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WHAT IS METHOD ACTING?

Method acting is at the heart of most acting school techniques. Method acting is derived from the teachings of Russian actor and theatre director Konstantin Stanislavski.

Stanislavski developed his coherent acting system through his friendships with Russia's leading actors, whose work he observed and analyzed. In Stanislavski's system, actors deeply analyze the motivations and emotions of their characters in order to personify them with psychological realism and emotional authenticity. Using the Method, an actor recalls emotions or sensations from his or her own life and uses them to identify with the character being portrayed.

Method acting was first popularized in the 1930s by the New York Group Theatre and was subsequently advanced by Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio from the 1940s until his death in 1982. Strasberg's students included many of America's most famous actors in the latter half of the 20th century, including Montgomery Clift, Al Pacino, Paul Newman, Jane Fonda and Robert de Niro.

Dustin Hoffman who studied method acting under Lee Strasberg

Method acting usually refers to the teachings of Lee Strasberg, but the term is also applied to the teachings of his Group Theatre colleagues, including Stella Adler, Robert Lewis, and Sanford Meisner, and to other schools of acting derived from Stanislavski's system, each of which takes a slightly different approach. Even Stanislavski himself modified his system dramatically over the course of his career. Acting is a tough profession. Most actors are "out of work". But it can be very rewarding.  Below are some of the world's best acting schools.

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