TOEFL Experts Reading Practice 6
Modern Schools of Acting
The eminent Russian theatre director Konstantin Stanislavski brought his Moscow Art Theatre to New York City in 1922. The piercing, psychological truths portrayed by actors trained in his technique surprised and captivated the American theatrical community, since this realism was largely unknown in the mannered, external style then current in the United States. The Stanislavski technique soon became the new standard. Its rise was spearheaded by a handful of young professional actors in New York; these disciples would form The Group Theatre, which dedicated itself to training and performing in that mode. This technique would begin to dominate theatre acting. Later it would spread to film in the United States, then throughout the Western world. However, a philosophical schism split The Group Theatre, and three dominant sects emerged, each led by a former original member. While all won success and respect, each became more convinced in the superiority of his or her approach.
Lee Strasberg and The Actors’ Studio. Undoubtedly, Lee Strasberg (1901–82) garnered the greatest share of fame and fortune. His school, The Actors’ Studio, at which a mere handful of the thousand annual applicants were accepted, won world renown as the epicenter of theatrical craft without commercial constraints. This was not surprising, as Strasberg had already basked in the limelight as co-founder and acknowledged leader of The Group Theatre—itself known for both its acting and intensive summer retreats devoted to training in virtually an athletic sense—during its groundbreaking successes in the 1930s. Furthermore, Strasberg codified Stanislavski’s approach into a famous educational system of actor training known as “The Method.” Strasberg’s training revolved around “affective memory,” infusing the emotional memories from the actor’s own life into that of the character.
Public recognition of Strasberg as the guru of the art form was bolstered by the notable list of stars who had studied with him. In addition, while he rarely worked as an actor, one such performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Today, decades after his death, The Actors’ Studio remains an acclaimed institution, although belief in its superiority is now more prevalent in the general public than in the professional community.
Sanford Meisner and The Neighborhood Playhouse. Sanford Meisner (1905–97) was Strasberg’s junior by four years. The younger man became a founding member of The Group Theatre and scored several artistic triumphs, including directing a production of Waiting for Lefty, which won acclaim both artistically and for its condemnation of the suffering of the working class during the Great Depression. Eventually, however, Meisner disagreed with Strasberg over the effectiveness of “affective memory.” After it became known that Stanislavski himself had abandoned this technique, this disagreement became an artistic breach between the two men.
Meisner then headed the acting program at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. In that capacity, he transformed the school into a prestigious institution that exists to this day and developed his own acting curriculum, in which the actor prepared by channeling emotional imagination rather than delving into past experiences. While Meisner also trained an abundance of stars, he remained less widely known than Strasberg. Professionally, however, the Meisner technique is now the preferred and predominant technique in modern actor training. Sadly, the friendship between these two men did not survive their artistic divorce. While they both largely remained in Manhattan, they rarely spoke in the decades before Strasberg’s death.
Stella Adler and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Stella Adler (1901–92), another original member of The Group Theatre, also broke with Strasberg over “affective memory” and developed her own version of actor training in the studio that she created. Unlike the men, who were the children of tradesmen, Stella Adler was part of a legendary acting family of the Yiddish theatre in New York. While she had a more extensive acting career, she too became most admired as an acting coach. Some of the great stars, including Marlon Brando, publicly credited their success to Adler’s coaching. Although the studio she founded continues, her version of actor training has been less impactful, probably because the two men had a stronger institutional base and because the force of her singular personality was an immensely important component of her teaching.
Modern Schools of Acting
The eminent Russian theatre director Konstantin Stanislavski brought his Moscow Art Theatre to New York City in 1922. The piercing, psychological truths portrayed by actors trained in his technique surprised and captivated the American theatrical community, since this realism was largely unknown in the mannered, external style then current in the United States. The Stanislavski technique soon became the new standard. Its rise was spearheaded by a handful of young professional actors in New York; these disciples would form The Group Theatre, which dedicated itself to training and performing in that mode. This technique would begin to dominate theatre acting. Later it would spread to film in the United States, then throughout the Western world. However, a philosophical schism split The Group Theatre, and three dominant sects emerged, each led by a former original member. While all won success and respect, each became more convinced in the superiority of his or her approach.
Lee Strasberg and The Actors’ Studio. Undoubtedly, Lee Strasberg (1901–82) garnered the greatest share of fame and fortune. His school, The Actors’ Studio, at which a mere handful of the thousand annual applicants were accepted, won world renown as the epicenter of theatrical craft without commercial constraints. This was not surprising, as Strasberg had already basked in the limelight as co-founder and acknowledged leader of The Group Theatre—itself known for both its acting and intensive summer retreats devoted to training in virtually an athletic sense—during its groundbreaking successes in the 1930s. Furthermore, Strasberg codified Stanislavski’s approach into a famous educational system of actor training known as “The Method.” Strasberg’s training revolved around “affective memory,” infusing the emotional memories from the actor’s own life into that of the character.
Public recognition of Strasberg as the guru of the art form was bolstered by the notable list of stars who had studied with him. In addition, while he rarely worked as an actor, one such performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Today, decades after his death, The Actors’ Studio remains an acclaimed institution, although belief in its superiority is now more prevalent in the general public than in the professional community.
Sanford Meisner and The Neighborhood Playhouse. Sanford Meisner (1905–97) was Strasberg’s junior by four years. The younger man became a founding member of The Group Theatre and scored several artistic triumphs, including directing a production of Waiting for Lefty, which won acclaim both artistically and for its condemnation of the suffering of the working class during the Great Depression. Eventually, however, Meisner disagreed with Strasberg over the effectiveness of “affective memory.” After it became known that Stanislavski himself had abandoned this technique, this disagreement became an artistic breach between the two men.
Meisner then headed the acting program at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. In that capacity, he transformed the school into a prestigious institution that exists to this day and developed his own acting curriculum, in which the actor prepared by channeling emotional imagination rather than delving into past experiences. While Meisner also trained an abundance of stars, he remained less widely known than Strasberg. Professionally, however, the Meisner technique is now the preferred and predominant technique in modern actor training. Sadly, the friendship between these two men did not survive their artistic divorce. While they both largely remained in Manhattan, they rarely spoke in the decades before Strasberg’s death.
Stella Adler and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Stella Adler (1901–92), another original member of The Group Theatre, also broke with Strasberg over “affective memory” and developed her own version of actor training in the studio that she created. Unlike the men, who were the children of tradesmen, Stella Adler was part of a legendary acting family of the Yiddish theatre in New York. While she had a more extensive acting career, she too became most admired as an acting coach. Some of the great stars, including Marlon Brando, publicly credited their success to Adler’s coaching. Although the studio she founded continues, her version of actor training has been less impactful, probably because the two men had a stronger institutional base and because the force of her singular personality was an immensely important component of her teaching.
- In 1922, the Stanislavski technique came to New York and irrevocably changed how actors trained and performed.