Sanford Meisner Technique 1 Week Intensive Class 2023 in Shizuoka

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dates

10/28 (Sat) 14:00-21:00 (7th day, last day)

venues‍

Jinshukucho Yadorigi
2-5-2 Jinshuku-cho, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka-shi, Shizuoka 420-0037‍

lecturers　Kurosawa Seri

What is the summaryHere

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I visited the first “Sanford Meisner Technique 1 Week Intensive Class 2023” by LLC Level 19 to be held in 3 cities, and the last day of the Shizuoka class held from 10/22 to 28.
I had heard in advance from the lecturer, Mr. Kurosawa, that “the participants might be a little tired from the lessons every day,” but I felt that the motivation of the participants was high, probably because it was the last day, or rather to complete the culmination of the week.

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When it came time to start, I first started by looking back on the previous day. Each person talked about what they felt the day before, and the lecturer, Mr. Kurosawa, commented on it.
As the name suggests, the “Sanford Meisner Technique” is an acting technique devised by Sanford Meisner, but what was talked about over and over again in this class in particular is “putting down the 'head', observing the other person closely, and directly expressing what the 'body' feels.” It seems that in the lessons up until this day, they were building a “body” capable of that through exercise.
The feedback from Mr. Kurosawa to the participants was basically positive, and there was no denying the other party, and I had the impression that each person took time to look back on why they felt that way until they were satisfied. Also, it was clearly conveyed that “it looked like this from here on,” and the participants seemed to naturally know that there was a difference between their own body, which they were aware of, and their own body as seen by others.

Once I'm done looking back, I'll take time to “relax” before starting today's exercise. Dim the room a little, lie down where you like, and breathe deeply.
Here, too, Kurosawa seemed to be closely observing the participants' condition while giving various advice. The important thing is to “be aware of breathing.” It seems that by exhaling thoroughly and inhaling thoroughly, you relax your head. All participants, who are already accustomed to this method, are free to use their time and relax their bodies as they please.

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Then, “repetition” begins as an exercise for this day. According to Mr. Kurosawa, “repetition” is a basic exercise where people explore “relationships” by repeating short words and acting as they are with each other.
Participants first found a partner and put into words what was in front of them, the other person's state, and the feelings that occurred to them as a result. The person who received it repeats those words.
The purpose is to “eliminate thoughts,” and you must focus only on the facts in front of you rather than thinking with your head. This seemed difficult, even just looking at it. If you have a personality that tends to rely on thoughts, you tend to be swept away by developments and questions, etc., but you will completely eliminate them.
After this exercise, a few rules will now be added.

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We work in groups of two, and first, one person does a simple task called an “activity.” “Activities” are rules that set strong goals that each person must prepare and finish quickly, such as folding origami, knitting, and writing the Heart Sutra. Another person who has prepared “strong feelings” such as sadness, joy, and love will join the person doing this “activity.”
From here on, we will continue with the “repetition” mentioned earlier.

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Another person joined the place where they were busy working, so there were many responses where everyone was frustrated or troubled, but I will put that feeling into words as it is, “I'm frustrated” or “I don't like it.”
Now, one more load is applied. As a signal from Mr. Kurosawa, they exchange “lines” that they have memorized beforehand while keeping their emotions intact.
Until then, only “feelings” and “facts” were repeated over and over again, then suddenly a meaningful line came in. Then, it was very easy to understand, and the participants lost their feelings up until then, and suddenly they were pulled towards the meaning and emotion of the lines.

Often, actors say “they are controlled by dialogue,” but I felt that work that clearly understood that up to this point was also rare. The participants themselves were aware of that, and as they did it several times, they gradually became less caught up in the lines. By clearly highlighting the problem, the feeling of overcoming it develops, and it also leads to the idea of how to overcome it, so I thought it was a great exercise.

Everyone tried this exercise a few times at a time, and it was finally time to finish.
Finally, there is a reflection on this day, and each participant talks about how this class influenced it and how it was a meaningful time based on their own experiences and future prospects. It seems that some of them were in Kurosawa's class, and they were delighted that their understanding had deepened even more this time.

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Mr. Kurosawa said that the “Sanford Meisner Technique” is just one of many methods, and there are situations where it would be useful for each person to carry it as a “weapon” in order to continue theatrical activities in the future. Certainly, depending on the director and group, I think there are environments where other acting methods are better, but they are quite characteristic, and they also have effects that are easy to understand, and I felt that the content was very good.
After this, Level19 will also hold such classes in Niigata and Fukuoka. I hope that little by little, the number of actors carrying this “weapon” will increase all over the country.

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Report: Fukunaga Mitsuhiro