The Sanford Meisner Approach

March 1, 1995
The term Meisner Technique is known to almost any current student of acting. Sanford Meisner, one of the founding members of The Group Theater in 1931, found fault with the internalized Stanislavsky approach that prevailed at the time. Meisner believed that by reacting to the other people on stage, an actor's performance would be more honest and, therefore, more interesting for the audience. Here, Silverberg, who was a student of the master teacher, presents a workbook for actors that will prove useful, regardless of how familiar the reader is with Meisner's methods. Silverberg's writing is concise and insightful throughout and makes the technique accessible to any committed student. However, his unbridled enthusiasm and 12 step-type rhetoric may distract some readers. Also, it should be noted that the exercises in this book are for three or more people and will hence find their best use in acting workshops. Still, given the lack of materials focusing on this important technique, this work is recommended for large theater collections in public and academic libraries.--Douglas McClemont, New York