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Meisner Acting Class

This document provides guidance and exercises for an acting class focused on Meisner technique. It discusses the difference between overacting and truthful acting, noting that overacting can cause the audience to become disengaged. The exercises include delivering monologues using different emotions to a chair, reciting nursery rhymes with emotional preparation, and introducing oneself to others with varying emotions. The goal is to start from an acting point of view while maintaining emotional truth and engagement for the audience.

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Michael Clifton
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226 views

Meisner Acting Class

This document provides guidance and exercises for an acting class focused on Meisner technique. It discusses the difference between overacting and truthful acting, noting that overacting can cause the audience to become disengaged. The exercises include delivering monologues using different emotions to a chair, reciting nursery rhymes with emotional preparation, and introducing oneself to others with varying emotions. The goal is to start from an acting point of view while maintaining emotional truth and engagement for the audience.

Uploaded by

Michael Clifton
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Acting Class- Meisner

Overacting Vs Truth
So you’ve trained in instinctive behaviour, and you feel it’s authentic. But the director goes with
the hammy over the top actor. Why?

Simply because you have lost the sense of the scene when you keep it too truthful…

And therefore the reason behind the scene, improvisation or whatever is lost…

This probably is because you may have missed the key words or phrase in your naturalism
And the audience may have zoned out are not engaged or understood. Think how engaging is
a confrontation between parents or girls over a boy, or dancing!
So what we need to do is to START from the ACTING point of view and give it TRUTH, or
Preparation..

A Monologue IS delivered to : Gain Control. Find Answers. Process Emotions

Exercise 1 Chair Monologue.

Prepare your real given circumstances..


Pick one phrase and overact it on any chair in the acting space

You’ve ruined it for me


I don’t want this anymore
You’ve really helped me
I shouldn’t feel this way but I do
Why are you so jealous of me
You’re making me nervous
Don’t throw your life away on a dream
I’m trying to stay positive

Exercise 2 . Your preparation into empty words

Humpty Dumpty, Grand old Duke of Your or any nursery rhyme

Exercise 3 The Introduction 2 people. It’s allowing the scene to do something to you

Stand UP…Introduce yourself 3 times in 3 different ways.

Happy, Sad, Angry. Accepting, Dismissive or Disgust, Shy, Surprised, Contempt

Exercise 4 The Introduction or Given Circumstance. 3 people

You are driving the scene from your preparation, your inner monologue based on exercise 1.

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