Acting is an art that needs to be practised and honed from time to time. Manas Gupta, a Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) alumnus, firmly believes in the acting philosophies of American actors and acting mentors, Sanford Meisner and Uta Hagen. Using the skills that he picked from the FTII, Gupta is conducting a 13-day acting workshop called Anatomy of a Scene, starting on June 1.

A game centred on creating imaginary spaces. Pics courtesy/Manas Gupta

Gupta shares about the idea behind this first-time workshop, “I believe in what Sanford Meisner said, that ‘acting is doing’ and ‘acting is behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances.’” This idea forms the foundation of my approach. In our workshops, we draw deeply from the Meisner technique, particularly his focus on moment-to-moment work and following one’s impulse. When you’re relaxed, focused, and genuinely listening to your partner, your reactions become real. You’re not acting in the conventional sense; you’re simply being under the given circumstances.”