Philosophy of Teaching

 Sanford Meisner said, "Art expresses human experience."

 The actor's job is to breathe life into the work of the playwright, and give the audience that human experience. In order to accomplish this, the actor must become "an acrobat of the heart." Every acrobat is a practicing gymnast, one who has become adept at performing gymnastic feats with ease because of rigorous training. To excel at anything requires rigorous, in-depth training. The best in-depth training for an actor is the Meisner Technique.

 No technique equips the actor with a more solid foundation. From moment-to-moment listening and responding, which Sanford Meisner defined as the "bedrock of acting", to the beginnings of character work, the student learns through clearly structured exercises, how it all springs from within. As Meisner said, "If it's not personal, it's no good." The words on the page are lifeless until the actor gives them meaning. Meisner defined acting as "living truthfully under imaginary circumstances." My main goal as a teacher in the first year of work is to nurture this sense of truth. In the beginning the students must rely on their instructor's sense of truth, until by working and watching they begin to develop their own. And they do. And that is a tribute to the technique itself. The second year of training centers on clarification of text, actions, and character work.

 In the beginning stages of an actor's development, it is very important to establish a safe and supportive environment in which to work. Only then will the actor feel free enough to allow the creative spirit to emerge from within. This is the teacher's job, to engender trust, to remain open to each student's particular needs. In Stanislavski in Rehearsal, Vasily Torpokov quotes Stanislavski, "It is important to offer the actor enticements." I like to think of myself as a guide. I can't force a student down the path. I can only show him the way, entice him with trust, and hope that he follows.