Learning proper acting technique will be the best way to hone your own natural talents and give you the skills you need to carry you through a career that is truly successful because of the effort and time that you have invested into yourself. Technique gives an actor the tools they need to properly portray a character and make that character believable and alive on set. In New York you can learn the techniques you need by studying and exploring the techniques that were taught by those before in the industry and find a style of acting that fits your skills and personality and this will add to your success as an actor in New York, allowing you to display your raw talent.
You may find that the variety of techniques that you can learn will be daunting at times. However, you never know you may decide you like the techniques of Michael Chekhov. Chekhov’s technique is a “psycho-physical” technique that draws the physical actions of the body to the mind and develops a sensual approach to acting. With the Chekhov acting technique, the actor focuses on the internal problem the character is experiencing, rather than the outward-facing expression of the emotion in terms of movement. The actor physicalises the internal need, allowing the physical expression to be performed on an unconscious level. This method brings out a lot of truth and realism to the character. Fun fact, Chekov was actually a student of Stanislavski’s and Chekov’s method of acting has been added to the Stanislavski system.
Learning acting technique in this modern era will have you starting out perhaps learning a lot of methods that are centered around the teachings of Konstantin Stanislavski. He studied hard to become the best in his field and learned how to make methods that are more efficient for the beginning student. Stanislavski put a new spin on acting technique when he founded the Moscow Art Theatre in 1897. His method and system has the student learning how to research the situation or the issue that is created by the script and then has the student breaking down that text with the thoughts of how it coordinates with the character's motivations down to the very root of that character. They will then recall their own experiences and then start taking actions based on the character's motivations and their own experiences. The idea is that the actor at that point is making the characters motivations their own with how the scene is played out in the script. This in turn guides the actor to have a more genuine and realistic performance. You will be surprised to find that a lot of the technique that is taught in New York is deeply rooted in the methods taught by Stanislavski.
Students learning technique in New York have the opportunity to learn about Lee Strasberg’s technique called “The Method”. As you start looking at different acting methods you will learn that this method is very preferred by some of the more famous actors and actresses that are working in the industry at this time. Those that have made this method their favorite technique actually includes big names like James Dean, Al Pacino and Robert Duvall. This method gained rapid popularity when the Actor’s Studio was founded by Strasberg in the 50s. Some of the greats trained there like Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Mongomery Clift learned their technique and skills there.
One of the key focuses of this method is relaxation and this also doubles as the starting point for this method in New York. The actor will learn a series of exercises that are geared towards letting them know how to completely rid their bodies of tension. When the body is completely relaxed the actor or actress can then be able to be more receptive to feeling true emotion. The actor or actress can use this true emotion to add layers to a character that they are working on portraying and helping them to really understand that character on a deeper level and making them more realistic to the audience.
Once you have mastered how to get to a state of ultimate relaxation, it is then that you will begin to learn the techniques that will help you with memory. Most of those techniques came from Strasberg’s teachings. One of these exercises is called the “coffee cup”. They are asked to relax and then recall the simple action of drinking from a cup of coffee. When practiced over and over, recollection should become easier with time for the actor. When the actor has learned recollection using their senses, they are then taught about emotional memory. Learning about emotional memory can really benefit a beginning actor in New York.
The next method exercise used here has the actor recalling the emotions he felt in a certain moment of time. This gets accomplished by having the actor recall an indirect object that happened to be present during a moment they have been asked to recall. The best example of this would be the light switch in a room during a heated argument they had. This is done to help the actor recall the emotions of that event. Once properly trained the actor or actress will be able to use this method of recall to summon up certain emotions to use with a character they are portraying. While this method may take a lifetime to perfect, it is also one of the more believable techniques that helps actors use recall right now in New York.
When beginning your acting career in New York; don’t be surprised if your instructors ask you to take the time to check out the different acting techniques. It certainly isn’t because you are being ridiculed or anything like that. They simply want you to find a style that is going to work for you and make you a better actor or actress in the long term. You can even use a combination of techniques, the main point is to find a method that will help you as you continue down your path to what will hopefully lead to a successful acting career.
Any new actor should also seek to take classes and training courses in improv, voice and any other skills that will help them make themselves more marketable as an actor. It doesn’t hurt for anyone going into the entertainment industry to also take the time to explore writing and directing classes too. This will give you more tools to add to your toolbox and also you may find that you like writing and directing production more than you do standing in front of the camera, that is okay too. As long as the path you choose to make is one that you can show dedication to and put in the hard work you need to succeed in New York.
New York classes in improv should be the first class you consider taking as a beginning actor or actress. Improv helps any actor or actress build their own confidence and can help them ready themselves for auditions they go to and can help them better develop characters. Improv is fun and the benefits of taking an improv class are endless. Improv showcases can even be a great opportunity for a beginning actor or actress to network as well and give agents and casting directors a chance to see you in New York. No matter what classes you choose to take; it should be done with hard work and dedication, the more effort you put in the more successful you will be in New York and will be a very fulfilling experience.
