Phase II culminates with the addition of “relationship” to the structured improvisations. The technique, which now includes the emotional aspect, is once again applied to scene work. The improvisations are now filled with emotional life. This aspect of the work is the most challenging and also the most exciting. Emotional preparation now adds a whole new dimension to the work. Once again, actors are reminded that in Meisner‘s work great emphasis is placed upon the creative use of the imagination to generate emotion. It is how the actor connects him/herself emotionally to the prior circumstances. The instructor arranges semi-private meetings with students new to Phase II to discuss and explain the technique of “emotional preparation.” Emotional preparation is the tool the actor uses to generate a truthful, emotional life.
We are trying to develop a habitual way of working. It should be stressed that this work is designed in a very systematic, step-by-step fashion. Phase II continues to build upon the work from Phase I. Phase 1 ends with the introduction of “emotional preparation” by way of “the alone exercise.” The habits that are being developed through the exercises are applied periodically to actual scene work.
The Repetition Exercise, coupled with the independent activity and a few other elements, eventually leads to a complex, structured improvisation in which actors work off each other’s behavior in a truthful, unanticipated moment-to-moment way.
Whether your character is experiencing the height of joy, or the depths of despair, the bottom line is: acting should be fun! Use of the imagination ensures this. The actor is learning a technique that will allow him or her to “live truthfully under imaginary circumstances.” The actor is not required to become a neurotic, nor is the actor required to dredge up horrible, real events from the past. In the Meisner Technique, great emphasis is placed upon strengthening the actors’ imagination. Next we introduce “The Independent Activity” – a physically difficult task that the actors must really try to complete for a meaningful, imaginary reason, within a specific time limit. Our Beginner Acting Classes start off with the fundamental Meisner Technique exercise called, “The Repetition Exercise.” This fundamental exercise trains actors in the habit of really listening, getting the attention off themselves, leaving themselves vulnerable, and really responding truthfully to the other actors’ behavior. The “Reality of Doing” is the foundation of the Sanford Meisner approach to acting.
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