Applied Meisner for the 21st-Century Actor 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, and advance 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.
Applied Meisner for the 21st-Century Actor offers actors and students of acting courses a workable technique that will foster growth and discovery throughout their career.
The text also includes links to the companion website www.21CActor.com, where readers can engage with the material covered in the book and with Otos’ and Shively’s most up-to-date research, supplemental materials, and training opportunities.
Introduction 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
Biography
Kevin Otos is a professional actor and director and Associate Professor of Acting at Elon University, North Carolina, where he teaches Acting, Movement, and Period Styles.
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.
