David Gideon- The Acting Class, Inc. Blog — DAVID GIDEON-The Acting Class, Inc.

Poetic Realism and The Method

Even during Lee Strasberg’s lifetime, the idea that The Method reached its pinnacle of success with the poetically realistic plays of the ’50s and ’60s was common. It has even been put forth that the shift in theatre towards different structures has made The Method irrelevant or obsolete. Where this began is impossible to track, but it shows a complete lack of understanding as to the very nature of what Lee was teaching in his classes, and sharing at The Actors Studio sessions.

Acting, Lee Strasberg, Method ActingDavid GideonMarch 1, 2016#Method Acting, #Lee Strasberg, #The Actors Studio, #Elia Kazan, #Harold Clurman, #Stella Adler, #Sandy Meisner, #Acting Teachers, #NY #NYC #StellaAdler #Los Angeles #Actor #A Streetcar Named Desire #Ella Kazan #Marlon Brando #Stephen Adly Guirguis #Archetype #Imagination #Shakespeare

Arthur and Me and Sense Memory

Arthur Penn was a great director. He was an important member of The Actors Studio who was equally at home in the theatre and on film sets. Best remembered for the Broadway productions of “Two For The Seesaw” and “The Miracle Worker”, and the films “The Miracle Worker”, Bonnie and Clyde”, “Night Moves”, and “Little Big Man”, I remember him best as a vibrant moderator at Actors Studio sessions, and as a co-founder of The Actors Studio Drama School when it was at New School University.

Acting, Lee Strasberg, Method ActingDavid GideonFebruary 23, 2016#Method Acting, #Lee Strasberg, #The Actors Studio, #Elia Kazan, #Harold Clurman, #Stella Adler, #Sandy Meisner, #Acting Teachers, #NY #NYC #StellaAdler #Los Angeles #Actor #Arthur Penn #sensory #memory #Actors Studio

The Rule of Seven Years

Consistency and the ability to repeat are very important elements of acting and the actor’s craft. This is as true for the organic, internally centered Method Actor as it is for an external, representational actor. The main difference is that an external actor tries to imitate and express the same things the same way in each and every performance, while the Method Actor tries to make the same discoveries in every performance. It’s akin to the experiments that take place daily, year in and year out, in high school chemistry classrooms across the world. The experiments are always identical, and the teacher knows in advance exactly how they will turn out, but the results are always brand new to the students. In the case of Method Actors, we must be both teacher and student in exploring and using the elements of our craft. We must know both what to expect so that we make consistent choices, and at the same time discover their affects as if we were experiencing them for the first time.

Acting, Lee Strasberg, Method ActingDavid GideonFebruary 16, 2016#Method Acting, #Lee Strasberg, #The Actors Studio, #Elia Kazan, #Harold Clurman, #Stella Adler, #Sandy Meisner, #Acting Teachers, #NY #NYC #StellaAdler #Los Angeles #Actor #Seven Years

Digging Deep

There are so many examples in literature of the long suffering artist that many forms of creative disfunction have become romanticized. We read of forever drunken writers, coked up dancers (after all dancers have to keep the weight off), stoned actors, painters, and sculptors. And if we believe both literature and the popular press, musicians do it all. Indeed, it is easy to see why so many people believe that to be successfully creative is to function through a haze that would ordinarily stop creativity in its tracks. We are led to believe that this is necessary in order to dull the pain in our souls from which our art flows. Sure, there are those that say that the creative spark is released through these chemicals (more on that in a later blog), but for the most part it is relief from the “pain within” that this is meant to address.

Acting, Lee Strasberg, Method ActingDavid GideonFebruary 7, 2016#Method Acting, #Lee Strasberg, #The Actors Studio, #Elia Kazan, #Harold Clurman, #Stella Adler, #Sandy Meisner, #Acting Teachers, #NY #NYC #StellaAdler #Los Angeles #Actor #character

Breaking It Down to Build It Back Up

Even before I began my studies I had heard stories of The Method’s need to “break an actor down in order to build him/her back up”. This sounded very unappealing and vaguely “cultish”. It actually almost took me in another direction, but after hearing that the other great teachers had similar reputations, I decided to stay with my first choice, Lee Strasberg. I’m eternally grateful that I did, for as with so many other aspects of Lee’s training, there is absolutely NO TRUTH to this myth.

Acting, Lee Strasberg, Method ActingDavid GideonJanuary 26, 2016#Method Acting, #Lee Strasberg, #The Actors Studio, #Elia Kazan, #Harold Clurman, #Stella Adler, #Sandy Meisner, #Acting Teachers, #NY #NYC #StellaAdler #Los Angeles #Actor #Truth, #Theater, #Habits #Cliché

Imagine All The Actors Living Life Onstage

“Just imagine it”, or “just imagine that circumstance”, or ” just imagine that you’re in love with that person”, or “just imagine it’s bitter cold outside, or that you’re the happiest person alive, or you’ve just gotten a dire diagnosis”.

Method Acting, Acting, Lee StrasbergDavid GideonJanuary 17, 2016#Method Acting, #Lee Strasberg, #The Actors Studio, #Elia Kazan, #Harold Clurman, #Stella Adler, #Sandy Meisner, #Acting Teachers, #NY #NYC #StellaAdler #Los Angeles #Actor #Imagination #Relaxation #Concentration

Is It Real or Is It Make Believe?

For many years, even when Lee Strasberg was alive, I have heard audiences and critics alike say, “what a great Method Actor” when referring to someone who had actually tried the characters lifestyle as part of their preparation for a role. An actor who partied too hard just to get the feel of a role, or an actor who became harsh and abusive to those around him because that was the nature of the character he was playing.

Acting, Lee Strasberg, Method ActingDavid GideonJanuary 10, 2016#Method Acting, #Lee Strasberg, #The Actors Studio, #Elia Kazan, #Harold Clurman, #Stella Adler, #Sandy Meisner, #Acting Teachers, #NY #NYC #StellaAdler #Los Angeles #Actor #As if #Character

Relaxation-It Sounds So Simple, Yet…

When Anthony Hopkins was a guest on “Inside The Actors Studio” he was asked if he still used sense memory work, or any of the other training work, in his acting. His answer was both wonderful and misleading. To paraphrase, he said “no, but I really rely on staying relaxed to let my imagination work”. It was misleading because like any well learned skill, the artisan becomes unaware of how much s/he is relying on using what s/he knows “in her bones”. But it was wonderful because behind and underneath everything we do onstage lies relaxation.

Acting, Lee Strasberg, Method ActingDavid GideonJanuary 3, 2016#Method Acting, #Lee Strasberg, #The Actors Studio, #Elia Kazan, #Harold Clurman, #Stella Adler, #Sandy Meisner, #Acting Teachers, #NY #NYC #StellaAdler #Los Angeles #Actor #Relaxation

What Distinguished Lee From All Others

I recently had a conversation with another acting teacher and brought up the concept of Private Moments: what they are and how they are achieved. His response was to talk about the “fourth wall” and how it blocks out the audience allowing for public privacy.

Acting, Lee Strasberg, Method ActingDavid GideonDecember 26, 2015

How To Pick an Acting Teacher (and allow that teacher to pick you)

When Lee Strasberg was teaching me how to interview potential students he made it clear that even in this process there mustn’t be any judgement. He went so far as to say “in an audition we judge talent; a teacher trains it”. How then is the decision made? One of the important questions in the interview is “who are your favorite actors”? This seemingly conversational question can be very revealing.

Acting, Lee Strasberg, Method ActingDavid GideonMarch 2, 2010#Method Acting, #Lee Strasberg, #The Actors Studio, #Elia Kazan, #Harold Clurman, #Stella Adler, #Sandy Meisner, #Acting Teachers, #NY #NYC #StellaAdler #Los Angeles #Actor #DavidGideon