It isn’t a secret that every professional actor has their own methods to pursue a great performance. But do you know that, decades ago, some people were creating the base for today’s most influential acting techniques? If you started your studies in acting, the names Stanislavski and Lee Strasberg have probably been on your radar. But if you don’t, I’ll explain their techniques, and many more theorists’, in this article.
Konstantin Stanislavski
Born in Moscow, Konstantin Stanislavski was a seminal Russian and Soviet theatre practitioner who developed the Stanislavski System, the foundation of many modern acting techniques. Stanislavski noticed how acting was normally an imitation of emotions and sensations, a declamatory style, and the theatrical conventions of the time, instead of people vividly expressing the character’s feelings. That’s when his ideas began to take shape over time. But why a system, and not just a method?
Stanislavski developed an extensive set of concepts, a set of interconnected principles and techniques to improve an actor’s performance. Therefore, the Stanislavski System didn’t propose a rigid step-by-step process, but rather an integrated approach to acting, where the actor engages those concepts differently based on the circumstances of the scene and character. Because of this, acting cannot be reduced to a single fixed approach.
The Stanislavski System seeks to integrate body and mind as inseparable parts of the actor’s work, an approach often referred to as psychophysical acting. Within this system, performance is not based merely on expressing emotions, but primarily on acting through clear objectives within specific circumstances. Elements such as given circumstances, imagination, subtext, and the relationship between physical action and internal state form the foundation of this process, helping the actor build a more living and organic performance.
Lee Strasberg
Born in Austria-Hungary, Lee Strasberg was responsible for deepening and systematizing his interpretation of the Stanislavski System. Strasberg was known for shaping Method Acting, especially after his work with the Actor’s Studio in New York. The Method Acting consists of accessing the actor’s past experiences, relying on their emotional past instead of only “representing” or “faking” what the character feels.
Since Strasberg wanted a more natural performance, Method Acting had three essential pillars:
Relaxation: the actor must be physically and mentally relaxed; they should aim to exclude any external tension that may influence the scene.
Concentration: the actor should focus their full attention on the scene’s fictional circumstances, ignoring outside distractions.
Sense Memory: the actor trains to remember their own personal sensorial experiences (smells, textures, temperature, etc) to bring a more spontaneous reaction to the character.
Strasberg helped transform acting into a more psychological and deeply personal art, changing the way actors think about emotion, character, and truth. Method Acting became one of the most influential approaches to modern acting, contributing to a shift from stylized performances to ones that more closely resembled real human behavior.
Stella Adler
Born in the United States, Stella Adler studied under the Stanislavski System. She concluded that compelling acting should arise primarily from an actor’s creative imagination and deep understanding of the play, rather than relying chiefly on personal emotional memories, distinguishing her from Strasberg’s method. Her theory has two main points: imagination and given circumstances, and they’re what the actor must focus on to achieve a convincing portrayal.
Adler believed that the actor didn’t need to access their own past experiences for natural acting. Instead, they must use their imagination to create a rich fictional reality around the character, going beyond the script, so that a convincing portrayal will be a consequence of it. For Adler, imagination wasn’t only about inventing things; it was about creating a life for the character: “What would they do as soon as they wake up?” “What was probably the reason for their last breakup?” “What makes their routine?” The more detailed the construction was, the more convincing the portrayal would be.
Adler’s technique also emphasises the circumstances of a scene. She taught that all the information provided by the play or script, such as the time period, setting, relationships between characters, objectives, and events, should be considered and studied. The actor should fully absorb these circumstances and allow them to shape their behavior on stage, rather than relying on their own personal history.
Sanford Meisner
Also North American and a disciple of Stanislavski, Sanford Meisner believed that acting should not be built upon personal memories or excessive intellectual preparation, but rather on the actor’s ability to respond genuinely to what is happening in the present moment, being “living truthfully under imaginary circumstances,” the central principle of his technique.
The foundation of his methodology is genuine listening. Rather than thinking about their next line or how they should portray an emotion, actors direct their full attention to their partner. From this attentive observation, their responses emerge spontaneously, making the performance unpredictable and authentic.
Another important concept is emotional preparation. Unlike Strasberg’s affective memory, Meisner did not encourage actors to relive personal experiences during the scene. Instead, before entering the stage, actors use their imagination to create an emotional state appropriate to the character’s circumstances. Once the scene begins, however, that preparation is set aside, and the actor’s full attention shifts to their scene partner and the moment.
The Meisner Technique produces performances that are highly spontaneous and dynamic. Rather than trying to “perform” emotions, actors respond naturally to the stimuli of the scene, allowing each performance to develop with subtle variations and a genuine sense of life. The technique also strengthens listening skills, the connection between scene partners, and the ability to adapt to unexpected changes.
Michael Chekhov
Michael Chekhov was a Russian actor, and although he began his career within Stanislavski’s system, Chekhov eventually developed his own technique, believing that an actor should rely less on personal emotions and more on imagination, physical expression, and psychological transformation. Chekhov’s technique is based on the idea that the actor should transform into the character rather than draw from personal memories or experiences.
One of the central concepts of his methodology is the psychological gesture. This is a symbolic, expressive physical movement that embodies the character’s deepest desire, objective, or inner drive. The actor first performs the gesture with the whole body, allowing it to generate the appropriate psychological and emotional state. Once that inner state has been established, the external gesture is no longer needed, but its emotional impulse remains present throughout the performance.
Another essential concept is the use of creative imagination, resembling Stella Adler. Believing that the actor’s imagination was the primary creative force, rather than asking, “How would I feel in this situation?”, Chekhov encouraged actors to ask, “How does this character experience the world?” Actors use their imagination to build the character’s inner life, relationships, and motivations, allowing emotions to arise from the imagined reality instead of personal memories.
Chekhov also emphasized the importance of atmosphere, which he considered a powerful dramatic force. Every scene, according to his method, possesses an invisible emotional quality that influences the characters’ behavior; tension, joy, and fear are examples of that. Actors learn to sense and respond to this atmosphere, making their performances richer and more unified with the overall tone of the scene.
The Chekhov Technique produces performances that are imaginative, expressive, and physically dynamic. Instead of relying primarily on psychological realism or emotional memory, actors create believable characters through imagination, movement, and symbolic physical action. This approach also allows actors to portray characters whose experiences are far removed from their own lives without depending on personal emotional recollection.
Although these techniques differ significantly in their methods, they all pursue the same goal: truthful and compelling acting. Each practitioner sought to answer the same fundamental question: “How can an actor create a believable human performance?” Understanding those different approaches allows actors to choose the tools that best suit their artistic process while recognizing that each method offers a unique path toward the same destination: authentic performance.
