Meisner Technique

Auditions for the 2024-25 Meisner acting program taught by Jolene Mentink Moffatt will be held at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre on Saturday, February 24th from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM. Please prepare two contrasting monologues, between one and two minutes each.

Classes begin Monday, March 4, 2024. The course will wrap up prior to the end of 2025. This is an approximate 2-year commitment with roughly 90 class meetings on Mondays from 6:00pm to 9:00pm excluding holidays.

There is outside work required that includes working with scene partners. Students will not only learn through doing but also through watching and commenting using the Meisner specific vocabulary learned through the course. Because the work requires practice and participation, students will be expected to attend all classes.

The cost for this program is $35 per week. Monthly billing amounts will depend on the number of classes each month. The class will meet approximately 90 times, making the total tuition approximately $3,150. We have need-based tuition assistance available. Additional information will be available at auditions in December (see audition sign-up link below)

The Meisner technique is an approach to acting which was developed by American theatre practitioner Sanford Meisner. The focus of the Meisner approach is for the actor to "get out of their head", such that the actor is reacting instinctively to the surrounding environment. To this end, some exercises for the Meisner technique are rooted in repetition so that the words are deemed insignificant compared to the underlying emotion. In the Meisner technique, there is a greater focus on the other actor as opposed to one's internal thoughts or feelings associated to the character. The Meisner technique is different from method acting taught by Lee Strasberg, although both developed from the early teachings of Konstantin Stanislavski.

Have questions? Email Paige Neely Pneely@phoenixtheatre.org