- markus@westlakeactingstudio.com
- Call us! 805-494-0307
The Meisner Technique is a two-year professional training for those who want to become better, more authentic listeners. Whether you’re looking for a career in acting or simply want to acquire better communication skills, this complete course of study produces instinctual and responsive performers.
Will you be prepared when you land your first job as an actor? Our Beginner Commercial and Beginner Scenes acting classes will prepare you for commercials and jobs like under-fives that the working actor first lands when he or she first starts out. They will prepare you for a fast start in the business!
You don’t have to be gifted to express yourself. You only need to be willing to laugh at life’s adventures. In our Stand-up and Improv classes you’ll learn to think fast and express yourself through public performance training. These classes show the steps in making “being funny” real easy.
Rogues of LA is a web series created, shot, edited, scored, and of course, performed by students of both the Westlake Acting School and Cal Lutheran University where Markus is a professor in the theatre dept. Watch the previous eight episodes!
When ever my students use “like” every other word I call it out and have them repeat their sentence with the word removed. I’m sure you’re not shocked to learn that many have no idea how unconscious their use of “like” is. It’s only after struggling to form a sentence without “like” do they admit “gosh, this is hard…” Yup. It’s hard making your words matter, but that’s what artists do, and, we are supposed to do it better than everyone else. Being specific is what distances art from general dialog. Not only are specifics the cornerstone of the Meisner technique but they are the cornerstone of your point of view. Trying to create something artistic that speaks to people cannot be achieved with general, vague meanings.
Telling a story or making an impact with your art will never be achieved by sorta writing a play, or, like acting in like a play. You have to be very clear about what you’re doing because your audience really wants to know what it is you are doing that’s different from what they can do by never leaving their house.
I call them qualifiers. Those phrases that keep you from criticism because you don’t take ownership of your point of view by saying things like; “I, like, kind of want to do this play.” You protect yourself from not getting the role. Some of you might be saying “Yes, but that’s a bit touchy, you know what I meant.” Well, , but the audience will get what I mean.” Yes, they don’t always succeed when they write something, but they sure tried to make their point clearly.
Don’t hide from your point of view and I mean you should practice this all day. Choose your words, don’t use cliches, and say what you want, all day. Practice owning your words and point of view all day. Distance yourself from the common level of communication that is based on filtering out a great deal of what is said because it’s, like, filler. It’s empty of meaning and connection. You as an artist have to hold yourself to this higher standard because, well, to be an artist you have to be braver, risking more, and do the harder thing. Owning your point of view and not sounding like everyone and anyone when you represent yourself isn’t harder, it’s a simple want to go from sorta to absolutely.
Westlake Acting Studio was voted Readers Choice the first year it opened. We brought professional acting training to Ventura County because we wanted a less-intimidating setting than Los Angeles. Our studio is a safe place where you can explore your creative interests.