Our Method
The Strasberg Method was created on the basis of the Stanislavskij method. Mr Lee Strasberg founded the Actors Studio in New York in the ‘60s, and since then his Method became known with a capital ‘M’, due to the vast majority of actors in Hollywood queueing to be able to take part in his sessions. It is still vastly used world-wide both in theatre and cinema.
Where Stanislasvkij focuses on the Objective, as in what the actor/character wants, Strasberg goes deeper than that and asks of you that you learn to connect with what you need - referring here to your inner child's main Unfulfilled Need. Also with the Strasberg Method, we don't simply have one or more conflicts: the human being is more complex than that, so we use the Triangulation Need - Action - Tragic Flaw. This really helps build the connection with our character and his/her background.
A character might be doing an action to get what they want, but how does their overall Unfulfilled Need inform their behaviour and Public Persona? Are they really striving to get what they need, or are they heading towards their Tragic Flaw? What is their real private side, the part they wouldn’t show to anyone else?
Another very important skill we teach is Script Analysis, with its Story Arc (or Dramatic Arc). It is pivotal to understand how deeply connected Acting is to Writing and Directing. Knowing how to analyse and divide up a script will make you much more effective as an actor with any piece of writing.
The Actor's Intimacy is a set of exercises that helps you working on your own shadow and private aspects, to then be able to really grasp the essence of the character you are working on. There are six main steps in this training: the Private Moment, the Celebration, the Phone Call, Lost & Found, the Animal, the Place of Defeat.
Each one of these exercises should be "tried" a variable number of times, until the actor actually "passes it". There will be a moment of catharsis or so called Revelation that will take you, as an actor and as a human being, to a whole new level - and indeed to the next Intimacy step.
Some of these steps can be performed for the character, rather than for the actor:
this is known as Character’s Intimacy. In other words, it is possible to work directly on the Need and shadow of the character: the process is profound, although maybe less than the one on the actor as a person, but it’s faster and still very efficient.
There are also more very powerful emotion exercises devised by great coaches such as Lee Strasberg himself and Susan Batson, and indeed amazing improvisations that can be used to enhance the work of the actor.
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The Actor’s & Character’s Intimacy Training Steps
and more exercises from Strasberg Campus
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Strasberg/Adler/Batson/Viscardi
The Actor’s Intimacy: Private Moment, Celebration, Phone Call, Lost & Found, Animal, Place of Defeat.
The Character’s Intimacy: Private Moment, Phone Call, Animal, Tragic Flaw.
Interview to the Character (basic) and Journalist Report (advanced)
Improvisation: group and solo
Sense memory (danger, fear, advantage, success, calm, etc.)
Freedom Circle: dance, play and free up your Inner Child
Close-up training (using a character to work on yourself)
Precedent Circumstances and PC Monologue
The 4 Walls or the Circle of Protection
The 2 sides of the 4th Wall
Improvisations to explore behaviour and personal limits and improve listening and connection to the Need
Visualisation exercises
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Meisner
Repetition
Independent activity
Person at the door
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Script analysis
The Story Arc (or Dramatic Arc)
Divide the script and identify the 'bits' (Covered/Open/Exposed Need, Conflict, Operative)
Substitutions
The Lead, the secondary character, the Antagonist
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Our Strasberg Training
Terms: February to April, April to June, June to August, October to December.
Each term: 8 weekly sessions plus two extra sessions
Each session: 2- and 4-hour options
Closed, low number to allow a highly personalised training
Level 1 — Basic Acting Method: Need and Separation (3 terms)
Level 2 — Intermediate Acting Method: You in a Place (3 terms)
Level 3 — Advanced Acting Method: The Character will Set You Free (2 terms)
Level 4 — The Professional Actor: Training is a cycle
After completing each Level, a Certificate of Completion will be released (*)
(*) Courses are bookable on a term-by-term basis. It's strongly advised to undertake all terms required to complete a Level in a row, but it's not obligatory: to obtain the Certificate, however, it is required to complete all three terms within a year for Level 1 and 2, and both the Level-3 terms within 9 months.
About Level 4
Lots of our students and the typical Strasberg Actor who loves this Method will generally want to stick around and keep practising. That's why we designed Level 4. The Strasberg Training is a cycle, each time you start over from the first step is different, it's a new depth of discovery and you are much more free and open and capable of using your instrument at that stage, so what you get out of your second-time Private Moment is usually huge compared to the first time you did it. At Level 4, you are also able to work on some advanced exercises and other work you might choose to prepare on your own: you can discuss this with the coach and the class, and keep the creative juice flowing at a high level.
Your Achievements
Learning The Method
Psychology & Acting: Triangulation Need-Persona-Tragic Flaw
The Unfulfilled Need
The 4th Wall
Substitution and Personalisation: the 5 ‘WH’ questions
Sense memory and Emotion memory
Acting for:
Audition (live and self-tape)
Cinema & TV series
Commercial
Theatre
Monologues
Dialogues
Comedy
Drama
Acting Skills
Being Truthful
Listening
Sight-reading
Emotion connection
Being private in public
Assertiveness
Be in the Here and Now
Disclosing vulnerability
Standing out, being a unique artist
How to repeat performances every night
Use it: Whatever happens, how to make it work
Voice work: Speak through your feelings
Speak out: state how you feel or what's going on when something 'doesn't work'
Using the Dramatic Arc to act powerfully with any script or even without one
Goals you achieve as a person
Separation from self-sabotages and people who bring you down
Career Drive
Joy
Courage
Know your Shadow
Inspiration
Self-compassion
Self-love
Creativity and imagination: freeing the Inner Child
Know yourself and find what makes you unique
Sharing & feedback
Extra and Tips
Possibility to shoot scenes and reels in class
Writing exercises
Directing
Casting tips