For centuries, the art of acting involved creating a shared experience. This experience — this exchange between actors and their audiences — unfolded in “real time”. Whether assembled around an open fire, or perched upon a platform of some sort, actors created intimate moments for rapt audiences. These magical shared moments unfolded in the moment, then faded away, living on as little more than memories of an ephemeral performance.

In the Beginning

Actors created imaginary worlds; audience members came along for the ride. Audience members provided instantaneous feedback, good or bad, which actors responded and reacted to. While actors necessarily provided the action and most of the energy in such exchanges, theatre goers remained an integral component of this uniquely human interactive experience.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, all of that began to change, however. The invention of motion pictures — then radio, followed by sound recordings, and finally television — meant the time-honored model of actors interacting directly with audiences was no longer the sole option.

Acting, theatre, performing, entertaining — virtually overnight the possibilities transformed for everyone involved in entertainment. Recording and playback technology in its various forms meant actors could ply their craft remotely, and have their work viewed and enjoyed in distant venues, at virtually any time, by essentially anyone.

In the Present

No one could credibly argue, today, that these technologies spelled doom for acting. On the contrary, they vastly expanded potential audiences and enhanced creative possibilities in ways that were previously unattainable, if not unimaginable. That’s not to say the value of live theater presented in real time has been diminished. It has not. Live theater remains a vibrant art form, adored and supported by millions of avid theatergoers around the world.

There’s something about live performance, for both actors and their audiences, that can never quite be duplicated on a sound stage, or fully evoked on a back lot. In short, both approaches to acting have inherent value. Each involves a slightly different experience, and offers subtle advantages and disadvantages. Surely we can all agree that both approaches provide meaningful opportunities for creating memorable experiences.

Online vs. In-Person Learning

By the same token, there are advantages and disadvantages to both online acting classes and in-person classes. Some pros and cons are relatively obvious. Given the unique circumstances of our present moment, however, there are distinct advantages in learning to act online. This technology-enabled approach allows you to study and hone your craft, at your convenience, while avoiding the necessity of being in the same physical space at the same time as instructors and fellow students.

These days, travel has been severely curtailed, and social distancing has made it difficult for us to interact physically as we once did. Obviously, online drama courses make it possible for anyone, anywhere to partake of learning experiences without being physically present. Various types of acting classes are available, to accommodate students’ needs.

Where Can I Take Acting Classes?

Of course, the pandemic will eventually resolve, and life will hopefully — eventually — return to something resembling normal. But even then, the opportunity to attend virtual, online classes may remain an attractive option for some students who cannot necessarily afford to attend classes at one of our New York or California-based theatre institutes. There will always be a place for live theatre and live acting instruction. But remote, online acting classes can be the next best thing.

Students who opt to take advantage of online acting classes often ask, “where can I take acting classes?” The answer for serious acting students, interested in pursuing the Method as developed by Lee Strasberg, is to enroll in one of the online drama courses offered by Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute.

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Going to your first audition can be nerve racking, but auditioning for a role is a great way to gain valuable acting experience – even if you don’t book the part! For every great actor, preparation is key. Young actor auditions are every bit as challenging as auditions for adults, even for experienced child actors. Acting auditions for kids with no experience can be especially daunting.

You can help your aspiring child actor through this difficult process by following these tips for child acting auditions and how to prepare your child for acting auditions.

1. Relax

Even the greatest actors in the world experience nervousness during their auditions! A key element of Lee Strasberg’s Method Acting, and a great way to approach pre-audition jitters, is Relaxation. Try warming up your body and your voice, the way an athlete would warm up and stretch before a race. Being nervous can derail a good audition and cause you to lose focus. Having a relaxed instrument is crucial, both to calm your nerves and help you focus on your performance.

2. Train

The best way for your young actor to be prepared for auditions is training. Our wonderful Young Actors Program helps foster, and amplify, all the imaginative and creative play that your young actor is capable of. The program starts them on the journey toward mastering The Method, a comprehensive acting technique used by some of the world’s greatest actors. At the same time, your young actor will have the opportunity to sample different aspects of the industry and actor training, through classes like Musical Theatre and Acting On Camera.

At The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, we offer acting classes for kids and teens through summer programs and year-long Saturday classes, perfect to work around the typical school schedule. With options for actors in grades K-12, our classes and curriculum can serve as an important tool to help your child prepare for an acting audition.

Former attendees took advantage of their proximity to our downtown Los Angeles or New York campus locations to attend these interactive classes in person. During the present COVID-19 crisis, we are offering online, “together-but-safe” classes. We’ve retained the immediacy and impact of our training classes, while eliminating the risks involved in interpersonal contact at this time.

3. Prepare For the Audition

Every actor must start somewhere. To prepare your child for their audition, make sure to have a professional headshot available and, if possible, a resume for your young actor. On a resume, you should include contact information and any relevant experiences such as commercials, community theatre, even school plays or performances. In addition to their recent acting credits, a resume may also include a special skills section. Here, you can highlight any special talents or skills that your child may have. Examples include dancing, singing, sports or even basic stage combat skills.

Be sure to read the audition notice carefully. Some casting calls will list relevant information regarding what else they will require at the audition, such as specific attire or footwear. Finally, do your research! Set aside some time to research the role your child is auditioning for, as well as the director and company holding the audition.

4. Help Your Child with Memorization

In theatre, many auditions will ask your child to perform a monologue. For film, television, and commercials, auditions typically consist of running scenes, also known as sides. In either medium, memorization of the audition material is often required. A great way to help your child prepare for an acting audition is to rehearse their material with them. Have your child or teen run their lines with you or another family member. Even if your child has never been to an audition before or has no acting experience, practice makes perfect!

5. Consider Your Child’s Safety

Heading out on auditions can be nerve-racking, both for the young actor and for their parents! Your child’s safely and well being should always be the top priority. Some parents opt to have their actor use a stage name in order to ensure their child’s anonymity. Keep in mind that minors should always be accompanied by a responsible adult and should never be put into any situation that makes them uncomfortable. 

The next session of Saturday YAS classes starts in September! Head to our Young Actors program page to learn more about our online options this fall!

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“It’s a process to understand and apply the Method. Once it clicks, it opens up so many possibilities.” Marquise Simmons, Petty Officer Second Class, United States Navy

Serving in the U.S. military may involve a lifelong career commitment or just a brief stint. In either case, many retiring veterans are interested in starting new civilian careers after their service in the military. Veterans in media and entertainment, for example, are often in demand. Casting directors know that veterans bring an admirable level of commitment and discipline to their work. Accordingly, acting jobs are often available for veterans who wish to work in the industry – and are properly prepared to do so.

Self-Discovery in a Non-Threatening Environment

Art therapy for veterans has always been a tool that empowers veterans and enables them to engage in a process of self-discovery in a non-threatening environment. It promotes healing and growth. The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs encourages engagement in the arts by returning soldiers and notes it as a potentially life-changing, if not life-saving, endeavor. There are many art therapy ideas for veterans; acting is among the most active and demanding. It requires physical presence, being in the moment, and the ability to access genuine feelings and vulnerabilities – even if these feelings belong to a character and not necessarily the performer. The therapeutic potential of exploring difficult emotions and situations through the embodiment of a character on the page is self-evident. 

Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and Veteran Actors

At The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, we offer approved programs for veterans attending on the GI Bill. Since 1944, this important legislation has provided educational support benefits for veterans and their families who wish to further their education. This includes college, graduate school and other forms of training. At LSTFI, we specialize in The Method: a systematic approach to acting, popularized and developed for American actors by Lee Strasberg. The Method underpins the success of some of the most celebrated actors of the past seven decades. 

A survey of veterans who have enrolled in our programs reveals unique perspectives on the value — and appeal — of LSTFI. Numerous veterans noted that Lee Strasberg comes highly recommended and agreed that the excellent staff, scheduling flexibility, level of training, and knowledgeability and expertise of instructors make LSTFI a standout option. “…the teachers at Strasberg really care about the students and try their best to help them. Another great thing is the fact that new students are thrown in a class with students [who are] about to graduate. That way, [newer] students can also learn from other students.”
“It is a stellar program and the place to go if you are serious about acting,” wrote one veteran. We asked if the survey participants would recommend the program to other veterans. “Hell yes,” responded one enthusiastic veteran, “and I have recommended it, and I plan on coming back myself.” Another added, “The work itself can be challenging and very rewarding at the same time if the performer puts in the work.”

Life for Veteran Actors during COVID-19 and Quarantine

What about life during COVID-19 when it comes to acting jobs for veterans? How has the current state of affairs affected the lives of these veterans-turned-actors? “I’m currently studying and working,” says one veteran.“After graduating I went to many auditions and worked on several short films. After the Coronavirus passes, I’ll be looking to taking more classes to continue pursuing my dream as an actor.” 
Another wrote, “[I’m doing] community service work; using my knowledge of being truthful with others, and empathizing.” Time spent at LSTFI has clearly opened doors, both physical and mental, for some veterans. “I have switched to screenwriting and try to use Method Training to bring characters to life,” noted one survey respondent. “I’m still actively working. I book most of my auditions, and relaxation is used in every aspect of my life.” “I have been doing voice-over work,” wrote another veteran, “and I have used the exercises to great benefit.” The opportunities to apply The Method to different facets of both life and the industry are endless.

Get Involved

If you are a veteran with GI Bill benefits seeking a rigorous Method Acting program, contact our New York or Los Angeles campus to find out more about the programs available to you and how to apply.

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Has your child or teen ever indicated an interest in acting? Most children naturally engage in imaginative play that requires rudimentary acting skills. It’s one of the ways children grow and make sense of the adult world.

Of course, some children love this form of play so much, they realize they have a special knack for it. They love the “costumes” assembled from what they manage to dig out of their closets; the “props” and “set pieces” cobbled together from imagination and whatever happens to be on hand. They improvise their own dialogue and action. They love acting – and they want to take it beyond their bedroom.

How to Get Started: Child Acting Tips

Perhaps you and your child have agreed that you would like to know how to get your child into acting. If that’s the case, we’ve got you covered! The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute’s Young Actors Program offers a variety of fun, instructional kids acting classes for both younger kids and teens. Child acting can truly be both fun and educational.

These courses offer plenty of acting tips for kids and teens, and may even provide a path forward towards a career as a professional actor. If your child has ever wondered how to start acting as a teenager, for instance, this is an excellent place to begin that exciting journey. 

How To Get Into Acting as a Teenager

Childhood is a great time to start thinking about acting as a serious, potentially lucrative endeavor. On some level, acting comes naturally to kids; it is, after all, a natural extension of self-directed imaginative play. But perhaps your older child has recently expressed an interest in acting. This is certainly not uncommon among teens who are bitten by the acting bug soon after performing in a school play or musical.

So how, then, to start acting as a teenager? We strongly recommend one of our Young Actors Online Acting programs. Whether you attend our online school based in Los Angeles, or our year-round courses for kids and teens out of our New York location, there’s something for everyone.

A Wide Range of Courses Covering All Aspects of Professional Acting 

Depending on your child’s age and interest level, courses range from one-week to three-week sessions, and beyond. Specific topics range from an introduction to Method Acting (the foundation of the Method, developed for American audiences and actors by none other than our founder, Lee Strasberg), to Acting On-Camera, to Storytelling and Collaboration, among others. 

Acting On-Camera is of special interest to any child or teen interested in breaking into potentially lucrative television, film, or commercial roles. Acting on-camera is somewhat more technical than performing live in front of an audience. It requires skills and disciplines not necessarily required by live performance. We can show your child what to expect, how to maximize his or her impact, and how to work with the camera to summon performances that feel naturalistic and genuine. 

Take Advantage of This Time to Learn Online 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are offering all of our courses online, in a real-time forum, which allows students and instructors to interact much as they would at one of our physical campus locations. While many artists and performers may have been sidelined temporarily by this crisis, there is no need to put your child’s future on hold. We are also still accepting applicants for our Young Actors Program. Keep your child connected to their peers, while continuing to expand horizons by enrolling in the Young Actors at Strasberg Program.

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Needless to say, observing other actors working at the top of their game is both an enjoyable and potentially inspirational activity, one which can provide insights that students may use to inform and improve their own acting skills. As actors, we are trained to observe carefully, to analyze every choice a fellow actor makes with meticulous attention.

But notice, too, that truly great performances inexorably draw you in. Ideally, they make you forget that you are watching a performance at all. When watching a powerhouse actor at work, we aren’t focused on their performance as an assemblage of conscious choices, but feel rather that we are witnessing a genuine person engaging in their private struggles and experiencing their own unique triumphs.

At it’s best, a superior performance will offer us a view of seemingly private moments, of spontaneous actions and reactions, of raw and unfiltered emotions. As an actor, of course, you know well that such performances are not in fact completely spontaneous and unfiltered. Rather, the accomplished actor makes specific choices and calls upon their past experiences, creating the illusion of true spontaneity.Here, we assemble ten must-watch Hollywood movies out of the many thousands readily available for viewing, all starring alumni of The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. They offer inspired performances that draw you in, leaving you in awe of their technical sleight-of-hand and emotional resonance, and give you just a taste of what a Method Actor can do.

1. Dog Day Afternoon — Al Pacino

While his unforgettable role in 1971’s The Godfather arguably put Al Pacino’s star on the map, this riveting and tense film solidified his reputation as one of the greatest young actors of his generation. Directed by the legendary Sidney Lumet, Dog Day Afternoon has been called one of the best bank robbery films in history. Pacino – who trained with Lee at the Actors Studio – tackles the challenging role of Sonny, an anti-establishment bank robber trying to save money for his partner’s gender reassignment surgery. In so doing, Pacino successfully delivers one of the most complex and compelling performances of his career.

2. Steel Magnolias — Sally Field

This classic hit from the ‘80s featured a stellar cast of new stars and acting veterans alike, including Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, Shirley MacClaine and Sally Field. Field, who trained with Lee Strasberg himself, received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for her role as the matriarch at the center of an endearing and steely group of women. Field has received countless awards for her work on screen – including two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmys, and two Golden Globes – but her grief-stricken “I Wanna Know Why” speech in Steel Magnolias has been called one of the greatest film monologues of all time.

3. Marriage Story — Scarlett Johansson

This story of a marriage — or rather, the dissolution of one — features powerhouse actors Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as a couple coming undone. At the 2020 Academy Awards, Johansson was recognized for her work in both Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit. She made history by becoming the eleventh actor in history to receive two nominations in the same year. If one Method Actor wasn’t enough, Marriage Story also stars Strasberg aluma Laura Dern, who walked away from the 2020 awards season with both the Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.

4. Blue Velvet — Laura Dern

If you finished Marriage Story wanting more from Laura Dern, you’re in luck. Dern has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in Hollywood with nearly sixty films under her belt and continues to delight audiences with ongoing projects. With recent hits including Little Women and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Blue Velvet is largely considered her breakthrough performance. While the film initially received a divided response due to its objectionable and violent content, it ultimately won David Lynch a nomination for Best Director at the Academy Awards. Since, Blue Velvet has become an American cult classic.

5. The Social Network — Armie Hammer

Born the year Blue Velvet premiered, Armie Hammer is an accomplished young actor who holds dozens of works on screen and two Broadway credits to his name. Of his many notable hits, The Social Network is the film that put Hammer on the map. In the film, a biographical drama about the invention of Facebook and subsequent lawsuits, Hammer plays not one but two characters – Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, a pair of identical twins. According to the Washington Post, “for 10 months of production, [Hammer] enlisted in twin boot camp, working with acting coach Cameron Thor to drill the subtle movements and speech patterns that the Winklevosses would have developed over two decades of genetic equality.” Now that’s dedication!

6. Pulp Fiction — Uma Thurman

Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction is yet another cult classic, starring John Travolta and LSTFI alumna Uma Thurman. Thurman’s performance as Mia Wallace, an aspiring young actress, earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 1994 Academy Awards – just one of the film’s 48 nominations from 11 different award shows. Film critics, fans and professionals alike have praised Thurman for her performance. A riveting and complex femma fatale, Mia Wallace is now considered one of the most iconic female film roles of all time.

7. Carrie — Sissy Spacek

Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, Carrie follows a young woman struggling to come to grips with her untested supernatural powers. Now considered one of the greatest horror movies ever made, Carrie shocked audiences and brought Sissy Spacek wide acclaim. Although she first received attention for her performance in Terrence Malick’s Badlands, Carrie – and its unforgettable bucket of blood – put Spacek on the proverbial map and earned her first nomination for Best Actress at the Academy Awards.

8. A Star Is Born — Lady Gaga

With three successful versions since the original A Star is Born in 1937, many accomplished actresses have tackled this film’s challenging leading role. Joining the ranks of Judy Garland and Barbra Steisand, Lady Gaga stars in the 2018 remake as Ally, a struggling singer who reaches stardom as her famous boyfriend loses his own place in the firmament. The film made excellent use of Gaga’s powerful vocal abilities and touching vulnerability. Aside from her incredible career as a singer and performer, Lady Gaga studied at LSTFI and has made a name for herself as a successful actress in recent years as well.

9. Taxi Driver — Harvey Keitel

This gritty drama from the mid-‘70s featured a young Robert DeNiro and an even younger Jodie Foster. But it also starred Strasberg alum, Harvey Keitel. Keitel plays a ruthless pimp to Foster’s underage prostitute, and DeNiro’s character, Travis Bickle, ultimately engages in a gun battle with Keitel’s character. Although his screen time is limited, Keitel has riveted audiences for decades since, in projects ranging from The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) to The Irishman (2019). For more than two decades, Keitel served as co-president of the Actor’s Studio. 

10. Some Like It Hot — Marilyn Monroe     

Considered one of the greatest comedies of all time, Some Like it Hot film features two men on the run, forced by circumstances to pose as young women in a traveling band. While the men do get their fair share of laughs, it was Marilyn Monroe, as a sweet singer named Sugar, who undoubtedly stole the show. The men are caught in an intense competition for Sugar’s affection, all the while attempting to maintain their disguises as female band members. The 1959 comedy highlighted Monroe’s legendary charms, showcasing her not only as a “blonde bombshell” but as a skilled and technical comedic actress. The film was both a critical and commercial success – and won Monroe a Golden Globe for Best Actress!

BONUS: Mike Nichols’ The Graduate

If you’ve blazed through all 10 films in quarantine and are looking for more, this one’s for you! This 1967 romantic comedy features the work of not one but three talented Method Actors. Dustin Hoffman stars in the film as Benjamin Braddock, a young college graduate seduced by an older woman, Mrs. Robinson, played by Anne Bancroft. A true Method Acting movie, both Hoffman and Bancroft – as well as the film’s director, Mike Nichols – all studied under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio! The comedy was a smashing success and became the highest grossing film of 1967 worldwide, an incredible feat given that the year is widely considered one of the most ground-breaking in film history. In total, the film amassed an impressive 41 award nominations, even nabbing an Academy Award for Best Director.

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Experienced actors may be tempted to think they’ve trained long and hard to get where they are, and that education is a finite process. But dedicated actors know better. In reality, professionals in all fields invest in ongoing training and refresher courses throughout their careers, in an effort further hone their craft.

Teachers, for instance, are typically required to take supplemental training courses. Many are required to obtain advanced degrees for ongoing certification and career development. Medical personnel routinely engage in continuing education activities too, as science is always progressing, and technology and techniques are constantly evolving. Continued training is a common, beneficial way for professionals of all sorts to stay current, relevant, and up-to-date.

Actors, of course, needn’t stay abreast of the latest surgical techniques or learn new details about emerging viruses. However, they can certainly benefit from ongoing acting training. In fact, one’s acting education truly never ends. The observant actor is always evolving, using their life experiences to enrich and inform future performances. The savvy professional actor takes it a step further and enrolls in acting courses.

1. Stay Fresh to Maintain Your Competitive Edge

Non-actors often marvel at a performer’s ability to render seemingly raw and spontaneous emotions at will. Doing so – take after take for work on camera – strikes the average person as an especially amazing, if not unnatural, talent. Watching the final product, it seems easy. But professional actors know better. You are undoubtedly aware that it takes years of training and practice in order to recall these emotions and revisit certain states on demand; reliably, inventively, convincingly, and movingly.

The training at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute teaches you to do just that: authentically re-experience the life implied by the story. Through relaxation and sense memory exercises, you will develop the muscles you need to tap into your experiences and emotions at will. However, like any muscle in the body, your “acting muscles” require maintenance and continued care. Our online acting subscription is designed to help even the most experienced actors stay on top of their Method training. Weekly Method classes are included to help you brush up on your craft and establish a consistent daily practice at home, while monthly events include film talkbacks, lecture series and Q&As with industry guests. Think of signing up for online classes at LSTFI as a sort of gym membership for your acting career.

2. Continue to Grow and Evolve

Dedicated alumni of Lee Strasberg Theatre ＆ Film Institute routinely sign up for alumni classes. Our graduates know that continued training is the best way to stay at the top of their game. But alumni classes do more than keep your skills fresh. Tailored exclusively to experienced actors, these advanced courses allow you to expand your actor toolbox and dive even deeper into your craft than you have in the past.

A professional actor should always be looking for ways to grow and evolve. While in quarantine, many artists are using their time to broaden their horizons and hone new skill sets. We’ve made it even easier now, in this time of physical distancing, to continue your training as an actor. In addition to our monthly subscription platform, we have also founded the Method in Focus program, a four-week course offered on a different topic every month. Each month’s class, such as Guerrilla Filmmaking or Advanced Method Exercises, will allow you to explore a new facet of your artistry or deepen your existing Method Acting practice.

3. Strengthen Connections and Network

For better or worse, success in many professions relies more heavily than one might think on connections. In an ideal world, one’s objective merits would be the only qualities that matter when it comes to hiring — and casting — decisions. But in reality, having relevant contacts does matter and that means networking is key, whether you’re in sales or dentistry.

This is perhaps even more true in the acting world. Acting is highly competitive. You have to bring all you’ve got to every audition and every performance. Simply landing an audition can take remarkable persistence, perseverance and patience. Regardless of your skills and physical attributes, a lot may depend on external factors as well, such as timing and luck. And, perhaps most important of all: connections.

Savvy actors know it’s important to develop meaningful connections within the industry, if only to stay on casting directors’ minds. Casting directors, after all, are people too. It’s understandable that they may think of actors they know first, when it comes to casting decisions. It follows that forging industry connections and maintaining those acquaintances will benefit your career in the long run.

As one of the oldest, most respected acting schools in the country, Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute is an excellent venue for you to forge —and nurture — potentially useful industry connections. Whether they be with fellow actors, visiting directors, industry guests or teachers, the connections you make at LSTFI can last a lifetime.

The post The Top Three Reasons Experienced Actors Should Continue to Train appeared first on The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute.

Mónique Ray, Army Veteran and mother of two, is not new to acting, but she is new to online acting classes. Mónique began her acting Conservatory training with The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute during our first online semester in the spring of 2020. Her experiences with Method Acting training and LSTFI classes have been 100% online.

Rediscovering Acting

Mónique’s dream of being an actress has been a part of her since childhood. Her mother was in the entertainment business, and Mónique spent her childhood watching movies with her mother and grandmother. She found joy imitating scenes and actors in movies. “That is where it started, that child-like play,” said Mónique, “when I was a kid I thought I would want to do that professionally.” Only later did she realize that she was relating to the movies and actors through sensory, similar to Method Acting sensory exercises. “I related to it by knowing, oh they are eating spaghetti. I know what spaghetti tastes like, the sensation, how the sauce hits your tongue.”

After Mónique finished her military service, she pursued higher education. She was going for a BS in Psychology but found her love for theatre again. She immediately felt a connection with Method acting. “In college we got to study different techniques, once we got to the Method I felt so connected to it… [The Method] is what took me back to childhood and how I learn… I said that’s what I need. That’s what I want.”

Acting Training at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute Online

Mónique intended to start training last year, but she was unable to find a place in Los Angeles. She was only able to start taking classes because of the virtualization of acting classes in the spring. “It is the silver lining to a gray cloud… that I was able to start before I moved here.”

While training online, Mónique has gotten a lot out of the Method already. “I am able to get into my zone because the work that we are doing pulls you in.” One of the most unique aspects of Method Acting training, relaxation, is also one of Mónique favorite parts of the technique. “Relaxation is everything… It really helps me feel grounded into my body.” One of her goals is “working that relaxation into a performance or an audition piece,” and fully incorporating that anchored feeling into her acting all the time.

In addition to acting training, online classes with LSTFI have allowed Mónique to discover a passion for writing. “I am in this whirlwind of rediscovering and remapping my path as an artist… That comes from going though the classes I have gone through thus far here at Strasberg, online.”

When Mónique’s training was still beginning, the murder of George Floyd reignited the Black Lives Matter movement. Mónique was moved by the care and concern displayed by the faculty and staff during that time. “Every single one of my teachers made to sure to address and acknowledge the deep hurt that was happening in society.” That acknowledgement made Mónique “feel comforted… and made [her] feel more at home.” Ray continued, “for a person like myself who is of color and for everyone else in attendance… I really appreciated that concern and that show of solidarity.”

In this online setting [instructors] have still been able to provide very exceptional teaching and exercises… For me, there is no better technique for an actor of actress to have in their toolbox. than the Method.

Mónique Ray on the quality of online acting instruction

Being an Army Veteran, Mónique’s discipline training has helped her hone and deepen her acting craft. “There are some parts [of acting] that can be a little tedious… that is where discipline comes in. I think that helps a lot.” LSTFI offers approved programs for military veteran actors through the G.I. Bill. For fellow veterans Mónique encourages them to “at least try one semester” at LSTFI if they feel called to The Method like she did. “It has been life changing… you just come out [of training] a different version of yourself.”

The Method for All Ages

In addition to being a veteran, Mónique is also a mother of two, ages 11 and 9. “In this online setting [my kids] may come in during a scene… [The instructors] have made my children feel welcomed.” One of the most important aspects of being a mother while training for Mónique is balancing alone time so she can stay energized, “time for dedicating to what I am working on here at Strasberg,” commented Ray.

Mónique’s acting journey has not been linear, and she is not hindered by that at all. For actors who might have shied away from you passion for acting, Mónique challenges you to “do you… and got for it!”

Do what is best for you. If acting is a part of who you are. If storytelling is a part of who you are, then go for it! It is never too late. Don’t worry about those who are on the linear path. Go quantum and time jump yourself wherever you need to go.

Monique Ray on advice for aspiring actors

She encourages actors of all ages to pursue the call of acting or any craft you might be drawn to, and “start at anywhere, at any level… have a bit of faith and courage.” Monique Ray has certainly taken her own advice and gone quantum, sky rocketing her craft through discipline, balance, and passion.

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