Meisner Acting- Scene Study Meisner Acting

Meisner Acting
Scene Study

In a general sense scene study is the breaking down of a scene in a play and looking at how an actor’s character fits into the story as a whole. The Meisner acting technique uses scene study to delve even deeper, looking at specific details relating to the characters, their interactions, relationships, analysis of what happened “offstage” to propel the character into the scene–the list goes on. Playwrights have very meaningful reasons for putting characters into scenes and it is the actor’s responsibility to dig as deeply as possible into every nuance of the character and how it effects not only the scene but the development of the overall story.

It is practically useless to do any scene study without first mastering the fundamentals of the craft of acting. An actor studying Meisner acting techniques must first approach and break down the barriers, the emotional “habits” they have formed throughout life. From basic temperament to upbringing to social mores, we are programmed to instinctively react in a unique way. These can be an impediment to an actor who must learn to react and have the emotional habits of many different people, the characters they play.

Breaking down these barriers and emotional blocks is exhausting, demanding and exhilarating. Above all, it is absolutely necessary. The result is an actor who has learned how to move effortlessly from one emotional landscape to another. They have learned to imagine and internalize an entire library of complex feelings, reactions and impulses, from suppressed rage to intense sorrow, extreme vulnerability to subtle hysteria–if you can name it they can immerse themselves in it quickly and truthfully.
Most actors with any knowledge understand that acting is not a simple craft. However, simplicity is the cornerstone of great acting. How does that work?

Mastery of scene study and combining it with the fundamentals of the craft is one way actors can “give way” onstage and perform simply and freely as the character with all of the attending mannerisms, nuances, impulses, emotional responses, etc. that make it truthful and authentic.

The type of detailed scene study outlined below is one of the best tools an actor has to truly develop a living breathing character that they can call on at will. If one has studied in a rigorous way, they will find they have an ability to listen fully, respond spontaneously and be completely focused in the proper way as they react moment by moment onstage. This is the best way to be fully immersed in the reality as it unfolds onstage and give evocative, mesmerizing performances that seem to be happening in the moment rather than being memorized and rehearsed.

There are many, many things to consider when approaching scene study work–most of them relating to the character’s point of view. Here are just a few of the questions an actor must ask when approaching the development of a scene:

1) What is the story really about? Only by reading the script over and over will this
become clear.

2) How does this scene fit into the overall story and how is my character being dramatized
in it?

3) What happened offstage that propelled my character into the scene?

4) How would it make me feel? How does the character feel?

5) How are the characters in the scene relating to each other as the scene
progresses? How does my character feel as it progresses?

6) What is my character’s main objective?

7) What are my character’s actions?

8) How are those actions leading him or her to the objective
(or away from it? )

9) What kind of issues does my character have in the scene?

10) What is my idea for the part? How will I play the character?

This list is superficial at best but, it does give some idea of the types of things that need to be researched, thought about and integrated into the deeper understanding of a character. If you have done the necessary homework, if you remain open to what happens without trying to anticipate, if you are emotionally and physically present your talent will take over and your best work will rise up out of you and flow freely from an unconscious place.

There are always moments in any creative process, especially acting, when you feel as if you don’t know anything. This is a wonderful place to be. It will give you an opportunity to struggle in a new way with the material. It’s a struggle that will help you uncover a personal resonance with the text and the circumstances of the play and discover things about yourself and your character that will ultimately result in a higher caliber performance–if you let it. It is essential to love that struggle as much as you love acting.