIQUE';

ONE OF THREE;

1. Actors Must Really Listen

“The foundation of acting is the reality of doing.“

How many times have you heard that if you want to be a good actor, you must learn to listen? As it is mentioned in his book, after a short speech Meisner asks his class: “Are you listening to me? Are you really listening to me? […] That’s the reality of doing. If you do something, you REALLY DO IT..DON'T PRETEND TO BE DOING IT. This is the first and most important lesson aspiring actors must learn. What Sanford here says is that when doing a scene, YOU are the character. You do not listen “as the character”; you listen as yourself and you react as yourself. Do NOT pretend to be doing something just for the sake of it — really do it. ""That is the foundation of listening, which is every actor’s number one tool; ergo the foundation of acting.""

“If you’re really doing it, then you don’t have time to watch yourself doing it. You only have the time and energy to do it.“