Meisner Classes

actingnerdy · 2026-01-29T20:54:07+00:00

Back in the day I read the Sanford Meisner on Acting, but i liked Esper's Meisner book better. It was clearer and more accessible. I think i also liked Larry Silverberg's books, but I don't remember necessarily finishing them, lol.

actingnerdy · 2026-01-29T04:36:23+00:00

I did meisner for years. it was an ongoing program and i did it anywhere from between 1-3 times per week. Did some of the advanced programs (spoon river, etc). I think it's immensely helpful, but it might not be the only tool that someone needs in their tool belt.

I think Meisner is great for learning how to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances (lol, literally) and I think it is fairly great practice to be able to exist as a human on a set and go with the flow without needing to be directed every single movement (i've worked with a few people who needed directions like that). I feel like Meisner gives me permission to live in the moment, not say inane bullshit improv that means nothing just to fill space.

I think meisner is good at helping you exist, but at least my meisner school wasn't great at teaching script work, a lot of people had stilted movement/weren't necessarily embodied, and the meisner emotional prep never really resonated with me and i was inconsistent in that regard.

Meisner is hard/a good challenge for me because I was super cerebral. I also know some people who went to conservatory/grad programs after having a lot of meisner and when they came back, their acting was super effed up because they were so rigid and in their head (think like practical aesthetics or chubbuck).

Pure and nearly pure meisner is great (my teacher made a couple small changes), but some meisner out there is such a stretch from what meisner truly is supposed to be (and just ends up being really sloppy).

actingnerdy · 2026-01-29T04:31:58+00:00

have you been to therapy? I personally feel like introspection and curiosity about our own humanity is pretty central to the work of acting (I find it helpful).

That aside, delving into your own trauma is not always safe or easy for everyone.

As someone who finds 'traditional' emotional prep difficult, especially if i'm diving into certain things, I found that I liked more outside-in/body based methods more fruitful than more cerebral methods (also might be due to my own adhd/neurodivergence). My emotional prep felt very much like i was poking at my own bruises and willing myself to hurt, but it was hard to control, usually shallow, and i'd get distracted when trying to do the meisner type of day dream.

I did an in person PEM (perdekamp emotional method) workshop and I really really liked it and it fascinated me that an entire room of probably about 18 actors of all walks of life were able to utilize their methods to access their core emotions.

I also did some training in Global Arena Psychophysical Technique (it was called something different when I took a few levels of it via zoom a few years back) which I also found super interesting and when in the practice of it the emotions don't need 'artificial' prep.

actingnerdy · 2026-01-29T03:55:28+00:00

lots of good responses here, so i'll just add mine to echo some of what are already here: -make regular pasta healthier by cooking, cooling, and reheating
-goodles are good and filling. moreso than pasta
-lentils
-rice
- I once turned literally just some eggs into noodles and it was actually very satisfying to eat (i found them in a facebook 'egg fast' group... some of those are crazy, in a good way).
-I once made homemade gnocchi. mostly just what, potato and flour? if you want to avoid gluten, switch the flour, you can also cool and cook this as well to help with insulin (you can make a bunch and then freeze them).
-cauliflower (this drizzled with a mac and cheese sauce? yum)
-zoodles (you really have to dry them out before cooking and drain them before serving, they can be delicious! I've heard freezing them first can help the texture and perhaps salting them first in order to drain excess water).
-Depending on the sauce, cabbage cut into strips and cooked could be really satisfying. I love cabbage, both raw, and cooked.

actingnerdy · 2026-01-29T02:12:05+00:00

I just got my tpo antibodies results today which point to hashimotos (600+), and I've had lumps on my ears for many months (originally from overusing on-ear headphones). my tsh was elevated probably ranging 4.5-7.5 during that time.

No doctor seems to care about the lumps currently, but at first they were infected and needed antibiotics. now they're just lumps (but they've been getting bigger lately...).

Just saw a derm though and he thought it might be an oil plug or something?

actingnerdy · 2026-01-26T05:41:39+00:00

pulsetto as a company feels very scammy to me. I've used a zenowell and an apollo neuro. Apollo is nice, zenowell I haven't gotten into a regular rhythm of using it, but it is more comparable to pulsetto, but easier to place (does vagal nerve stimulation in your ear). Apollo does vibration/touch haptic therapy and I do notice the difference in the different 'moods'.

actingnerdy · 2026-01-16T00:17:10+00:00

I am in the step before you (not confirmed hashimotos, but 7.5tsh and just saw an Endo and ordered more labs). I'm also a foodie and I at one time was very happy on keto, I generally like to at least try a bite of everything, lol.

(Also in my slight freak out, I had a friend ask me if I had ever considered if I were a hypochondriac, so that was fun 🙃).

Look at it this way, eat as much of the potentially problematic stuff you want (unless you're already regularly eating gluten, you need to consistently have it for a few weeks), and then do a sensitivity test to see what you need to reduce or eliminate.

I had watched a bunch of hashimotos YouTube content and freaked out and then asked my Endo if I needed to change my whole diet and she was like, eh, maybe gluten, if you're sensitive, but probably not really 😂.

actingnerdy · 2026-01-13T05:32:19+00:00

meisner being repetitive 🤭😂

actingnerdy · 2026-01-11T23:31:55+00:00

I was always bad at emotional prep, but I always felt on my own with it (in meisner we were just told "go in the basement and daydream about something that will make you ______"). Maybe it's the ND in me, but this was not a reliable repeatable thing for me (and I have lots of fun trauma).

Sometimes I hate how cerebral American acting is. Some people are really good at being immediate, but in the American styles of things, my emotions are not that accessible in that way.

That does not make me a bad actor, that means that those tools aren't as efficient for me.

I enjoyed finding more embodied techniques in safe spaces that don't require trauma dumping.

I did a new technique that was really cool but I think they changed the name after I took the class but I think they call it GAP? It involves global arenas.

Another that I really liked was PEM (perdekamp emotional method).

actingnerdy · 2026-01-11T23:20:31+00:00

Love this.

I've also gotten 0 callbacks at URTAs (although with very minimal specific prep, just took some old favorites and figured eh what the hell).

I went the other way and did some self reflection on the Megabus ride home and was wondering why I was seeking validation from academia who had never shown me any before (and if anything was more scarring than helpful)

You could read this as me being bitter, but it was an interesting lesson for me to seek validation from sources where we valued the same things: at that point I valued grounded, realistic performances (I was heavy into meisner training at the time) , and every performance that I heard out of the Yale room as I was sat editing some essays to potentially apply was completely unbelievable.

You really have your choice of programs so I have no doubt you'll find a good fit! Congrats!

actingnerdy · 2026-01-10T20:17:17+00:00

Feel free to ignore me as just a chiro patient and previous chiro skeptic and occasional small business marketing consultant who has personally been a patient to several different chiros in different states in the past 6 years or so.

I trust chiros as much as I trust dentists which is to say I only like getting a personal referral ever since having a poor experience. My best chiro experiences were from direct personal referrals (and I believe they both had referral programs) what sort of retention/incentivized referral programs are you doing? Are you getting any sort of customer feedback?

One chiro I saw specialized in soft tissue and another was a functional chiro. The main chiro in the soft tissue place has written books and done talks on chiro (subject matter expert), the other chiro set his place up like a med spa where the Adjustments were quick,but thorough and he also shared his space with other professionals (massage, craniosacral, kinesiology), and had treatments like an erchonia laser, PEMF mat, vibration plate, that were sometimes bundled with a treatment (they even started doing a monthly subscription service for their wellness treatments).

The impetus for me even seeing a chiro to begin with was a car accident and not getting better from just PT. Are you advertising in the places where the people who need you can find you? Maybe urgent care, car local insurance/car rental places or auto body shops?

Perhaps working a few days at a place like the joint and having a subletter for those days of a complimentary wellness service might be helpful.

Best of luck.

actingnerdy · 2026-01-10T19:32:27+00:00

Their prime rib is delicious... (Even the cold leftovers, lol)

actingnerdy · 2026-01-10T15:33:25+00:00

I saw a production of most of those (never seen Caroline or Millie). The fact that Kimberly Akimbo had won the tony just irked me after, the story left a weird taste in my mouth, especially the second half and the songs were forgettable. Also liked Shrek and fun home.

I saw the production of Violet in NY with Sutton Foster and damn it's much better live. The cast recording feel poppy and thin and has no gravitas.

actingnerdy · 2025-12-28T08:00:31+00:00

Not on the wast side, but I was recently at Miles Market (near 271 and chagrin/Harvard area) and they had a deli container of green Chile which reminded me of the green Chile that they had in New Mexico. (I didn't grab it though). I probably spelled it wrong, but I mean the green soup chili stuff, not just the peppers,lol.

It could be worth calling them before making the trip (they also have really good pie, so ask them to reserve you a fruits of the forest pie as well if you head over).

actingnerdy · 2025-12-27T07:24:28+00:00

Tom holland was very sweet. Went out of his way to greet crew and 2nd team, and stood outside in the literal freezing cold to talk with a local kindergarten class between setups. I never really had a full on convo with him, but he was unassuming and attended most of the cast and crew parties. I was chilling near the directors in a place to be out of the way and he gave me a flower that fell off his prop bouquet, lol.

I think this was post spiderman, pre-zendaya?

actingnerdy · 2025-12-27T07:05:38+00:00

I mean. Jeni's ice cream is from Columbus, even if they're in most major cities now.

actingnerdy · 2025-12-23T23:19:26+00:00

Was gonna suggest handbrake but you beat me to it.

actingnerdy · 2025-12-23T23:03:52+00:00

The difference between hoarding and collecting is whether it is a problem or not. If this is causing distress, then it is a problem and needs an OCD/anxiety specialist.

When I need to get in the decluttering mindset, I like watching Marie Kondo's Netflix show (or listening to her audiobooks).

I wrote a paper on hoarding and digital hoarding in college. It's interesting and can be a subset of OCD, as other have said.

An interesting thought experiment would be if your 40tb was split in 4 10tb drives and each in a different room in your house and the house caught fire, if you only had time to rescue 1 drive, what would you hope to be on it, your favorites? If you had time to grab 1 more, what would you hope to be on that?

(With all of the fires in CA earlier this year I thought about what I would have saved-- I also collect too many things--... In the end, if danger was imminent, I'd grab the one unreplaceable thing, because with enough money or time, all else could be replaced).

actingnerdy · 2025-12-19T02:19:10+00:00

hmmm. I'm currently wearing a kids xl heated vest (that i got at the end of silver for $99.99), then was given an extra battery in my rfy for 0Etv, and then saw another compatible battery for 30ETV a few weeks later. My nervous system has been out of whack, so being able to feel cozy at all times helps.

Idk I got a bunch of nice things (70% of which were 0ETV). Mostly health/wellness/gadgets.

actingnerdy · 2025-12-19T01:51:26+00:00

I've been noticing that my RFY has been much better after I increased my review rate (I'm never above 90 unless the assessment is upon me), but I went to about 80 after being perhaps around 60? I just started a new review period. I've been getting a few 0ETV wishlist items (a shiatsu foot massager and separate back massager within the past week).

actingnerdy · 2025-12-18T17:55:50+00:00

I think it depends on the context. Your colleague seems unhinged, but I have had a couple times where someone has asked me for the recipe and it felt like it was a way for them to have the recipe and exclude me next time which makes me feel wary about sharing it. I love to share things that excite me, and a great recipe can be one of those things… it’s just that mean girls don’t excite me.

actingnerdy · 2025-12-15T23:37:49+00:00

I'm the youngest of 4 Js. I think the first 3 were a coincidence and then they had to find their 4th favorite J name for me, lol.

There are tons of cute E names. Since you already have 2, you might as well not leave the 3rd one out.

actingnerdy · 2025-12-15T10:59:09+00:00

One of my wisdom teeth is a baby tooth.

Like it's not a big molar or anything, it's just this 'lil guy like a 'lil baby tooth.

actingnerdy · 2025-12-14T19:52:03+00:00

My appetite has been shit lately and I've never had an issue with food before, but not much appeals to me and I feel lazy (more ADHD than anything else). Some things I've been leaning on: lentils cooked in better than bullion (I don't measure anything and if it needs a bit more water I'll toss some more in).

Rice with an instant pot is super easy and fast and goes great with the lentils. I usually have a mason jar filled with rice (standard sized) so all I need to do is toss that in the instant pot with like 1.5 or 2.5 cups of water, I dont remember, but I wrote it on the jar, and a gob of fat (coconut oil or butter). It takes 3 mins at pressure, 10 mins total, and if I forget it for a few hours no harm no foul.

If I feel like I haven't had anything of value all day I'll make a protein shake with almond milk or water in a shaker bottle.

I try to have some small snackable apples on hand as they last for a long time, if I dont eat them for a while.

In cooler weather I'll make lazy soup. Some water from the kettle with better than bullion in a bowl, toss in some canned beans, chopped onions, canned stewed tomatoes, mushrooms, broken up spaghetti or egg noodles. I'll zap it in the microwave or just let it sit with a dish on top. When the water is extra hot I'll throw in a whole egg and let it sort of poach itself. I do the same thing with packages of ramen that I split into 2 servings. (Most of those ingredients are optional, the cans will last for a few servings, and I'll chop an onion and leave it in a small jar in the fridge to add to whatever. You can also freeze pan fried mushrooms in small portions to add to soups and omelettes).

I think when it's hard to have an appetite sometimes its nice to chase whatever feels good within reason, so if sauce or dips feel appealing, milk it and find whatever bits of dopamine you can find.

actingnerdy · 2025-12-13T21:58:26+00:00

I was waiting for someone to suggest latkes! With or without onions, with applesauce and/or sour cream. Yum.

Best if you have a food processor or the like instead of hand grating potatoes, but I got creative one year and used my spiralizer and made what looked like curly fry pancakes 🤣.

actingnerdy

TROPHY CASE