Meisner and Strasberg Difference | Maggie Flanigan and Charlie Sandlan Disuss

http://www.maggieflaniganstudio.com/s... Maggie Flanigan Master Teacher of Meisner and Charlie Sandlan Senior Acting Teacher discuss the differences between Lee Strasberg and Sanford Meisner techniques.

The goal was the same. Organic truthful acting. The difference has to do with going back to personal history. Sense memory, emotional recall. Meisner has more to do with the imagination which is formed by the past. Meisner focused much more on the imagination, and an organic technique. From a little exorcize that grows and develops into a very sophisticated exorcize that encompasses all the fundamentals of acting.

Charlie: I have a question for you. What is the difference between what Strasberg taught and what Meisner taught? Where is your view on the value of what Strasberg created with the method that I guess is known as Mei....

Maggie: Well, Meisner, Sanford Meisner had his own method. It´s a misnomer from what I understand. I have studied some of Strasberg’s work. And many actors, good actors, worked in it.

Charlie: Yeah.

Maggie: I think the goal for Meisner as well as Strasberg was the same.

Charlie: Sure. Organic.

Maggie: Organic.

Charlie: Truthful.

Maggie: Truthful acting, absolutely. One is one approach, the other is the other. The difference I think has to do with going back to personal history.

Charlie: Extended memory....

Maggie: Extended memory. Yeah. All of that.

Charlie: Lee Strasberg is, right.

Maggie: Going back.

Charlie: Going back in the past.

Maggie: And Meisner has more to do with the imagination which is formed by the past. But it´s not literally going back to the past. If you have a father or mother who died when you were a young kid you will be forever sensitive to abandonment.

Charlie: Right.

Maggie: You know. And loss. It´s not about going back to that. Anything you use in your imagination having to do with that will probably work for you emotionally.

Charlie: Right. So the use of fantasy, imagination. That is kind of what separates the ...

Maggie: From what I understand. You know I am not going to say I´m an authority on Strasberg. I don´t want to say that, you know.

Charlie: Right. But I mean Meisner did focus more on the imagination.

Maggie: Imagination and an organic technique. The great thing about Meisner, Sanford Meisner’s work is that from a little exercise it grows and develops into a very sophisticated exercise that encompasses all the fundamentals of acting. It does not have an exercise here, and exercise there, two more exercises here and than you go to material and have you bring it to it. You know, with Sanford Meisner’s work it was really one exercise that grew and developed over a year.

Charlie: Yes. It really covers everything.

Maggie: It covers everything except character work which is second year.

Charlie: Right.

Maggie: You know. And script analysis for an actor is second year.

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