The First Year Program is about introducing students to the Method acting process and Lee Strasberg’s work. Students will gain a basic understanding of the exercises, comfortability with the foundations of relaxation and concentration, and an idea of how the work relates to scenes. Students will feel a strengthened imagination through sensory and improvisation and become aware of habits of in-expression and areas of physical tension. In addition, students will develop a neutral and supported voice and a strong understanding of his or her through vocal production, speech, dance and Tai-chi.

The Second Year Program is about integrating the basics developed in the freshman year into more advanced scene work. Students will gain an understanding of how a scene functions within the context of a play, how to dissect a scene, how to identify objectives/needs and then how to use that information to fuel the imagination and fulfill those demands using the sensory work. The addition of singing challenges students to apply basic vocal production skills to a more rigorous technical form putting increased demand on maintaining relaxation and technique while performing. Dialects and Singing integrate basic vocal production and speech skills into a more specific function testing their command of previous skills. Movement classes emphasize the further understanding of the body and the reduction of habits to free expression and connect to the work.

The Strasberg Advanced Training Program emphasizes the application of the technique to more complex scenes and new forms. The student will develop a greater understanding of how to apply the sensory work to film and television as well as the development of characters. The student will also learn to cater their process to audition scenarios and leave with an understanding of those increased demands. Vocal electives include Singing and Dialects II which continues with the development of integrating foundational techniques to more advanced work, accents and the development of repertoire. Movement electives give students the choice of further developing the body and the reduction of habits to free expression and connect to the work.

Students from other studios interested in learning the Lee Strasberg Method Acting Technique, can transfer into the Advanced Training Program and are admitted based on an audition and interview process. Once admitted, students will be fully integrated into the Strasberg Advanced Training curriculum.

The Practicum program focuses on the professional demands of the actor in the industry. Students will graduate with in-depth knowledge about specific playwrights, genres, and styles while having worked with professional directors, casting directors, managers, and agents. Students will be confronted with different ways of working and coached in how to manipulate and translate The Lee Strasberg Method Acting Technique to fulfill the demands of each individual director as well as the demands of advanced work. Students will gain a strong idea of industry expectations and a framework on how to move forward upon graduation. This semester is about fusing the artistic and technical aspects of the previous years of training and applying the breadth of that training to a full scale production.

Students in the Practicum Program will participate in a production of a new commission developed for the Practicum ensemble through The Clifford Odets Ensemble Play Commission. The Clifford Odets Ensemble Play Commission is an annual playwriting commission that encourages playwrights to write original works for ensembles of emerging actors and encourages the synergy of great acting with the development of new works. This commission provides an incubating space for the development of true ensemble plays in New York City and cultivates the next generation of collaborating artists.

Admission to the Practicum Program is based on audition. Students who have completed their primary training  at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute must have taken one semester of Advanced Training at LSTFI or another studio to be eligible for Practicum. Transfer students must be in enrolled in or have completed at least one semester of Advanced Professional Training at Strasberg to be eligible to audition.