After taking Meisner level 1, I have a greater sense of presence and awareness as not only an actor, but also a person going through the motions of everyday life. I can feel myself actively listening, responding, engaging and repeating (something I thought I would find annoying, but now brings me immense joy to realize I am actively doing it). I’ve since done a handful of auditions and seen the results from my preparation for the audition and in the audition itself, all of which lead to callbacks, and even booking a show. As someone who overthinks and constantly questions if I’m “doing it right,” this class helped get me out of my head - less thinking leading up to and in the moment, and more of just doing and following my impulses, a concept that I dreaded before this class but that I now don’t mind at all. In all of the other classes I’ve taken, college included, I received a very general overview of many different techniques, and none of them made sense when I tried to apply them to my craft. This approach was specific and clear. Additionally, the work with emotional preparation gave me a way to truthfully exist in in the space that I didn't understand before. I can now see more clearly when I’m forcing an emotion and when I can more naturally get myself to feel what I am going through as my character. Until this class, I’d never been able to consciously and directly apply knowledge to my work - and I had more fun doing it than I ever had in any class before.
Rich was an incredibly patient and supportive teacher. As someone who hates to get up in front of a class and present work, I never once felt pressured, insecure or judged or that I didn’t belong. It was always a safe space, and it was apparent that he enjoys teaching. He communicated the technique and the process very clearly.
Rich was an incredibly patient and supportive teacher. As someone who hates to get up in front of a class and present work, I never once felt pressured, insecure or judged or that I didn’t belong. It was always a safe space, and it was apparent that he enjoys teaching. He communicated the technique and the process very clearly.