What is Method Acting? | Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute

At its core, Method Acting is therefore a systematic approach to training the living material that is the actor's “instrument,” as well as a means for preparing ... bloglovinBlogloviniconemailfacebookFacebookiconinstagramInstagramiconlinkedinLinkedIniconpinterestPinteresticonrssRSSiconsoundcloudSoundCloudicontwitterTwittericonyoutube Skiptocontent WHATISMETHODACTING? THEMETHOD LeeStrasbergoftendescribedMethodActingaswhatallactorshavealwaysdonewhenevertheyactedwell.WhatLeeStrasbergmeantwasnotthatTheMethod™hadalwaysbeenaround,butrather,TheMethodcameintobeingasawayofgivinganactorthemeanstoachievethetypeofresultsthathadmovedandcaptivatedaudiencesacrosstime.Leewasinpursuitofawayoftrainingthatwouldconsistentlyproducethemovingresultsofthesegreatperformances–performanceswhereitappearedtheactorwasauthenticallyre-experiencingthelifeimpliedbythegivencircumstancesofthestory. HISTORYOFTHEMETHOD TheMethodasdevelopedbyLeeStrasbergwasameansfortrainingtheactortoachievethistypeoftrulymovingperformance,infusedwithavibrantinnerlife,andexperiencedonstageasifforthefirsttime. LegendaryAmericanactor,LauretteTaylor,writingin1914,describedtheworkofthetalentedactorbothbrilliantlyandsimply: “Youseeaqueerlittlechildsittinginthemiddleofamudpuddle.Sheattractsyouandholdsyourinterest.Youevensmileinsympathy.Why?Simplybecausethatchildisexperiencinghercreativeimagination.Sheisattributingtomudpiesthedeliciousqualitiesofthepieswhichmothermakesinthekitchen.”ColeandChinoy,ActorsonActing,p.596 Andevenearlierthanthat,RomaneducatorandrhetoricianQuintilian(c.35–c.100AD),indescribingthegreatGreekandRomanperformances,attemptedtodescribetheactor’sprocess: “Thegreatsecret…formovingthepassions(inothers)istobemovedourselves”[usingvisionsorexperiencesfromlife]“wherebytheimagesofthingsabsentaresorepresentedtothemindthatweseemtoseethemwithoureyes,andtohavethempresentbeforeus.”Archer,MasksorFaces,p.106 BothLauretteTaylorandQuintilianwereintuitivelyarticulatingoneofthecoreprinciplesofTheMethod—usingone’sownlifeexperiencesastheseedofthecreativeimagination;andasaresult,theseexperiences,sewntothelifeofthecharacter,formthefoundationfor(re)experiencingonstage.Thisiswhatactorshavebeendoinginstinctivelyformanycenturies,butpriortotheworkofStanislavskyandthenStrasberg,thisworkwasjustthat,intuitive.Acting,unlikeotherartforms,lackedthekindofsystematicapproachtodevelopingandtrainingthefundamentalcomponentsofanactor’stoolbox–hissensitivityandimagination.Thereexistednomethodologythattrainedthefacultiesrequiredtorepeatedlydeliverinspiredperformances.Andsothegreatteacherswenttowork. LearnmoreaboutthehistoryofTheLeeStrasbergTheatre&FilmInstitute INSPIRATIONSOFLEESTRASBERG Asayoungactor,LeeStrasbergbecameenamoredwiththegreatperformancesandcuriousaboutthesourceoftheirinspiration.InbothLeeStrasbergandStanislavsky,thisinquiryinspiredalifelongpassionfortrainingactorsanddemystifyingwhathad,untilthen,beensuperficiallyexplainedsimplyas“divineinspiration.” WhentheMoscowArtTheatre,underthedirectionofKonstantinStanislavsky,visitedNewYorkCityonatourin1923,LeeStrasbergwasastonishedbytheactingofthecompany.Theirperformanceswerealive,theirbehaviorrealandeffortless,thecompany’svisiondeeplyhuman.Itwasasthoughtheywereexperiencingrealthoughts,desires,sensationsandemotionsonstage.ForAmericans,itachievedadegreeofcreativerealityunlikeanythingthey’deverseen;forLeeStrasbergitwasarevelation.TwoactorsfromtheMoscowArtTheatre,RichardBoleslavskyandMariaOuspenskaya,openedTheAmericanLaboratoryTheatreinNewYorkCityandforthefirsttimebroughttotheUnitedStatesthepioneeringworkofwhatStanislavskycalled“TheSystem.”ItwasintheirclassesthatLeeStrasberggraspedtheseminalcontributionofStanislavskyandbeganhisowninvestigationintosolvingthecentralproblemsoftheactor. WhenLeeStrasberg,alongwithHaroldClurmanandCherylCrawford,startedtheGroupTheatrein1931,theysoughttorecreatethekindoftheatricalorganizationoftheMoscowArtTheatre,butoneadaptedtotheculturalnormsoftheUnitedStates.WIththeGroupTheatre,LeeStrasbergimplementedthetypeofsystematictrainingoftheactorhehadlearnedwithBoleslavskyandOuspenskaya.Thisincludedsensoryexercisesthatdevelopedanactor’simaginationandemotionallife,relaxationexercisesthatliberatedanactor’smentalandphysicaltension,scriptanalysistounderstandthecharacter’smotivations,actionsandlogic,andimprovisationtodiscovernaturalbehaviorandthesubtextualobjectivesofcharacters.Alltheseelementswerekeypartsofthisearlywork.Lee’sdirectioninspiredawholecohortofluminariesthatwouldlatercontributetotheAmericanTheatre,includingEliaKazan,SanfordMeisner,StellaAdler,andRobertLewis. AttheheartofLeeStrasberg’sworkandhistrainingofthecompanywastheuseof“affectivememory,”whichcalleduponactorstorecaptureandreliveasingular“onceinalifetime”typeofeventfromhisorherpastandtousethosetruthfulfeelingstorisetoanexplosivemoment,atwill,inascene.Theaffectivememoryexercise,alongwithothershedevelopedoverthecourseofhislife,challengedactorstouseexperiencesfromhisorherownlifetomotivateacharacter’semotionalorphysicalbehavior.ForStrasberg,itwasneverenoughtorecreateemotiononstage–onehadtoreliveit. FollowingthesuccessoftheGroupTheatre,LeeStrasbergcontinuedtohonehiswork,buildingontheachievementsofStanislavski,andusinghisownexperiencesandinsightsasteacheranddirectortofurtherdevelopexercisesthataddressedthecreativedemandsplacedupontheactor.AshemovedintotheroleofArtisticDirectorattheActorsStudio,hisabilitytocultivatetalentandtrainanewtypeofactor-artistgarneredgreatattention.Lee’sworkwithactorsbegantotransformtheAmericanTheatreandAmericanfilm,populatingbothwithadistinctlevelofauthenticperformance.Asmoreandmoreactorsbegantodelveintohissystematicapproachtoactortraining,histechniquewasgivenaname–TheMethod–anditspractitionerslabeled“MethodActors.” SOWHATISMETHODACTING? Atitscore,MethodActingisthereforeasystematicapproachtotrainingthelivingmaterialthatistheactor’s“instrument,”aswellasameansforpreparingarole.TheuseofLeeStrasberg’sexercisesbothdevelopthecontentoftheactor’stalentandprovidearoadmaptotheindividual’screationofacharacter.Theuseofone’sownlifeexperiencesinthecreativeimaginationinfuseseachchoicewithgenuinethought,desire,sensation,actionandfeelingresultinginpsychologicallyin-depthbehavior.ItbuildsupontheworkofStanislavsky,andasLeebelieved,accomplishedwhatStanislavskysetouttoachieve. TheMethodtrainsactorstousetheirphysical,mentalandemotionalselfinthecreationofacharacterandstressesthewayinwhichpersonalexperiencecanfiretheactorsimagination.Iteschewsclichésandpursuesindividualauthenticityandarealitydeeplygroundedinthegivencircumstancesofthescript. SowhatisMethodActing?AsLeeStrasbergsaid,MethodActingiswhatallactorshavealwaysdonewhenevertheyactedwell.ButTheMethod–it’showyougetthere. 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