Free Write.

          In the book, the actors in the class have been working on pieces from "Spoon River Anthology". These pieces are very interesting, because they are written more like poetry than monologues. Therefore, it is easy to see why the students would struggle with some of the pieces; it takes a different sort of mindset to approach the speeches and perform them realistically and with emotion, rather than just reading them off the page. Despite initial difficulties, Meisner's advice and comments seem to assist the actors in giving a satisfying performance. He emphasizes the importance of preparation as well as "letting it all out"; when one student begins to tear up hesitantly during her piece, he excitedly encourages her to cry. One technique that he suggested which I found interesting was to perform the piece in your own words after reading it a few times, then go back to the script as written, and then continue with the improvisation of the text. I plan on trying this method the next time I am preparing a monologue.

"The first thing you have to do when you read a text is to find yourself - really find yourself. First you find yourself, then you find a way of doing the part which strikes you as being in character. Then, based on that reality, you have the nucleus of the role. Otherwise every shmuck from Erasmus Hall High School is an actor because everyone there knows how to read."