The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute celebrates over 50 years of actor training and is the only school that teaches Lee Strasberg’s work in its complete and authentic form. Staff and teachers conducting classes have been selected for their comprehensive knowledge of Lee Strasberg’s work and their ability to apply it to the problems of the actor. The Institute’s curriculum, designed by Lee Strasberg, provides the actor with opportunities to pursue their work systematically and to gain firsthand knowledge of the fundamental concepts of the Strasberg work. Through classwork, seminars, exercises, scene work, and discussions, professionals and non-professionals are encouraged toward development of their art and themselves.
The Institute has built its outstanding reputation on the enduring value of Lee Strasberg’s teachings, the achievements of our students, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. We challenge our students to be bold in their choices, original in their ideas, and passionate in their pursuit of creative individuality. The goal of The Institute is to provide students with a craft that will help them create a reality and respond truthfully in imaginary circumstances, regardless of the style or form of material being used. Actors learn to express powerful emotions and are encouraged to leave behind conventional, superficial, and clichéd expressions in search of their own unique artistic voices. The Method trains actors to use their physical, mental, and emotional humanity in the creation of the play’s characters, and stresses the way in which personal experience can fire the actor’s imagination. This is the spark that turns an accomplished technician into an inspired artist and what makes Strasberg’s Method a vital technique for actor training.
NYU AT STRASBERG
Since the start of the studio system in 1974, NYU and The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute have partnered to train new generations of talented young actors and performers. Strasberg has been an integral part of the NYU Drama community, with a vibrant history of collaboration and a long list of celebrated alumni. Located just minutes away from the NYU campus, and surrounded by a thriving off-broadway theatre scene, Strasberg is the opportune place to pursue one’s artistic and professional goals.
The structure of the NYU program is unique to The Institute and allows us to provide a more personalized training model to each individual student. The goal is for each student to study with as many teachers as possible to take advantage of their individual strengths, their personal experiences, and their intuition in solving the problem of the actor. Our objective is to use Lee Strasberg’s work to train the talent of each individual and to confront their habits, limitations and preconceptions about acting with exercises that spark their imagination, creativity, and fuel an understanding of human behavior.
This NYU curriculum, designed by Lee, reflects our dedication to Lee Strasberg’s work and his standard for actor training. It emphasizes the development of a versatile physical instrument, a grounded and supported voice, and a relaxed and concentrated mind, while stressing the importance of imagination and individual creativity.
