THE ACTOR'S MILL

The Actor's Mill is dedicated to the principles of the Meisner Technique and Practical Aesthetics. Using these principles, the class demystifies the craft of acting and provides a solid foundation to any actor, whether they are beginners or experienced veterans. It also provides directors with a clear and concise way of communicating what they want from their actors.  

 

Sandy Meisner believed, that the "Reality of Doing," was the cornerstone of all good acting. This can be broken down into two areas.  Action and Moment.   Really listening, working moment to moment off of the other actors, while trying to accomplish a specific goal. Our program will teach actors how to work truthfully off of the moment and create truthful, authentic acting within the imaginary circumstances of the stage, film or television.

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Dan has taught acting and coached actors for over 12 years.  Some of the actors he has worked with have gone on to book roles on such TV, Film and Broadway shows as American Horror Story, HBO’s Westworld, Longmire, Last Man Standing, True Grit, The Lone Ranger, Wicked and Hairspray.

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After graduating from U.C. Davis where he had his first theatrical training, Dan decided to continue studying the craft of acting in a professional program.  He first studied with Clayton Rohner at the Actor’s Barn before discovering the Sanford Meisner approach.  Dan studied the Meisner Technique for a year with William Alderson.  He then continued his training in the intensive two year Meisner program at The Ruskin School of Acting, where he was invited to participate in Master Class with the legendary Sir Anthony Hopkins.  After graduation he had the opportunity to participate in a Practical Aesthetics workshop with both David Mamet and William H. Macy.

 

These experiences transformed how he approaches the craft of acting. Dan used ideas from both the Meisner and Practical Aesthetics techniques when he opened his own school, The New School of Acting, and later with The Actor’s Mill.  He was a founding member of the non-profit theatre company Off Hour Theater Project where he served as Managing Director. During that time he directed and acted in numerous stage productions.  

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