Guest Artist: Jessica Greco
MEISNER SPECIALIST
MEISNER TECHNIQUE WORKSHOP
Eight classes: July 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24, 28, 31
on Sundays & Wednesdays from 12:30-3:30pm
Price: $375+hst
(5% discount for ACTRA, SAG, and CAEA members)
Jessica's class runs twice weekly and is limited to 12 students.
From 1935 to 1990, Sanford Meisner was an esteemed acting teacher who founded the renowned NYC acting school The Neighbourhood Playhouse. There he created The Meisner Technique, and an incredibly simple, yet riveting acting exercise called The Repetition. Specifically designed to enhance the key skills of listening and answering another human being fully. In this class, you will repeat with your classmates, embodying the art of “Living truthfully under the imaginary circumstances.”
This class happens in the moment, it cultivates the magic of acting by focusing on behaviour and how that translates out into the world or to another person. The approach puts you in your body, out of your head, and focused on the other actor. Every time you get up to work, (which is twice a class, every class) it will feel vulnerable and scary and exciting and unpredictable. This technique is accessible to all experience levels. Like going to the gym, this technique will keep your instrument alive and spontaneous and strong. Though the class is a Beginner Meisner class, more seasoned artists will find lots to work with here. Ultimately the class is about listening and answering, moment to moment in an authentic way. Grounded and hooked on human connection.
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This technique has garnered much success — 37 of Meisner’s students won or were nominated for Academy Awards. Meisner-trained actors include Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock, Chadwick Boseman, Diane Keaton, Allison Janney, James Gandolfini, Timothée Chalamet, Sam Rockwell, Jeff Bridges, Jim Carrey,Tatiana Maslany, Krysten Ritter, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and so many more.
Jessica Greco has been nominated for a Canadian Screen Award, an ACTRA Award, multiple Canadian Comedy Awards. She has worked extensively in film and television for over 25 years. Most recently recurring on streaming series like “Umbrella Academy” (Netflix), “Five Days at Memorial” (Apple TV), “The Handmaids Tale” (Hulu), “How to Die Alone” (Hulu) & “Tiny Pretty Things” (Netflix). The Toronto International Film Festival has been very supportive of Jessica’s career, most recently with premieres including “This Place” in 2022, “Tammy’s Always Dying” in 2019 & “The Humming Bird Project” in 2018. Her scene partners have included Ethan Hawke, Colin Farrell, Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman, Cherry Jones, Jesse Eisenberg, Natasha Lyonne, Ted Danson and Luke Kirby to name some favourites.
Jessica began working and training professionally as a teenager. A graduate of Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts as a drama major and simultaneously studying privately with Jacqueline McClintock. Jacquline was trained as an actor at the Neighborhood Playhouse, and then went on to get her Teacher Training there, studying directly under Sanford Meisner. Jessica left high school and studied with Jacquline for over 12 years in Toronto and Montreal, as well as a year studying in NYC at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Jessica is also a graduate of the Conservatory Program at The Second City, with a strong background in sketch comedy. Selling out show runs and Fringe Festivals in Toronto, Montreal and Philadelphia with her sketch troupe “Dame Judy Dench”.
