Approaches to Acting

So you know you want to be an actor - and you know that all actors need a little bit of teaching, training, and technique… but what kind of training is right for you? How do you choose from among the dizzying range of options? There are so many schools out there advocating different approaches to the art of acting - what do all of these approaches have in common? How do they differ? Whose methods should you follow, which books should you read - what kind of classes should you take?

Some of these questions can only ever be answered by trial and error - by trying different approaches until you find the one that feels right for you. Some things can only be learned by doing. But we can help a little bit. In this article, we have provided summaries of a few of the most popular and widely-practiced approaches to acting, including information on where to find classes teaching these methods, along with some suggested further reading. We hope this will give you enough material to set you on your way in the often-overwhelming world of actor training; where you go from there is entirely up to you.

Approaches to Acting
By Jenny Marlowe, LoveActing.com Updated Oct 26, 2008

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Approaches to Acting

Stanislavski and his “system”
The Stella Adler Technique
Lee Strasberg and the Method
The Meisner Technique
Uta Hagen
Michael Chekhov Technique

PHYSICAL THEATER
· Commedia dell’Arte
· Copeau, Decroux, and
Corporeal Mime
· Jacques Lecoq
· Meyerhold’s Biomechanics
· Tadashi Suzuki
· Viewpoints

MOVEMENT STUDIES
· Alexander Technique
· Body-Mind Centering
· Contact Improvisation
· Feldenkrais Method
· Laban Movement Analysis
· Tai Chi and Qigong
· Allan Wayne Work
· Yoga and Pilates
· 5Rhythms

Love Acting > Resources > Approaches to Acting