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By studying the Meisner Technique, actors have a chance to explore the concept of the actors instrument. An analogy between an actor and an instrument is a good way to help define all the aspects of the acting craft and help actors take in idea, information and lines and put out high quality work. Audience members are quick to determine whether actors are portraying a new reality well enough to hold their attention. It may also just be a sense of something not coming across in the right way. They can also sense when an actors instrument is not well developed, because they don't "believe" the character portrayal.

The actors instrument as six general categories. Those elements include emotional expression, sensory expression, physical expression, empathy and intelligence. In the Meisner technique, all aspects of the actors instrument need to be addressed and considered and are essential to mastering the craft. Many actors have mastered many of the six aspects of their instrument and audiences can identify with and respond to those the most. Legendary actors are those that have mastered all six.

For example, an actor like Stallone is known mainly for his physical expression and presence. Stallone is certainly able to express emotionally, but overall his most powerful tool onscreen is his physical expression. As an actor he expresses emotional in a very physical, often external way. This is why actors must focus on learning about each and every aspect of the instrument, so that they can be as well rounded as possible.

Emotional expression is one of the first things most up and coming actors focus on. Thinking deeply about how a character feels about something and trying to emulate it is a very common thing for up and coming actors to try and master. While it can be short sighted to put too much weight on any one aspect of the actors instrument, emotional expression is certainly a key acting tool to master. All six of the aspects of the instrument should be studied diligently until they are mastered.

Of course, it is meaningful emotional expression that draws people into any character or story. It is through this kind of expression that the audience is drawn in to the story. It is common in classes teaching Meisner acting in nyc to create an emotional history of a character, imagine it in detail and then use all the aspects of the instrument to express them. In Meisner acting students study emotions diligently, their own and those of others. They in fact, build a library of emotions and reactions and methods for communicating them. When called upon to create a specific character, they dig very deep and create and imagine (another part of the instrument) what that character's emotional story is. Having created a full emotional life and a foundation of behaviors, thoughts and ways of reacting, the actor can then bring the character to life, in the moment, in a spontaneous way.

Take as an example, vulnerability which is an expression of insecurity or perhaps innocence or even strength. It's one thing for an actor to understand that and work with it. If the actor has also worked hard to develop other aspects of the instrument, such as imagination, sensory expression and intelligence, the complexity of emotions will be there. After all, vulnerability can be expressed through tears, or smashing something to pieces or just walking through a park. These are very nuanced yet, essential things to study.

Acting is not pretending to have an emotion. However, acting is not simply reciting words using certain inflections and gestures to communicate emotions. As Sanford Meisner always said, Acting is DOING. Being in the moment, and opening up completely to whatever emotions the character might present to you is the secret of great acting. This may feel risky at first. Great actors do not force themselves to cry. What they feel is genuine, and the results can range from crying and screaming to sitting perfectly still to express an emotion. Acting students who have developed a deep capacity of raw, true human experience that can express it using all aspects of the instrument are the ones that learn the most about the craft. Give yourself permission to feel fully and strongly, and express it in ways that are physical, intelligent empathetic and real.