This Was A Thing: The Retro Podcast

101: Method Acting; Or, Repeat After Meisner


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Want to learn to be a real actor? Well, if you’re willing to plumb the depths of emotionally devestating experiences from your childhood and past, or living your life in the exact circumstances of your character, then you’re in luck! Doesn’t sound appealing? To most people, those kind of ideas (drawing on memories to inform a performance and “being” your character) is the epitome of what’s known as “method acting.” But in fact, there really isn’t just one “method” - and as it turns out, that idea of an acting method is a relatively recent - and controversial - concept…

Rob teaches Ray about the “method” technique of acting, and how the idea of a systematic approach to acting developed; how Konstantin Stanislavski impacted acting education by exploring the intersection of psychology and performing in his theatre work; the different interpretations and teachers who branched off from Stanislavski’s ideas; the many notable actors who have emerged from these acting schools; and whether the “method” or “system” of acting is still considered the gold-standard in modern stage and screen acting.

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TEAM

Ray Hebel

Robert W. Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

ARTICLESEPISODE CLIPS

His Girl Friday (1940) - a Better Offer Scene (1/12) | Movieclips

Gone With the Wind (1/6) Movie Clip - Scarlett Meets Rhett (1939) HD

A Streetcar Named Desire (5/8) Movie Clip - I’m the King Around Here (1951) HD

What Is Method acting?

Clip of Lee Strasberg Directing Katherine Cortez, 1979

Stella Adler: Awake and Dream! From “American Masters”

What Is the Meisner Technique: The Repetition Exercise (Part 1)

Sanford Meisner Master Class Screener

Sanford Meisner - Meisner Techique

ADDITIONAL MUSIC & SOUND EFFECTS

“Happy Bee”

• Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

• Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Additional Sound Effects from Final Cut ProiLife, and Logic Pro

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This Was A Thing: The Retro PodcastBy Robert W. Schneider

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