It would be impossible to teach you the technique in an article



but if I could share one extremely valuable point that any actor

or actress regardless of training or experience to date could

take away with them it would be this.

Put all your attention on your partner!

Putting all your attention on your working partner results in

listening and answering, living moment to moment, and hence

living truthfully. This is what makes acting magnetic and

riveting.

Great acting is about listening and answering. It’s like a

tennis match. Hitting the ball back and forth. And to be able to

do this your must take the attention off your self otherwise

your holding the ball in your hand and there is no game. And

that is boring!

The Meisner Technique of Acting is far more in depth than this

one point but if you leave your self alone and don’t do anything

unless the other person makes you do it you can improve your

acting immediately.

What I mean by this is don’t ACT! Don’t put on a show, don’t

behave in a certain way or do something because you think the

audience will appreciate it only do something if the other

person in the scene with you makes you do it.

That way all your attention is on the other person and you react

according to what they are giving you.

Are they ignoring you? What’s your point of view about that?

Then communicate that point of view to them.

Are they smothering you? What’s your point of view about that?

Then communicate that point of view to them.

Are they manipulating you? What’s your point of view about that?

Then communicate that point of view to them.

Go to their BEHAVIOR.

The Meisner Technique of Acting is all about reading BEHAVIOR

not about what words are written on a page.

So go to the behavior of your working partner and give them your

point of view.

If you do your homework, that is understanding your given

circumstances, who your are, where you are, what’s just

happened, what your fighting for in this scene, what the stakes

are, who this person in this scene is to you, then all you have

to do is come on stage or onto set or into the audition room and

leave your circumstances at the door because they are now in you

and simply place all your attention on your partner whilst doing

your doing.

This is one acting tip from the Meisner Technique of Acting that

is guaranteed to improve your skills and abilities as an actor.

To your acting success

Leanne Mauro