‘Sanford Meisner’s Acting Class’
Jim Jarrett takes on the role of a legendary acting
teacher
By ADAM TANOUS
Express Arts Editor
Sandy Meisner. It is a name that many outside the world of
acting may never have heard. But for 65 years of his 91 years of life,
Sandy Meisner made his presence known as one of the most influential
acting teachers in the world. Meisner directed the Neighborhood
Playhouse School of Theater in New York City.
One of his students was local resident Jim Jarrett. On
Jan. 4, 5, 6, and 7, Jarrett will present the world premiere of his
one-man show Sanford Meisner’s Acting Class at the NexStage
Theatre. The performances will be at 7:30 p.m. except for the Sunday show
which will be at 5 p.m. All four performances will be taped for PBS’s Great
Performances Series.
After the Ketchum opening, Jarrett will travel to Europe
for a tour, then back to New York or San Francisco for a theater run,
pending negotiations.
"Everybody has had a teacher who changed his life.
For me that person was Sandy," Jarrett said in a recent interview.
"He was a man of high standards, of integrity and passion."
Meisner taught some of the biggest names in the industry,
including Gregory Peck, Grace Kelly, Joanne Woodward, Robert Duvall,
Sydney Pollack, Jon Voight and Steve McQueen.
Jarrett, who wrote the full-length play, appears as the
young Meisner in the first act and then as the older man in the second
act. While the play is technically a one-man show, Jarrett interacts with
video projections of other actors on a black scrim. These scenes are
dramatizations of what Jarrett called "the most powerful exchanges in
his class." Interspersed with these scenes Meisner addresses the
audience as if it were the rest of the class. Because much of the
performance relies on video and audio clips, a great precision in timing
is required of Jarrett.
Jarrett is used to the pressure. For the past five years
he has been touring with his other one-man show, Vincent, a play
written by Leonard Nimoy about Vincent Van Gogh.
Jarrett’s odyssey into the world of Sandy Meisner began
in 1987 with a chance meeting with Robert Duvall. After a few
pleasantries, Duvall told Jarrett he should be studying acting with
Meisner. Jarrett followed through on the advice and joined Meisner’s
two-year course. After the course, Jarrett stayed on as Meisner’s
assistant-in-training for two more years. The teacher made it clear to the
student that he would be carrying on in his footsteps as an instructor. At
the time, Jarrett took copious notes during the class, notes that would
form the basis for his script. Jarrett has been teaching what became known
as the Meisner technique for 13 years now.
In the late-20s and early 30s, Lee Strasberg was the big
name in acting instruction. He taught a theory of acting called
"sense memory," which relied on "dredging up past emotions
to inform the acting," Jarrett said.
When Constantin Stanislovski came to this country from
Russia and challenged Strasberg’s theory of acting, Meisner quickly
followed suit. He split from Strasberg’s school in 1932 and began
developing his own techniques.
"Sandy emerged from that split with the idea that you
didn’t need a screwed up life to be a good actor. All you needed was a
brilliant imagination," Jarrett said. While Meisner didn’t
necessarily believe in sense memory, he did believe that you used whatever
worked. "That belief is what made him a great teacher."
Jarrett emphasized that Meisner trained actors to
"work off their impulses—to stay wide open and as spontaneous as
possible."
Because Jarrett loves animals, he is presenting the
premiere shows in Ketchum as a benefit for the Animal Shelter of the Wood
River Valley. All of the proceeds will go to the shelter. He added that
the play is really a celebration of teachers of all kinds. To that end,
Jarrett said every teacher in the Wood River Valley would be admitted to
the show free of charge. To get on the guest list teachers should call
726-9489.
Tickets may be bought at Chapter One in Ketchum and Read
All About It in Hailey or at the door.
