Method acting is a style that was pioneered by inspirational teachings from Lee Strasberg, who taught method acting up until his death in 1982. The teachings showed an actor how to connect with his or her own emotional experiences and recreate them for their performances.
No actor can learn their craft without attending a drama school, and this is especially important for method actors, as they have to deal with the emotions they are recreating for their performances. Once a drama school has been found, what can a student of method acting expect?
Emotional Management
Emotional management is a key element in ‘The Method’. Drama schools will show an actor how to take their own emotional experiences, analyse and explore them, and then bring them fourth for the performance. Just as importantly, drama schools will show an actor how to deal with revisiting experiences he or she may find unpleasant.
When a method actor starts the process of finding the right experiences that match the needs of the role they are playing.
Connecting With a Character
Once a method actor has landed a part it is important that they can break down the elements that make up that character. This way, they can learn every aspect of the character and make the part far more believable for audiences. Some key elements which drama schools teach a method actor are motive, mannerisms, beliefs, and emotional state.
When combined with real emotions, the part played is often highly believable.
The Acting Business
Acting is a business and actors are self employed. It is important that an actor learns how the business works for a variety of reasons, including performing purposes and administration.
This part of the acting profession is vast! It deals with choosing an agent, audition preparation, taxation, showcasing an actors talents, and expectations of casting directors. This barely scratches the surface of what is involved!
Actors who are ignorant in these areas rarely find success as an actor, unless they have someone who does most of this type of work for them, or they are very lucky. For the majority of actors, the teachings of their drama school will help them cope with this side of the business.
Criticism and Rejection
Criticism and rejection are two areas of acting that are encountered on a regular basis. Many actors we know and admire today had plenty of rejections and received plenty of criticism before they landed the dream part. Drama schools help actors accept and learn from these experiences, and as method actors, they often incorporate these feelings and how they deal with them if future parts require it.
All good actors learn from their mistakes, and it is vital that an actor forgets about the last audition he or she did not land, and concentrate on the one that is happening next week!
Through coping with rejection and criticism, actors become better actors.