Sanford Meisner Master Class

Sanford Meisner (1905-1997) was one of the most influential American acting coaches of the 20th century. In 1931, Meisner founded (along with Harold Clurman, Lee Strasberg, and Cheryl Crawford) the Group Theatre in New York, and two decades later, at the Neighborhood Playhouse, developed his own technique designed to train students “to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances.” This two-disc set issued by the Meisner Estate features substantial footage from a master class Meisner allowed to be filmed in 1980 at the request of some of his graduates (including director Sydney Pollack), illustrating the process by which students learned (under Meisner's gentle but firm tutelage) to spontaneously respond to invented situations drawing on their own emotional makeups to achieve truthfulness. Interwoven throughout is commentary from Martin Barter, artistic director of the Meisner Institute, who discusses the purpose behind the various exercises. Sanford Meisner Master Class should hold great appeal for drama department faculty, acting coaches, and aspiring actors. The video quality is mediocre, and Meisner's throat surgery left him only able to produce whispered speech with great effort—but one's eyes and ears quickly adjust, and subtitles are provided. A historically important release that is of much practical value as well, this is highly recommended, especially for theatre arts collections. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)