The Meisner Approach
The Meisner classes we offer at Green Shirt are the backbone of what we do. These classes are designed to be taken in order, each level lasting 10 weeks. If you’re serious about transforming your acting, this is the place to start. Each level costs $295. A $100 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your spot.
Level 1: Living Truthfully
Sanford Meisner said that, ‘acting is the ability to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances.’ In our first ten weeks together, we will work on the first half of that statement: living truthfully. Working through this series of innovative, step-by-step series of improvisational exercises will train you to be thoroughly responsive, emotionally alive, spontaneous and absolutely grounded in the reality of what is happening at any given moment with any given person. These foundational exercises will get you out of your head and into being absolutely present to the world around you and the people with whom you share it.
Upcoming Sessions:
Wednesdays (7/10 – 9/11), 7pm-9:30pm (Instructor: Andrew Gallant)
Sundays (7/14 – 9/15) from 10am-12:30pm (Instructor: Andrew Gallant)
Level 2: Under Imaginary Circumstances
In Level 2, we will begin to explore ‘imaginary circumstances.’ New elements will be added to the exercises that will work to broaden your imagination, exercise your faith in fictional circumstances, and ground your acting in your own unique point of view. As you continue this work through the advanced exercises, we will begin to show you ways to bring the improvisational nature of Meisner work to actual scripts by turning the script into an improvisation with words. Our last class together will be an open class during which you will perform a scene for an invited audience.
Upcoming Sessions:
Tuesdays (7/9 – 9/10), 7pm-9:30pm (Instructor: Lisa Konoplisky) **Note: This class is held at The Athenaeum (2936 N Southport Ave)**
Saturdays (7/13 – 9/14) from 4pm-6:30pm (Instructor: Andrew Gallant)
Level 3: Emotional Preparation
Acting is an emotional art form, yet as Meisner told us, ‘acting is not emoting.’ So how do we deepen our emotional life without becoming indulgent, self-conscious actors? How do we meet the emotional demands of the script without faking anything? Level 3 has the answer. For ten weeks you will be guided through a series of exercises specifically designed to deepen and set free your emotional life. The ‘Emotional Preparation’ and ‘Particularization’ exercises will give you the tools you need to truthfully meet the deepest emotional demands of any play. At the end of these ten weeks you will put your new skills to the test and perform a second scene for an invited audience.
Upcoming Sessions:
Thursdays (7/11 – 9/12), 7pm-9:30pm (Instructor: Andrew Gallant)
Sundays (7/14 – 9/15), 1pm-3:30pm (Instructor: Sommer Austin)
Level 4: Doing the Work
Here we will give you the interpretive tools you’ll need to put all your Meisner training into practice in the real world. You will learn how to read a script with the precision and dexterity of a surgeon, discover how to make active choices that work for you, and unlock your ability to personalize the given circumstances of the plays you work on. You will emerge from Level 4 with a concrete, no-nonsense process that will give you a solid foundation for the rest of your acting career.
Upcoming Sessions:
Tuesdays (7/9 – 9/10) from 7pm-9:30pm (Instructor: Andrew Gallant)
Saturdays (7/13 – 9/14) from 1pm-3:30pm (Instructor: Sommer Austin)
Level 5: Advanced Meisner Scene Study
In Level 5, you will be given amply opportunity to put your acting process into practice. You will work on a variety of texts from contemporary to classic texts and learn how to apply your process to any style. Level 5 is repeatable and is designed to be a place for advanced actors to keep up on their craft.
Upcoming Sessions:
Next session will be announced soon!