"Free Write."

          "The foundation of acting is the reality of doing." This is the opening statement Meisner makes to his acting students in the first class of the semester, making them repeat it out loud and providing various examples to prove it to them. Once they are convinced enough, he introduces them to the basis for his technique, which he calls Repetition. It truly is as simple as it sounds - one person makes a statement, the other repeats it back to them, then the first person repeats it again, etc. It involves no intellectual activity, simply hearing what your partner is saying and repeating the words exactly. After practicing this seemingly juvenile exercise for a little while, they move on to the next level - repetition from your own point of view. For instance, if one actor says "Do you curl your hair?", the other may reply "Yes, I curl my hair," or even "No, I do not curl my hair." The exercise continues with each person repeating what the other has said but from their own perspective.

         Meisner then introduces two new principles to the Word Repetition Game: "Don't do anything unless something happens to make you do it," and "What you do doesn't depend on you; it depends on the other person." The exercise continues with some humorous situations unfolding, and the actors start to experiment with their impulses and instincts. Next, an independent activity is added - one of the actors chooses an activity to do with a high level of difficulty, a sense of urgency, and a valid reason as to why they must complete it. For example, Meisner tells one of the actors that he met a beautiful girl at a party, but he lost her phone number; therefore, his activity is to look through all the "Smiths" in the Manhattan phonebook until he finds her. While the actor is carrying out his or her independent activity, the repetition game continues - the other actor speaks to the actor doing the activity, who must still repeat what they've said while staying focused on their activity.

         That's just about as far as I've gotten in the book, but I am truly intrigued by this Word Repetition Game. Although it may seem ridiculously easy or dull, I can see how it would be difficult to stay truthful and genuine while playing. I'd love to try it out and see how I did; following your impulses is always a challenge, but I know it would also be liberating if I was able to surrender completely to my instincts.

Quote of the week:

"Beethoven was a bastard in real life, you know. He was a real bastard. But his music is pure and based in his real feeling. That is why he was great. Not because he fired his servant, which he did, because a sock was missing out of the laundry. What I'm saying is that the truth of ourselves is the root of our acting."