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3 Reasons Experienced Actors Should Continue Acting Training

Experienced actors may be tempted to think they’ve trained long and hard to get where they are, and that education is a finite process. But dedicated actors know better. In reality, professionals in all fields invest in ongoing training and refresher courses throughout their careers, in an effort further hone their craft.

Teachers, for instance, are typically required to take supplemental training courses. Many are required to obtain advanced degrees for ongoing certification and career development. Medical personnel routinely engage in continuing education activities too, as science is always progressing, and technology and techniques are constantly evolving. Continued training is a common, beneficial way for professionals of all sorts to stay current, relevant, and up-to-date.

Actors, of course, needn’t stay abreast of the latest surgical techniques or learn new details about emerging viruses. However, they can certainly benefit from ongoing acting training. In fact, one’s acting education truly never ends. The observant actor is always evolving, using their life experiences to enrich and inform future performances. The savvy professional actor takes it a step further and enrolls in acting courses.

1. Stay Fresh to Maintain Your Competitive Edge

Non-actors often marvel at a performer’s ability to render seemingly raw and spontaneous emotions at will. Doing so – take after take for work on camera – strikes the average person as an especially amazing, if not unnatural, talent. Watching the final product, it seems easy. But professional actors know better. You are undoubtedly aware that it takes years of training and practice in order to recall these emotions and revisit certain states on demand; reliably, inventively, convincingly, and movingly.

The training at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute teaches you to do just that: authentically re-experience the life implied by the story. Through relaxation and sense memory exercises, you will develop the muscles you need to tap into your experiences and emotions at will. However, like any muscle in the body, your “acting muscles” require maintenance and continued care. Our online acting subscription is designed to help even the most experienced actors stay on top of their Method training. Weekly Method classes are included to help you brush up on your craft and establish a consistent daily practice at home, while monthly events include film talkbacks, lecture series and Q&As with industry guests. Think of signing up for online classes at LSTFI as a sort of gym membership for your acting career.

2. Continue to Grow and Evolve

Dedicated alumni of Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute routinely sign up for alumni classes. Our graduates know that continued training is the best way to stay at the top of their game. But alumni classes do more than keep your skills fresh. Tailored exclusively to experienced actors, these advanced courses allow you to expand your actor toolbox and dive even deeper into your craft than you have in the past.

A professional actor should always be looking for ways to grow and evolve. While in quarantine, many artists are using their time to broaden their horizons and hone new skill sets. We’ve made it even easier now, in this time of physical distancing, to continue your training as an actor. In addition to our monthly subscription platform, we have also founded the Method in Focus program, a four-week course offered on a different topic every month. Each month’s class, such as Guerrilla Filmmaking or Advanced Method Exercises, will allow you to explore a new facet of your artistry or deepen your existing Method Acting practice.

3. Strengthen Connections and Network

For better or worse, success in many professions relies more heavily than one might think on connections. In an ideal world, one’s objective merits would be the only qualities that matter when it comes to hiring — and casting — decisions. But in reality, having relevant contacts does matter and that means networking is key, whether you’re in sales or dentistry.

This is perhaps even more true in the acting world. Acting is highly competitive. You have to bring all you’ve got to every audition and every performance. Simply landing an audition can take remarkable persistence, perseverance and patience. Regardless of your skills and physical attributes, a lot may depend on external factors as well, such as timing and luck. And, perhaps most important of all: connections.

Savvy actors know it’s important to develop meaningful connections within the industry, if only to stay on casting directors’ minds. Casting directors, after all, are people too. It’s understandable that they may think of actors they know first, when it comes to casting decisions. It follows that forging industry connections and maintaining those acquaintances will benefit your career in the long run.

As one of the oldest, most respected acting schools in the country, Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute is an excellent venue for you to forge —and nurture — potentially useful industry connections. Whether they be with fellow actors, visiting directors, industry guests or teachers, the connections you make at LSTFI can last a lifetime.