Audrey Miller

Lillian Isabella, an alumna of The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute through the NYU Tisch School of the Arts partnership, recently opened her original play Primordial at The Tank. A documentary theatre writer focused on telling women-centric stories, Lillian’s newest show highlights pregnancy and childbirth. 

Committing to The Method

In high school, Lillian debated between three life paths: philosopher/poet, politician, or actor. After discovering documentary theatre through high school summer programs, she chose acting. For Lillian, NYU Tisch was her dream school. Although she had little to no acting training and thought her audition went “horribly,” she was accepted and assigned to LSTFI for her primary training. Lillian “had no idea about The Method” but quickly grew to love LSTFI. She believes that most people today are misinformed about Method Acting since “you don’t stay in character forever” or “torture yourself.”

At the end of her first two years, Lillian chose to continue her training at LSTFI instead of transferring studios. She says, “I had the feeling that two years wasn’t enough for me to really learn what they were teaching me,” adding that she wanted to “fully commit.” Lillian is grateful to have trained under such amazing faculty at LSTFI, naming Lola Cohen, Lorca Peress, and Ron Navarre as some of the most influential. She also fondly remembers making many discoveries and feeling “confident” during the late Irma Sandrey’s classes: “She was one of the people who made me feel like I could do this the most.” 

Telling Female-Focused Stories

During the pandemic, Lillian became “less interested in acting,” frustrated by the lack of female-oriented stories in the audition scene; instead, she turned to writing and creating her own worlds. Although Lillian still has some acting plans on the horizon, acting and writing are drastically different experiences for her. She describes acting as “a trial,” a “physical, mental, emotional journey” that is “challenging, spiritual, and powerful.” Writing, on the other hand, is the way her brain works: “When I write, I feel calm because it’s a flow that’s naturally coming out.” 

Although Lillian “will always be an actor” and look for stories that she wants to tell, for now, she is focused on writing and creating female-centric worlds. She comments on the recent evolution of the industry and the growing acknowledgement of female directors, writers, and producers: “There are so many female powerhouses producing and telling female-focused stories…It’s changing rapidly, and I want to get more in the mix with that.” 

A few years ago, Lillian performed in her own show, How We Love/F*ck, and details the challenge of saying her own words on stage: “I was on stage and my brain was split: I’m the playwright listening to the play and I’m acting in it.” For now, Lillian is content with being the playwright to “center other women and watch them do their thing.” 

Documentary Theatre

Surprisingly, Lillian’s first experience with acting involved documentary theatre. Years later, Lillian crafted a performance around Jonas Mekas, an East Village local, during the Metropolitan Playhouse Festival: East Village Chronicles, creating That’s How Angels Arranged. Lillian was 26 at the time, interviewing and eventually performing as a 92-year-old man. “It was so fun to play him,” she shares, “He was a magical man.”

After that project, Lillian was hooked and has created two documentary theatre shows since. During this process, Lillian interviews real people on a particular subject, and then uses the transcriptions to build an original play. She believes her “career has moved fastest” when she crafts stories this way.

How We Love/F*ck

Premiering at the Cherry Lane Theatre in 2019, How We Love/F*ck is “an intimate celebration of female sexuality.” Lillian describes the show as her response to the #MeToo movement, which was “very important” but touched on “a lot of trauma.” To craft the show, Lillian interviewed 28 women about intimate topics. Lillian was grateful that these women “shared a lot,” adding that she definitely “learned along the way.” While piecing together these interviews, Lillian realized the play needed “a backbone, a connective tissue for all the various stories,” which led her to incorporate poems and scenes about her own journey.

Lillian hoped the play would be something “positive and exploratory,” asking questions like, “What does sex look like when you’re having fun?” and “How can we celebrate sexuality?” The response was impactful. Lillian recalls strangers approaching her and sharing personal stories after each show, which was incredible to experience. 

Primordial

Lillian’s latest show, Primordial, is a core production at NYC’s The Tank, running now through February 25th. In her own words, Lillian describes Primordial as “an original verbatim documentary theater piece about pregnancy and childbirth,” distilling 1,100 pages of transcript from interviews into an hour and a half long play. Lillian is proud that “all of the stories are exactly, word-from-word, from real people,” taken from interviews conducted in 2020 – it was Lillian’s “pandemic project.”

According to Lillian, her goal is “to center people who have been pregnant and given birth” because she feels the topic is rarely discussed. She asks, “Every single human being on the planet was born, so how do we not have it be the center of society?” The play itself is structured according to the subject matter: the movement of act one reflects pregnancy, while act two mimics labor with moments of increasing energy and then rest.  

Lillian first connected with Meghan Finn, the show’s director, at LSTFI in 2010 when Meghan directed her in Ivanov. The playwright calls Meghan “a fireball of creative brilliance,” noting her “complete commitment to the art” and “her piercing capacity to know exactly what’s going on in people to bring out the best in everybody.” Lillian adds, “I’m so lucky… She’s making the play so much better with her direction and vision.” 

Lillian speaks highly of the entire Primordial creative team. She shares that co-director and choreographer Leslie Galán Guyton is “bringing beautiful movement to the piece,” and expresses her admiration for composer Adrianna Mateo’s “amazing original works,” specifically composed for the play. Another LSTFI connection, Max Mooney serves as Primordial‘s stage manager, having fulfilled the same role for The Institute’s recent Practicum production, Lisa.

Combining Theatre & Civic Action

As a playwright, Lillian acknowledges that she is “not an expert in maternal healthcare, a doula, or a midwife.” Regardless, she is focused on connecting viewers of Primordial with organizations to “provide people with resources,” coordinating a series of talkbacks to complement the subject matter of her show. Lillian says, “I think theater is most impactful when it is combined with civic action, so I’m trying to provide pathways for that.” 

Lillian is also an outspoken advocate for those with health issues since she has Phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare disorder that does not allow her to break down the amino acid found in protein-rich foods, severely restricting her diet. Lillian is on the board of directors for the National PKU Alliance and is co-chair of their Advocacy Committee. Although the disorder can be a struggle, Lillian says, “I see it as something that makes me different in a way I wouldn’t trade for the world.”

Future Projects in the Works

Currently, Lillian is preparing to pitch an original docuseries, which she hopes will develop into a feature film or episodic. She is also working on a screenplay that she will star in. Lillian says, “I’m focusing on writing the stories that I want to act in, and forming relationships with people who are creating those stories.”

Learn more about Lillian on her website, or follow her on Instagram to stay up-to-date on all her future projects. For tickets to Primordial, running in NYC through February 25th, head to the link below!

Audrey Miller

Radhika Mehrotra, a graduate of The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (LSTFI), plays Dr. Ritu Gagra in the hit Netflix series Kaala Paani. According to Netflix, Kaala Paani is “a survival drama featuring an ensemble of characters who are all trying to escape the wrath of nature, as the vast sea confines them for thousands of kilometers.” Created in partnership with Posham Pa Pictures and Sameer Saxena, Kaala Paani was filmed primarily on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Released this past October, a second season was announced less than one month later due to the series’ immediate success.

LSTFI: “A Magical Experience”

Since she was a child, Radhika knew she wanted to become an actor. Although neither of her parents have any background in acting, she attributes her exposure to film at a young age to her father, who was “a big movie fan.” After joining the Collegiate Drama Society at Delhi University, Radhika realized her love for acting. She began reading as many plays as possible and participating in acting workshops. Following university, her mother suggested that she attend an acting school if she was serious about pursuing the craft, which led her to apply to The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York City. 

For Radhika, moving to NYC and beginning her studies at LSTFI were major life changes. She remembers feeling “really lost” the first semester since she was suddenly exposed to “a different world.” Although it took “a little bit of time,” eventually “everything started clicking.” By delving into scene work in class, she “actually understood the importance of the basic relaxation exercise” that she had been taught the first six months. From that moment on, she “started enjoying everything the teachers were teaching and everything that was happening in class.” Radhika especially appreciated LSTFI’s commedia dell’arte course, which she took every semester: “It really helped me break a lot of my inhibitions and truly explore my physicality in a way I had never before.”

Through the Two-Year Conservatory program, Radhika “met a lot of likeminded students and teachers, people who were working professionally and trying to make a career.” Radhika calls LSTFI “a magical experience,” and credits some “wonderful teachers” for making her time there so memorable, especially Robert Ellermann and George Loros.

After graduating from LSTFI, Radhika returned to India and began auditioning, immediately booking several commercials before landing a new Netflix series: Kaala Paani.

Trying to Read the Audition Room

In August 2022, Radhika was contacted by a casting agency with an audition for a new project from Netflix titled Kaala Paani. A big fan of the show’s creators, Radhika was extremely excited to receive the call. At the time, of course, she “didn’t know if it was going to work out or not.” Laughing while remembering the auditions, Radhika claims she “had literally no idea if it was a good or bad audition” since the directors were stone-faced. She explains, “As an actor, you’re constantly trying to read what’s going on in their minds, but they were just watching with blank expressions.” 

After a month had past, Radhika assumed she didn’t get the role. She tried to move on and focus on future projects – until she received a text telling her to “block her dates” for Kaala Paani. Radhika felt like she had “won the lottery” and knew “something big had happened” in her life. She kept her emotions under control but “deep down, something was exploding inside.” 

Putting The Method to Work

When preparing to shoot Kaala Paani, Radhika claims her “job was made easy” thanks to the terrific writing of the show. She credits the writers – Biswapati Sarkar, Nimisha Misra, Sandeep Saket, and Amit Golani – who “had not missed a beat.” She says, “Every single detail that an actor could think of or want was there in the script… Everything was so fleshed-out and well written.” Radhika attests that “every single person in the show had an arc, a reason, and proper character development.” When faced with difficult questions about her character, she turned to the script and searched for answers. If she still had “any doubts,” she “could always bounce them off the directors,” Sameer Saxena and Amit Golani.

Radhika describes her character development process as extremely “subconscious,” stemming from her time at LSTFI. She was taught to try everything in the classroom and consciously work on the character at home but that, at a certain point, the conscious homework must be forgotten and the actor must live through the scene, letting the subconscious work flow through. Radhika recalls a breakdown scene in Kaala Paani, which was an important moment for her character. She shared that, in that moment, she was “not thinking about the exercise” or the pre-shoot “homework” but was present and living the truth of the moment.

Filming in the Jungle

On the show, Radhika plays Dr. Ritu Gagra, a researcher sent to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to cure a mysterious disease. Although she could prepare for the role by studying the script or brushing up on her medical jargon, there was no way to prepare for shooting on the Islands. While Radhika was struck by the beauty and serenity around her, filming on the Islands presented its own challenges, namely a lack of internet, intense heat, and rugged terrain. “Sometimes you don’t have access to food if you’re shooting three hours on some height and the food is in the base camp,” Radhika shares. 

In addition to navigating the struggles of island living, the show was shot in the jungle. Radhika recalls the cast and crew feeling like they were “encroaching” on the wild animals and natural habitats around them. However, she says, “I think we all became one with the nature and became a part of that life.” As a self-proclaimed “beach-baby” and nature-lover, Radhika found shooting in the jungle to be “a really fun experience” that united everyone working on the project: “After a point…we had all become one family and really had a lot of camaraderie.” 

Relishing Strong Female Roles

For Radhika, one of the most important aspects of Kaala Paani is the presence of strong female characters who are authentic and relatable. She says, “It’s very difficult to come across strong female characters… There’s a lot of stereotyping… For men, there are a lot of characters with layers, but for females, they keep fleshing out the same character again and again.” However, in Kaala Paani, there are numerous female characters “with beautiful journeys and arcs.” 

According to Radhika, her character “has her own insecurities, problems, and demons to deal with,” but she is “on the forefront,” resiliently pursuing her work. “That is something that is very, very powerful and strong,” she shares. Radhika appreciates that “none of these women are crying about the problems in their life” or “harping about how difficult things are for us.” Instead, they are “living in a man’s world, doing their jobs.” Radhika thinks this project is “exciting news” for all female actors: “It’s the kind of work I would be looking for, and I’m sure that all my contemporaries are also looking for similar kinds of roles to perform.”

What’s Next for Radhika and Kaala Paani

Kaala Paani has received an overwhelmingly positive response, securing a second season less than a month after its premiere. Within a week of its initial release, the series appeared on Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English TV list and was trending in 11 countries.

Although Radhika expected positive reviews, she never imagined the overwhelming love and support from Kaala Paani fans. She says, “We knew that we had made a good show,” but the overflowing Instagram messages and moments of recognition on the street surprised her. Radhika loves the fans’ investment in the show and believes Kaala Paani is “personal to them right now,” crediting the relatability of the characters, especially the women. She shares, “Everybody’s [relating] with some woman in the show, and that’s amazing.”

When asked about her plans beyond Kaala Paani, Radhika shrugged and responded, “I am not one to plan my future at all… That would really stress me out.” She adds, “What’s important for me is to keep faith in my convictions and keep doing what I’m doing. I’m pretty sure everything will work out as long as I put in the work.”

Finding Community through The Method

Imparting some closing advice, Radhika encourages emerging actors to find “clarity and know what you want to achieve in life.” She also urges them to “stay committed.” “No matter what comes your way,” she says, “keep trying. Keep going, because you will find a way.” Finally, she laughs and offers, “More realistically, go to an acting school!”

For Radhika, LSTFI provided more than just a solid acting foundation – it provided an invaluable community. “Once you go to a place like [LSTFI], you end up meeting a lot of likeminded people and you develop a community for yourself, which is very, very important,” she shares. Radhika advises actors to build “a community that you support and that supports you,” and believes her own community grew naturally following her time at The Institute.

After the success of Kaala Paani, Radhika feels more grateful than ever for her friends and fellow actors. Without them, she says, “I wouldn’t have been able to do all the things that I’m doing. Whether it’s going for auditions or figuring out stylists for PR activities or meeting other directors or going for readings, all of that happens because you have a community.” 

Audrey Miller

Rohan Gurbaxani, an alumnus of The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (LSTFI), is having his moment. He stars in the first episode of season two of Made in Heaven, a popular Amazon Prime series. While at LSTFI, Rohan trained through the BFA partnership with New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, studying under Geoffrey Horne, Tim Crouse, Ron Navarre, Madeline Jaye, Marcel Simoneau, and several other esteemed faculty members. 

A Dream Come True: NYU and LSTFI

Since the eighth grade, Rohan dreamt of studying Drama at NYU, despite having minimal exposure to theater. Growing up in Bangalore, India, the “artistic side” of Rohan’s life began with afterschool dance classes. Rohan thought of dance as a part of his daily routine, however, not an “art form.” It wasn’t until middle school that Rohan discovered theater classes. For Rohan, acting was a form of “escapism”, a way to avoid the stress of school. Although he cannot pinpoint why he decided on NYU as his top choice, Rohan recalls his determination to pursue acting: “I had zero proof that I liked the art form or acted well. I just had this dream, I can’t really explain it… In Bangalore, I was probably the only kid who wanted to act.” 

Rohan’s dream eventually came true when he was accepted Early Decision to NYU Tisch School of the Arts, majoring in Drama and placed to train at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. While Rohan was thrilled to be accepted to NYU, he recalls his equal level of excitement to study at LSTFI. He says, “NYU Tisch was a dream, and the sub-dream was Strasberg.” Rohan was ecstatic to study at such “an iconic place” where he immediately received “an influx of knowledge and opportunities to learn and grow.” Constantly feeling imposter syndrome at his first time in “an acting academy”, Rohan says, “I was put out of my comfort zone almost every single moment in that building.” From learning an American accent to singing for the first time in his life, Rohan sums it up as “a phenomenal experience.” 

At LSTFI, Rohan learned how to hone his craft, something he previously thought was impossible. Rohan says, “I grew up looking at actors on screen as if they were born to do it… I honestly felt like it was something you couldn’t work on.” Through LSTFI, Rohan learned how to improve certain aspects of his work: “Once I slowly, gradually realized you could work on these minor things in yourself that can create a very compelling experience… that’s when I thought you could actually learn this craft rather than think you just need to have the looks for it.”

After two years at LSTFI, Rohan completed NYU’s Stanislavski, Brecht, and Beyond program in Berlin followed by a summer program at Stonestreet Screen Acting & Production Studios. Additionally, through cold-emailing casting directors, producers, and other industry professionals, Rohan worked as a Production Assistant on several movies to gain experience on film sets. 

Pandemic Productivity 

During the pandemic, Rohan lived alone in New York City for eight months, which he describes as “quite beautiful… in terms of learning about yourself and just being with your thoughts.” Although it was an isolating, difficult time, Rohan realized he needed to learn how to improve without being on stage or in front of a camera: “That’s when a serious process started.” 

Rohan was determined to make the most of the pandemic, creating a daily routine designed to improve his skills. He began his day with vocal exercises, then turning to script analysis. Rohan says, “I started doing this thing where I would read a script, and then watch the scene and see what’s happening. What did the director go with? What do the actors do? And I wanted to do that on a film set.” He also competed in monologue competitions, worked on original music, and took a masterclass in basketball. 

A Life-Changing Role

At the end of the pandemic, Rohan scheduled a three-month trip to India. According to Rohan, this was purely a visit to friends and family: “No one could’ve convinced me to leave New York. I felt like I owned it, like it was my city.” However, Rohan wanted to make as many connections as possible while in India. He began blind messaging industry professionals over WhatsApp, which resulted in booking three commercials. 

A week before Rohan was scheduled to return to New York, he received notice of a life-changing audition for season two of Made in Heaven, an Amazon Prime series streaming worldwide. While in lockdown, Rohan watched the first season and knew the show was “quite massive,” calling it “the most fresh piece of content” India had seen in several years. After a few rounds of auditioning, Rohan booked the role. 

Made in Heaven: Popular and Political

Rohan stars in the first episode of Made in Heaven’s second season, alongside fellow LSTFI alumnus and International Emmy-nominee Arjun Mathur. Each Made in Heaven episode features a different wedding and addresses social and political issues of Indian society. For example, Rohan’s episode addresses colorism, which Rohan calls “a very delicate problem in Indian society,” specifically glutathione, a treatment designed to lighten skin. According to Rohan, Made in Heaven is especially groundbreaking because it features characters that are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Rohan feels “extremely grateful” to be a part of such a political and impactful project, especially one created by NYU alumna Zoya Akhtar, “a strong female voice.” For Rohan, this part was “not only a role.” He says, “To strike a chord in anyone around the world is the most beautiful part. Everyone faces some sort of skin, hair, or body problem, so I feel very fortunate.” Rohan has been especially surprised by all the special messages he has received due to the success and relatability of the show: “I get messages every day from random people about their problems with their skin… it’s quite special.” 

Right Place, Right Time?  

Rohan advises emerging actors to keep practicing, “figuring out what you’re not good at,” and “constantly working on it.” According to Rohan, “People are not out there because of their skill necessarily. I think it’s a mindset… It’s a practice.”

Throughout his life, Rohan has heard the phrase “right place, right time,” but he questions what that really means. Rohan argues, “You have to constantly do the work that puts you in that place.” He adds, “If you are truthful and honest in your work, no one can take that away from you. Then it’s just fitting the role at the end of the day.” Although he constantly faces imposter syndrome, he advises others to “keep faith and be grateful.” It is clear that his incredibly positive attitude and strict work ethic have led to his current success, placing him in the “right place” at the “right time.” 

Maintaining his Momentum

After Made in Heaven, Rohan acted in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (Rocky and Rani’s Love Story) alongside Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, whom Rohan calls the Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt of India. Rohan is incredibly grateful to be “working with directors whose movies I watched growing up.” He adds, “One day you’re in your room auditioning and then the next day you’re on a set.” 

Rohan recently finished shooting a “modern, youthful film” called Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, which is set to premiere on Netflix later this year. He also will star in season two of Amazon Prime’s Bandish Bandits, playing a professional pianist. Because he had to master the piano for the role, Rohan jokingly says, “I’m going to have my La La Land moment.” 

For now, Rohan plans to “stay in the place where the momentum is,” which currently is India. However, he still desires to one day “make a name in Hollywood” and New York.

Audrey Miller

The Chekhovians, an independent NYC-based theatre company, are devoted to performing the works of Anton Chekhov with simplicity and a clear vision. Their most recent production, The Cherry Orchard, ran from September 7-10 at Theaterlab NYC. Directed by Ermete De Boni and Emely de Paiva, both alumni of The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (LSTFI), the production consisted of an almost entirely Strasberg-trained cast. The Cherry Orchard starred LSTFI alumni Ajay Bhullar, Ermete De Boni, Daniele Gianera, Rohith Guttamidhi, Juan Ortiz, Vanessa Ozinger, Emely de Paiva, U.S. Praveen, Emma Rose, and Srishti Sharma, alongside NY-based actor Narky Cyriaque.

From Classmates to Collaborators

According to Ermete, Emely, and Rohith – the founders of The Chekhovians – “It all started in Ted Zurkowski’s Acting Chekhov class” here at LSTFI. Although approaching Chekhov was intimidating, Zurkowski made the material more accessible by encouraging them to have fun and find the comedy in each scene. While the trio greatly enjoyed working on Chekhov within the class itself, the founders claim that Zurkowski gave them the idea to start their own theatre company: “Ted told us that we were a strong group, he enjoyed teaching us, and we should go ahead and do something because there’s not really a Chekhov company who does Chekhov as comedies instead of tragedies in New York.” Emely, Ermete, and Rohith took this idea and ran with it, founding The Chekhovians in 2022.

Last December, The Chekhovians premiered at The Players Theater in a performance titled An Afternoon with Anton. The performance featured two one-act plays by Anton Chekhov, The Anniversary and Swan Song. Then, in January 2023, the company brought An Afternoon with Anton to Italy for a limited international run.

Meet the Company

Narky Cyriaque

• Narky Cyriaque met founding members Emely and Ermete through the New York theatre scene, leading Narky to perform in both An Afternoon with Anton and The Cherry Orchard. Although Narky is the only member of the group who has not attended LSTFI, he felt welcomed and shared the same excitement for the material: “Any time Chekhov is involved, I’m always ready and raring to go.” 

Srishti Sharma

• Another student in Ted Zurkowski’s Acting Chekhov class, Srishti Sharma went to see An Afternoon with Anton to support her friends. She recalls her surprise at seeing the company’s name and the performance’s brilliance: “We were just talking about it in class and they actually did it!” Srishti adds, “After the play I talked to them and told them how cool I thought they were, not just because of the performance, but because they had the initiative to make this company,” which led to her invitation to be a part of The Cherry Orchard. 

Daniele Gianera

• Since Narky was unable to make the trip to Italy for the second run of An Afternoon with Anton, Ermete’s friend and collaborator, Italian actor Daniele Gianera, stepped up to join the company. Daniele completed a Summer Intensive at LSTFI in 2019, which he remembers “with joy.” Months after the Italian run of An Afternoon with Anton, Ermete offered Daniele the opportunity to return to New York and act in The Cherry Orchard, which Daniele enthusiastically accepted. 

Vanessa Ozinger

• From having a singular line in An Afternoon with Anton, Vanessa Ozinger has become a full-fledged member of The Chekhovians through The Cherry Orchard. She jumped at the opportunity to be involved in the production and play Varya, whom she calls “a hoot” to say the least. Vanessa thinks Varya is “the most serious in the play” but appreciates her moments of dry humor and especially loved crafting a very emotional scene near the end of the play. She says, “I couldn’t have done this show without Emely.”

Emma Rose

• Emma Rose became involved in the Chekhovians through Ermete, getting to know him well since they were scene partners in Robert Ellermann’s Method Acting class. Emma’s first Chekhovian production was The Cherry Orchard, where she played Anya. Emma discussed using sensory, particularly the animal exercise, to relate to Anya since her typical typecast is “an evil wench”, not the ingénue. 

Ajay Bhullar

• While Ajay Bhullar was familiar with contemporary plays and Shakespeare, he had never worked on Chekhov until becoming involved with the Chekhovians. Ajay attests to the positive environment of the group and says, “I really enjoyed every single day of rehearsing and working on the play.” Furthermore, Ajay strongly believes The Cherry Orchard made him “a more confident person.”

U S Praveen

• Ermete’s classmate U S Praveen says a hilarious late-night encounter with Ermete led to his involvement with the group: “That day, one of my contact lenses fell out so I took both out and was walking blindly to the supermarket. I was trying to squint and make my way back home” when he heard Ermete calling his name.

The members of the Chekhovians may work together but it is clear that they are all friends first and foremost. While working on The Cherry Orchard, Emma says the cast “developed the dynamic of our characters… almost in a scary way.” She laughs while reminiscing on how she and Narky relentlessly teased Daniele both on and off the stage. 

Building the Orchard

Inspired by Ted Zurkowski’s approach to Chekhov, Ermete and Emely were determined to highlight the comedy of The Cherry Orchard. Ermete says, “The more you read The Cherry Orchard, the funnier it becomes… Every time you reread it, you find something else and it becomes more interesting.” 

The company rehearsed twice a week from July until September, sometimes in a theatre, a traditional rehearsal space, or even Central Park. The cast believes the rotation of rehearsal spaces prepared them for the actual performance. Srishti says, “Central Park was amazing because in a small rehearsal room you don’t feel the need to project or annunciate…but if you’re in a big space like a park, you have to be audible.” This was incredibly useful since the cast agreed “being understood is the first step to being appreciated and recognized for what we’re doing.”

Emely and Ermete, the co-directors of The Cherry Orchard, “had their own system and really knew what they were doing,” often privately discussing character development with each member of the cast. Each member emphasized the importance of these chats, especially since “not a lot of directors put that amount of work in.” The co-directors also focused on building trust and connecting as a cast through group Method exercises, games, and grounding exercises before each rehearsal and show. Vanessa adds, “When the cast is this big, you need reliable people who will do the work, and we had a very good group.” 

Chekhov in Performance: “You Can’t Flatline”

This past September, The Cherry Orchard ran for four days (five performances) at the Theaterlab, NYC. When discussing the performance, the cast emphasized the importance of the space itself, citing the “intimacy” and “personal connection” with the audience in the white-box theater. Narky says, “The crowd was right there on stage with you,” leading to a different level of “immersion” in the story. Narky remembers thinking, “These people are here with me and we’re all going to see the cherry orchard get cut down together.” Daniele adds, “It was like the audience was in the scene itself,” which the actors used to their advantage. 

Although the play itself is wordy, Emma recalls the performances flying by. She and the other castmates discussed the adrenaline and momentum of the show vividly: “The overall run was a really good workout. The way a Chekhov comedy goes, you can’t flatline or leave the character. It’s almost like you’re running laps on stage.” 

The Method in Action: “What Do Cherries Mean for Me?”

Since the group is almost entirely comprised of LSTFI alumni, The Method plays a key role in the Chekhovians. Before every rehearsal and performance, Emely and Ermete gathered the cast for group relaxation. Even when rehearsing in Central Park, the group sat in a circle of chairs and relaxed. (Emma jokes that this made them look “like a cult – but a fun one!”) 

Because The Cherry Orchard was performed in a white-box theater with a simplistic set, the actors relied on The Method to craft the layered history of the setting of the play, each utilizing sensory exercises to achieve this. Ajay revealed that he used a childhood place to invoke the naivety of his character. He says, “I’m so grateful that I learned Method Acting, and I’m now able to live these beautiful moments over and over again.” 

Similarly, Daniele says he utilized The Method because, without connecting to meaningful places and moments in his life, “I would have remained in an abstract world.” He discussed using sensory to connect to a line about cherries. He asked himself, “What do cherries mean for me?” and then used substitution “to fill that void.” Praveen adds, “Everything I learned in LSTFI’s Conservatory Program was put to test.” In fact, the cast agrees that “everybody used The Method in different ways even though we’re all from the same school.”

Although The Method was foreign to Narky, he learned some techniques from the group, which he believes “definitely helped in the long run.” He says, “I was soaking up what [Ermete and Emely] were providing like a sponge… The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute is sending out some good people into the world!”

Taking Chekhov Around the World

The Chekhovians are planning to bring The Cherry Orchard to Italy and Switzerland in January, 2024. The cast is incredibly excited to revisit The Cherry Orchard in the coming months and looks forward to the future of the Chekhovians. Narky says, “My dream is that I get to continue growing with these people that I’ve grown to love… Hopefully [the company] thrives, builds, and we become world-renowned.” Similarly, Daniele says, “I really hope and believe that we will go on with this adventure. We had a lot of fun and I feel that we can go much deeper into this work.” 

As implied by their company name, the group is committed to working on Chekhov. As articulated by Praveen, “Chekhov gives you the time to slow down, think, gather yourself, and concentrate on what’s happening… He brings you into each moment.” Members of the cast stressed the importance of Robert Ellermann’s Method Acting class for approaching Chekhov and seemingly difficult material in general: “Robert always talks about how all great playwrights give you clues. I think working on this production really highlighted that.”  

Emely, Ermete, and Rohith have not yet announced which Chekhov show they will approach next, but the plan is to perform every single Anton Chekhov play and possibly some more short stories. Emma states, “You never know what [Emely, Ermete, and Rohith] are going to put out, but you know it’s going to be really fun to work on and always with their own vision.” 

BONUS: Chekhovian Fun Facts

• Narky swears he will get a Chekhovians tattoo in the future. 
• The Cherry Orchard at Theaterlab featured movable walls, which changed the “ambience” of each act. 
• Closing night of The Cherry Orchard was Emma’s 21^st birthday. She and the entire cast celebrated the success of their show and her birthday together. 
• From July until late August, the cast rehearsed in-person in New York while Daniele participated over Zoom from Italy. While the distance and technical difficulties complicated rehearsals, Daniele said it was important to “get used to the voices of the other actors.” (Vanessa adds, “If Ermete remembered to call him…”)
• While in Italy for An Afternoon with Anton, local high school students came to see the performances. When The Cherry Orchard runs in Italy this winter, the same schools are set to visit them again! 

Audrey Miller

Adi Roy, originally from New Jersey, spent just one year training at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (LSTFI) through the BFA partnership with New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts before embarking on his professional career. Since then, he has performed in Jagged Little Pill on Broadway and is currently starring in the North American Tour of Disney’s Aladdin. 

College to Broadway 

During Adi’s year at LSTFI, he learned the basics of Method Acting from Lola Cohen and Tim Crouse. Although most classes were held over Zoom due to the pandemic, Adi says The Method is his foundation for everything. The rigorous class schedule at LSTFI taught Adi “how to work and how to approach the work,” in addition to a newfound assuredness in his technique: “The biggest thing that Strasberg helped me with was more confidence in myself, in my acting… I really enjoyed my time at LSTFI.” 

Almost immediately after classes ended in 2021, Adi made his Broadway debut as Phoenix in Alanis Morissette’s hit musical, Jagged Little Pill. Adi says, “Going from being a college student to doing that every day, eight shows a week – I definitely learned so much,” especially from the other cast members. Although it was a dramatic transition, Adi continued to live in the NYU dorms while performing on Broadway: “I was basically living the same life as everyone else. I was coming back to my three roommates every night and they were just like, ‘How was the show?’”

For Adi, implementing his newfound Method techniques in Jagged Little Pill was essential. He says, “It was really great that I had The Method ingrained in me for a whole year… Coming from the Strasberg training, it was fun to try to apply it to what I was doing.” Adi also worked with a Method Acting coach to “bridge the gap” between class exercises and utilizing The Method on a Broadway stage: “I was trying to keep everything grounded… but when you’re in a theatre with 1,100 people… the people in the back of the theatre have to feel your show.” Adi eventually mastered this “hard balance” and adds that The Method was especially helpful for staying “emotionally and mentally healthy”. Because some of the themes of Jagged Little Pill were “tough on the mind”, Adi was able to access the right headspace and perform eight times a week with the help of his LSTFI training. 

“A Whole New World”

Due to the Omicron variant, Jagged Little Pill only ran for two months, which is why Adi has trouble thinking of the show as “a full experience”. However, just a few months later, Adi was cast as Aladdin in the North American Tour of Disney’s Aladdin.

For the past nine months, he has been exploring a different city every week, which is “one of the best parts about it – other than doing the show itself.” While it has been enjoyable to discover new places, the experience is dramatically different from Jagged Little Pill. Adi says, “When you’re in New York, you have your own separate life outside of the show so doing the show feels less like home, it more feels like work. On tour, you’re going to different cities every week. The only people you’re seeing that are the same are your castmates and crew, so they become your kind of home away from home.” Adi admits that it took him a few months to settle into the tour, however, the traveling set, which overlays each theatre, makes it much easier to adjust to the different spaces. 

Although touring can be difficult, “finding community” has been an incredible experience for Adi. He and his castmates have several “pre-show rituals”, including an ab circuit: “I mean, when you’re shirtless on stage for two hours, you feel obligated to.”

Adi also frequently educates his castmates about The Method: “I talk about sensory a lot with my peers because a lot of people are coming from musical theatre training backgrounds, so to hear that I was studying Method Acting… a lot of people have questions.” Adi also utilizes The Method to stay present in the show, “finding the motivation in each scene and dialogue”. 

Aladdin Q&A: Lightning Round

Q: Aladdin’s theme song?
A: “‘Riot’ by Childish Gambino. So much is going on at the same time, but it’s an organized chaos.”

Q: Is the magic carpet ride terrifying?
A: “I was pretty scared the first time but thankfully we have little seatbelts that you don’t see. After you’ve done it so many times, you get used to the same travel route.”

Q: Do you ever have the opportunity to improv in the show?
A: “When I forget my lines!” 

“One Jump Ahead”

Adi’s immediate plans include touring with Aladdin, although he would love to return to LSTFI eventually: “I think at some point I want to go back and take a few classes just to continue honing my skills. I think that’s important for everyone to do”. When reflecting on his success since training at LSTFI, Adi is proud of his growth “as an actor and as a person,” and is excited for the future. 

Visit this website to see Adi perform in a city near you and follow his journey on Instagram!

Audrey Miller

An actor, director, writer, and founder of RJ Theatre Company, Emma Tadmor left her home country of Israel to pursue acting at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (LSTFI) in 2019. The recipient of LSTFI’s Johnny Depp Scholarship, Emma enrolled in The Institute’s two-year conservatory program and trained under Robert Ellermann, Geoffrey Horne, Debra Wiley, Marcel Simoneau, guest teacher Lindsey Ferrentino, and many other esteemed LSTFI faculty. One of the things that drew Emma to LSTFI was the opportunity to hone her craft with so many Method Acting professors, gathering a variety of approaches and opinions. 

For Emma, everything originates from her time at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute: “I write and direct as an actor. I didn’t go to school for directing. I had one writing class at Strasberg… Everything that I do is firstly as an actor.” The Method influences her rehearsal room, scripts, and perception of acting. 

RJ Theatre Company

With the help of her cousin, Emma founded RJ Theatre Company in 2020 to submit her original play, Plasters, to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. When asked what RJ stands for, Emma admits that it is an obscure Harry Potter reference – and the only name she and her cousin could agree on: “I don’t know which of us suggested RJ but it’s raspberry jam, which is Dumbledore’s favorite flavor of jam.”

Since 2020, RJ Theatre Company has thrived in New York City with two Off-Broadway productions: Charlie, another original work, debuted this past November at TheaterLab while Hamlet Split Apart premiered at the Flea Theatre this May into early June. 

Becoming a Multi-Hyphenate

While Emma has acted in some of her own productions, including Plasters and Hamlet Split Apart, she enjoys writing and directing as well. Emma discovered her love of writing by chance, landing in guest teacher Lindsey Ferrentino’s class through pure luck after a credit mix-up. Emma admits that she felt completely lost at the beginning of the semester: “I missed the first class. I had no idea what I was walking into… I have an email saying, ‘Lindsey, I don’t know how to write a scene.’” Laughing while relaying the story, Emma adds that only a few months later, she figured out that writing “flowed” for her, completing her first play soon after the class ended.

Besides being a writer and actor, Emma directs all of RJ Theatre Company’s productions. She believes there are two main aspects to directing: “having a vision of what you want to execute” and then “talking to actors and getting them to realize your vision”. Emma also discusses the various “languages” directors must learn to be able to communicate with the entire cast and crew. She says, “Speaking to an actor and speaking to a lighting designer are just different languages, and as a director you have to learn both. Speaking to actors is really hard. I know nothing about lighting design, but I can look and say, ‘That’s too green, change it.’ Acting doesn’t work that way.”

Although Emma has not taken any formal directing classes, she credits her directing skills to paying attention to her Method Acting professors: “We have incredible teachers – some of them direct less and some of them direct more – but a lot of what they say is very directorial.” She often quotes Robert Ellermann and Geoffrey Horne when developing a scene, utilizing Robert’s basic techniques of breaking down a scene and Geoffrey’s stool analogy for discovering a character’s stable connections in life.

Like her Method Acting teachers, Emma leads the cast in relaxation before every rehearsal and performance. Emma believes that “grounding the work in sense memory” is one the most important parts of the rehearsal process. She adds how the private moment exercise was crucial in her recent production of Hamlet Split Apart, claiming sensory exercises lead to “a beautiful kind of limbo between who you are and who your character is,” which is “fully Strasberg”. 

Charlie – LSTFI Alumna Directs LSTFI Teacher

Emma strongly believes there must be a reason behind every RJ Theatre Company production. This is clearly evident in her original work, Charlie. Described as “an intimate family drama, touching on choice, loss and moving on”, the piece, written and directed by Emma, “is colored by recent and ongoing changes in women’s rights laws”. All cast, crew, and production team members were part of the LSTFI community, and the show even starred Method Acting professor Marcel Simoneau. 

While attending LSTFI, Emma took several of Marcel’s classes, including his Method Acting and Selftape courses. When asked about the experience of directing a former teacher, she refers to it as “incredible” and adds that she is “a very big fan” of Marcel as an actor, teacher, and mentor. For Emma, Marcel’s continued professionalism was especially noteworthy: “You have to work in the industry a bunch to understand your place in the room as an actor…and what’s collaboration and what’s stepping on people’s jobs. I was so lucky having Marcel in that room.” Although giving rehearsal notes to a former teacher was intimidating, Emma feels that Charlie was her “best directing experience” yet.

Hamlet Split Apart

After Charlie, RJ Theatre Company staged a 55-minute adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet titled Hamlet Split Apart. Since performing in Gary Lagden’s reimagination of Hamlet at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in 2018, Emma feels a continued connection to the play and the character of Ophelia: “Ophelia is the character I feel most protective of. I feel like she gets misinterpreted a lot. She’s such a strong young woman. They break her and it’s awful, but if she was broken to begin with, where’s the tragedy in that?” 

Emma modeled Hamlet Split Apart on Lagden’s adaptation where the character of Hamlet was split into four roles. She consulted with a clinical psychologist to diagnose each Hamlet with a different trait of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Emma chose to tackle this incredibly well-known play because she argues it is still the most relevant Shakespeare play. She often wonders if Shakespeare had knowledge of different mental illnesses: “Could he vocalize it? Or did he just innately understand human beings?” 

Consisting of another all-LSTFI cast, stage manager, and creative team, Emma feels incredibly grateful to be able to collaborate with artists in the LSTFI community, especially because of the “shared language in the room”. She says, “We had such support from the Strasberg community…There’s a line in the play where Polonius is speaking to Hamlet and he turns to the audience and says, ‘Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t.’ We all laughed and we all knew why.” Succinctly put, Emma says, “What I love about Strasberg is you get to meet so many people from so many different places and form this wonderful, creative orb around you of actors and people who do things that extend beyond acting. I don’t know another place that is that way.” 

What’s Next?

This is only the beginning for Emma and RJ Theatre Company. Lately, Emma has been spending the majority of her time writing her third original play and a television show. She has tentative plans to revisit her first original show, Plasters, in New York City and hopes to continue staging a series of classics in 55 minutes. 

When giving advice to current LSTFI students or soon-to-be alumni, Emma says, “It’s important to check in with yourself and realize what comes naturally to you… Instead of beating yourself up or constantly looking at what other people are doing, check in with yourself and see what you can do.” 

The moral of the story? “Be afraid and do it anyway.”  

Check out RJ Theatre Company’s Instagram or website!