FDCP x Meisner crash course empowers actors in Negros

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Actors in Bacolod City recently took part in an intensive crash course on the Meisner Acting Technique.

The Film Development Council of the Philippines organized the five-day training, through its FDCP Film School and Cinematheque Centre Negros, in collaboration with Meisner Studio Manila, The Negros Museum, and the Negros Cultural Foundation, Inc.

Headteacher Angeli Bayani facilitated the workshop with support from apprentice teachers Elora Españo and Ross Pesigan.

The program offered local talents a unique opportunity to explore the principles of modern acting through a series of dynamic lectures, hands-on exercises, and collaborative activities.

The initial two days focused on a brief history of modern acting and foundational repetition exercises.

Throughout the week, participants engaged in repetition exercises to build emotional awareness, improvisation drills to enhance spontaneity and authenticity, and scene work and pair acting to apply the techniques learned.

The workshop concluded with a final recital where participants showcased prepared scenes, followed by an awarding ceremony.

Participants shared positive feedback on their experience. Bacolodnon actor-director Kent Jerriane Caduhada said he learned three key things: understanding an actor’s objective, reacting authentically, and portraying a role with "realness".

Art educator and cultural worker Geli Tupas Arceño noted that the technique requires “so much rawness and honesty in acting.” Arceño emphasized the importance of being fully present to observe and react to a scene partner, stating, “To be able to be the most interesting person in the room, you have to be the most interested in your scene partner.”

Españo explained the core principle of the Meisner Technique, “The truth of who you are is the root of your acting.” She added that this approach leads to a more collaborative and empathetic creative process.

Nathan Jalbuena Sotto, an actor and acting coach from Iloilo, praised the sense of safety the technique provides. He contrasted it with a previous experience utilizing another method where he felt “damaged” after staying in character for weeks.

Bayani reinforced this, stressing that when actors feel safe, they feel free to explore and create.

Actors from the USLS Maskara Theatre Ensemble – Danielle Faye Magno, April Joy Baquilar Singson, and Richard Bermejo Tolosa, Jr. – expressed their gratitude for the course, noting how it deepened their connection to both their craft and each other.

Bacolod Film Festival 2024 actors, including Jing Torrecampo (“A Flower a Day” and “Laragway sa Karon”), Crystal Puying (“Glub”), and Tex Romero (“Manokan Country”), also took part in the workshop.

The event, which marked the first regional stop for the Meisner Crash Course, brought the type of professional training centered on this particular acting technique for the first time to the Visayas.

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