Our History

Since our founding in New York City in 1947 by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, and Bobby Lewis, The Actors Studio has become renowned world wide as ‘the home of method acting.’

The roots of The Actors Studio go back to the Group Theatre (1931-1941) whose work was inspired by the discoveries of the great Russian actor and director Konstantin Stanislavski and his best student Eugene Vakhtangov as revealed in the legendary productions that the Moscow Art Theatre toured in America in 1923.

Techniques based on a variety of methods were developed here by Lee Strasberg from the Stanislavsky System and reformations from the Vakhtangov acting processes. Within the Studio, actors are free to develop privately without the glare of commercial pressures.

We continue to strive towards improving the art of acting by offering, ALWAYS free to our members, guidance and a safe environment to stretch and grow their talents.