Sam Rockwell
"I first took an acting class from Terry Knickerbocker more than 25 years ago. Since then I have worked with him on every film and stage role I’ve done. Nobody’s better at what he does. Terry is incredibly intuitive and full of ideas that are usually outside the box. His sense of what is truthful is like a laser. I depend on him. He’s invaluable to me and I don’t know what I’d do without him."
Oscar Winning Actor
and Tony Award Nominee
The Meisner Technique
with Terry Knickerbocker
241006 (re)introduction to The Meisner Technique with Terry Knickerbocker
Terry Knickerbocker is part of a direct lineage that connects back to Meisner himself. Seeking a path forward in his acting career that celebrated the voice and imagination of the individual, Terry first discovered the Meisner technique in his training with William Esper. Esper, a Sanford Meisner-trained instructor, imparted his knowledge of the Meisner technique to Terry over years of studio work and observation.
Terry has since worked hand-in-hand with award-winning actors throughout his years of teaching the Meisner technique, including some of today’s brightest and inspirational performers. He teaches both talented students and working professionals from around the world how to learn the Meisner technique.
Meisner developed his technique as a way to create more impulsive and emotionally rich acting—less intellectual and more organic.
What is the
Meisner Technique?
It is a technique which emphasizes the actor’s imagination, rather than their biographical history, as the primary source of their creative work. The Meisner Technique helps actors “get out of their head” and learn to follow their impulses.
Your identity meets the craft and becomes art.
While the Meisner technique is a structured and codified curriculum that is standard across the industry, Terry offers a unique approach to the subject matter; above all, his approach is driven by a firm and abiding belief in the importance and value of art and artists in the world.
Terry sees all his students as artists in training, preparing to tell important and necessary stories in the world with excellence and heart. All of the TKS faculty are attuned to the voices and growing edge of each student and take great joy in facilitating the process of individual transformation. There is no cookie cutter approach here.
At the Terry Knickerbocker Studio, Sanford Meisner’s approach to acting is at the heart of their teaching and overall philosophical approach to actor training.
The Meisner Technique challenges you to leave your preconceived, conventional ideas at the door and act instead with truthful, organic, and spontaneous behavior. Through this philosophy and practice, you will gain the confidence to walk into any room and consistently give a performance that is richly sourced in spontaneity and truth.
Meisner acting classes contain a core series of exercises that build upon each other in order to create rich, authentic, and compelling behavior, no matter what script an actor is working from.
The Meisner technique focuses specifically on the behavior of an actor and incorporates four main components:
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Listening
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Responding truthfully
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Emotional availability
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Imagination and Improvisation
Meisner taught his technique in two-year conservatories, and TK Studio carries on this tradition with their Two-Year Professional Acting Conservatory. As Meisner liked to say: “The first year is about putting money in the bank. The second year is about learning to spend it wisely.” Their Career Essentials, continuing the metaphor, is about learning to invest that money in ways that will pay dividends into the future of your acting career.
While we are grateful for the rich scaffolding Meisner created, in order to cultivate the “brave space” all actors need to do their work—in ways that don’t inflict harm to themselves or others—significant adjustments must be made in the classroom. The teaching and the work need to be trauma-informed and consent-based. This pedagogical orientation allows us to enter the imaginary with a joyous sense of play, curiosity and connection.
Using the Meisner acting technique and his holistic approach to training, he teaches actors how to consistently access their unique talent while at the same time equipping them mentally, physically, and emotionally for the rigours of training and working as an actor. TK Studio provides the best of Meisner through its philosophy of supporting your hard work and providing a warm, inviting, collaborative, and passionate community.
The benefits of the Meisner technique are varied, but most importantly, training at this level, and with this faculty, means that you will be prepared to tell the most important stories of our day at the highest level of excellence with a finely trained instrument: heart, mind, body, and voice.
this 4-day intensive
is a rare opportunity for the perfect introduction to the Meisner Technique for beginner actors, and a powerful refresher for seasoned professionals looking to reset or recharge their craft. Like practicing scales on a piano, the repetition exercises at the heart of the Meisner Technique build the foundation for emotional truth, spontaneity, and presence in your acting.
You’ll start by presenting a one-minute contemporary monologue (must be fully memorized and performance ready!), then dive into core Meisner principles: truthful listening, spontaneous response, and authentic connection.
Over the four days, you’ll work with fellow actors, applying the technique to your monologue, and on the final day, you’ll present it again, fully integrating what you’ve learned. Whether you’re new to the technique or refining your skills, this workshop will elevate your craft to new levels!
in studio in VANCOUVER
9:30am-1:30pm each day
This course is great for actors of all levels. If you have never done any Meisner Technique, or if you are well experienced and want to recharge your work
Full Participation
$495
plus tax
JBA CLUB Members price
plus tax
$395
contact us for your promo code!
sit in, take notes, ask questions and learn from the work!
