What is Method Acting

Method Acting involves various techniques by which actors strive to create in themselves thoughts and emotions of the characters they play in order to assume lifelike performances. As opposed to more classical acting techniques, which adopt more external means to produce character (e.g., physical expression, vocal timbre, and intonation), Method acting draws upon actors’ internal abilities (e.g., emotion, sensory, and psychological) to create character portrayals. An actors’ internal abilities are supported through a series of exercises that focus on sense and affective memory. Though not all Method actors use the same approach, the techniques incorporated in Method acting usually refer to the practice advocated by Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio from the1940s to his death in 1982.

Method acting, first popularized in the U.S. by the Group Theatre during the 1930s, was later supported by Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse and Sanford Meisner Studio, Uta Hagen at HB Studio, and Stella Adler at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting – all located in New York City. Method acting has been described as revolutionizing American theater continuing to evolve, with contemporary acting teachers, schools, and colleges teaching an integrated approach that draws from several different schools of thought about acting.