Method acting
“Method Acting” (often shortened to “The Method”) refers to an actor-training practices developed in the United States in the mid-20th century, most closely associated with Lee Strasberg and his work with the Group Theatre (New York City) and later the Actors Studio. In Strasberg’s formulation, the Method emphasizes the actor’s inner psychological life as the primary source of performance, training techniques such as relaxation, concentration, sensory memory, and affective (emotional) memory to stimulate authentic emotional responses that are then applied to dramatic action (Strasberg 1987; Clurman 1957).
Although Strasberg’s Method is frequently described as being derived from the acting philosophy of Konstantin Stanislavski, theatre historians and practitioners generally distinguish Strasberg’s approach from Stanislavski’s “The System”; particularly his later work. Stanislavski initially explored emotional memory as one of several rehearsal tools, but by the final decades of his career he increasingly rejected emotion-first techniques in favor of a psychophysical approach, arguing that truthful emotion arises indirectly from purposeful action within given circumstances—a process articulated...
Definition from Wikipedia – Method acting
Stella Adler
Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher.
A member of Yiddish Theater's Adler dynasty, Adler began acting at a young age. She shifted to producing, directing, and teaching, founding the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City in 1949. Later in life she taught part time in Los Angeles, with the assistance of her protégée, actress Joanne Linville, who continued to teach Adler's technique.
Definition from Wikipedia – Stella Adler
Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American acting coach and actor. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective". In 1951, he became director of the nonprofit Actors Studio in New York City, considered "the nation's most prestigious acting school," and, in 1966, he was involved in the creation of Actors Studio West in Los Angeles.
Although other highly regarded teachers also developed versions of "The Method," Lee Strasberg is considered to be the "father of method acting in America," according to author Mel Gussow. From the 1920s until his death in 1982, "he revolutionized the art of acting by having a profound influence on performance in American theater and film." From his base in New York, Strasberg trained several generations of theatre and film notables, including Marlon Brando, Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Montgomery Clift, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Jane Fonda, Julie Harris, Paul Newman, Ellen Burstyn, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Sally Field, Renee Taylor, Geraldine Page, Eli Wallach, and directors Andreas...
Definition from Wikipedia – Lee Strasberg
Konstantin Stanislavski
Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski (; Russian: Константин Сергеевич Станиславский, IPA: [kənstɐnʲˈtʲin sʲɪrˈɡʲejɪvʲɪtɕ stənʲɪˈslafskʲɪj]; né Alekseyev; 17 January [O.S. 5 January] 1863 – 7 August 1938) was a seminal Russian and Soviet theatre practitioner. He was widely recognized as an outstanding character actor, and the many productions that he directed garnered him a reputation as one of the leading theatre directors of his generation. His principal fame and influence, however, rests on his "system" of actor training, preparation, and rehearsal technique.
Stanislavski (his stage name) performed and directed as an amateur until the age of 33, when he co-founded the world-famous Moscow Art Theatre (MAT) company with Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, following a legendary 18-hour discussion. Its influential tours of Europe (1906) and the US (1923–24), and its landmark productions of The Seagull (1898) and Hamlet (1911–12), established his reputation and opened new possibilities for the art of the theatre. By means of the MAT, Stanislavski was instrumental in promoting the new Russian drama of his day—principally the work of Anton Chekhov, Maxim Gorky, and Mikhail Bulgakov—to audiences...
Definition from Wikipedia – Konstantin Stanislavski