Alleyway will launch its first Meisner Training Program in 2027, taught by Artistic Director Chris J Handley. Chris is a third generation legacy Mesiner student, trained by Martha Jacobs, who was trained by Robert Patterson, who was trained by Sanford Meisner. In fact, Martha literally wrote the book on this technique: A MESINER LEGACY, which presents the two-year preparation for actors designed by Meisner and refined by Patterson.
For the serious actor, this program will span the course of about 90 meetings over 2 years. Auditions/interviews will be required, and a commitment from students will be important. More details to come in Fall 2026.
What is the Meisner Technique? Trust yourself enought to get out of your head and react to what's actually happening with your scene partner, instead of recreating a prepared and rehearsed performance.
Sanford Meisner is one of the great teachers of the 20th Century. He worked with Stanislavski's method through the Group Theatre, breaking from Lee Strasberg's affective memory approach. Mesiner didn't believe you had to dig up your own childhood trauma to fake an emotion. Meisner's bet was that if you're truly listening to the other actor and responding without planning your response, the emotion you need in the scene will show up on its own.
The training starts with repetition exercises, learning to removel the want to think ahead, plan a line reading, or manage how you come across. You're forced into pure response.
From there it builds into improvisation with given circumstances, then into text work, where you're applying that same instinct-over-intellect discipline to actual scenes and scripts. Each stage assumes you've actually earned the previous one — you can't skip to Chekhov if you're still performing instead of reacting.
Sanford Meisner is the one who said acting is "living truthfully under imaginary circumstances."
Alleyway Education is committed to providing our programming for all, regardless of your financial situation. If you would like to apply for tuition assistance, please click here to fill out the form and we'll get back to you shortly.
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