About the Book:

Edited by Robert Hethmon, based on tape-recorded sessions with Lee Strasberg, this is the first book demystifying the Method Acting training at the Actors Studio. Unavailable for over fifteen years, these transcripts of Strasberg's private acting classes provide a revealing look inside-the-classroom at one of the nation's most famous acting schools. Second only to being taught by Strasberg himself.

Legendary Lee Strasberg remains one of the most influential, controversial and misunderstood figure in the history of American theatre. An actor and director of considerable skill and accomplishment, he made his lasting mark as a master acting teacher, avatar of "the method, " that distinctively American adaption of Konstantin Stanislavsky's codification of acting techniques. Robert Hethmon, in his inspiring book, Strasberg at the Actors Studio, describes him: "He exhorts, stings, cajoles, excites, denounces, satirizes, worries, advises, praises, encourages, jokes, inspires. He lets himself go with unbounded energy, imagination, and occasional passion." From his base at New York's Actors Studio, Strasberg trained several generations of theatre and film's most illustrious talents, including Anne Bancroft, Julie Harris, Dustin Hoffman, Marilyn Monroe, Patricia Neal, James Dean, Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Paul Newman, Geraldine Page, Al Pacino, Steve McQueen, Franchot Tone, and Gene Wilder. All share a common approach to their work as a result of pursuing Strasberg's method. This is an impressive legacy.

What people say:

"A fascinating close-up of Mr. Strasberg's philosophy of theatre and method of working with actors." — New York Times

About the Editor:

Robert H. Hethmon was a director, teacher and editor. He was director of the Wisconsin Center for Theatre Research (1960-2) and is Professor Emeritus at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.