THE DRAMA MANDALA

The Drama Mandala

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

THE EMPTY SPACE - PETER BROOK

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"I can take an empty space and call it a bare stage." - Peter Brook

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

SUMMERTIME

It's "summertime" and things get a bit slower, so . . . posts here will follow suit. If you want them to come quicker let me know. Have a GREAT summer.

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

STANISLAVSKY (cont.)

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"He who desires nothing, hopes for nothing and is afraid of nothing, cannot be an artist. - Anton Checkhov

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

STANISLAVSKY

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Stanislavsky -- "To be without a sense of humor is indeed a scary thing . . . A sense of humor bespeaks the ability to see all facets of a subject; its lack betrays blindness or narrowness of vision."

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

THE FERVENT YEARS (cont.)

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"Stick to what is strongest and most alive in oneself."

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

THE DIRECTOR (cont.) THE FERVENT YEARS

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

THE ACTOR (cont.) THE DIRECTOR

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

LEARNING FROM SANFORD MEISNER

PODCAST: Talk about recollections of learning from Sanford Meisner and the filming of the Master Class DVD.

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

THE ACTOR (cont.)

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"Acting is essentially based on ... actions as we see them in our daily experience ..."

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

BRANDO TONIGHT

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

WHAT IS A PLAY (cont.) THE ACTOR

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. . . The Actor (to be continued)
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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

WHAT IS A PLAY

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

CHARACTER: ARISTOTLE

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"A man's character is most apparent in what he does or does not do." - Aristotle

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

NOTES ON A READING LIST

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At the "other" end of this first Neighborhood Playhouse Journal, sit numerous pages that I had actually begun in the months just prior to beginning my studies at The Neighborhood Playhouse. They consist of notes taken from the books on the READING LIST I was assigned by the Playhouse to read before attending the school year.

I have wondered if these would be worthwhile to include here. Over the past few days, I've withheld any new entries trying to decide. That those pages have "nagged" at me is something I could not ignore. "They" have won out. I guess they need to be heard. Therefore, over the next few days, my entries will reflect the totality of this first Neighborhood Playhouse Journal, which would not be complete without these notes about my pre-school readings.

Perhaps these pages can be of use to others because the authors cited are a deeply rich resource to anyone interested in the art of theater.

Sincerely,
José Angel Santana


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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

MEISNER: THE OBJECT

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MEISNER: Helpful if the "object" reminded you of or was connected to the "why."

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

CREATE MEANINGFULLY AND SPECIFICALLY

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

RELATIONSHIP - HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE OTHER PERSON?

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

MEISNER - "RELATIONSHIP MUST BE SPECIFIC."

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"BE SPECIFIC" -- Sanford Meisner

FREE IT UP . . .

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

THE MEANINGFUL PART OF THE WHY

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

DO WHAT YOU HAVE A FEELING FOR

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

HAVE A GOOD TIME

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

RELATIONSHIP

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

UNTRUTHFULLY SENSITIVE

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

NOTES ON "TRUTH"

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

CHOOSE WHAT YOU HAVE A FEELING FOR

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

PREPERATION

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

CONTACT

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

". . . CONTACT WITH THE OTEHR PERSON."

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

REALLY LISTEN - REALLY ANSWER

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

SCENE - BAREFOOT IN THE PARK

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

EMOTIONAL PREPERATION

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"It's not the way you think you should feel. It's the way you feel."

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner

PINCH + OUCH

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"What you do, depends on the other person." -- Sanford Meisner

SCENES

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"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -- Sanford Meisner, Acting Teacher

THE REALITY OF DOING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING

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"Be specific." -- Sanford Meisner, Acting Teacher

DESIRES, HOPES, FEARS

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"Act before you think." -- Sanford Meisner, Acting Teacher

A RANGE OF EMOTION BEYOND ANGER

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2/15/77

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"The final frontier may be human relationships, one person to another." -- Buzz Aldrin, Astronaut

[Robert] Duval - Your acting has to do with your organized daydreams

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[Robert] Duval - "Your acting has to do with your organized daydreams."

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"The final frontier may be human relationships, one person to another." -- Buzz Aldrin, Astronaut

MEANINGS

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"The final frontier may be human relationships, one person to another." -- Buzz Aldrin, Astronaut

SET-UP[S] - PRACTICE MAKES PROGRESS

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"The final frontier may be human relationships, one person to another." -- Buzz Aldrin, Astronaut

PREPERATION - "AS IF" - REPITITION - REALLY DO

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Preperation (set-ups) using the "as if"

-Repeat -
-Repeat from Point of view-
-Really do the activity; Really do the activity;
-Really do the activity
-You['ve] got to have to do the activity,
not just want to do it.

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"The final frontier may be human relationships, one person to another." -- Buzz Aldrin, Astronaut

ON "THE INDEPENDENT ACTIVITY"

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"To chose very personal, specifically difficult 'activities' for very specific reasons."

"Go with instincts."

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"The final frontier may be human relationships, one person to another." -- Buzz Aldrin, Astronaut

Journaler on the influence of Sanford Meisner

Last week two theater artists Tee Quillin and John Mauldin interviewed the Journaler for their innovative Podcast, the INEXPLICABLE DUBE SHOW. The premise of our discussion was my participation in the SANFORD MEISNER MASTER CLASS (DVD), a rare and classic document showing my renowned teacher Sanford Meisner at work.

For those of you interested in one person's direct experience with studying under SANFORD MEISNER and how it has influenced my life and work, you might enjoy this Podcast in addition to the pages of this journal.

We cover much ground about the many aspects of the Journaler's experience with Sanford Meisner's work, while pointing out the great value of the SANFORD MEISNER MASTER CLASS (DVD).

You might enjoy this interview at, the INEXPLICABLE DUMB SHOW.

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"The final frontier may be human relationships, one person to another." -- Buzz Aldrin, Astronaut

". . . What the circumstances permit you to do."

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"The final frontier may be human relationships, one person to another." -- Buzz Aldrin, Astronaut

"- Once you come through the door nobody know[s] what's going to happen . . . "

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"The final frontier may be human relationships, one person to another." -- Buzz Aldrin, Astronaut

"Come home and do . . ."

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"The final frontier may be human relationships, one person to another." -- Buzz Aldrin, Astronaut

"I don't have to be mean."

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"The final frontier may be human relationships, one person to another." -- Buzz Aldrin, Astronaut

" - work on the doing - the problem"

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"The final frontier may be human relationships, one person to another." -- Buzz Aldrin, Astronaut