Offered during the traditional school year (Fall, Winter, and Spring), our Saturday Program offers students in grades 2-12 weekend training in Lee Strasberg’s world-renowned Method Acting technique. Full-day students will round out their studies with additional creative classes that complement their Method training.
In Method Acting classes at LSTFI, our experienced faculty work with students on relaxation, sense memory exercises, and scene work. During relaxation, students aim to release both physical and mental tension. Sense memory exercises train the actor to use their imagination and call upon the memories stored in our five senses – sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Finally, students will learn to make creative choices and apply the exercises in their actor toolboxes to characters and scenes from theatre and film. Our faculty will guide classes through acting exercises and scene work that is fun, challenging, and appropriate for the students’ age and experience levels.
Please note that the Young Actors Saturday Program is held in person at our New York campus. Students outside New York in grades 7-12 are eligible for our Online Saturday Program. For more information, please call (212) 533-5500 or email [email protected].
FULL-DAY SATURDAY 10:00am – 3:00pm EST Tuition: $1620
Method Acting + Additional Creative Classes
FALL CURRICULUM: THE WORKING ACTOR
Fall YAS Curriculum (Grades 2-6)
Saturday, September 21 – Saturday, December 14 *No class on Saturday, October 12 *No class on Saturday, November 30
METHOD ACTING Young Actors at Strasberg students will study Lee’s relaxation and sense memory exercises while learning to make creative choices and explore the art of storytelling.
CREATIVE MOVEMENT Actors focus on using the body as an instrument and full expression through movement is explored, which is an important part of every actor’s craft, learning different dance styles; Hip Hop, Funk and Jazz, get your body moving in creative dance for the Actor!Toward the end of the term, a vocal teacher will work with the actors teaching a safe voice practice, breathing exercises, diaphragm exercises. Learning to warm up the instrument with interpretive vocal sounds, students explore and create sounds as a group and find the best way to vocally warm as a group and individually. Students will learn the skill on how to warm up vocally at home by themselves, if and when they have to prepare for an audition. Young actors will learn about the importance of pronunciation, vocal diction, tongue twisters, using colors to express emotions along with age appropriate, new and modern up-tempo songs.
ON CAMERA & COMMERCIAL ACTING Introductory class for young actors who have no or limited experience auditioning and acting in front of the camera. Students will learn the basics of executing an audition and callback focusing on Commercial Acting. Students will work on age appropriate, modern scenes and experience. These acting classes also serve as a way to learn and practice applying storytelling and their personalities using The Method to their work.
*Class offerings are subject to change
WINTER CURRICULUM: THE SCREEN ACTOR
Winter YAS Curriculum (Grades 2-6)
Saturday, January 11 – Saturday, March 22
METHOD ACTING Young Actors at Strasberg students will study Lee’s relaxation and sense memory exercises while learning to make creative choices and explore the art of storytelling.
STAGE COMBAT The focus of this class will be to learn safe and dramatically effective techniques of unarmed staged choreographed sequence of movements. Fundamental safety skills are stressed, as well as techniques common to conflict situations from all periods in history.
ACTING ON CAMERA Introductory class for young actors who have no or limited experience acting in front of the camera. Annually during winter, LSTFI holds the Lee Strasberg Film Festival. During this Acting on Camera class, Young Actors have the opportunity to create and write short scripts and act in pairs for our short films in anticipation of the festival!
*Class offerings are subject to change
SPRING CURRICULUM: THE STAGE ACTOR
Spring YAS Curriculum (Grades 2-6)
Saturday, April 12 – Saturday, June 28
METHOD ACTING Young Actors at Strasberg students will study Lee’s relaxation and sense memory exercises while learning to make creative choices and explore the art of storytelling.
CREATIVE MOVEMENT Actors focus on using the body as an instrument and full expression through movement is explored, which is an important part of every actor’s craft.
ACTING THE SONG Introductory class for young actors who have no or limited experience singing and acting at the same time. Students will lean how to break down a song into an acting performance and how to be their best selves when presenting their performance. Students will aim to work the same song for a few classes before moving on to another, beginning to build a book that they can take into musical theatre auditions that they feel confident in.
*Please note that this is not a vocal technique class **Class offerings are subject to change
SATURDAY PROGRAM: GRADES 7-12
Groups are divided further by age.
FULL-DAY SATURDAY 9:00am – 3:30pm EST Tuition: $1935
Method Acting + Additional Creative Classes
FALL 2024 PROGRAM FULL – WAITLIST ONLY
HALF-DAY SATURDAY 9:00am-12:00pm or 12:30-3:30pm EST Tuition: $1255
Method Acting Only
FALL CURRICULUM: THE WORKING ACTOR
Fall YAS Curriculum (Grades 7-12)
Saturday, September 21 – Saturday, December 14 *No class on Saturday, October 12 *No class on Saturday, November 30
METHOD ACTING Young Actors at Strasberg students will study Lee’s relaxation and sense memory exercises while learning to make creative choices and explore the art of storytelling.
Full-day students take one Method Acting class plus three hours of additional creative classes (two 1.5-hour electives):
STAGE COMBAT (1.5hrs) Stage Combat focuses on learning safe and dramatically effective techniques of unarmed staged choreographed sequence of movements. Fundamental safety skills are stressed, as well as techniques common to conflict situations from all periods in history.
ACTING FOR FILM & TV (1.5hrs) Acting for Film & TV covers everything you need to know about working in front of the camera. With classes on self tapes and auditions, script analysis, and on-camera scene work, this class is perfect for the aspiring screen actor.
OR
IMPROV (1.5hrs) Comedy helps students hone their comedic timing using a range of exercises, including improv, stand up, and scene work.
ACTING FOR FILM & TV (1.5hrs) Acting for Film & TV covers everything you need to know about working in front of the camera. With classes on self tapes and auditions, script analysis, and on-camera scene work, this class is perfect for the aspiring screen actor.
*Elective offerings are subject to change
WINTER CURRICULUM: THE SCREEN ACTOR
Winter YAS Curriculum (Grades 7-12)
Saturday, January 11 – Saturday, March 22
METHOD ACTING Young Actors at Strasberg students will study Lee’s relaxation and sense memory exercises while learning to make creative choices and explore the art of storytelling.
Full-day students take one Method Acting class plus one additional 3-hour elective:
ACTING ON CAMERA (3hrs) Each winter, LSTFI holds the annual Lee Strasberg Film Festival. In our Acting on Camera class, Young Actors have the opportunity to write, direct, and act in short films in anticipation of the festival. This class will be split into two 1.5 hour blocks, one focused on filming and the other focused on writing and creating your own work
*Elective offerings are subject to change
SPRING CURRICULUM: THE STAGE ACTOR
Spring YAS Curriculum (Grades 7-12)
Saturday, April 12 – Saturday, June 28
METHOD ACTING Young Actors at Strasberg students will study Lee’s relaxation and sense memory exercises while learning to make creative choices and explore the art of storytelling.
Full-day students take one Method Acting class plus three hours of additional creative classes (one 3-hour elective or two 1.5-hour electives):
MUSICAL THEATRE (3hrs) This class will be more advanced. A vocal and dance diagnostic will be done at the beginning of the semester, in order to get a general idea of each student’s development to date in these two areas. The teachers will work collaboratively with the students in choosing potential solos, and/or duets and small ensembles to be prepared. Where appropriate, choreography will also be given for these numbers. Additionally, there will be one large group number which will be fully sung and choreographed, involving all members of class. All repertoire will be chosen from the musical theatre cannon with occasional exceptions allowed. The emphasis in this class will be on solo work as well as group work. No student will be forced to perform a solo, but this will be encouraged. The idea is to work individually with the students in order to improve their dance, singing, and acting skill sets. The class will culminate in a parents’ day presentation at the end of the semester. All selections will be performed by the students from memory.
OR
WORKING WITH THE DIRECTOR (3hrs) This course gives the student the experience of working with a director and developing a play through analysis, rehearsal, and performance. This class will culminate in a small scale production that includes tech and costuming.
