I recently watched a very interesting video by the renowned acting coach, Steven Ditmyer on how to deliver monologues using the Meisner Technique. Sanford Meisner believed very much in the relationships between Actors in a scene and taught his Students to get out of their own heads by focusing on their scene partner. I really like the technique which is intensely visceral and alive; however, it gets interesting when there is no 'other'. When the Actor or Actress must deliver a monologue...
The first time I struggled with Meisner theory was when I was doing a screen acting workshop. We did an exercise where another Actor read the other character's lines as if they were a studio Intern, and I had to stay in character delivering my lines to the top of a camera tripod. The 'Intern' was told to blank read without any emotional input, but I still had to act. I really enjoy doing monologues and find that using imagination to change the target character and given circumstances for a particular piece can profoundly change its delivery. In Steven's video he suggested having a clear visualization of whom, or what, you are dilvering the words to; and with particular reference to the tripod exercise, I remember another teacher of Meisner who advised me to "keep acting until that tripod responds to you"! However there are some pieces for which I think the Actor must source everything within themselves. I find some of my favourite monologues in Science Fiction movies and particularly like the final piece from 'The Incredible Shrinking Man' (1957). Those who have seen the film will know that by the end the title character is now miniscule, and thought by his family to be dead, so who exactly are the voiced-over words being delivered to? Who would ever hear these words? He makes reference to God, for whom "there is no zero", but speaks about Him in the third person. Nevertheless, the words are incredibly poignant, and a great challenge for an Actor inasmuch as they come from the depths of the character's soul, but involve no other character. I have to be honest and say that I do not visualize an 'other' when I perform this monologue, but always feel very stirred within myself. For me it seems, I can find an 'other' within myself, and that can be very useful when talking to tripods...
The first time I struggled with Meisner theory was when I was doing a screen acting workshop. We did an exercise where another Actor read the other character's lines as if they were a studio Intern, and I had to stay in character delivering my lines to the top of a camera tripod. The 'Intern' was told to blank read without any emotional input, but I still had to act. I really enjoy doing monologues and find that using imagination to change the target character and given circumstances for a particular piece can profoundly change its delivery. In Steven's video he suggested having a clear visualization of whom, or what, you are dilvering the words to; and with particular reference to the tripod exercise, I remember another teacher of Meisner who advised me to "keep acting until that tripod responds to you"! However there are some pieces for which I think the Actor must source everything within themselves. I find some of my favourite monologues in Science Fiction movies and particularly like the final piece from 'The Incredible Shrinking Man' (1957). Those who have seen the film will know that by the end the title character is now miniscule, and thought by his family to be dead, so who exactly are the voiced-over words being delivered to? Who would ever hear these words? He makes reference to God, for whom "there is no zero", but speaks about Him in the third person. Nevertheless, the words are incredibly poignant, and a great challenge for an Actor inasmuch as they come from the depths of the character's soul, but involve no other character. I have to be honest and say that I do not visualize an 'other' when I perform this monologue, but always feel very stirred within myself. For me it seems, I can find an 'other' within myself, and that can be very useful when talking to tripods...
RSS Feed