Prague Playhouse

Meisner Acting Class Blog on “Home Alone” Activities

June 22nd, 2009 at 02:18pm boris

Hi everyone!

I’m Boris Wilke and member of the Prague Playhouse Meisner acting group. I blog about our class activities.

Last Wednesday, June 17th, was a truly remarkable class, as some members did “Home Alone” activities, an advanced Meisner technique involving emotional preparation.

Click on the “ACTING CLASS” button above to read more about the class itself and where we meet!

Click the “(more…)”-button below to read about “Home Alone” as I understand it!

I am still on the level of (tedious!) activities and doors. But some of my classmates have moved on to more difficult exercises called “Home Alone”.

I did read the classic (and absolute necessity) “Sanford Meisner on acting”. But I either failed to retain “Home Alones”. Or they were left out somehow.

As I am on a lower level, anyway, I will just tell you, what I saw on Monday:

People were coming in the door alone, sat down or stood, paced the room or remained motionless, looked at an object, fondled an object or failed to.

But what all had in common, was, that they tried to express deep emotions.

Brian told them to “let go” sometimes. And they would start crying.

Now, Wednesday, there was a “Home Alone with a Roommate”:

Two classmates came in and looked very sad. They positioned themselves apart from one another and seemed isolated in their misery, until Brian told them to pay attention to one another.

Then both acknowledged each other. And after an awkward moment, they started to relay their sadness to their respective partner, who reached out to console and commiserate.

In the end, both were hugging one another taking turns crying and rubbing their partner’s back or stroking his face. Katharina, my German compatriot and I started crying just from watching this amazing exercise.

What I do know about this technique is, that none of the sadness was based on a concrete reason. Those two had somehow managed to find a way to tap into a memory of sadness and used that to fill themselves with it, just before starting the exercise.

What was so rewarding about it, both for us, the audience, and them, was the truthfulness and acuteness, that pervaded the whole exercise.

Kudos to Fréderic and Mark!

PS: I am sad to announce, that said Fred left us to return to his hometown Paris to pursue a long and happy acting and teaching career (, I’m sure!). I am humbled and full of gratitude to have been able to work with you, Frédo. Remember? Brian called you a “tsunami of truth”! I am proud for you. You have earned that nickname with full effort work and a degree of dedication, that I can only admire. Salut and keep up the spirit!

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General stuff:

Our acting class consists of some ten active members, who meet every Monday and Wednesday from 6.30 pm to about 8.30. We do Meisner. And the Meisner-technique really rocks!

If you want to connect with your inmost feelings, expressing them freely in an acting environment and thus getting to know yourself better and better, feel free to join us! But beware! This quarter is going to end next Wednesday, July 1st! Check this site for details as to when the summer break will end!

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About the author:

I am Boris Wilke, a German expat in Prague. I am a writer at large and have been studying Meisner since January 2008. If any of you know of any kind of acting work, that befits a laddish, tall 40-year-old, please leave a note!

Acting, Classes, Theatre