Written by Ross Tuchman, Young Actors Alumnus
At just nine years old, Daryna Lytvynenko and her mother fled the war in Ukraine and came to the United States. In New York, Daryna attended both PS8 and the Hebrew Language Academy Charter School 2 and PS8. She is trilingual, fluent in Ukrainian, Hebrew, and English. However, Daryna’s “greatest joy” came from The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute’s Young Actors Program.
Before arriving in the U.S., Daryna loved performing with her friends. Her prior acting experience stemmed from camp productions, where she initially fell in love with the art. So, when her parents discovered a scholarship opportunity at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, Daryna knew it would be the perfect chance to dive into the craft. “I never knew I wanted to do real acting before I came to Lee Strasberg,” she shares. Here, Daryna realized that this was something she truly wanted to pursue.
Discovering The Lee Strasberg Institute
Daryna’s parents encouraged her dream of being an actress. While they were in New York, Daryna crossed paths with Lilian LeVos, a fellow Ukrainian actress and recipient of the Eleonora Duse Scholarship at The Institute. “[Lilian] shared her incredible experience at the Lee Strasberg Institute, and told me about the scholarship,” Dayrna recalls. Daryna then met with Martha Epstein, an American actress who also studied at The Institute as a child. She was “very kind”, helping Daryna find the right monologue for her interview and coaching her through it. Discovering The Institute seemed like a stroke of luck.
One of the most important lessons Daryna learned at LSTFI was how to manage her time. Whether your passion is acting, drawing, or any other field, it’s all about balance. As an actress, Daryna makes sure to set aside time to memorize scripts, read them carefully, and rehearse with a friend.
At The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, students also learn valuable skills for auditioning. Teachers made practice in the classroom feel like real auditions, which made it easier for Daryna to memorize lines and feel comfortable with the process. “I fell in love with the Lee Strasberg Institute because of the teachers,” she shares. “They were really nice, and helped me a lot.” The instructors taught Daryna new skills and how to improve on her mistakes, which made a huge difference in her work.
Looking Ahead
What keeps Daryna motivated as an actor is knowing that everyone makes mistakes, and that’s okay. “You’re not human if you never made any mistakes,” she tells us. LSTFI taught Daryna lots of new acting skills, including control of yourself and your emotions. Most importantly, she left the school with confidence, and the courage to follow her dreams. “They taught me things that I had dreamed of doing. My biggest dream was to actually become an actor, and they helped me do it so so much.”
“I left with a smile on my face and a lot of things in my head that I can keep going with to be in the best of the best,” she shares. For now, Daryna is back in Ukraine. But, as soon as she’s able to return to the U.S., she plans to continue her studies at Young Actors at Strasberg and keep growing as an actress.