Stanislavski, Meisner, Method, Stella Adler, Improv: Why you need to know them, and which style is best for you.
The idea of an acting technique can seem overwhelming, especially for a beginner. It can feel like everyone else knows a secret language that you don’t. These techniques are a variety of systems and tools to help you gain access to the craft, and although it might seem complicated at first, you’re not alone in your intrigue and confusion.
Key Insights
- There is no single “best” technique. The right method is the one that unlocks your most truthful, present performance.
- Most actors pull from different techniques. Once they’ve explored multiple styles, they find some tools work better than others, so it’s okay to try them all before committing.
- For a beginner, apply a technique to scene study directly and see how you connect to it, or use it for audition prep and see if it unlocks your creativity.
What is an Acting Technique?
Acting techniques are structural systems used to build character, unlock emotional truth and ensure committed performances. They apply tools and exercises to the craft of acting, and include Given Circumstances, Living Truthfully in Imaginary Circumstances, and Affective Memory.
Acting techniques are about creating a toolbox, not a doctrine. They lay a foundational starting place for the work and allow you to access a character from a place of truth, by applying the work in a practical way.
What Are the Acting Techniques I Should Know?
There are thousands of techniques, theories and variations practiced worldwide, but as a beginner, there are probably around five major techniques you should be familiar with. Start by exploring the basic principles of each, how they work and how you should apply them.
Stanislavski’s System
Konstantin Stanislavski developed what is known as The System, the foundation of modern acting. It focuses on experiencing the role by using tools like the “Magic If,” which encourages creating an inner life by asking yourself what you would do if you were in your character’s situation.
Given Circumstances looks at the facts surrounding the story and environment of the play, and how that might influence the character’s behavior. Stanislavski’s Seven Questions is a great exercise to try. Read the script and write down the facts answering the following questions:
- Who am I? (Your character’s background, personality and physical self)
- Where am I? (The setting, environment and immediate surroundings)
- When is it? (The time of day, year, era and the situation)
- What do I want? (The character’s immediate objective or goal)
- Why do I want it? (The motivation or need driving the action)
- How will I get it? (The actions or tactics the character uses)
- What must I overcome to get it? (The internal or external obstacles)
Best for: Actors who like to research and build characters from the inside out.
The Meisner Technique
Developed by Sanford Meisner, this approach trains actors to “Live Truthfully Under Imaginary Circumstances.” Repetition exercises are used as an entry point, focusing on spontaneity, emotional reactions to scene partners and active listening.
This technique teaches you to move attention away from oneself and onto your partner, and uses independent activities to help actors learn to perform tasks truthfully while dealing with the scene. While Repetition is the best beginner exercise to try, it requires a partner, so if you’re working alone, try the Independent Activity.
Use a scene or a monologue, and give yourself a specific task to complete throughout — anything like fixing a broken vase with glue, or sewing a dress. Find an urgent reason to complete the task and stay focused on it throughout the scene, and let the acting happen in the doing.
Best for: actors who overthink and want to get out of their heads.
Lee Strasberg (Method)
The Lee Strasberg acting technique, more widely known as Method Acting, is a psychological approach that centers around intense emotional truth, using personal memories and sensory experiences. This technique can teach you to draw from your own emotional well to create authenticity.
However, if this method is used in extremity, it can blur the lines between reality and the role. While there are psychological dangers, the tools can allow an actor to master relaxation and remove mental or physical tension.
To try at home, use The Chair Exercise: Start by sitting up in a comfortable chair, eyes closed, arms and legs hanging loose. Start by scanning the body, head to toe, breathing into any tension. Focus on specific areas like the jaw, neck and shoulders. Slowly start to move joints, allowing them to feel heavy. To reach a neutral state, try this exercise for at least 10-20 minutes.
Best for: actors drawn to deeply personal, emotionally committed work.
Stella Adler Technique
The Stella Adler acting technique takes an outside-in approach, encouraging actors to build a character’s rich inner life through script analysis instead of personal emotional memories. Encouraging deep analysis of the text, this technique teaches you to focus on understanding that emotions are a result of action, not the starting point.
An exercise to try and explore this technique is through personalization of props, better known as Object Endowment. Take a simple object, such as a cup or a plate. Give the object specific properties, make it hot, dirty or dangerous in some way, and interact with the object based on these factors. Using external stimuli in this way is crucial to shaping an actor’s performance.
Best for: actors who prefer not to mine their own emotional history.
Practical/Improvisation Techniques
This acting technique is designed to keep actors present, to respond truthfully and make bold choices. Core Improv techniques include the “Yes and … ” principle, unlocking the ability to accept the reality created by your scene partner and building momentum.
Many beginners use Improv as an entry point into acting. “Doing over feeling” is strongly encouraged. The Viola Spolin technique uses theater games: Mirroring, Freeze Frame, Space Objects and Who Started the Motion? To explore the components of this practical technique, try Slow Motion Tag: move through a small space, creating tension and focusing on extreme slow motion, adding weight to your movement before tagging another player.
Best for: beginners who feel frozen by self-consciousness.
Choosing the Right Technique
A commonly asked question by beginners is how to choose the right acting technique. Although there is no “right” choice, there is a best choice for you. Try more than one technique, apply the exercises, or take a class in each technique.
They all serve a purpose in unlocking something within you as an actor. Even if you find Meisner more difficult than Improv, observing what the techniques do for your work will help you make a choice. Think about why one technique resonates with you more than the other. Which parts are you connecting with?
Give each of them enough time to be applied to the work. There are phases and layers that each have a purpose, which you might not see or understand right away. A lot of actors struggle with Meisner early on, in particular with the Repetition exercises.
They can feel disconnected at first, before taking time to manifest in keeping scene work responsive and truthful. Remember, you don’t have to pick one technique overall, you can use different exercises for different purposes.
Acting Techniques For Auditions
Acting techniques that work best for auditions come from a variety of choices. Think about what you want to bring into an audition room. You want to present your character choices, be bold, be open and grounded in the work. Think about applying an acting technique to an audition in two parts.
The first is in the preparation. Stanislavski’s system uses Objectives/Super-Objectives to give a character an ultimate driving force in a scene. You can use this to work on script analysis and character breakdown.
The second part would be applying the preparation in the room. Meisner developed “The Moment Before” for actors to start scenes with authentic emotion using imagination. This works in a practical sense, because you can literally do it before you walk into the room.
Meisner’s work with truth and response also compliments the casting director’s desire for an actor to come in with a willingness to play. Being familiar with the script and not completely off-book can also facilitate active listening, which is explored in Repetition.
Practicing Acting Techniques
If you don’t have access to acting classes, then you can apply acting techniques at home. The easiest way to do this is to apply the techniques to scene study by self taping monologues. Use exercises like The Moment Before and Given Circumstances to refocus a monologue using those specific tasks. You can also try and improvise a monologue in your own words using an emotional prompt (the “Magic If” can be applied here).
Some techniques like Mirror Work and Repetition are quite difficult to attempt alone, and the desired result may not be achievable. Mirror Work, especially, removes focus from the moment, as some actors can start to fall into self-judgment traps. If you have acting friends, ask them to try an exercise out with you, because while a lot of the work can be done solo, the best way to practice is with a partner.
Acting Techniques in Class and at Home
As a beginner approaching acting techniques, taking a class is the best way to study. Growth can be facilitated across a longer time, especially if you want to understand the fundamentals and components of the technique directly from a teacher. Some work can be self-taught, especially with reading recommended books and applying exercises to build a foundation.
There might even be online classes you can take as a blend between the two.
Acting classes overall help give you guidance, and allow you to work with scene partners and apply the techniques to auditions independently. Creativity is connection, and while using techniques at home for self tapes and auditions is possible, it’s elevated when you have support and knowledge from an informed acting coach.
Conclusion
The best acting method for beginners is understanding that there is no best method. The goal of learning an acting technique isn’t to master it. Acting as a craft is a lifelong journey, where you learn and discover as you go. Some training doesn’t lock it in or come to fruition until years down the line.
Experiment with the techniques that interest you, and take a peek into the ones that don’t. The best actors are the ones that are able to blend technique and instinct.
