Method Acting is the technique upon which all training at NSKI University College is based. The Method was developed in New York in the 1930s and 1940s by members of The Group Theatre by Lee Strasberg, Sanford Meisner, Stella Adler, and others. The Method is based on the Stanislavsky system, and was developed further at institutions such as The Actors Studio and The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York. The Method was a revolutionary approach for actors at the time and the Method quickly became famous through the work of actors such as Marlon Brando and James Dean, among others. 

Today, more than 50 years after the first film and theatre performances utilizing The Method, the technique has evolved further. The Method today is different than it was in the mid-fifties. Many different branches have emerged, yet there are many commonalities in all of the work we know today as Method Acting. Before Stanislavsky’s system was known in the US, actors were celebrated primarily for their inspiration and talent. However, the standard of being eternally inspired was difficult to meet for many actors, and it was challenging for most to recreate inspiration again and again, both on stage and on camera, strictly through innate talent. One of the main objectives of Method Acting, therefore, has been to provide actors with tools they can use and trust in moments when inspiration alone does not solve their problem. 

Method Acting is a teachable skillset for the technical, physical, and emotional elements of the actor’s work, and developing the actor’s instrument is greatly emphasized. This includes the body, voice, and impulses of the actor. The actor learns to harness their own experiences to inform characters, roles, and situations that are real enough to convince and move the audience. 

The program emphasizes the personal development of the students’ skillset to provide them with  confidence and artistic integrity that will serve them in the industry, whether it is in film, television, or theatre.