Applied Meisner for the 21st-Century Actor from Focal Press develops Meisner's core principles for the contemporary actor and presents a Meisner-based acting technique that empowers practitioners to take ownership of their own creative process. In this book, the authors present the best, most applicable foundational components of Meisner's technique in a clear, pragmatic, and ethical manner, advancing Meisner's core principles with their own innovations.
Drawing on the best practices of consent-based work, they outline a specific approach to creating clear boundaries for the actor and establishing an ethical acting studio. Filled with practical exercises, useful definitions and explanations of foundational principles, and helpful advice on how to recognize and overcome common acting traps and pitfalls, this book provides a replicable and flexible technique that puts the actor at the center of their training.
Part I: Foundations
- 1. What is Acting?
- 2. Studio Guidelines
- 3. Keeping It Safe
- 4. The Foundations: Other, Doing, and Impulse
- 5. The Basic Repetition Exercise
- 6. The Independent Activity
- 7.¿Common Struggles and How to Work Through Them
- 8. The Foundations Developed,
¿Part 1 ¿Part II: Technique
- 9. The Foundations Developed,
Part 2:¿Preparing to Work with a Script
- 10. Point of View (POV)
- 11.¿The Foundations Developed: Need (The¿Organizing¿Principle)
- 12. The Foundations Developed:¿Action (The¿Actor’s¿Tools)
- 13. Putting It All Together
Part III: Additional Considerations
- 14. Bigger Acting Problems
- 15. A Few Final Thoughts
- 16. The Ethical Acting Studio Conclusion
Kim Shively is a professional actor and director, Associate Faculty at Theatrical Intimacy Education, and Assistant Professor of Performing Arts at Elon University, North Carolina, where she teaches acting, voice, and content creation.
