Group Theatre Sanford Meisner

sanford meisner (back row, fourth left) members of group theatre in 1938

despite parents misgivings, meisner continued pursue career in acting, receiving scholarship study @ theatre guild of acting. here encountered once again harold clurman , lee strasberg. strasberg become of century s influential acting theorists , father of method acting, acting technique derived, meisner s own, system of konstantin stanislavski. 3 became friends. in 1931, clurman, strasberg, , cheryl crawford (another theatre guild member) selected 28 actors (one of whom meisner) form group theatre. company exerted influence on entire art of acting in united states. meisner summered group theatre @ rehearsal headquarters @ pine brook country club in countryside of nichols, connecticut.

meisner, along number of other actors in company, resisted strasberg s preoccupation affective memory exercises. in 1934, fellow company member stella adler returned private study stanislavski in paris , announced stanislavski had come believe that, part of rehearsal process, delving 1 s past memories source of emotion last resort , actor should seek rather develop character s thoughts , feelings through physical action, concentrated use of imagination, , belief in given circumstances of text. result, meisner began focus on new approach art of acting.

when group theatre disbanded in 1940, meisner continued head of acting program @ neighborhood playhouse in new york, @ had taught since 1935. in teaching found level of fulfillment similar had found in playing piano child. @ playhouse developed own form of method acting based on stanislavski s system, meisner s training lee strasberg, , on stella adler s revelations uses of imagination. today approach called meisner technique. during these years @ neighborhood playhouse meisner briefly married young actress peggy meredith, appeared in several broadway productions.

the actors studio founded in 1947 2 ex-group theatre actors elia kazan , robert lewis. strasberg had not been asked join group, while meisner among first instructors teach @ studio. however, 1951, after kazan moved hollywood focus on directorial career, strasberg became group s artistic director. in following years, many students of actors studio became known in film industry. strasberg s later insistence had trained them distressed meisner enormously, creating animosity ex-mentor continued until strasberg s death.