<p>Interested in Tisch Drama? Questions? Thoughts? Post away and I'll be happy to clear up any confusions or worries you may have!</p>
<p>I think I saw a mention on another forum that you are in the Meisner Studio, SmokeandFire.</p>
<p>Probably a lot of people here would be interested in knowing what Meisner training is like and how it differs from other forms of actor training. What is a typical schedule like for a freshman on studio days?</p>
<p>I am in Meisner! First of all the different studios are Meisner, Stella Adler, Experimental Theatre Wing, Atlantic and New Studio (which includes musical theatre as well as drama).</p>
<p>“Typical schedule” is a little hard to define, since all of the studios have different training. They have different hours, too. Some are 9-4, some 9-6, some 8:30-6…it varies between studio and semester. But every Freshman has studio on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Pretty much, classes are broken down into Acting, Voice and Speech, and Movement, with some extras. In Meisner specifically, we have Acting/Voice and Speech/Movement/Physical Character/Play. But in other studios, Voice and Speech are two different classes, or there is a yoga class, or an improv class. </p>
<p>For now, just know they all have the same form essentially - about a 7-8 hour day (break for lunch!), with some sort of Acting, Movement, Voice and Speech, and extra classes.</p>
<p>Meisner preaches the reality of doing and living truthfully under imaginary circumstances, which is exactly what it sounds like - in a play, you have imaginary circumstances. You accept those, and other than that you really do what you set out to do (Convince someone of something, try to break up with someone, whatever) instead of “acting” like it. </p>
<p>I’m not TOO sure about the others, though. I know New Studio does some of everything, and Stella Adler uses imagination. Her belief is that you must be doing something constantly (An example would be going through a script and assigning each line, or group of lines, a verb, like to decieve, to cajole, to soothe, etc)</p>
<p>If you want to read more into it, there are books - Sanford Meisner on Acting, A Practical Handbook for the Actor (Atlantic), The Art of Acting (Adler)</p>
<p>Forgot about Playwrights, sorry. That’s another one of the studios for directing and acting majors</p>
<p>Do you like the Meisner approach? I’m curious because–unless I’m very much mistaken–Meisner is used as a foundation in a lot of college programs. Here in New Jersey, I believe it’s used predominantly at Rutger’s Mason Gross, an extremely well regarded acting program. There are a lot of kids who will be accepted to NYU Tisch in the coming weeks and some of them will be assigned to Meisner. Very likely–and despite the Tisch Website and books to read–they will not have a clue as to what the “Meisner Approach” really entails. So, can you elaborate–given, of course, that you’ve only been at it for less than 2 semesters? No pressure, lol!</p>
<p>By the way, glad you came back.</p>
<p>Haha, thank you!</p>
<p>I didn’t want to go into too much detail and confuse people, but I’ll try my best. But an interesting note - the head of the Meisner studio used to work at Rutger’s, so I know that Ruther’s does use it. And yes, plenty of college use it, I know Brown used it at their summer program…It’s interesting because a lot of the studios use Meisner a little bit. Atlantic does repetition (Although it’s a tad different), as does New Studio, as does Playwrights I think. </p>
<p>Meisner can be divided into two parts - first year and second year. First year is mostly learning about yourself, while second year is learning to develop a character. Obviously, I can’t tell you too much about the program other than that. At the start of first semester, you will do basic repetition (You have a white shirt, I have a white shirt…) and then move on to opinions (I hate your shirt, you hate my shirt?). You want to answer with your own point of view - don’t repeat for the sake of repeating, repeat with a purpose. Meisner says that you should only do what the other person makes you do, so you don’t invent things, you don’t “act.” You, essentially, react off of the other person. Then you move into activities (which is a bit hard to explain, and it’s nice to have a little mystery), then emotional preparation, then relationships, then first year ends. There are Meisner scenes, differently done than normal scenes. But again, hard to explain. Sanford Meisner on Acting really helps. It also should be noted that everything is done with a partner. You’re never alone, which can be comforting</p>
<p>I’m also a Freshman in the Meisner Studio 
Everything SmokeandFire says is very helpful and informative. Meisner is an emotional journey about self-discovery and personal truth–to know how we are truly feeling (a surprisingly difficult feat) and why we feel that way. This truth carries over into the basis of Meisner which is contact with your partner. You take your partner in completely and respond off of your impulse. A miraculous progression of acting exercises and activities allows us to train our bodies to simply “do” without thinking. The details of these exercises, as SmokeandFire said, is better left for the Meisner student to discover. At this point, anyone admitted into the studio should know that this technique truly works wonders and that the amazingly gifted faculty will guide you through with care and understanding (and brutal honesty). All you have to do is give over to the process. You will be confused and you will fail many times, but this is how you learn. The growth I have experienced during my training is astounding. Be aware that this training is nothing like high school. There is no “performance” involved in the first year. You won’t start out by performing monologues for each other and reading scripts–abandon all notions of these. Meisner is truly a process for training the actor’s instrument and opening his heart to the world around him. If anyone has specific questions, feel free to ask. I would also like to note that the official website says that the Meisner Studio consists of one class of 16-18 students. This has changed. The studio now accepts three groups of 16-17 students, each of which trains as a company and receives the same training as the original single group of 16. Good luck and I cannot wait to meet all the incoming Freshman (just a few more weeks, guys!).</p>
<p>These explanations were just great, Smokeandfire and Billy!</p>
<p>Particularly interesting are smokeandfire’s comment that “you don’t invent things, you don’t act,” and Billy!'s comment that you are trained to “do” without “thinking.”</p>
<p>In my son’s BFA program, which offers a toolbox approach rather than a specifically Meisner approach to training, the student actors are working to achieve the same thing. My S says that a big no-no is “being in your head” (i.e, thinking!) when you are acting.</p>
<p>One of the books that all of the students in his program are supposed to have read is “How to Stop Acting” by Harold Guskin. It is a short, clearly written book that anybody can understand. I highly recommend it.</p>
<p>Also important, you don’t REALLY get text your Freshman year at all. Character work is all in the second year. </p>
<p>Miraculous, to add to what Billy (Hi, Billy) said, does not come easily. Meisner works you HARD. It’s a big misconception that people don’t do work in acting school. There’s quite a bit of blood, sweat, tears, and frustration. The work is hard, but the teachers are good and their main goal is to see you succeed. And if you don’t see “results” within the first semester, don’t freak out. It’s a development, a growth, a process, it takes time. You’re not going to be ready to perform by the end of your first year, and that’s why they tell you to wait. Patience is a big thing at Meisner, too.</p>
<p>Yes, it is common in conservatory-type programs for the students not to perform at all during freshman year. In a way, this feels a bit weird to students who are used to performing a lot. </p>
<p>But the intense process of “remaking” themselves bears wonderful fruit!</p>
<p>It is very cool to hear from current TISH students! Can anyone talk a bit about the ETW program?</p>
<p>I’d also love to hear about the ETW program. When my adjudicator asked me about which studio I thought I was best suited for and I said Meisner or ETW, she sorta mumbled under her breath “yea, I think that (talking about ETW at the time) would be good for you”.</p>
<p>I don’t want to get my hopes up, but…fingers crossed!</p>
<p>Bump…just in case an ETW student comes along :)</p>
<p>I find this discussion particular interesting. It reminds me of being of a mentor of mine who said to me and the rest of our class during a workshop. It was ashamed to be a good writer and have absolutely no idea what you are doing. (We had been discussing a piece I had written). He was also the person that spent an hour and a half going over the first two pages of a classmates story - I remember driving back from DC tearing apart my own story in my mind - trying to find that elusive truth thing - getting into my apartment and spending the next three hours drinking wine and working on my story leaving me about another three and a half hours to sleep couch before getting my S ready for day care and me ready for work. Maybe that is the lot for artist, part of Meisner, knowing oneself and building from their - but then again maybe I’m just old.
I do look forward to my S further learning/exploration to his craft. Lord knows he works much harder at it then I do</p>
<p>Hi I was just placed in Adler and I was wondering if you know how many students there are in that studio per year?</p>
<p>When my son was accepted at NYU and placed in Adler two years ago, we visited the studio and talked to an alumna who worked there.</p>
<p>When we asked her about whether there was a close, supportive relationship among the students, she thought for a moment and said, “I eventually got acquainted with everyone in my class.”</p>
<p>There are several sections with 20 or so students apiece. It could be something like four sections…I’m not sure. My son ended up attending a BFA program at another school.</p>
<p>My D was just placed in the Meisner studio and someone started teasing her that it was the Nudist studio? Isn’t that more of the Experimental Studio? She is very confused and I don’t want her not considering it because of that. I am going to print off this thread for her to discover herself. Thanks for the information. In Meiser can you take dance and singing lessons?</p>
<p>Actually, I believe that Playwrights Horizons has been mentioned on CC as the studio where students might sometimes take off their clothes!</p>
<p>It was also pointed out that any nudity was entirely optional. I don’t think your daughter should worry for an instant about that sort of thing.</p>
<p>Congratulations on Meisner. It is considered to be one of the best studios. For information about dance and singing (or for the number of students enrolled, as in the case of Adler), it might be a good idea to contact the studio itself. I’m sure they would be more than happy to communicate with an accepted student or her parent.</p>
<p>Just for fun, thought I would bring the light bulb jokes thread back up. We found the actual studio descriptions very helpful as well:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/798491-various-tisch-studios.html?highlight=lightbulb[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/798491-various-tisch-studios.html?highlight=lightbulb</a></p>
<p>
Playwrights Horizons is the nude studio - they draw each other naked for one of their classes. Meisner, so far (and it’s April, last class is May 6) has no nudity. And I am SURE that if there is to be any, it will be optional. You will not be forced to do that it you are seriously uncomfortable with it. Meisner and Tisch and NYU have so many wonderful things to offer, your daughter should definitely not reject Tisch because of that rumor. You don’t take dancing and singing lessons through Meisner specifically, but they are available. Your daughter can take voice and dance lessons as a two credit course through Tisch Open Arts program. Also, Coles and Palladium (the 2 NYU gyms) have plenty of dance classes offered (But you need to pay for those. It doesn’t cost THAT much though)</p>
<p>And congratulations to your daughter. Meisner is amazing and life changing.</p>