About Courses

All classes begin with the repetition exercises of Meisner; We directed a scene for the camera, and we focused on the block of independent activities and improvisation. This level is the most important in Meisner training. It teaches you to listen, to concentrate, to be impulsive, to be vulnerable, to act moment by moment, and to use your own truth when acting. On this level we alternate activities with staging directed exclusively by Sebastián Ligarde. We analyze and act scenes of telenovela, cinema, theater and monologue. We also delve into the techniques developed by Vesevolod Meyerhold and then taken to a great acting technique by Stella Adler to work initially with the physical aspects of a character (from the outside in). We develop your ability to connect emotionally through the imagination and not through affective memory. The use of imagination, for this purpose, was proposed by Michael Checkov and thoroughly developed by Sanford Meisner. This level is exclusively taught by Sebastián Ligarde with support in the independent activities of Jorge Ligarde.

At this level we follow the logical progress for Latino actors. We teach the use of the electronic pointer with wireless equipment. We instruct techniques to audition a camera instead of an actor, and we also teach how to present cold readings when an actor has not had time to prepare. This level is taught simultaneously by Sebastián and Jorge Ligarde. While Jorge is dedicated to point, Sebastian provides criticism to students.

Meisner technique: In Russia, at the end of the 19th century, Konstantin Stanislavski came to the conclusion that the performance he observed in the theater was affected, and unnatural. I invent a system to train actors. Their emphasis was to create personalities and act in a naturalistic way, as in life itself.
In 1929, the Moscow Art Theater was presented in New York, and the American actors were impressed with this “new” system of acting. Some of them formed the most important company in the history of North American theater – “The Group Theater”. Richard Boleslavski stayed in New York to instruct them in the “Stanislavski System”. Among the founders of this company were Elia Kazan, Harold Clurman, Clifford Odetts, Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler and Sanford Meisner. These last three created the three most important acting schools in North America to this day: Actor’s Studio, Stella Adler Conservatory and The Meisner Technique. The three schools are considered “method” although they differ in their interpretative proposals since all three are interpretations of Stanislavski’s “system”.

Meisner distilled the Stanislavsqueno system to a few elementary rules. The most important being: live with truth under imaginary circumstances, focus on the other actor, and learn to listen.

The Meisner Technique, today, is considered the most effective process to train film actors. This is because it is based on using intuition when acting, and with great emphasis on acting minimalism. The students work in small groups (12 to 16). With a couple, and guided by the instructor, they experiment using texts and improvisations. In the end, and in a very short time, they achieve a deep understanding of themselves, and produce an acting instrument capable of creating “truth” under imaginary circumstances. It is also considered the best technique for an actor who starts his training. This is because the Meisner technique puts you in touch with your individual essence, and teaches you the basic elements of acting such as listening, concentration, scenic communion and above all …. live moment to moment. All this starting from your point of view and with your own truth.

The Meisner Technique not only helps you if you are an actor. It also serves to overcome shyness and stage fright for public speakers, many psychologists have gone through our workshop and are delighted as this technique helps them to be aware of their “defense mechanisms”.

Some actors, among many, prepared by the Meisner Technique: Robert Duvall, Kathy Bates, Kim Bassinger, William Hurt, Diane Keaton, Jeff Goldblum, John Malkovich, Michael Douglas, Mary Steenburgen, Catherine Zeta Jones. Of these ten actors, eight have been awarded the coveted Oscar.

If you want more information about our next Singing and Voice Placement Neutralization Workshop, Contact Us

In order to market our voice in a globalized world without borders, it is important to remove those sounds (phonemes) that identify it with a specific region. The “Neutral Spanish” is born with the dubbing of the Walt Disney cartoons. Through the decades, great advances have been made in this area both in Argentina and in Mexico. In our workshop we have, through theory, practice and games, incorporated the best of these two leaders in the development of a neutral Spanish.

Breathing, voice placement in the right resonators, projection, tuning and the development of a “trained ear” are the goals of this workshop. This is not only important for singing, but for the spoken voice. For an actor it is crucial. The voice is the actor’s most important tool. The performance is audio-visual.