Testimonials
Working with John couldn't have come at a better time for me because I was feeling so burdened and confused by theory, the technicalities of acting, the heady work. John's work is from the guts, from impulses. It forced me to really see, hear, and respond to my scene partner. I'd never before been able to achieve such a sense of being present and of moment-to-moment responsiveness. I've discovered a trust in myself, a confidence in being in a state of not knowing and just trusting, in surrendering control. John has encouraged me to take risks and given me confidence in facets of my character that I used to be too afraid to go near, and some that I didn't even know existed. The work he teaches evolves and grows with the individual actor, and John is sensitive to each actor's process and respectful of their personal journey. Acting is vulnerable and revealing, and his class offers a safe place to explore what you are capable of, to make mistakes, to be bold, to be afraid, to learn, to feel limitless. I can't say enough about the work. John is so passionate about acting, and his passion is contagious. I feel so lucky to be able to work with him and the inspiring, hungry actors in his classes
Tatiana Maslany
Orphan Black Emmy and Golden Globe winner, critics choice award winner best actress in a drama series 2013, 2010 Sundance award for best breakout performance Grown Up Movie Star, 2009 Gemini award for best actress in a guest role Flashpoint, series regular Heartland and Instant Star
I have been a student of John Riven's Meisner Technique class for several years. In that time it has become my actors’ home. A safe place to work on my craft under the guidance of someone who has dedicated so much effort in the quest for truthful behavior. I don't know a teacher who has ever offered more of his self in the class room. And by doing so, week after week and year after year he inspires his students to be courageous enough to do the same. When I first started taking his class I had a bag of tricks that I hoped would somehow help whenever I got lucky enough to get a job. The technique that John teaches gives me the grounding to enter an audition room or walk on a set or step on a stage confident in my sense of truth, in my abilities as an actor and ready to play. I am very grateful to John for his skills and care as a teacher and hope to enjoy the actors home he creates for many years to come.
Sergio Di Zio
Gemini Award Winner for Flashpoint, Grand Army, Rogue, Wishfart, Flash of Genius, The Lookout, This is Wonderland, Dora award winner for The MotherF**ker With The Hat and nominee for Leo
This work has been an endless uncovering for me. It is not a class you can be at the top of and not a technique that you can master. I have been able to find my voice in my own work by having an environment that puts the work first. John has invested in my journey as an artist over and over again. This work has enabled me to work on sets and stages with artists of all kinds, while holding me firm in authenticity and truth. This work puts me in my body so that I can trust my preparation going forward. John is a loving teacher and artist. His room is a space for hungry actors to work at any level. He encourages us to be responsible for our work and for one another. He has a sensitive and detailed eye when critiquing the work. Because I have this room to study in each week, to be pushed in each week, to bleed out in each week, I am left being able to go to work with a ferocity and a trust in myself. After studying this work with John for over 13 years, I can safely say that I still feel at the beginning of the study of it. His professionalism and love of artists is invaluable to me and my life as an artist. I am deeply grateful for having found a coach like him.
Dani Kind
CSA and ACTRA Award Nominee for Working Moms, Wynnona Earp, In Contempt, Good Witch, The Divide
I have season tickets to the best theatre in Toronto. John Riven's Meisner is like a private theatre where the best actors in the city (in my opinion) go to train like athletes, experiment and investigate themselves. When called for, even John will get on stage and practice with students, respectfully. There's no other arena I know of which is so free of ego and judgement, that even the teacher is willing to get their hands messy in support of an actors' work. I respect that. I often feel lucky to sit in the audience of Meisner classes and watch my peers sincerely volley their impulses and intentions towards each other, because the performances are unpolished, unrehearsed and in that way, so captivating, compelling, honest and inspiring.
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As an actor, practicing John's Meisner, when I've been equal parts brave enough and pushed uniquely by my scene partner to 'go to' difficult, vulnerable places, I've explored and exhibited places within myself that were honest, however messy. Sometimes, I'm really, really shaken afterwards. That is to say, that it doesn't always feel good to put myself in the shoes of what a character feels, but it feels good to be able to play that character with empathy. John's made a room where I can practice being brave and visiting those difficult, vulnerable places. And over years now, (and still many years to go) John has pages and pages of notes, dedicated just to me, steadfastly documenting my work and nudging me closer to my best.
Raymond Ablack
The Maid, Ginny & Georgia, Burden of Truth, Shadowhunters, Teenagers, Narcos, Orphan Black, Defiance, Degrassi: The Next Generation
Let me say straight up that John's class is no piece of cake. It is challenging, terrifying and revealing in ways that I have never seen in an acting class. After three years i still shit my pants before getting up to work. Having said that, it is the only, ONLY place that I feel free and safe enough to really look at myself as an individual and an actor. Without the hindrance of lines, props, scenes, you come to this class to explore and experience the whole gamut of emotions and behaviours that define you as a person. Being able to tap into your own truth, that truth that sets you apart from anyone else, is something that eludes many actors, myself included, and john's technique has been remarkable for getting me present and connected to my own authenticity. In john's class I am allowed to really be myself. Not just allowed, but encouraged and expected to embrace everything that is uniquely me, good and bad, weird, quirky, ugly. This is not always easy. I have never confronted myself the way I do in this class and despite having made discoveries that make me cringe (that's me?! I’m that person???) the experience is always exhilarating and fun as hell. I leave john's class feeling fulfilled and inspired and reminded of why it is that i love acting so much. I also find myself less encumbered by nervousness when I work in class, the voices in my head don't dominate so much and my self consciousness is not so stifling. This has helped immensely with auditions and work on set. The technique allows you to fully engage and work in spite of all that background noise. As for john himself, I don't know a better teacher. He has so much passion and investment and he brings to his class a discipline and respect that as a student you can't help but want to reciprocate. He guides his students on an individual level, attending to the specific needs of each student. He always knows what to say to push you through your defences and what not to say so as not to impede you in any way. To do this work you have to have complete trust in your teacher and john earns that trust through his hard work and commitment. The class is a blessing, the people in it are supportive and it is something that I will always come back to whenever I need a reminder of what it is to be honest and present.
Mayko Ngyuen
series regular Hudson & Rex, Titans, Killjoys, Slasher, Cracked, Rookie Blue, ACTRA Award Nominee for ReGenesis, Rent-a-Goalie
John is the BEST kind of teacher because he is unabashedly honest. He never lets an inauthentic moment slide. In fact, he’ll call you out on it, and push you until the truth is revealed. I started training with John at a time when I was caught up in technique and over-thinking every moment. John’s classes reminded me that my gut instincts always know the truth first. His repetition exercises are about listening, reacting, and emerging with an open heart and mind. John’s enthusiasm and passion for acting is infectious. He constantly challenges me to dig deeper and work harder; there is always more to the truth, and when you think you already know it, that’s when there is so much more to discover. The technique he teaches allows actors to evolve at their own pace in a supportive and safe environment.
Ellen Wong
Knives Chau in Scott Pilgrim vs The World, series lead in The Carrie Diaries, series regular in GLOW, Dark Matter
In Riven classes, Meisner never feels dogmatic or tedious, actors are constantly being pushed to go further and take risks. Riven classes have gained a well deserved status in Toronto and are consistently filled with some of the city's strongest and most talented actors. John gives them a comfortable environment to play, along with plenty of personal attention and tough love - allowing his students to feel both free and brave within the Meisner work. Simply put - since I started taking John Riven's Meisner class, I haven't stopped booking. I owe John my ability to consistently find simple, truthful moments in auditions and the ability to continue that work on even the most frenzied of sets. To put even more simply - there is no better class in the city for an actor to explore and heighten his craft. And to put it even MORE simply - the Riven class is some fuckin' good-ass shit.
Aaron Abrams
series regular on Hannibal and Blindspot, The LA Complex, Rookie Blue, Young People Fucking, Slings and Arrows, multi-award Winner and Nominee for Nose To Tail
John’s class is single handedly my FAVOURITE acting class I’ve ever taken! I’ve been doing this for 10 years now and have had a lot of different kind of training - from theatre school to various acting studios. But when I first stepped foot in his class, I felt like this is what I was missing all along. John’s class is not about any acting technique or script breakdown tools, it’s about GOING TO THE GYM and lifting weights!! The weights that help grow our emotional muscles. It’s about stretching our capacity through repetition and gaining access to all the facets that already exist within ourselves. Even while I’m working on various projects, I’m always itching to get back in John’s class whenever I have time off! I can not recommend it enough!
Erika Prevost
Dare Me, Party of Five, Polaroid, Saint-Pierre, The God of Frogs, The Boys, Scream VI, The Next Step
I have been studying the Meisner technique with John Riven for five years and it has helped me immeasurably. As a teacher, John has the unique ability to understand, appreciate and work with an actor’s specific talents, instincts and struggles. He teaches his students as individuals, understanding that each of them will have a different appreciation for the work and learn it at their own pace. John’s passion and understanding of the technique is infectious and inspiring. John uses the Meisner exercises to get things out of his students, myself included, that I have never seen before. He is able to help people access their deepest and most honest emotions while staying connected and grounded. It is hard to explain exactly how John teaches because he is constantly adapting and growing with each student, each exercise and each moment. John is a very wise teacher, as well as a very spontaneous one. Most importantly, John has cultivated an environment in his classes that is unlike any other. Coming to his class you feel the freedom to play and grow and make a mess in a safe environment. He makes acting feel important and special and necessary. He makes you want to take risks and feel things you’re not used to.
In the past five years John has challenged me, inspired me, guided me and helped me strengthen my process. He has shown me that it is always possible to go further in my work and he has set up an environment where I can figure out how to do that.
More than anything, John loves to teach. He loves watching his students succeed and he loves figuring out how to help them when they are struggling. He really cares about his students, their work and his growth as a teacher. John expects the same of himself as he does his students…to go further…and take risks!
Joe Dinicol
series lead Betas and The L.A. Complex, Blindspot, Arrow, Saving Hope, Halt and Catch Fire, Grey's Anatomy
I’ve trained with John Riven at different stages of my career, and each time I return to his work, it confirms how rare and valuable his approach is. His training is demanding and requires real courage, but it is deeply rewarding. With each session, I feel my emotional range expand — as if I suddenly have access to more colors on a palette, or more keys on a piano.
What sets John apart is the depth of his patience and encouragement, paired with an unwavering commitment to the truth of the work. I’ve trained with three other Meisner teachers, and nothing compares to his approach. John’s work is deeply human. It asks you to truly listen — not only to your scene partner, but to yourself. It gently but firmly strips away false personas and protective habits, revealing something more honest underneath. In my experience, that process isn’t just effective acting training — it’s the core of the craft.
Jean-Michel Le Gal
Saint-Piere, Condor, Max & Shred, Frontier, Accused, Assassin's Creed, Troubled Waters, Good Witch, Reign
I’ve always thought that having multiple schools of theory to draw from is essential as an actor - that one must be a rubber band of sorts and give as equally as you take in any given situation. While I still believe in this in many aspects, I would often find the technicalities of it all immensely confusing and suffocating. Trying my best to apply what “tools” I thought I had to appease and impress the people I sought approval from. To fit into whatever box I thought I had to.
...Then came along John Riven and his Meisner class. Beautifully (and brutally) stripping me of theory, layer by layer, whether I was on the mark or watching others on it - truly, I believe that I have seen some of the best actors in the city do their best work in this class. I often think that labelling it as just an “acting class” is reductive. It teaches you to trust yourself wholeheartedly in ways that you never knew you could, as both an actor and as a human being. At first, you may feel uncomfortable and extremely confronted with what arises within you when up on the mark, but in time, you learn that that is the very gift of this experience. The privilege to feel - and what a privilege it is. To embrace it. To be liberated by it. To become reconnected with what makes us human. To learn to trust your instincts and to honour them. To deal with the consequences. To be childlike in our play and in our wonder. To listen. To connect so deeply with someone that you may have only met just a few minutes prior or to go even deeper than you could possibly imagine with someone you already know. To go on a journey so inexplicably amazing and/or heartbreaking with them. To stand up for yourself with a strong and honest point of view. To access and observe TRUE vulnerability. To prioritize, above all else, keeping it simple and truthful. To just do the damn work. Isn’t that what we are chasing at the end of the day?
Alexander Eling
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, The Way Home, Another LIfe, Tiny Pretty Things, Make it Pop
Working with John Riven has been one of the biggest artistic jolts on my journey as a human.
I often leave class with a kind of.... existential dread? Questioning whether I’ve been moving through the world inauthentically this whole time. And the answer is yes. Of course. As socialized creatures, we suppress instinct, we manage, we perform, we please, we want approval. John’s room is one of the very few spaces that actively invites you to dismantle that - and its fucking fascinating.
John has a way of cutting through your habits and pushing you with precision, holding you accountable to both yourself and the person across from you. He creates an environment where risk and mess are not only allowed, but necessary in order to grow.
It can be jarring to be shown so clearly your habits, your tells and your bullshit. But it’s also one of the most illuminating and generous things John can offer. To fully embody truth for the first time feels like a total trip. To see yourself clearly is an even bigger one. And to be able to put that into practice as an artist is beyond.
His classes have fundamentally shifted how I show up in my artistry. I trust and understand my instincts more. I’m less interested in controlling outcomes and more interested in the mess.
If you’re serious about doing honest work, John will meet you there and hold you to it.
Chloe Van Landschoot
There are very few spaces we can go to as actors that allow us to truly be ourselves without critique, freedom to explore, be messy, and let it all hang out. There are few spaces where we can stop “fixing” ourselves, stop the mental chatter, and become deeply invested/focused on the other actor in front of us.
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This is the very reason I continuously show up to Riven’s classes and his teachers. This is a space free of judgment, freedom to do ANYTHING, and allow the "mess" be whatever it is. This is a space where I continue to learn to quiet the mental chatter and fucking feel. Riven's classes continuously remind me that it is imperative to befriend our anger, joy, curiosity, vulgarity, and many other emotions.
These classes are a sacred space where I learn in abundance from other students and an incomparable guide/teacher, John Riven, and for that I am deeply deeply deeply grateful.
Keeya King
Diggstown, Yellowjackets, Van Helsing, Batwoman, A Million Little Things, Handmaid's Tale, Jigsaw, Run for Your Life, Detective Night: Rogue
Working with John and the actors that come through his door has allowed me to participate in and witness acting at its purest. He focuses on and emphasizes something that all forms of education
pay little to no attention to, which is developing a sense for yourself and others. What I mean by that is being present with your sensations, emotions, and thoughts with actors who are attempting to do the same. It is the easiest acting class to show up to and the hardest one to continue in.
I believe if you are an actor who lives in Toronto, or anywhere, and you have an appreciation for acting, you are doing yourself a disservice by not collaborating with John for a session.
The space he has managed to create preserves a part of performance that is being lost every day
— humanity.
If that’s a little too pretentious, I’ll put it simply: the quality of work I’ve gotten to be part of since collaborating with him is the type of acting I’ve always wanted to do. There is a difference in what my name has been a part of since meeting John. He does not claim to have the secret formula to being a great actor — I think you should be skeptical of anyone who promises that. BUT he has been an instrumental part of my process to becoming the actor I want to be.
Donald Mclean Jr
I came upon a huge gift when I discovered John Riven’s Meisner class. I started studying with John at a time when I was really blocked emotionally. John’s class has taught me to push through my personal barriers by embracing my vulnerability. He has taught me that my strength is my ability to be real, raw and present at all times. He has taught me to seek the highest truth and to go after what I want. He has taught me to listen and to receive. I have learned that it’s ok to feel uncomfortable, to sit in silence, to be awkward in my own skin. The environment in class is compassionate and safe and it gives me permission to sit in the most emotionally terrifying, raw places and then keep moving through. He has taught me that once I hit the barrier the only choice is to face it and push through it. His process is at once thrilling, scary, hilarious, relentless, joyful and deeply satisfying. Studying with John has helped me immeasurably in my work. He is completely committed to the process, really loves what he does and has a huge amount of sensitivity and care for his students. I am so thankful to have John Riven and his technique in my life.
Rachel Wilson
series regular Republic of Doyle and Show Me Yours, Ghostwriter, Impulse, Bomb Girls
To start, John's style of Meisner acted like a detox for me after several confusing years auditioning! I was brought face to face with the things I did to escape true connection and vulnerability with my acting partners.
This is what I have noticed: John, himself, and any individual that continues working with him form a necessary community of spontaneous, truth junkies! It feels incredible to have a place to come home to-- where I know I can both chip away at my defenses and improve what's already working!
Aaron Poole
Most Dangerous Game, Salvation, series regular and CSA Nominee for Strange Empire, Copper, King, Cra$h & Burn, ACTRA Award for This Beautiful City
I adore John's class. I adore John. He is so beautifully and brutally compassionate in his commitment to people; uncompromising and completely transparent in his pursuit of deep contact, which remains the ultimate and bottomless pursuit of the class itself.
I do not know what acting is to me or what anything is, and this was something that always haunted me. John takes the great fear of unknowing and instead of treating it as a problem, employs it as the beating heart at the centre of the work, validating this internal struggle within everyone and therefore making the work universally approachable. By acknowledging doubt and fear rather than reproaching it, he initiates a step in the direction to include the entirety of yourself in the work and in turn, the ability to be receptive to the entirety of others.
You are seen, really seen, in every corner. And with that comes an environment of utter security, trust and the beginnings of an inner freedom that accepts who you are with the same fullness and clarity you feel from his eyes, always.
The class took all the weird and abstract anxieties I had about acting and refocused my attention to something far more personal, inclusive and humane. In his words, you begin to realize that whatever is going on with another person is far more interesting than your opinion of yourself. More than anything else, I feel grateful to have had this class affect my life. At the very least, it gives one the chance to develop a faith and trust that you are, without modification or exception, enough. If I were to quit acting today, I'd still go to class.
Eric Osborne
series regular and ACTRA Award nominee for Degrassi: Next Class and Degrassi: Next Generation, Random Acts of Violence​
I've been working with John for about 10 years now, and I can honestly say that every time class is new/exciting/scary/unexpected. The work is always fresh and unpredictable and 10 years on there is still so much learning, it just gets deeper and deeper. This class has helped me to trust my instincts and give them voice and to see how much space exists in the tiniest of moments.
Jenny Raven
series regular Kim's Convenience, Designated Survivor, Black Mirror, The Girlfriend Experience, V Morgan is Dead, Majority Rules!
John teaches with integrity. He cultivates a space to work that is invaluable for actors: to be able to go to any and all of the depths of the human experience, to say yes to what could be uncomfortable or denied in our day to day life, but that is integral to our ability as artists to tell and serve stories.
John’s truth detector for bullshit is unmatched — he raises the bar for Canadian actors, and through the repetition encourages you to hold yourself accountable to your truth, and to learn how to trust and honour your unfiltered experience, from moment to moment.
Through this work, John’s helped me to find my point of view from an intuitive and active place, to see what’s really happening across for me, and to stand by and express how I feel about it. It’s such a liberating, satisfying, and challenging experience. I can feel and see this continued practice bleed over into my auditions and work. I have such great appreciation for the autonomy I’ve been encouraged to develop — and continue to find on a deepening level — through my work with John.
Camille Stopps
Reign, The Love Club, The Strain, Running With Violet, Guilt Free Zone, Secrets on the Ranch, Soul's Road, Deadbolt
You can be anything you want in John Riven’s Meisner class, so long as you tell the truth.
Beyond that, it is a fool’s errand explaining the work I’ve had the privilege to do (and witness) over the past few years with John. He sees so much: our sturdiest habits, our deepest vulnerabilities, our darkest impulses, our light. He approaches each student individually, with humility and compassion. He meets actors exactly where they are. He holds us to the highest standard.
Repetition is a lifelong pursuit. It’s unsettling, exhilarating, transformative. Sometimes it scares the shit out of me — this work is not for the faint of heart. It allows you to be unfinished and uncomfortable and messed up. It is also so simple. You can’t really learn John’s technique. You just have to do it. Only then, little by little, can you hope to start working.
Because of John’s class, I trust myself more. I’ve learned that the person in front of me is infinitely more interesting than I am. I’ve learned I can always listen better, see more specifically, care more, feel more, love more. I re-learn these truths constantly.
David Klein
Dream Scenario, Overcompensating, Brilliant Minds, Law & Order Toronto, Hudson & Rex, Boston Blue, Sherriff Country, The Expanse
I liken John’s class to a gym, where he encourages us to push ourselves artistically and safely. I can think of many experiences over the years which either viscerally lead to personal breakthroughs for me or required meditation before I could discover shifts in my performances. John along with David Tompa and David Reale have helped in an invaluable way to inform my craft and have my sincere gratitude and respect.
Whenever I participate in, or even witness an exercise in class that “goes well”, it ceases to feel or appear like work. The scene becomes closer to a story with intimate stakes unfolding in front of me. I have felt in countless ways over the course of simple repetition exercises that parallel moments in my life, both the highest and low. For that reason, I love and dread the sense of immediacy present in this work which is profound yet can sometimes seem so simple at face value.
Working with John has greatly benefited my own artistic agency. I’ve learned to challenge my exploration of characters more critically on an empathetic level. John is a deeply empathetic, passionate and honest teacher. He communicates with humility, humour, and compelling thoughtfulness.
Dalmar Abuzeid
CSA Winner for Anne with an E, Pure, Condor, Shoot the Messenger, Majority Rules, Degrassi: The Next Generation
I will start this testimonial by saying that this class was the hardest and still is the hardest class I’ve ever been a part of. Gotta love a teacher who doesn’t let you get away with ANYTHING. When I first started with John, I had an extremely difficult time being present in my work and trusting my instincts. After working with him for over 3 years, I can confidently say being present is no longer an issue and trusting my instincts is something I actually enjoy. John has such a unique view of the technique and creates a safe environment to explore your vulnerability and push through your emotional blocks. I am challenged, inspired and moved every time I walk into that classroom, and for that I am forever grateful.
Meghan Heffern
Blue Mountain State, Almost Heroes, Backpackers, Chloe, The Fog, Wynnona Earp, How to Buy a Baby
Many of us struggle with how we internally interpret a performance, balanced against, how our portrayal is ultimately perceived externally. John Riven, has made that struggle a central focus of my work. Albeit, without ever having said as much. I look back over my time at Riven and see the quiet courage I now possess, allowing me to take on a role, from a place of strength. And trusting that this strength, will easily reconcile those two quandaries which previously haunted me. And now, all that energy which was once sucked up in the internal-external battle, overflows towards being present to the moment.
I have found that although the skills, which are called upon on a daily basis, represent significant cross-over benefits into daily life, my work with John has allowed for those benefits to also be transformational. The work I have done, in challenging myself to fully let go of preconceived notions, or not to fall prey to my fears around the talent v. success scrutiny has changed the way I relate to people throughout my life. And the timing of this work, could not have come at a better time. John has found a way to be the lighthouse in the fog, without ever being a lifejacket. The work has allowed me to no longer look for moments of greatness, but rather, just be in each moment,,,and the next one and so on.
And the boldness gained has given rise to owning a sense of confidence, to leap into the unknown, where before, I found myself merely projecting it.
Tamara Duarte
Departure, Longmire, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Hard Rock Medical, Wynnona Earp, The F Word
I am so grateful for John Riven’s classes and the work that is done within them. The reality of being a working actor is that it’s a job that comes with a lot of “outside noise” about how you should look or how you should “be” in the work, especially for women. If you’re not careful, you can start to carry this “outside noise” around with you disguised as “skill”. I would arm myself with my “skills” and deliver pitch perfect performances, but they would always be just that, a “perfect performance”, never an authentic human, and never the work that I knew I was capable of. John Riven’s classes bring me back to the beginning, to my wild and untamed, deeply imperfect, awkward, ugly, angry, terrified, madly in love, previously abandoned steaming pile of guts human and demand that I work from there. That I learn to trust myself again and create from there. I can’t pretend to understand this work, I don’t. I’m not sure I will anytime soon. Nothing in this class is spoon fed, but every step of the way is expertly guided by John.
If you are looking for a hug and a cookie, this is not your vibe, but if you want to shed and shed and shed and set yourself free, this is the class and there is no better teacher than John Riven.
Jillian Welsh
The work: We were newborns. We were daredevils. We were stripped bare. That is what caught me in the end, and that is what I dig. John Riven is a most deserving ring master of rare moments.
Claudia Dey
playwrite and author, TROUT STANLEY, THE GWENDOLYN POEMS and BEAVER have been produced internationally and nominated for the Governor General’s, the Dora, and Trillium Book Awards.
I loved John Riven's class. I'm more of a writer than an actor, but the class was useful to me because I learned about authenticity onstage, and about how conflict and sympathy between two people can arise in simple moments.
Hannah Moscovitch
Dora Mavor Moore Awards for In This World and Infinity, Trillium Book and Toronto Critic's Awards for This Is War, SummerWorks Prize for The Russian Play. She has been nominated for the Siminovitch Prize, the Governor General's Award, the Carol Bolt Award, the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
For me, Meisner is deceptive. There are no intellectual, unintelligible terms to describe what the actor "should" be feeling or thinking, nor is there some mysterious, alchemical magic we are meant to seek. There is only being, listening and doing. So it, flat out, rocks my world that I have seen and experienced more truth in acting in John's classes than in any other class. Such beautiful, open-hearted spontaneity emerges as well as these incredible, sudden and irreversible breakthroughs as old habits are shed and a commitment to be fully present is made. The work is raw, challenging and always exciting and John has created such an atmosphere of support, compassion and insight that I am continuously inspired to take bigger risks. I look forward to more.
Rosa Laborde
Saving Hope, The Dating Guy, The Line, ReGenesis
My clients love John's Meisner class. Unqualified praise.
Paul Hemrend
talent agent at ETM Ltd
In five short years John has become one of the foremost acting teachers in the country and has become equally in demand as an on-set acting coach. I can personally attest that clients of mine who have taken his classes show a marked improvement in their competitiveness in the marketplace. There are many who credit John for their meteoric rise in the industry. John Riven is a gifted teacher. He challenges and inspires those who have the privilege to work with him and fulfills a very necessary function in the industry at large. I never hesitate to recommend him.
Pam Winter
President, Gary Goddard Agency,Toronto, Canada