The Method Actors’ Master Class at UCSD: a blog about a acting class taught by Mr. Lee Strasberg, founder of the Actors Studio.
This is a collection of the journal entries I kept while attending Mr. Strasberg’s method acting class at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Strasberg was 70 years old when he came to San Diego in 1970 to teach a master class in method acting. His last course. He died a year later in New York City on February 17, 1982 at the age of 83.
Strasberg is most famous for being the founder of The Actors Studio; and for his role as artistic director and teacher at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in New York City. But his greatest contribution to American theater was his work with actors. Strasberg’s ability to help actors find the “truth” in themselves and in their characters was renowned throughout the world. He helped create some of the greatest characters in American film history through his work with actors such as Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Dustin Hoffman.
The Method Actors’ Master Class at UCSD is a blog about a acting class I taught in the winter quarter of 2009 at the University of California, San Diego.
The class was part of the Department of Theatre and Dance’s “Directors Direct” series, which allows students to work with professional directors from around the world.
In addition to teaching at UCSD, I have also taught many acting classes in Los Angeles, including both group and private classes for performers who want to learn more about method acting.
For more information on my teaching style and experience, please visit my Personal Training page.
Hello, my name is Lee Strasberg. I founded the Actors Studio in New York City. I am a living legend and an icon of American theatre.
I am currently teaching at University California San Diego, Extension.
My class is called “The Method Actor’s Master Class.”
The Actors Studio changed the face of American theatre forever with its revolutionary approach to acting. It has become a laboratory for artists to work on their craft and develop their artistry through exploration and experimentation using the Method, which encourages actors to draw upon their emotions and experiences from their personal lives to bring more authenticity to their roles.
The Actors Studio has been home to such actors as Marlon Brando, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Paul Newman, Rod Steiger and so many others.
Now through this class you have the opportunity to learn from me personally as I share my knowledge, wisdom and experience in the field of acting. You will be able to learn first-hand what it means to truly be an “actor” in every sense of the word by discovering how the artistry of your instrument – your body, mind and spirit – can come together in harmony as one.
Did you know that Lee Strasberg taught an acting class at the University of California, San Diego back in 1971? And did you know that you can listen to all 12 hours of his class – for free – right now?
I didn’t know any of this, but over the summer I found out. My partner, who is a playwright and director here in LA, was looking for some inspiration for a play he was working on called Method Actors. He wanted to listen to some audio of Strasberg’s classes so he could hear how Strasberg worked with actors and also understand what Strasberg was trying to teach his students. After searching around on the internet, my partner discovered that there is actually a whole series of recordings from Strasberg’s class at UCSD available online. They are housed in the Library of Congress (you can read more about it here). I listened to some of these recordings and they were so interesting that I decided to create a blog where I feature one recording each week so we can all listen together and talk about it.
I will be posting each week’s recording on Sundays at 10:00 AM Pacific time. In addition to listening to the recordings, I will be reading books about Strasberg and
This blog is about a class I took with Mr. Strasberg at the University of California, San Diego in the fall quarter of 1971. The course was titled “The Method” and was an introduction to Lee Strasberg’s teachings on acting and his approach to the System developed by Konstantin Stanislavski.
I have written a page per class session, and have also included some additional information about what was happening in my life as I wrote each entry. These entries are as they were written in my journal, which I kept during the course of the class.
As the lights dimmed and the film began to roll, I could feel a sudden stillness wash over the room. I looked around and could see that everyone was immersed in the film. It was as if we were all hypnotized by the story unfolding on the screen.
This was a unique experience for me, for it has been years since a film has been able to capture my attention in such a way. As I watched this movie, I was struck by how comfortable I was. At no moment did I feel the need to look away from the screen or glance at my watch. In fact, time passed quickly and before I knew it, three hours had gone by!
I didn’t realize how much time had gone by until Mr. Strasberg stopped the film to discuss it with us. We all seemed surprised when he announced that our class period was over. No one wanted to leave! It had been such a great experience watching this film with Mr. Strasberg and everyone in class, that we didn’t want it to end.
Before leaving, Mr. Strasberg told us that we would be watching another movie next week and asked us what we would like to see. The suggestions ranged from Ghost World to Last Tango in Paris to A Room With
Actors are often called upon to create the illusion of reality. This is not an easy task. I do not mean that it is difficult to learn how to cry or tremble or laugh on cue or to look as though they hate their mothers—all of which are useful theatrical skills. I mean that it is hard to make their feelings real. An actor may be able to weep on cue, but if the tears are not real, the audience will sense it, and the play will be ruined.
The problem is that most actors cannot create reality. They can simulate it, but they cannot generate it spontaneously. The reason for this is simple: most actors have not had a chance to practice generating reality at work, because most actors have never had interesting jobs, and thus have never felt real emotions on the job.
The Method was invented by Stanislavsky in the early 1900s as a way for his actors to feel more alive onstage. For example, suppose an actor playing a businessman finds himself unable to cry at his daughter’s wedding because he doesn’t really feel like crying about his daughter’s wedding. Stanislavsky would ask him what would make him cry. The businessman might say, “If I lost my job
