| In 1907 a new form of actor training began | | | | call.Stanislavski had his greatest success in |
| developing by Konstantin Stanislavski, | | | | the United States. Stanislavski's idea that |
| artistic director for the Moscow Art Theater | | | | was known as "the method" became popular with |
| in Russia. Stanislavski was already well | | | | the Group Theater in the 1930s and the |
| known internationally as an actor and | | | | Actor's Studio two decades later. The Method |
| director and he searched for a training | | | | was the postwar foundation for the |
| system that would awaken a performers | | | | motion-picture acting in Hollywood. |
| emotions. To achieve the creative state of | | | | Directors of the alternative American theater |
| mind in an actor was his ultimate goal. He | | | | in the 1960s, especially the ones who were |
| thought the performer's past emotional | | | | influenced by Artaud and Polish director |
| experiences could be relived on stage. He | | | | Jerzy Grotowski, explored innovative acting |
| based his thoughts from preparing great | | | | techniques that gave emphasize to external |
| actors and the knowledge of yoga. | | | | and super physical qualities of the |
| Stanislavski taught the Moscow Art players | | | | performer. In the late 1990s many American |
| through physical exercises with emphasize on | | | | acting teachers borrowed Asian theater and |
| relaxation, concentration and belief. | | | | modern dance traditions.An American director |
| Stanislavski believed that stimulation | | | | and actor, Lee Strasberg (1901-1982) was the |
| through the five senses, one could reawaken | | | | leading teacher of Stanislavski's acting |
| and control these memories only | | | | technique known as "the method." Born in |
| indirectly.Continuous revisions were made | | | | Budzanow, Austria-Hungary, Strasberg came to |
| over several decades and many variations of | | | | the United States in 1909 and became a |
| Stanislavski system became the touchstone of | | | | naturalized citizen in 1936. Strasberg |
| 20th century actor training. Attention to | | | | helped to found the Group Theater in 1931; he |
| truthful emotional awakening in an actor | | | | directed many of its Broadway plays and |
| through facial detail made it a great | | | | productions.Strasberg became an artistic |
| technique for television and naturalistic | | | | director of the Actors Studio in 1951 and the |
| films. Experimental and traditional | | | | Lee Strasberg Theater Institute was founded |
| directors however, sparked counter theories | | | | in 1969. Strasberg was responsible for the |
| and opposing approaches to Stanislavski | | | | training of may leading American actors using |
| teachings.Vsevolod Meyerhold and Mikhail | | | | the American exponent of the Method, an |
| Chekhov, both students of Stanislavski in | | | | emotion-oriented acting technique. The |
| Russia, created actor-training that ignored | | | | American exponent of the Method was based on |
| the psychological stimulation and was more | | | | the teachings of the Russian actor and |
| geared to physical and imagination. In the | | | | director Konstantin Stanislavski.Some of his |
| 1930s German playwright Bertoit Brecht and | | | | students included: Anne Bancroft, Maureen |
| French theorist Antonin Artaud, Avantgarde | | | | Stapleton, Sidney Poitier, Marlon Brando and |
| theater practitioners, also challenged | | | | Dustin Hoffman. Even though his students had |
| Stanislavski. They believed his training was | | | | much success, some members of the acting |
| overly realistic and internalized. In | | | | community often criticized him because of his |
| countries such as France and England, where | | | | approach; which was regarded as |
| theatrical traditions were firmly planted, | | | | undisciplined. Strasberg made his debut as |
| ignored Stanislavski's clarion | | | | an actor in "The Godfather Part II" in 1974. |