Adam Strasberg, Anna Strasberg, David Lee Strasberg, and Page Peterson The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Photo by Hunter Canning
David Lee Strasberg, son of Lee Strasberg and Creative Director of LSTFI Los Angeles, stopped by LSTFI New York to give a special workshop for students and alumni. He remarks that there is no limit to what can be taught in this field, or to what can be explored in The Method.
“The work, in a way, is infinite. The work is as infinite as a human being and it’s as infinite as all of the experiences of all of you, and everyone who’s not in this room.”
David Lee Strasberg
Acting as a Technical Process
David dives in to his father’s take on acting. “My father believed in technical work,” he explains, “We use technique to unleash creativity. We use structure, sequence, [and] logic to spark creativity, soul, [and] feeling.” The technical work begins with script analysis and defining beats. Beats, David explains, can be used in a multitude of ways and it is the role of the director to define “beats” for themselves, for the actor, and for the audience during any given production or project. Moving forward into exploration of the script, David emphasizes asking simple questions: Where am I? Where am I coming from? What happened before this moment? Did I sleep well last night? Why or why not? What is my relationship to and history with my scene partner? What would I be doing if the scene never started? David encourages approaching a script with curiosity, and starting with these basics before looking to dive into dramatic acting choices.
Taking It Slow
As an actor, it is natural to seek the juiciest, most challenging exercises. David argues, however, that you must always start from the beginning. “Most people look for the more advanced exercises, but if you can’t do daily activity? Don’t bother. If you can manage daily activity, the later stuff won’t work.” He explains that, regardless of how sensitive you are and how easily you access emotion, daily activity must come first. In fact, he emphasizes that the more sensitive you are, the more important it is to have a solid foundation. “Daily activity is about building strength and concentration.” While it may seem to be the most romantic or exciting of exercises, daily activity gives us that foundation, that strength and concentration required to move forward. Daily activity absorbs and is informed by the later work – the overalls, the personalizations, the affective memories. It is the base of the dish, on which we add the flavors.
Do Your Homework
One of the challenges of acting, and the study of acting, is it’s subjectivity. Many students find feedback to be vague or difficult to take deliberate action on. An alumna of LSTFI once described a note she received from another studio: “It felt like the teacher just wanted me to ‘feel it more’. I didn’t know how to do that. Emotions aren’t something you can control.” Again emphasizing the benefits of a technical process, David shares tangible steps you can take towards improving your work. “Do your homework,” he says and encourages practicing daily activity at home – first doing the sensory exercise then trying out the real thing, or vice versa. Try working on “brushing your teeth”. After the sensory, brush your teeth in reality and ask yourself questions. How does this feel? How does it compare to the sensory? What did I miss? As you become more present in your day to day life, taking note your experiences and actively logging memories, your exercises with get stronger.
The Method Makes a Difference
David Strasberg explains how consistent work in The Method make a difference. When you first begin training, the experiences that arise in your acting are unconscious and uncontrolled. Method Acting helps to increase your self-awareness, and make your work as an actor more conscious. As you become more experienced and versed in The Method, the experience you have while acting at last becomes unconscious but still controlled. Reminding us that this process requires effort, David leaves us with a final piece of advice:
“An amatur waits for inspiration. A professional gets to work.”
November 6th marked the limited theatrical release of Marriage Story, the latest from writer/director Noah Baumbach (The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected), Frances Ha, While We’re Young). The film chronicles the messy divorce between an LA actress and a New York theater director. Baumbach has described the film as “a love story about divorce.” Since its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival back in August, Marriage Story has been met with critical acclaim.
“It’s a life-affirming, profoundly affecting classic.”
The Netflix release is expected to be a strong Oscar player this awards season for Baumbach’s screenplay and direction as well as the performances by its stars: Adam Driver and Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute alumni Scarlett Johansson and Laura Dern.
Scarlett Johansson began taking acting classes at LSTFI where she took classes on Lee Strasberg’s Method™ through the Young Actors at Strasberg program. She broke into the Hollywood scene in 2003 when her roles in Lost in Translation and Girl with a Pearl Necklace earned her two Golden Globe nominations and a BAFTA. Since then, Johansson has become one of the biggest names in the world, balancing acclaimed indie titles like Her and Under the Skin with box office hits like Lucy and her role as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For her performance in Marriage Story as Nicole Barber, an actress fighting for custody of her son amid a messy divorce, Johansson has received some of the best reviews of her career: A. O. Scott of The New York Timescalls her “simply extraordinary…” while Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com hails her performance as “a new career watermark…”
“Johansson has simply never been better, giving a knockout performance as a woman equally intent on moving on, with her own life goals in mind.”
Johansson isn’t the only LSTFI alumna featured in Baumbach’s Best Picture hopeful. A fellow student of Lee Strasberg’s Method, two-time Academy Award nominee Laura Dern’s performance in Marriage Story is the latest addition to her recent streak of incredible performances. Just in the last five years, Hollywood has been treated to a Dern-issance with her scene stealing performances in The Fault in Our Stars, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, The Tale, Wild, Twin Peaks: The Return as well as her Emmy award-winning portrayal of Renata Klein in Big Little Lies. As Johansson’s divorce lawyer in Marriage Story, Dern’s performance has been crowned the frontrunner for Oscar gold: Jon Frosch of The Hollywood Reporter calls it “savage perfection” while Owen Gleiberman at Variety declares her performance to be a “ripsnorting classic…”
“Nora Fanshaw, played by the sensational Laura Dern with a delicious blend of mirth and malice that should make her a leading contender for Best Supporting Actress.”
Baumbach’s Marriage Story is now in limited release in LA and NY. Click here to find a showing near you. It will be available for streaming on Netflix starting December 6th.
Alumni News is written by NYU Tisch at Strasberg alumnus Christian Masinsin. If you are an alum and have a story you think should be featured, please email alumni@strasberg.edu.
LSTFI alumna Lindsey Woespack struggled in finding her own voice through early adulthood. She explains, “my bones just wanted to jump out of my body,” describing her desire yet inability to to express herself. Looking to make a change, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting. “It’s always been in me to be a performer,” she says. Lindsey has trained in dance and voice for most of her life, and discovered that acting felt both natural and freeing.
“[Acting] gave me a voice I didn’t really have before.”
Lindsey Waguespack
Lindsey found her way to the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute and completed the Two-Year Professional Acting Conservatory program. During her training, she found that Method Acting helped with more than just acting. In her personal life, The Method helped her “speak from a place of authenticity,” inspired confidence, and taught her “how to be vulnerable with weaknesses.” Lindsey describes how Strasberg “felt a lot like therapy,” allowing her to find the voice she had been missing for so long and explore her sense of self. She says, “The type of work [at Strasberg] is self-exploratory… it opened up a new perspective on life for me.”
Everything we do is intended to get us to this moment. Trust that the universe is on your side.”
Lindsey Waguespack
Discovering New Paths
After graduating from LSTFI, Lindsey began using her Method Acting tools not only in auditions but in the yoga studio. She found that teaching yoga was more than just a part-time job. Rather, like acting, yoga was a way for her to connect with herself and share an experience with an audience – in this case, her students. Lindsey describes yoga as “the perfect compliment to acting.” She found that yoga helped her relaxation and bodily awareness, and can provide an escape from the harsh and stressful realities of the entertainment industry. When teaching yoga, she relies on her acting training to “hold the attention of the room” and make a connection with her students.
Now, Lindsey teaches yoga at several studios in Los Angeles, including Modo Yoga, but teaching full time doesn’t mean sacrificing her love of performing. “Sometimes I sing at the end of a yoga class,” remarks Lindsey, “it is my way of performing in a different context… it feels fulfilling.” She continues to employ The Method in both her personal and professional life, practicing relaxation and emotional expression. Lindsey says, “I will never not be an actor, especially because of how much I use those techniques.”
Self-Care for the Actor
Much of what led Lindsey to yoga was her decision to prioritize her mental health. A career in acting can be taxing, given the pressures of the industry and the emotional demands of the job itself. Lindsey’s advice to actors? “Don’t give up just because you get knocked down.” She encourages actors to find new ways of approaching their careers, until finding an avenue that is both fulfilling and sustainable. While she is emphatic that actors need to prioritize their health over their career, Lindsey says to “stay with people you will thrive with” and “stay inspired”.
The Alumni Blog for LSTFI Los Angeles is run by Aly Homminga.
If you are an alumni and have a story you think should be featured, please emailahomminga@strasberg.edu.
Alec Baldwin, Ellen Burstyn, Anna Strasberg, and Geoffrey Horne
The iconic Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute celebrated its 50th Anniversary on Monday, November 4, 2019 at New York University’s Rosenthal Pavilion in New York City, raising vital funds for The Lee Strasberg Creative Center, which has provided scholarships to students for 42 years. This is the first benefit in the school’s storied history. Alumnus Alec Baldwin along with Marlo Thomas were the evening’s chairs. Baldwin presented a special award to his former teacher, Geoffrey Horne, saying:
“Before I start tonight, I just want to say my wife, who’s here, and I, we had our wedding reception in this very room. We were married in Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral, but I’ll spare you, because we are here tonight for a much more important purpose. Geoffrey Horne taught me that we’re never done. We should never be completely satisfied. In fact, as a result of studying at Strasberg, I’m incapable of being satisfied.”
Alec Baldwin
Geoffrey Horne and Alec Baldwin
Geoffrey Horne and Alec Baldwin
Geoffrey Horne reciprocated with a gift for Alec, a framed student critique from the Strasberg Institute records which mirrored a review by Lee Strasberg of Geoffrey, “You didn’t work hard enough in class and you didn’t always work up to your potential.” Alec finished with “I guess he was right.”
Ellen Burstyn shared memories of her studies, saying:
“Lee found a way to push me past my barrier, that was hard for me because I was young and cute! I had already started my career and Lee made me realize that I could be better.”
Ellen Burstyn
Lainie Kazan
Ellen Burstyn
Renee Taylor
Alumna Renee Taylor performed an excerpt from her play My Life on a Diet, based on the experience of working with Strasberg. In a class Marilyn Monroe shared this beauty advice, “I rub my entire body down with Vaseline before a three hour hot bath every morning. It gives my skin a shiny glow.” Renee continued, “I tried that, I applied the Vaseline andentered the bath. But I just kept slipping under the water, I almost drown a few times before I called it quits.” Another Strasberg alumna, Lainie Kazan, performed Johnny Mercer’s I Remember You adding lyrics about Lee.
Margaret Ladd, Alec Baldwin, and Billie Anderssonn
Ellen Burstyn and Anna Strasberg
But it was Marlo Thomas who capped the evening’s program by announcing a newly created Lee and Anna Strasberg Scholarship, “Anna, I know you would’ve nixed this if anybody asked you to put your name on a scholarship, but if there was ever a couple that deserves to have something with their names close together forever it’s you and Lee. You are my inspiration for romance. You deserve this.” Following a standing ovation Anna replied:
“I remember like yesterday the opening of this Institute 50 years ago. My husband, Lee, told me to paint the school’s doors red and never lock them. They’re to welcome our students. I’m a grandmother of five but I’m also the mother of this school, and all my students make me very proud. That’s all I have to say.”
Anna Strasberg
Mayor Bill De Blasio made an official proclamation to commemorate the anniversary “New York has always been at the forefront of progress in the arts, and we are the proud home to a phenomenal array of cultural institutions that enhance life in our great city. A standout among them is The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. I hereby proclaim October 18, 2019 in the city of New York as The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute Day”.
The 50th Anniversary Honorary Committee includes, Karen
Allen, Alec Baldwin, Luca Barbareschi, Tobin Bell, Ellen Burstyn,
Arthur Cohn, Kevin Corrigan, Claire Danes, Rebecca De Mornay, Vincent
D’Onofrio, Jennifer Esposito, Sally Field, Kathie Lee Gifford, Jamie
Hector, Michael Imperioli, Lyle Kessler, Jo Miller, Sienna Miller, Kelli
O’Hara, Al Pacino, Estelle Parsons, Martin Sheen, Andrzej Strzelecki,
Renee Taylor, Marlo Thomas, and Chandra Wilson.
The Benefit Committee includes Prince and Princess Vittorio and Dialta Alliata di Montereale, Wayne Bellet, Donna and Michael Corbat, Francine LeFrak and Rick Friedberg, James Nederlander Jr., Paige Peterson, and Dan Tishman.
Ellen Burstyn
Geoffrey Horne and Billie Andersson
Lainie Kazan
Frank Otto and Natalie Volk
Scott Khouri and Lainie Kazan
Renee Taylor
Francine Le Frak and Rick Friedberg
Marlo Thomas
The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute® was founded by Lee and Anna Strasberg in 1969. Lee Strasberg, a master teacher, lecturer, director, actor and author, who revolutionized modern acting technique in the theater and film, is known throughout the world as the “Father of Method Acting.” The Institute teaches Lee Strasberg Method Acting ™ in its authentic form and draws talented actors, directors, playwrights, screenwriters and filmmakers from the United States and 157 countries. It has a campus in New York City and in West Hollywood, Los Angeles.
In its first 50 years, The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute built its worldwide reputation on the enduring value of Lee Strasberg’s teachings and the achievements of its faculty, alumni and students. It looks forward to its next 50 years of continuing to share his work with aspiring talent in the theater, performing arts and entertainment media.
David Lee Strasberg, Donna Corbat, and Adam Strasberg
Adam Strasberg, Anna Strasberg, David Strasberg, and Page Peterson
Victoria Krane and Sasha Krane
The Lee Strasberg Creative Center® has awarded scholarships to students to pursue their dreams of training in the performing arts for 42 years. It also offers commissions for the creation of new plays, giving opportunities to emerging playwrights, directors and actors, and maintains Lee Strasberg’s archive and library.
The Lee Strasberg Creative Center Advisory Board includes Donna Corbat, Michèle Etienne, Rick Friedberg, Dr. Vartan Gregorian, Lyle Kessler, Francine LeFrak, Jonathan Marder, James L. Nederlander Jr., Al Pacino, Aaron Schroeder,and Pat Kerr Tigrett.
Scarlett Johansson isn’t the only Strasberg alum with two features releasing this fall! It’s been an exciting month for LSTFI alumna Preeti Gupta who has two film projects making their NYC premiere. It all starts with a short film titled Proof, which will be featured as part of the New York City South Asian Film Festival. Then, it’s time for the holiday season with the feature film A New Christmas making its NYC debut at the South Asian International Film Festival.
As a kid, Preeti always wanted to be an actor. When the time came to make it a profession, she needed a technique to grasp onto and an acting school to provide just that. On a friend’s recommendation, Preeti moved from India to NYC to take classes in Lee Strasberg’s Method™.
Over six semesters, Preeti had a little taste of every class offered, before honing in on Method teacher Geoffrey Horne. “I always consult with Geoffrey whenever I have a role, his guidance is very precious to me.” During her time at The Institute, Preeti received the tools she needed, that allow her to go into any audition room and do what needs to be done.
“Strasberg is my home and I owe a lot to my time there.”
Preeti Gupta
Proof will be screened in the Manhattan Shorts segment of the New York City South Asian Film Festival. The short follows Preeti’s character Iman, a Pakistani woman studying in New York City where she has fallen in love and gotten engaged. After a trip back home, Iman is caught up in immigration by an officer who is asking for “material proof that she is entering the marriage with a US citizen in good faith.” The film is a tale of love “caught between two worlds.” After the film, Preeti will join the director and the rest of the cast in a Q&A session.
The following week sees the NYC debut of A New Christmas, after its world premiere at the Heartland International Film Festival where it was picked up by Cinedigm. A New Christmas tells the story Kabir, a student in NYC who is searching for joy in the holiday season amid the anniversary of his mother’s death. Preeti plays Shivaani, Kabir’s wife who is trying to “find her own self in this whole situation while she tries to support her husband.” After its premiere on November 21st, the film will have a simultaneous theatrical and Video-on-Demand release on December 6th.
Both of Preeti’s projects follow protagonists from backgrounds underrepresented in mainstream film. To Preeti, stories like these lend a level of truth and power to films. “Art has deep meaning and when we give voice to characters who don’t have a voice in society, we can create change in the world,” she says, “It’s safe to be real and truthful. Truth works.”
“Proof” plays as part of the NYC South Asian Film Festival’s Manhattan Shorts program on November 16 at AMC 34th Street starting at 12:00 PM.
Alumni News is written by NYU Tisch at Strasberg alumnus Christian Masinsin. If you are an alum and have a story you think should be featured, please email alumni@strasberg.edu.
Michael Yurchak, instructor of Voice I, II & III at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute- Los Angeles, has always loved teaching. With a Doctorate in Educational Theatre from NYU and a certification from The Fitz Maurice Insitute for voice training, Michael could probably make teaching his primary career. But throughout his academic career, he has also found the time to have a thriving acting and voice acting career with credits such as the Japanese anime Naruto Shippuden and Nickelodeon’s The Legend of Korra.
Teaching and acting is the way my career is supposed to be… it feels right to do.”
Michael Yurchak, LSTFI Faculty
“Teaching makes me a better artist and being an artist makes me a better teacher,” says Michael, “I’ll never give up teaching… [acting and teaching] are both parts of what I do.” Strasberg especially has “been a joy” for Michael. The students at Strasberg are “a special group of multicultural and multinational people that makes for a rich classroom environment… they are curious and passionate about learning.”
On Voice Acting
“Like all working artists… I participate in everything,” stage, film, and voice acting. Interestingly, Michael says “doing animation is the closest thing to theatre,” or stage acting, because “we [voice actors] are really digging into the character.” There is so much development and commitment that goes into creating characters for voice acting, and you have “free vocal and physical expression… You are breathing life into a character through voice.”
Michael’s character, Bjorn the Christmas Elf
Michael began his career doing improv and sketch comedy at iO West (Improv Olympics West Coast) in the late 1990’s. In the beginning, “I was lucky enough to do an awful lot of on-camera commercials.” He became interested in Voice Acting through a previous manager who introduced him to Carol Kimball, a voice acting casting agent. “She encouraged me to pursue it,” and he decided to take her advice. “My very first audition I ended up booking a big job,” working as the spokesperson for KB Toys. “Once I started [voice acting] has been a consistent part of the work I do.”
More recently, Michael has continued to do a lot of voice acting work. His most famous work being Obito Uchiha/ Tobi on Naruto Shippuden. “That lasted for quite awhile… seven years.” One fun project he did recently was Netflix’s The Christmas Chronicles (2018) starring Kurt Russell. Michael played an animated elf named Bjorn. “We recorded on the Disney lot, it was a lot of fun… My character was a float at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!” Bjorn (pictured right) got to explore downtown Manhattan as a giant balloon for the 2018 Thanksgiving Day Parade.
“When it rains, it pours”
Currently, Michael is working on a plethora of exciting projects, including an original show in the works. In addition to voice acting, Michael is passionate about stage acting and is currently playing Ed in a production of The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Nighttime at the Greenway Court Theatre in Los Angeles. The show is running NOW- Dec. 8th. For anyone who would be interested in attending, ticketing information can be found on their website (greenwaycourttheatre.org/curious), student tickets are $25.
Michael (Left) with Tacoma FD star Ike Crystal
If being onstage and teaching at two institutions isn’t enough, Michael also has a reoccurring role on the comedy series Tacoma FD (TruTV) and another anime show Bungo Stray Dogs. Though he can’t comment about the series he is developing, he did say “it is an adult comedy… “we are still in a fairly early stage.” Right now there is a lot going on for Michael. In an artistic career, “when it rains it pours” and Michael says, “right now it is pouring.”
Michael has been working for Strasberg since Spring 2018. He is happy that he is able to offer students professional advice in addition to teaching. “When I was training I didn’t have access” to teachers who were also active professionals. “It feels right to do,” to share his talents and experience with others so they can actually work with someone who is active in the field.
The Faculty Blog for LSTFI Los Angeles is run by Aly Homminga.
If you are a faculty and have a story you think should be featured, please emailahomminga@strasberg.edu.
Since I was five, it has always been my dream to act and come to Hollywood… My mom said only one in a million have a career in acting and I said, why do you think I am not that one person.
From a very young age, Anna Voitenko, LSTFI Alumna from Ukraine, dreamed of becoming an actress. She wants to “be the first Ukrainian woman to win an Oscar,” and she is well on her way. After finishing at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute Los Angeles, Anna moved back to the Ukraine. Since returning home she has booked a number of gigs including an Israeli TV show titled Ron that is “popular in Israel and France.” They filmed in English, which was helpful for Anna as she would like to return to the United States to act in the future. “Everyone was so professional… the work days were very long. Shooting started at 10 AM and finished at 3 AM. I was so tired, but so happy.”
Time at Strasberg
Anna in Our Synagogue. She played a Jewish girl in WWII.
Anna did the One-Year Conservatory Program and now Strasberg is her “favorite place.” “It was the healthiest part of my life,” said Anna. “It’s important to always be ‘in shape’ with acting,” and Strasberg gave Anna the tools to be an actor who is ‘in shape’ and well disciplined. For auditions “relaxation really helped me not to be nervous… I used what I learned [at Strasberg] and I booked it,” referring to her Ron audition and others.
While at Strasberg she took many Film Combat classes and this puts her at an advantage in Ukraine. “No a lot of girls know how to do that in Ukraine.” She also sharpened her film acting skills in classes with David Salsa. “He showed my who to play sincerely… he told me ‘you can! You can!’ ”
Anna would love to return to Los Angeles sometime, but right now she is developing her career (and beauty brand) in Ukraine. She thinks fondly of her time and experiences at Strasberg, “everyone who works there is so professional and now it is my job to use [the Method] in my work.”
Love & Loss: Beauty for All
Since returning to Ukraine, in addition to acting and auditioning, Anna has created her own beauty brand called Love & Loss. “Love because you should love yourself and loss because you loose self-doubt.” The brand was inspired from Anna “wanting to create something natural… that isn’t so popular in Ukraine.” Her message is that everyone is beautiful- “All girls are beautiful… women of all ages are beautiful.” Though it has been a difficult start up process, Anna made it through, “I believe in myself and I’ll do it!” Anna has a variety of lotions, body scrubs and masks available on Instagram.
Anna has many big dreams for her future, and she is only 22. “My dream is to open up an acting school in Ukraine.” This school would teach acting to interested students and would instruct in both English and Ukranian, says Anna. “I love children so much. I want to create something for children.” She has been inspired by a friend of hers who opened a theatre after his wife died of cancer. He sends most of the proceeds he earns to hospitals who help children with cancer. “I’d like to do something like that too,” remarked Anna, “as actors… we need to do something good.”
Currently, Anna also translates American scripts into Ukrainian as a way to make more money in addition to all of the TV shows she has been booking. An acting career takes “hard work and believing in your dreams,” and Anna Voitenko has no shortage of either.
The Alumni Blog for LSTFI Los Angeles is run by Aly Homminga.
If you are an alumni and have a story you think should be featured, please emailahomminga@strasberg.edu.
In the years since studying at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute®, alumna Amy Dellagiarino has taken the tools she developed as an actress and has crafted a career as a playwright. Her time at The Institute has shaped the way Amy writes dialogue and searches for the truth in every line. Even as she goes through her drafts, Amy hears the voice of Method Acting teacher Geoffrey Horne, reminding her to find the little nuances that will add a new dimension to the scene.
Just in 2018, Amy’s short play The Misfit Mantra received numerous accolades at the 2018 INK Fest Awards. Produced by the 2Cents Theatre Group, the short play won awards for Best Play (Comedy), Best Director for Kristen Boulé and Best Actor for Stephen Weston.
Her feature film Freelancers Anonymous received similar praise. A comedy depicting a group of women starting up a tech company, the film won the 2018 NCGLFF Audience Award for Best Women’s Feature Film and earned the Reframe Stamp for Gender Balanced Media joining films such as Booksmart,Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Crazy Rich Asians and The Favourite.
“Freelancers Anonymous is a refreshing change to the typical narrative. It’s not completely centered around women in tech, but dare I say, it normalizes it?”
Recently, Amy’s achieved great success with her play The Value of Moscow. Following three sisters who are forced to move in together after their lives spiral into disaster, the play had its world premiere in Los Angeles with the Sacred Fools Theatre Company. Amy has garnered praise for her work: described as “marvelously witty” by by Philip Brandes at the LA Times and “really smart theatre” by Tracey Paleo at Gia on the Move. The production received three nominations at the Stage Raw Theater Awards: Female Comedy Performance (Madeleine Heil), Comedy Direction (Carrie Keranen) and Playwrighting (Dellagiarino).
“Dellagiarino is a playwright to watch, her talent is clearly apparent.”
“My writing speaks the language of acting,” Amy explains, “and that is – hopefully – why actors enjoy working on them.”
“Freelancers Anonymous” is available to rent or buy on the Google Play Store and iTunes, and “The Value of Moscow” is now available for licensing and purchase through Stage Rights!
Alumni News is written by NYU Tisch at Strasberg alumnus Christian Masinsin. If you are an alum and have a story you think should be featured, please email alumni@strasberg.edu.
Lee Strasberg developed The Method as a way of training actors to act realistically and with true emotion. His inspiration for The Method came from Stanislavski and his work at the Moscow Art Theatre. Lee noticed there were problems the actors continually faced and they were not able to fully engage with their emotions. He refined The Method and began teaching it to his students at The Actor’s Studio in New York City. The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York City was opened 50 years ago this year concurrently with The Lee Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles for students to be trained specifically in Method Acting. For decades, Method Acting has helped many actors develop their techniques and fulfill their potential. The Method has changed the lives and careers of countless actors and changed the face of American Theater and film.
Of the many notable alumni that have come from The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Insitute, and a majority of them consistently use Method Acting Techniques in their acting work. Here is what some of our alumni have said about Method Acting.
“I have to say the Strasberg Institute as an actor had the most profound effect on me. And I would say the tools that I learned studying here have been the most valuable tools that I to this day bring to the work. Both in the theatre and in film.”
Karen Allen at her 2011 StrasbergTALK in New York City
“I still use a straight back chair to relax in, I do it on television sets, on movie sets, in my dressing room at theatres.”
Vincent D’Onofrio in his 2017 Strasberg Master Class in New York City
“The whole idea that your are your instrument. A violinist has a violin and you have your emotional instrument… If you are going to be on Broadway it is your job to get your emotional instrument in good shape”
Estelle Parsons at her 2014 StrasbergTALK in New York City
“The foundation of my acting, everything is built on Strasberg. Relaxation and all that stuff I do it before every audition… Everything we need as actors is inside ourselves… In [Strasberg] acting is at its purest.”
Joshua Chang, known for Silicon Valley and Jane the Virgin
Strasberg taught me what the truth is and that you have to bring it back to your heart… you know the truth. The Method keeps me grounded and coming with more passion and focus on being a good actor.
Benjamin Josiah Tan, Singaporean actor known for Long, Long Time Ago
What is Method Acting and History pages are perfect for anyone who wants to know more about the creation of The Method and Lee Strasberg’s life.
For more about what our alumni are doing right now, check out our Alumni News Page.
If you are an alumni and have a story you think should be featured, please email alumninews@strasberg.edu.
There is a brand new program at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute Los Angeles. It is a degree program to receive an Associate of Occupational Studies in Acting (also called AOS). This program is the first of it’s kind, the only degree program in The Method offered from the source: the Strasberg Institute. The degree program is different from the Two- Year Conservatory program because when students finish the program, after six 12-week terms, they will have a degree in Acting. The degree program is in it’s first year and the students just finished their first term.
One student, Vjosa Halili, shared her experience with the degree program after just one term.
Originally from Sweden, Vjosa actually began her professional training at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. She felt overwhelmed with the variety of techniques at the Academy. “I wanted to have one technique… The Method spoke to me,” so she decided to continue her studies at Strasberg. Vjosa chose the degree program for a variety for reasons, “It was very new and I wanted to do a degree… it sounded very exciting.” Another draw for Vjosa was the one year of OPT (Optional Practical Training for international students) she would get after the completion of the degree.
After one term, Vjosa is loving Strasberg. “They really take care of us,” says Vjosa, “the school in general is so supportive… it is a safe and nice environment.” The structure of the degree program suits Vjosa well, “They, [the administrative staff], choose what they think we need for our careers… we have someone to guide us.”
Her favorite classes are Method Acting. The degree program consists of two Method Acting classes with different teachers. Vjosa comments that the styles of the two teachers they have compliment one another; “there are two different ways of teaching, combining them together makes perfection.” The other classes, such as theatre history, improvisation, and vocal basics have all worked together to help Vjosa improve her acting. “I’ve learned so much and evolved in my acting… I’ve skyrocketed in my art.”
The newest crime thriller from writer/director duo Josh and Benny Safdie, Uncut Gems opens in limited release this weekend. Uncut Gems has been building buzz since its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in August and has already received nominations from the Critics’ Choice Awards and the Independent Spirit Awards. Much of the praise for the film has been directed towards the lead actor – a Method Acting trained alum of The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute® – Adam Sandler. In the film, Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a New York jeweler who gets into trouble as he balances business, family and enemies.
“I went to NYU. I studied acting at Strasberg and all that stuff. I was never doing comedy monologues in school. I was always doing “The Indian Wants the Bronx.”
Very few names in Hollywood can boast a career as varied as Adam Sandler’s. Originally hired as a writer for Saturday Night Live in 1990, the self-proclaimed “Sandman” quickly became a favorite on camera and that popularity made Sandler a household name. He transitioned into film and has created an empire with his production company Happy Madison Productions. Altogether, his films have grossed over $3 billion dollars worldwide.
Uncut Gems is the latest outlier in Sandler’s filmography. Known to general audiences as the quintessential funnyman, Sandler has a habit of stretching his serious side every few years. From his Golden Globe nominated performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love to his work on Noah Baumbach’sThe Meyerwitz Stories (New and Selected), Sandler tackles roles that stretch the definition of a typical “Adam Sandler character”.
“Sandler has an under-appreciated ability to connect with the uncomfortable aspects of his more fleshed out characters, embarrassingly so at times, and his latest, arguably greatest, delve into drama pushes this to a whole new level.”
Sandler’s portrayal of a smarmy jeweler in Uncut Gems is the latest in a line of acclaimed projects. This year, both his hosting stint on SNL and his Netflix standup special 100% Fresh garnered Emmy nominations respectively for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special. Now with Gems, Sandler is receiving some of the best praise in his career: Entertainment Weekly’s Darren Franich calls the performance “Revelatory… Sandler’s never been better, really, balancing speedwalking desperation and fast-talking salesmanship with sorrow and glee,” while Peter Travers from Rolling Stone declares “Adam Sandler’s Wild Ride Should Net the Actor an Oscar.”Sandler’s long list of citations include nominations from the Critics’ Choice Awards, Gotham Awards, Independent Spirit Awards and a win for the National Board of Review’s Best Actor award.
Uncut Gems is now in limited release and will expand nationwide on December 25th. Click here to find a showing near you.
This Alumni News article is written by NYU Tisch at Strasberg alumnus Christian Masinsin.
If you are an alum and have a story you think should be featured, please email alumni@strasberg.edu.
Lee Strasberg’s ‘Method’ has created controversy since Lee first began teaching it. It created issues between himself, Stanford Meisner and Stella Adler, two famous acting teachers who worked at The Group Theatre at the same time as Lee. Lee Strasberg fought through the criticism and doubt, so The Method lives on today as a way for actors to become connected to their emotions and give genuine performances.
To this day there are many misconceptions and myths surrounding The Method and Method Acting. To debunk some of these myths, I interviewed David Lee Strasberg, CEO and Creative Director of The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in Los Angeles and son of Lee Strasberg. David is familiar with the myths surrounding The Method, and he works to educate people about what The Method really is, how method actors use it, and how powerful it can be.
The best thing people can do is educate themselves. “The answer to misconceptions is education… insight that leads to inspiration… when you have inspiration you don’t need tricks.” Acting ‘tricks’ such as never dropping character (Myth #2) or turning to doing extreme physical acts to feel like you’re ‘in character’ (Myth #1).
The Method has always had doubters and it has always provided answers for people who are willing to learn.
To begin, it is helpful to define what Method Acting is so one can better understand what it is not. “That is the number one question I get asked,” said David. In his own words The Method is “behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances.”
At LSTFI “we like reactions.” “A big portion of our work is creating the reality to react to… that is a really powerful ability.” If you create your own reality, you don’t have to rely “on a scene partner or a green screen,” the reality exists within you.
Myth #1: A ‘Method Performance’ requires making everything real
“[Actors] want truth in acting so [they] experiment with literal truth… it’s not viable in most circumstances and it comes with a cost… the actor has much less control.”
David Lee Strasberg
Here is an example about how acting ‘literally’ can actually hurt a performance. Let’s say a person is playing a character in a movie who is a drunk. They show up to the set everyday drunk and they drink all day to experience what it is like to be drunk, but they are missing the point of The Method. “The challenge is why you drink,” said David. As an actor, you’d want to find out “the life of the character and what drives them to drinking.” If you are intoxicated all day “you’re not in a position to create that.”
“The art of acting is not literal… [literal acting] isn’t our work.” Literal acting creates a space where the actor has much less control over their actions and character, and creates a physical reality rather than a mental reality.
Myth #2: There is no separation of self
“Our Technique is designed to be engaged and then stopped… you don’t continue the reality.”
David Lee Strasberg
“There is a fascination with staying in character… it is an anxious act.” Actors who choose to stay in character all day on set are actually doing it out of anxiety and not commitment. Actors “don’t have the confidence to go in and out” with a character. “If you are committed you can pick it back up.”
On the other hand, with learning physical parts of the character, like an accent or a certain physicality, David said that can be helpful to incorporate into an actor’s daily life. Developing physicality is helpful to “put the sensation in your body.”
Myth #3: Emotions are based on past trauma
There is a rule at LSTFI that you should only use a traumatic memory if it is over 7 years old. That way you ensure that you are no longer traumatized by that memory. Through The Method you are “building a relationship between your body, thoughts, memories, and emotions… if it is only based on trauma, that relationship will not work.”
The Method deals with something called affective memory. Affective memory is something everyone has, it is the way your brain processes information moment to moment in order to perceive the world. “Your affective memory is always active… sorting through your experiences to make sense of the current moment.” No one person experiences the world the same way. Therefore, The Method works with the actor’s affective memory to “bring a particular perspective onstage” that no one else can bring. The Method is not based on past trauma, but it is based on past experiences, because your affective memory is “an unstoppable force… which an actor cannot erase.”
Myth #4: The Method requires you to be so far into the character that you can’t escape
This is “also a fallacy.” When you finish with a scene or a sense memory exercise (a series of exercises developed by Lee used in Method Acting Classes in New York and LA), “you’ll have a residual sensation… like a rock thrown in a pond.” But those lingering feelings from the scene don’t last.
David gave me the example of a light bulb. When a light bulb has been on for a long time, it will still be hot immediately after you turn it off, but in time the light bulb will cool off, unless you give it energy again. “The light will only be hot when you are still giving it energy.” Same with acting. If you stop giving your energy to a certain emotion, that emotion will disperse.
Myth #5: Anyone can be ‘Method’ without training
“Anyone can train,” said David, “and untrained you could do [The Method] with half an understanding,” but it won’t be as powerful as it would be with training. You could “jump on a basketball court and imagine you’re LeBron James.” Without training you probably won’t be LeBron, because he trained for years to be as good as he is. Same with method actors. “You earn your miracles” through hard work and training. “There are no short cuts” when it comes to acting. A well trained actor will give a much more through and in depth performance.
Myth #6: The Method is dangerous
This is probably the most popular myth of them all. People dismiss the power of The Method because they believe it is harmful to the actors who do it. This is false, in fact The Method “create more stability, not less” within an actor’s psyche.
“The work we do involves physical sensation… that is one of the secrets of why Method actors can carry intense emotion.”
David Lee Strasberg
The Method grounds actors and makes them feel secure in their emotions. “Method Acting stabilizes and channels energy in a productive way.” People who claim to be ‘method acting,’ but they put themselves and others through emotional trauma while doing it are not real method actors.
Method Acting is a powerful tool for actors to use to create truth on stage. Lee Strasberg created The Method and sense memory exercises in order to solves the problems he saw actors dealing with. Like David Lee Strasberg said, ” The Method has always had doubters and it has always provided answers for people who are willing to learn.”
From working at Sixty-Six Theatre Company (LSTFI’s In-house Theatre Company) to acting in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D to doing stand up comedy, Shainu Bala has a versatile film and theatre career. Getting to this point in his career took more work than he originally expected. After moving from Toronto, Canada to Los Angeles, Shainu thought he would be able to find a producer who would hire him and get him his visa. “The odds of that happening was less than winning the lottery,” said Shainu about his previously naive self.
He enrolled at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in Los Angeles to gain professional training and “keep his skills sharp” while he was also auditioning. “90% of the time I was doing everything I could to be on top of the game… Looking back on auditions now, I knew nothing.”
Shainu & The Method
“In reality, The Method is owning who you are while saying lines… staying genuine and true, making it real for yourself.”
Shainu Bala on Method Acting
“This work is on another level,” said Shainu about Method Acting. “You have to earn your place in the industry to be able to use [The Method]… You’re not going to do sense memory for one line.” The intensity and in-depth work that The Method requires isn’t necessary for every single show Shainu has done. “If you know how deep this work can go, you’ll only use it for a substantial role.”
Shainu was able to use The Method in a significant way for his “biggest accomplishment” so far in his career. He played Samir Patel, a young prostitute who was raped by his boyfriend, “but he doesn’t think it counts,” in an episode of Major Crimes. In order to create that character and the moment when Samir discovers he has been raped, Shainu turned to his Method Acting training. The day of the shoot he began with relaxation. “That is your warm-up… You know how and what you need to do.” After the scene was blocked, he “went to the corner to prepare… I’m doing my sense memory… I’m calling myself by the character’s name… I get emotional. It’s intense… I do the moment before and then I’m in the scene.” The work Shainu did to prepare the character of Samir is apparent in the heart-breaking performance he gives (full scene featured on the right).
One of his biggest takeaways from LSTFI is “if you become interested in something, you become interesting to watch.” He has carried that sentiment with him throughout his career, never being afraid to put his all into a role and constantly be inspired. “Every time I hit a new high, I [am] inspired to do something original.”
Sixty-Six Theatre Company
Working and acting with Sixty-Six Theatre Company gives Shainu a chance to continue to work on his stage acting skills. He highly recommends everyone at LSTFI to become involved with Sixty-Six. “We are accomplishing so much at Sixty-Six,” said Shainu. “It is such a good environment… Sixty-Six is a place where I can let the work I did at Strasberg flourish.” Sixty-Six Theatre Company does workshops and puts on plays, including an upcoming production by John Patrick Shanley.
The “most satisfied” Shainu has ever been on stage was at Sixty-Six in My Thing of Love by Alexandra Gersten-Vassliaros. For his role, Shainu said, “I had to go to those places… start building that imaginary reality.” Sixty-Six Theatre Company gives actors “the chance to be a voice” for themselves.
“I’m still learning so much,” said Shainu. Auditioning was something he needed to work on when he first came to LA. “Learning how to audition comes from learning how to use the work… That no one can teach you.” It’s best to gain experience through going to auditions. “If you hit 400 auditions, #1 you will be an expert and #2 you will have booked at least a couple [shows].” After booking gigs, Shainu then learned how to “take his space as an actor.” On set, “you have the right to own your creative input,” even though it can be intimidating.
Experience is the best thing for an actor to keep gaining. “You need to get your reps… get on stage and act – that’s a rep… Always have work to be put up [in class].”
The Alumni Blog for LSTFI Los Angeles is run by Aly Homminga.
If you are an alumni and have a story you think should be featured, please emailahomminga@strasberg.edu.
David Lee Strasberg, Creative Director of the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute and son of Lee Strasberg, has done a lot of work to follow in his father’s footsteps. “It is impossible to be Lee Strasberg,” says David, so he has dedicated his time to continuing and improving on the work that his father did.
Having experience in business and government work, David brings a different perspective to leadership at LSTFI. “Acting and teaching isn’t an access of passion,” said David, “it’s actually about structure and change in a human being… when I could see those pieces moving, I was all in.” For David, The Method is “the fusion of passion and the technical process…. Use our technique as a way to get into technical work… and find a spontaneous place.”
Modern Science & The Method
David leans into modern science to strengthen The Method. Everyone has something called affective memory, or all of the memories that make up the way that individuals react to the world.
“Neuroscience tells us… no two people have the same reality. Two people in the same scene do not have the same reality.”
David Lee Strasberg
This can easily be applied on stage. When actors in a scene must “decide on what is true between the actors” they are limited the “unique perspective” that each character has. Certain things, like blocking or relationship, should be agreed upon, but the way the characters interact with and feel in a location or relationship differs.
Another recent breakthrough in neuroscience deals with the way people feel emotions. Instead of being predisposed to feel certain emotions, emotions work “much more akin to The Method.” “The brain gets inputs and we gain impulses about the world and [our brains] create a story based on our past experience.” For example, if a person has had a traumatic experience on a boat, they would be scared to go on a boat, even though other people may be happy to be on a boat. Our emotions are based on our past experiences. The Method builds off of that same principle. “We create a sensation and feel the response… [with] imaginary stimuli.” The beauty of The Method is “the longer you are in the work, that more you create [imaginary reality].”
Continuing the Progress of Strasberg
David and his family. From Left to Right: Adam Strasberg (Brother), Anna Strasberg (Mother), David Lee Strasberg, Paige Peterson (family friend)
“I like facilitating other people’s success.” David has created many new opportunities for acting to be successful at LSTFI, including the new Associate’s Degree Program offered in Los Angeles and Los Angeles’ in house theatre company Sixty-Six Theatre Company. Both initiatives are part of LSTFI’s progression forward to continually inspire and train new generations of actors.
The new degree program is “based on the best practices of 50 years of teaching… The training works best when it is combined with a production,” and the degree program does just that. Students are able to practically apply their training as they are learning. Being in classes with the same group of people create “kinship… inspiration among people” and a productive environment to learn and grow in.
“A curious mind will always find inspiration… you can be good, but not great, without inspiration.”
David Lee Strasberg
Being Creative Director of LSTFI has allowed David to “grow as a man and as a teacher… The biggest change in my teaching is… appreciation of doing your homework and the value of conditioning.” As an actor, you should be “building your instrument, even when you are not in class.” There immense value in constant training, which is “no more than you’d do as a professional athlete.” Athletes lifts weights, go to the gym, and train hard every day, and so should actors.
David sometimes “finds ease where his father needed to fight,” especially when it comes to legitimizing The Method for others. “I have no angst against people who do not accept my work,” said David. Lee had to work hard to keep The Method going when others doubted and criticized him. David has accepted the doubters that still exist. “The Method has always had doubters and it has always provided answers for people who are willing to learn… Both the doubts and the answers have been continuous” since Lee began his Method.
David Lee Strasberg will be doing a quarterly lecture series titled The Legacy Continues. The series applies the grand history and intellectual tradition of Lee Strasberg’s work to the practical challenges of today’s actor. The next lecture is on February 10th @ 6:00PM at the Marilyn Monroe Theatre at LSTFI Los Angeles.
The event is free and the lecture topic will be announced a week before the event. Topics are drawn from the writing and lecturing of Lee Strasberg over the past 80 years in order to illustrate and explore the most important pillars of The Method while also investigating subtle distinctions and finer points of our teaching.
An emerging theatre company in NYC, Et Alia Theater is composed of international womxn seeking to express and unite their culturally diverse backgrounds and feminist lenses through the performing arts. The company was founded by three alumni of the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute – Giorgia Valenti, Ana Moioli, and Isabella Uzcategui – together with fellow artist Maria Müller. Their desire to expand their horizons and engage with the worldwide storytelling scene led each to leave their country and become a global citizen. The group was born from its members’ shared belief in the power of theater to build connections that go beyond nationalities and labels, and their ambition to share new stories with NYC audiences.
In their most recent endeavor, Et Alia Theater staged a production of Running in Place by Hasnain Shaikh at Dixon Place. A true up-and-coming company, Et Alia and their latest project have already been featured in countless publications. Find interviews with the company in the Under the Covers Collective, The Brazilian Times, La Voce di New York, and more! You can even tune in to hear Maria Müller speak on Salon Radio’s International Women Artists’ Salon. We had the chance to sit down with the founding members of Et Alia ourselves to learn about their company, their process, and their recent show:
Q: What inspired you to start a theatre company?
MARIA: At first, we [only] wanted to put up a play. In our search for the “perfect” play, we sat down with each other and realized that we are all interested in different theatre styles, themes and topics. However, what united us was the fact that we were all from different countries and we had different backgrounds and experiences that we were trying to navigate while in the US. We decided not to limit ourselves to only one project. We wanted to talk about a lot of things and share many different stories that the New York audiences haven’t heard before. A theatre company was the perfect way to do that and to also give us a safe space where we could create and take risks.
Q: If you are all interested in different styles, themes, and topics, what led you to Running in Place? Why this play?
MARIA: Because it is a story that we can all relate to in one way or another, because we all felt what the characters are feeling at some point in our lives, because it is a raw representation of a human relationship – with all its beautiful and ugly moments, because it is important and relevant and because it reminds us to slow down a little bit and cherish each moment and every person while they’re still in our lives.
Q: It sounds like an intense play! Actors, can you speak at all about your character or your approach to this material?
GIORGIA: Yes! I absolutely adored playing Rebecca. She was perhaps the first character that I really felt growing on me through the rehearsal process. I have a sense that now I have her in my back pocket and I can bring out this amazing other person whenever I want! From day one of rehearsals, the safe space in the room helped me explore and dig deeper into everything I imagined Rebecca to be. I feel like I had a clear image of who she was from day one, especially knowing the playwright and having talked to him about how he had written Running in Place during a specific time of his life. He really saw himself in the character of Rebecca (initially written as a man). I think the language of the play and the relationship between [Rebecca] and Zoe was really helpful in terms of finding her flaws, her insecurities, her similarities to me, her differences from me, and her loving and soft playfulness.
ANA: It is quite hard to talk about my character without spoiling the show, because there is a very important condition that I can’t expose. In more general terms, it was definitely a challenge to build a character that was half a real person, half an idea. However, it was very easy for me to fall in love with [Zoe], as she is so beautifully committed to her goal of saving her beloved one, Rebecca, and is so smart in her tactics. It was so fulfilling to build this relationship with Giorgia, whom I am so comfortable with. I definitely engaged with all the self-confidence I have and channeled the teacher inside of me. “Don’t play the problem; you have the right answer and you know it”, Isa would tell me almost every rehearsal. It was a lot of fun to embody a character who fights so hard for what she believes in.
MARIA: Yes! I am playing Brea and Penelope and the Mother: three very different characters who affect Rebecca and Zoe’s relationship in various ways. It was a challenge for me to be able to switch between the three, especially when the scenes were back to back and especially because I had no costume change to signal the transition between the characters. I actually really liked Isa’s choice to not have a costume change, because it pushed me to differentiate between the three in the most truthful way possible. With all three, I had the same starting questions: Who is this person? What do they want in this play? How do they affect Zoe and Rebecca’s relationship?
There is a great conflict with each of them. Brea (Zoe’s friend) is in love with Zoe and dislikes Rebecca because she has what Brea wants so badly. At the same time, she can’t really show her antipathy towards Rebecca in front of Zoe, because Zoe loves her so much. Penelope (Rebecca’s sister) is trying to be the father the two of them never had. She is conflicted because she wants Rebecca to get over losing Zoe, but at the same time she wants to be a good sister and offer Rebecca the support she needs in this process. We only see the Mother’s character in the flashbacks of the relationship, where she makes it pretty clear that she doesn’t like Zoe. After their father left the family, the Mother became overprotective with Penelope and Rebecca and has had a hard time accepting their partners since then. It was funny to me to go from being in love with Zoe and disliking Rebecca, to loving Rebecca and wanting to be there for her, to loving Rebecca so much that I disliked Zoe. I had a really great time navigating all of that.
Q: Isabella, what has been your experience directing this piece? How does it differ from other projects you’ve directed?
ISABELLA: The best thing about directing Running in Place has been the collaboration with these incredible artists. It was a different play than anything I’ve done because it is a ghost story, a memory play, and I wanted to play with the dreamy qualities of it. It is also a love story that is very profound and beautifully written. From the beginning, the play was completely embodied by the ladies who took the roles. It was the first time that I was focusing as a director on the intimacy, the unsaid qualities, the details of characters – that was a new way of approaching the directorial process and it was exciting!
Q: So, do you all have a vision for the company moving forward? What other projects do you hope to take on?
MARIA: Absolutely! We want to continue making work and expanding and taking on projects that inspire us and that are relevant. We are interested in work that company members have written, but also new plays and projects generated by people who have seen our work and who want to be part of it. Until the end of the year, we want to organize a reading. At the beginning of next year, we will hopefully do more runs of Running in Place and a full-on production of a new play.
GIORGIA: Yes, we are actually booked at Casa Italiana on the 8th of December for a staged reading of Maria’s new play. We would love to use this event as an opportunity to meet a lot of new artists that have shown interest in our work and who could collaborate with us in the future! Hopefully in January we will have collected enough funds to put up a new full production.
Q: Today’s industry is all about creating your own work and raising your own funds. Can you give any advice to other artists looking to put up their own projects or start their own companies?
GIORGIA: Do it! It’s the best thing. It’s extremely self-fulfilling and driving. I think my best advice would be to find people who you love, share an artistic vision with, and who have different skills from you. Find someone who can’t wait to direct, who adores tech designing etc. Because they will have so much to teach you and will help you with designated tasks that you are not capable of doing. Also, be patient. Sometimes working with friends can be frustrating – but breathe in and remind yourself that you love them for the artists they are. In terms of money: ask for money for Christmas (that’s what I am doing). Host events that will be interesting, not just for you and for your purpose of making money but that can give something to the people you invite. Social media is also an amazing tool! Also, always have a story to tell!
MARIA: My advice would be to surround yourselves with people who inspire you! I cannot stress that enough. Watching my collaborators work is a true force and has helped me develop some of the best projects I’ve been a part of. People who believe in you and understand your vision are crucial in the arts. Another thing would be: there is a lot you can do with just a little. We did not raise any money for our first production! We had the space at Dixon Place for free because we applied for it. Our costumes were taken from our own wardrobes and our props were small investments we made [ourselves]. That is not to say we are not looking to raise money in the future! But we didn’t need it to start. There are a lot of great ways to raise money: fundraising websites, events, etc. You just have to have a strong vision and know how to pitch it!
ANA: Your friends are your most valuable connections. Use them. Don’t only have eyes for the people who are “ahead” of you; gather the people who are on the same boat as you and rise up together. New York is the right city for it. Dixon Place and The Tank are great venues to apply for without having to spend money. Get your journal and transform it into play! Or a screenplay! Reach out to your friends and tell the world what your heart has to say.
ISABELLA: Be respectful, kind, and have an openness to every opportunity that comes your way. Also: go get the no! Always ask for what you want and need, and someday soon you will get many yes-es!
Stay up-to-date with all of Et Alia’s projects on their website!
Meet the Company
Ana Moioli was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She entered the world of acting at a young age, and studied at Casa de Teatro, the Celia Helena Theater School, and the Moscow Art Theatre before coming to New York University. At NYU Tisch, Ana trained at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, The Experimental Theatre Wing, and Stonestreet Studios. In her three and a half years in NYC, Ana has performed in several Off-Off Broadway productions and independent films. With her number-one-collaborator and fellow Brazilian Guilherme Pedra, Ana has shot several films that have been well received by festivals. Her experience and training has proven that her interests go beyond acting, and she finds herself now as a multidisciplinary artist. Most recently, Ana wrote a play called For The Time Being, which she will act in at the NYWinterfest Festival in January. She has been directing for film, including the self-written short Bridge and Jennifer Whitehead’s It’s Fate. She has found the most important lesson to be that nothing is more rewarding than working with people you love, and that anything is achievable when you’re friends with the right people. For Ana, co-founding Et Alia with some of her dearest collaborators has been a dream-come-true.
Maria Müller started acting at the age of 6. Since then, she has done numerous plays in Romania, her home country. When she moved to the US to pursue acting at NYU, Maria continued her work in the theatre and entered the world of film, both in Romania and the US. At NYU, she trained at Playwrights Horizons Theatre School, Stonestreet Studios, and in the Stanislavsky & Brecht program in Berlin. Since graduating in May, Maria has taken her career in her own hands. She wrote a film called Where Are You From Again, in which she plays the lead, and opened Et Alia with her fellow artists and collaborators. Her other recent credits include Staying Afloat, written and directed by Elizabeth Katz, and Smoking – a short film written and directed by Victor Cioaba that was accepted to the Festival de Cannes Short Film Corner in 2017. She starred in Smoking alongside Maria Dragus, a well-known European actress. In the theatre, she starred in Brecht’s Antigone, directed by Brian Eckert. Maria considers herself an actor, a writer, and a producer and strives to make important and relevant work. Her main goal is to never stop moving.She wants to surround myself with artists who she can learn from and who inspire her to go deeper in her work.
Isabella Uzcategui was born in Caracas, Venezuela and was raised in several countries throughout Latin America. She came to the United State to study at NYU and currently lives in New York City. At NYU, she attended the Tisch School of the Arts were she trained at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, The Classical Studio, and The Experimental Theater Wing. Currently, she is a company member of Theater Mitu. Her work encompasses many artistic practices: particularly as an actor, director, writer and filmmaker. This past year, Isabella made her first short film Mujer, wrote her first theatrical piece Veinticinco, interned for Bryce Dallas Howard, and performed with Theater Mitu in two pieces – one which toured to the MESS Festival in Sarajevo. In founding Et Alia, she is thrilled to be experimenting with theater and the possibilities it gives to frame communities and push the artistic form.
Giorgia Valenti first approach art through dance as a young child in Italy. Soon after discovering her passion for movement, Giorgia moved to Banaglore, India with her family at the age of 10. In Banaglore, she continued to pursue dance and later made her cinematic debut in Teenage, a local Sandalwood movie, at the side of the youngest director in the world: Kishan Shrikant. With more avenues of artistic expression yet to pursue, Giorgia began modeling at the age of 14 and soon began her acting training at The Bangalore School of Speech and Drama. Upon graduation, she moved to New York to study at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Before finding her way to The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, Giorgia studied at Meisner, the Experimental Theatre Wing, and the Commedia dell’Arte program in Florence. Through her studies, she has learned the invaluable lessons of finding courage and taking risks. She seeks to pursue her passion for storytelling through a multitude of forms. Ever inspired by movement and dance, she longs to help the audience feel they are not alone and to explore the complex relationship between home and identity.
With her role as Amity in Hulu’s horror anthology series Castle Rock, LSTFI alumna Mathilde Dehaye joins a long list of Method™ trained actors involved in Stephen King’s work. From Jack Nicholson in The Shining to Mathilde’s co-star Sissy Spacek in Carrie, Method Actors have been tackling Stephen King’s characters for decades. Described as “absolutely hypnotic” by John Saavedra of Den of Geek!, Mathilde is proving why her name deserves to be mentioned with the greats.
“It feels like a blessing I am extremely grateful for.”
Mathilde Dehaye
Mathilde studied at The Institute through the Two Year Conservatory Program followed by two semesters of Method Acting classes with Robert Ellerman. She describes her time at The Institute as essential stepping stones in her career, “an enriching, colorful, and vital learning experience.”
“It provided me with the main keys to a strong system I can rely on, as well as a better knowledge and understanding of myself, others, and the craft.”
Mathilde Dehaye
Described as “an epic saga of darkness and light”, Hulu’s Castle Rock explores the happenings of the fictitious town in Maine as elements of Stephen King’s works collide. This thriller reimagines characters from his beloved stories including IT, The Shawshank Redemption, and Misery. In season two, Mathilde returns as Amity Lambert, a young French woman and one of the original settlers of Castle Rock back in the 17th century. Mathilde doesn’t want to give away any secrets about this season, but does describes Amity as a “passionate, daring, and determined heck of a woman with a plan!”
“Mathilde Dehaye can beam with just her eyes, or cut with them. Like [Lizzy] Caplan, Dehaye can tilt her chin with winning challenge, set it in chilling wrath, or soften it in resignation. It sounds superficial, but in a story switching abruptly to subtitled French, an actor who can strongly signal every shift in tone with a glance is valuable.”
In surviving and finding your own way as an actor, Mathilde makes a point to trust in yourself and those around you. “You’re enough, you’re exactly whom you should be, and you’re at the right place at the right time.” she says, “You are supported, and you are never alone. It’s all working out for you whether you are aware of it or not.”
All seasons of Castle Rock are available to stream on Hulu.
Can’t get enough? Listen to Mathilde guest star on an episode of Monday Morning Critic! She sits down to talk CastleRock, actor training, and our very own Lola Cohen!
This Alumni News article is written by NYU Tisch at Strasberg alumnus Christian Masinsin. If you are an alum and have a story you think should be featured, please email alumni@strasberg.edu.
When Jeff Bosley began his studies at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in Los Angeles, his Method Acting teacher, David Salsa, asked everyone to write down what their goal as an actor was. Jeff wrote, “to give the audience whatever they need in their life.” Ever since then, Jeff has let that goal dictate his acting career.
“Find the things that make you giddy. Whatever things make you giddy- don’t lose that… Method Acting gives me that giddiness.”
Jeff Bosley’s Advice for Actors
Prior to acting, Jeff had an Army career and was a firefighter. His job in the military had a lot to do with “faking who you were, dare I say acting…. that was so comfortable for me.” He had enjoyed acting growing up and after the military, he “finally just went for acting.”
Discovering The Method
“I cherish the experiences I had in Method Acting… Some Method was very hard for me [at first], I am too analytical… The Method lets me shut my brain off”
Jeff Bosely on his time at LSTFI
When Jeff began training at LSTFI, he noticed something interesting about the technique. “I was doing [The Method] inherently and not knowing it!” This probably wouldn’t be a surprise to Lee Strasberg, he always said ‘The Method has been used throughout history by actors who have been acting well.’ Even before LSTFI, Jeff had “a playlist for relaxation” because he recognized how important it was to relax. During training he learned to develop a “toolbox” of techniques that he could rely on if he “would break [character] and have to go back” into the moment.
Since training at Strasberg, Jeff has been part of many TV and movie projects including Vice (2018 movie), Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and SEAL Team. He also finds joy acting in Indie films. “The best part of an Indie film is that they are fueled on passion.” One of his most challenging roles came from an Indie film called Parallax. Parallax follows the story of two film makers who are trying to make a genuine Western film and they hire a real cowboy, Wayne Johnson (Bosley), as their leading man.
“They think [Wayne] is the perfect cowboy, but he is actually the antithesis of that.” Wayne was a bad man, going as far as sexually assaulting a woman in the movie. “I was always playing the good guy role… I had to find whatever seed in my that would create the character.” “Some of the worst people like that exist,” and Jeff had to use techniques in his “toolbox” to portray such a horrible person on film.
Reaching for Reacher
Jeff has some exciting projects on the horizon. Currently, he is working toward being cast in a new reboot of the Jack Reacher franchise. The Jack Reacher books, written by Lee Child, were turned into a movie series in 2012 starring Tom Cruise. Though Cruise has the acting chops and star power, he wasn’t the body type required to play Reacher. According to Child “the size of Reacher… is a big component of who he is” (bbc.com).
Jeff Bosley, a 6’5″, ex-military actor, knows he fits the description of Reacher perfectly. He is being considered for the role, but he knows “there is so much that is out of our control.” Right now Jack Reacher is “what I’m living and breathing,” says Jeff. His fan base has created the hastag #bosleyforeacher in support of him. Even the comments in this Variety Article show the public’s support for Jeff.
Right now, Jeff’s main goal is “to escape the starving artist phase.” He loves acting in many ways, but he finds stage acting “more rewarding for the performer… 60 to 90 minutes of being in the moment.. I see why a lot of classically trained people go back to stage when they can afford it.” Here’s hoping that Jeff will one day be able to afford to return to the stage.
The Alumni Blog for LSTFI is run by Aly Homminga.
If you are an alumni and have a story you think should be featured, please emailahomminga@strasberg.edu.
Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute® alumni Kevin Anton has added a new project to his resume: the Showtime limited series The Loudest Voice. Starring Russell Crowe, Seth MacFarlane and fellow LSTFI alumna Sienna Miller, the series is adapted from Gabriel Sherman’s biography about Fox News president Roger Ailes, The Loudest Voice in the Room. The Showtime drama depicts Ailes’ rise and fall at Fox News with the company’s simultaneous effect on the country. Kevin plays real-life Fox News executive Warren Vandeveer “who is tasked with a mission which calls upon ignoring certain moral ideals.”
Born and raised in South Orange, New Jersey, Kevin’s love of acting came from a combination of grammar school plays and a passion for movies. As he dressed like Luke Skywalker and fought the Empire in his backyard, Kevin knew that acting and filmmaking was all he wanted to do. As his college career winded down, Kevin fell into the world of 50s and 60s films. The idea of The Method was planted in his brain by the greats like James Dean, Marlon Brando and Elia Kazan. From there, “all roads pointed to The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute.”
In his time at Strasberg, Kevin found more than a classroom. He also found a community. A community that would watch each other in class and discuss the work over drinks after class. “Acting is a tough business,” Kevin warns, “and having the opportunity to learn from so many creative and talented people at Strasberg, really helped me grow as both an actor and a person.”
Each teacher provided something unique and invaluable to Kevin’s training. Kevin credits Irma Sandrey with teaching technique and Anna Strasberg for nuggets of wisdom that sticks with him to this day. “Just say the words and the rest is there.” This note would take on a new meaning for Kevin as his career progressed and Anna’s words would sink in. “After a while, I began to truly understand the meaning of ‘less is more’ and that even in silence, there is power, and that internal reactions can often be more powerful than physical ones. Like in life, you don’t plan those reactions, they just come out.”
“Just say the words and the rest is there.”
Kevin Anton
In addition to his acting career, Kevin has taken a seat in the director’s chair. Kevin’s short film The Lost Baskethas recently been selected for both The Jersey Shore Film Festival and the Soma Film Festival. Shot on an iPhone 7, Kevin describes the film as a modern-day interpretation of the Raiders of the Lost Ark opening with a twist. To Kevin, the ubiquity of the iPhone provides everyone with an opportunity to tell a story. “This has really given a voice to so many others who might not have otherwise had a chance to make their voices heard, and this is so important now, more than ever.”
Kevin pushes the importance of staying positive and believing in yourself in the industry. The struggle is real but that’s where you find your strength. When it gets hard, it helps to surround yourself with people who can do that for you.
“Surround yourself with people who inspire you, challenge you, call you out when you need it, but, most importantly, who believe in you and lift you up when that self-doubt creeps in.”
Kevin Anton
The Loudest Voice is available to stream now on the Showtime app!
Kevin Anton can be found online at www.kevin-anton.com and on Instagram and Twitter at @iamkevinanton.
This Alumni News article is written by NYU Tisch at Strasberg alumnus Christian Masinsin. If you are an alum and have a story you think should be featured, please email alumni@strasberg.edu.
The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York City and Los Angeles both have a program called Young Actors at Strasberg (or YAS) that offers kids acting classes for children of all abilities ages K-12. Parents, kids, and teens can have a lot of questions about acting classes for kids. Kristi Fok, Program Director for YAS New York and Liza Monjauze, Program Director for YAS Los Angeles answer some questions parents and new actors might have about the performing arts classes for kids at LSTFI.
What Are Classes Like for YAS?
During the school year, YAS classes happen during the day on Saturdays. During the summer, YAS offers week-long classes and camps for students.
Just like adult classes, YAS curriculum includes Method Acting classes, voice, dance, singing, musical theatre, and more! Lee Strasberg’s Method includes sensory exercises like ‘breakfast drink,’ where students spend time feeling, smelling, and tasting a breakfast drink like tea, juice or coffee. In classes “the material and work is definitely age appropriate,” said Kristi, “they learn the in’s and out’s of what goes into acting training.”
The instructors for adult classes are the same as the YAS instructors, so students are working with some of the best acting and theatre instructors in the industry. “Our teachers are so passionate,” said Liza. They view sharing their passion with students as “an honor and a gift.”
Young Actors at Strasberg splits kids into different classes based on grade.
YAS 1: K-2nd Grade
YAS 2: 3rd-5th Grade
YAS 3: Middle School
YAS 4: High School
The classes get more advanced and challenging based on the grade level. Acting classes for teenagers at LSTFI focus on career preparation such as auditions and getting ready for theatre in college.
What Are the Benefits of Acting Classes for Kids and Teens?
“I think the important thing is that we get to provide a space for them to let loose and be creative… What they love, we love… We get to encourage their emotions”
Liza Monjauze on the benefits of youth acting classes
YAS Participants at the 2019 Strasberg Film Festival
For kids of all ages, acting classes give them a chance to express emotions and explore their own creativity. There is so much pressure in schools, especially high school to be very academically focused. “For kids who are artists, they need the art,” said Liza, “they get to come here and they get to write what they want to… their thoughts are so valid.” Even for kids who have done a lot of acting before, taking classes at LSTFI gives kids the chance to continue shaping themselves- “there is no end to the growth and creativity, ever,” remarked Liza.
The techniques taught at LSTFI can help students in areas other than acting. Relaxation, one of the core pillars of The Method, can benefit kids before taking a test or to center their minds if they get anxious.
“[Students] are being trained to connect with each other… and they love it!” said Liza. YAS gives students the chance to be “surrounded by other kids who love acting” (Kristi) and are like-minded people. The program means a lot to the kids who are a part of it. “They connect over speeches and monologues that they love. They connect over the women’s march… things that are important to them” (Liza).
Are Classes Only for Experienced Students?
No! Classes are for children and teens of all abilities and experiences. When discussing this topic, Kristi said, “[classes] have a good mixture of kids who have not been in acting and those who have.” Instructors work with kids of all levels and are fantastic at getting kids to engage and work with The Method regardless of experience.
Our program specifically pushes and challenges the students in a different way
Kristi Fok on LSTFI’s YAS Program
How Can My Family Learn More About YAS?
Both LA and NYC have occasional open houses for families interested in LSTFI. If you are in the New York area, there is an Open House on Saturday, January 25th at LSTFI (115 E 15th St).
December 12, 13 and 14, 2019 in The Marilyn Monroe Theatre
An aspiring young director rampages against the art created by his mother’s generation. A nubile young actress wrestles with an aging Hollywood star for the affections of a renowned novelist. And everyone discovers just how disappointing love, art, and growing up can be. In this irreverent, contemporary, and very funny remix of Chekhov’s The Seagull, Aaron Posner stages a timeless battle between young and old, past and present, in search of the true meaning of it all. Original songs composed by James Sugg draw the famously subtextual inner thoughts of Chekhov’s characters explicitly to the surface. STUPID FUCKING BIRD will tickle, tantalize, and incite you to consider how art, love, and revolution fuel your own pursuit of happiness.
Featuring:
Zoey Burger Andrés Goldszmidt Devin Lee Sarah Anne Long Carmine Mastrokostas Adam Parbhoo Sophie Schulman
