An intensive course for people who know and love Meisner’s repetition exercise but need help applying it to all sorts of different rehearsal rooms and directors processes. You will gain an efficient, consistent method applying the freedom of living truthfully to all textual given circumstances, directors instructions and auditions, as well as the ability to work with actors who are not Meisner trained.

Each week will cover one of the unique five conditions of the Gonsalves Method. An approach that has been developed and tested over many productions. It is specifically for Meisner trained actors. The elements you’re familiar with, but it offers a consistent, methodical way of approaching, preparing and playing text.

It will give you the confidence to truthfully apply emotional preparation, objectives, stakes, entitlement and help you use your imagination in specific ways to trigger authentic connection across all genres and mediums. It will look at how to incorporate physical externals, accents, costume etc into your process whilst still staying open, truthful and connected.

Aileen is currently Head of Acting at Drama Studio London. She is an actor, writer and director and has been a successful theatre practitioner for the past 25 years, 20 of which as a Meisner practitioner. She has directed for the RSC for 10 years, most recently directing 'The Tempest' at the Swan Theatre and working as an Associate Director on the groundbreaking motion capture 'The Tempest' at the Barbican.

She is an Associate Artist at Kali Theatre, Founder and Artistic Director of Butterfly Theatre (a Meisner-rooted site specific company producing 13 shows a year - mainly Shakespeare) and Founder of the innovative 'Gonsalves Method' (Meisner in application). She was Head of the MA in Acting at Arts Ed drama school 2012 -2015, where she developed and tested the Gonsalves Method. Co-founder and Artistic Director of C Company 2007-2012 (Meisner rooted). She teaches Meisner and The Gonsalves Method across the world from New York to Oman and across Europe.