8 Acting Techniques (and the Stars Who Swear by Them)

10/16/2015
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By KC Wright | Posted Aug. 26, 2014, 1 p.m.
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ACTING ADVICE
METHOD ACTING
SANFORD MEISNER
STANISLAVSKY
RESOURCES
STELLA ADLER
UTA HAGEN
Anyone who’s been to an acting class knows that
there are as many approaches to the craft as there
are actors approaching it. Though all actors must
develop their own understanding of the work, several
master teachers have led the way in training since the
turn of the 20th Century. These well-known gurus
helped develop acting as we know it, and continue to
grow some of the industry’s most respected stars. Stanislavski’s System
One of the greatest acting teachers of all time,
Constantin Stanislavski’s work signaled a shift in
20th century acting and inspired a whole new
generation of techniques and teachers. In addition to
changing the face of acting worldwide, Stanislavski’s
Moscow Art Theatre was at the forefront of the
naturalistic theater movement in the Soviet Union
and in Europe. His approach incorporates spiritual
realism, emotional memory, dramatic and selfanalysis, and disciplined practice. Lord Laurence
Olivier and Sir John Gielgud were both famous
original practitioners of Stanislavski’s system. Lee Strasberg’s Method
An actor himself, Lee
Strasberg’s method was inspired by Stanislavski’s system and the Moscow
Art Theatre. His “method,” derived from Stanislavski, encourages actors
magnify and intensify their connection to the material by creating their
characters’ emotional experiences in their own lives. Prior to his death in
1982, Strasberg trained many of the 20th century’s and today’s most
legendary actors: James Dean, Ellen Burstyn, Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin,
Marilyn Monroe, Julie Harris, Paul Newman, and Dustin Hoffman were all
his students. His technique boasts many famous alumni as well, including
Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson, and Steve Buscemi. http://www.backstage.com/advice­for­actors/resources/8­acting­techniques­and­stars­who­swear­them/
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Stella Adler
Stella Adler was the only American actor to study with Stanislavski himself, and developed her own
“method” built on the work of Stanislavski and Lee Strasberg. Adler’s technique differs from
Strasberg’s in that it emphasizes imagination in addition to emotional recall. She famously said,
“Drawing on the emotions I experienced—for example, when my mother died—to create a role is
sick and schizophrenic. If that is acting, I don’t want to do it.” Though Marlon Brando’s lifelike acting
style is often attributed to Strasberg’s Method, he was actually trained by Stella Adler; his devotion
to Adler and her work was so strong that he wrote the preface to her manual “The Art of Acting.”
Other famous Adler students? Robert DeNiro, Benecio Del Toro, Mark Ruffalo, and Melanie Griffith.
Meisner Technique
Sanford Meisner developed this unique approach in the 1930s, after working
with Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler at The Group Theatre. Like Stanislavski,
Strasberg, and Adler before him, Meisner taught his students to “live
truthfully under given imaginary circumstances.” His approach is an
imminently practical one; his famous repetition exercise, in which two actors
sit opposite each other and respond in the moment with a repeated phrase,
breaks down overly structured technique and builds openness, flexibility, and
listening skills. Meisner joined the faculty of New York’s Neighborhood
Playhouse in 1935, and went on to train thousands of actors in his organic
technique. Famous Meisner students include Robert Duvall, Grace Kelly,
Gregory Peck, and Diane Keaton. As Elia Kazan once said, “Take it from a
director: if you get an actor that Sandy Meisner has trained, you’ve been
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Michael Chekhov
Anton Chekhov’s nephew and Stanislavski’s star student, Michael Chekhov developed his own acting
technique after exile from Russia brought him to Europe and the United States in the late 1920s.
Chekhov pioneered a psycho-physical approach to acting, focusing on mind, body, and a conscious
awareness of the senses. Clint Eastwood, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Hunt, and Jack Nicholson are all
students of the Chekhov Technique. Practical Aesthetics
This action-based acting technique was developed by playwright David
Mamet and actor William H. Macy, and incorporates elements of
Stanislavsky and Meisner. It involves a four-step scene analysis that simply
focuses on pursuit of an action; actors are taught to focus on what is literally
happening in the scene and what is desired of the other characters. Practical
Aesthetics is most famously taught at New York’s Atlantic Acting School,
which boasts famous alumni Felicity Huffman, Rose Byrne, Jessica Alba, and
Camryn Manheim.
Uta Hagen
In addition to her work as a Tony Award-winning actor, Uta Hagen was a
beloved teacher at New York’s Herbert Berghof Studio and authored the bestselling “Respect for Acting” and “A Challenge for the Actor.” Her popular technique emphasizes
realism and truth above all else; “substitution” (or “transference”) encourages actors to substitute
their own experiences and emotional recollections for the given circumstances of a scene. As part of
her long and legendary teaching career, Hagen developed the talents of Matthew Broderick,
Sigourney Weaver, Jack Lemmon, and many others, and was even a vocal (and accent) coach to
Judy Garland. Casting understudies for Jeff
Daniels and Michelle Williams in the
Scott Rudin production
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Viola Spolin
Viola Spolin’s unique “Theater Games” approach focuses on directorial and improvisational exercises
for the actor, and is considered to be a major contributor to the improvisational theater movement in
the United States. Her “Improvisation for the Theater” is often called the “improv bible,” and teaches
actors to live in the moment and respond quickly and truthfully to their present circumstances.
Spolin’s son Paul Sills was at the forefront of Chicago’s Second City, and taught his mother’s
techniques to generations of illustrious comedy stars including Alan Arkin, Fred Willard, Dan
Aykroyd, and Gilda Radner. Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.
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READ ALSO:
The Craft
Acting Methods, Part 2:
Stanislavsky’s Successors
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Should Know)
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David Saint­Jacques
An Acrobat of the Heart: A Physical Approach to Acting Inspired by the Work of Jerzy
Grotowski is a wonderful book which allows for a very different viewpoint with practical
exercises. Grotowski pushes the actor to achieve the impossible. Drawing on Grotowski's
insights and on the work of Stanislavski, Uta Hagen, and others, the author bridges the
gap between rigorous physical training and practical scene and character technique.
And TRUTH by Susan Batson is one of the most powerful books I've read on acting,
describing the personas, needs, and flaws in the art of building actors and creating
characters.
Like · Reply · Oct 2, 2015 10:10am
Joe Phillips · Actor at SAG­AFTRA
Life was great for me... Peel the onion, then DEVELOP....
Like · Reply · Jul 23, 2015 1:11pm
Earl V. Belcher
I found it very helpful and I am going to buy the book.
Like · Reply · 1 · Apr 26, 2015 4:43pm
http://www.backstage.com/advice­for­actors/resources/8­acting­techniques­and­stars­who­swear­them/
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8 Acting Techniques (and the Stars Who Swear by Them) | Top Schools & Training Lessons for Actors, Singer, Dancers | Career Tips | Backstage | Ba…
Like · Reply · 1 · Apr 26, 2015 4:43pm
Isaiah Arney
Use whatever works for you. They all work for diff people obviously...I personally prefer
Michael Chekhov the most, while "stealing" diff elements from the other masters creating
my own potpourri.
Like · Reply · 2 · Apr 26, 2015 10:09am
Christopher Calvin Murphy · Improv Coach/Drama instructor at Journey Theater Arts
Group
What about Larry Moss and his amazing work "The Intent to Live" anyone...?
Like · Reply · Feb 25, 2015 12:53am
Philippe Haddad · Berklee College of Music
Larry does a great job of incorporating all of the techniques into his book. It was
brilliant on his part to do that. However, it can't be considered a new or original
technique. It is a brilliant book and should belong to any serious actor's library.
Like · Reply · May 28, 2015 7:39pm
Norman Carter · Virginia Commonwealth University
perpetual learner
Like · Reply · Feb 16, 2015 5:32pm
Norman Carter · Virginia Commonwealth University
I'm a 61yr old, perpetual and sponge. so please keep up the lessons and my day is one
lesson closer. thank you.
Like · Reply · Feb 16, 2015 5:32pm
Liza Cosier
Uta Hagen does it for me Like · Reply · 2 · Dec 22, 2014 12:10am
Cyprian Mbondop
Always do your best to listen when corrections are being done.
Like · Reply · 1 · Nov 18, 2014 3:51am
The Actors Ensemble
All proven and wonderful but at the end of the day, it is up to the individual to tap into
his/her own rhythm's and temperament.
Like · Reply · 8 · Nov 4, 2014 12:11pm
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