Last month I wrote about the importance of Love, and how our individual relationship to it is important to understand, so that we can harness love to deepen our work as actors. This month, with the passing of my most treasured Puck, I have been on a rather wild ride exploring grief. The biggest thing I’ve learnt is how the size of my grief and the size of my love wanted to battle with each other. It became clear to me, though, that they were, in fact…different sides of the same coin.

People often ask me what’s the difference between Meisner and The Method as acting approaches, and my main response is that Meisner is about Love, and The Method is about Pain (at least how it was taught to me). That’s not to say that Meisner doesn't address the experience and preparation of painful emotions, but it does so from the starting point of Love.

Many teachers teach Meisner differently, and because the Repetition Exercise is the bedrock of all the technique, this is often where students can get conflicting messages. It can be really confusing joining a new class, with seemingly different rules. Here are 10 Tips that I value and teach in my class when approaching repetition. There are more, and there are nuances and exceptions to every rule, but I hope it gives you an idea of how the exercise can be used to get the most out of it.

People can feel overwhelmed when it comes to the New Year. The darkness and coldness of the days, and post-Christmas fallout can make it feel a bit too much, and curling up and hibernating seems a more tempting option.