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: $1550
Method Acting + Additional Creative Classes
FALL CURRICULUM: THE WORKING ACTOR
Fall YAS Curriculum (Grades 2-6)
Saturday, September 23 – Saturday, December 16 *No class on Saturday, November 25
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 13 – Saturday, March 16
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 6 – Saturday, June 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.
MUSICAL THEATRE Young Actors learn the art of storytelling through acting the song, interpretive movement along with character building with movement and dance. The latest modern, fun and age appropriate musicals with a focus on building characters. Selected Scenes and musical numbers are selected based upon suitability for the roles, including group and individual practice, this includes learning the process of vocal rehearsals, learning about breathing, diaphragm and acting the song using the inflection of colors to express emotion. Dance rehearsals include learning safety of dance, including physical warm ups and a group number will be choreographed over the course of the semester.
IMPROV COMEDY Every actor can use improvisation to stimulate the imagination, activate their spontaneity, and learn to make bold, creative choices in their work. This course helps students hone their comedic timing using a range of exercises, including improv, stand up, and scene work.
*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: $1850
Method Acting + Additional Creative Classes
HALF-DAY SATURDAY 9:00am-12:00pm or 12:30-3:30pm EST Tuition: $1200
Method Acting Only
FALL CURRICULUM: THE WORKING ACTOR
Fall YAS Curriculum (Grades 7-12)
Saturday, September 23 – Saturday, December 16 *No class on Saturday, November 25
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 AUDITION (3hrs) Auditioning is an art in and of itself. Musical Theatre Audition will help Young Actors find material that is suitable for our students as actors, songs that are suitable for their voice range and will use the art of using an inflection on colors to express emotion within the song.
OR
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
COMEDY(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 13 – Saturday, March 16
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:
MUSICAL THEATRE ON SCREEN (3hrs) In Musical Theatre on Screen, Young Actors have the chance to pull material from their favorite movie musicals. In addition to vocal and body warm ups, students work on repertoire from movies like La La Land and Pitch Perfect, Disney’s animated classics, or iconic Broadway musicals adapted for screen like Mamma Mia, Les Miserable, and In the Heights!
OR
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.
*Elective offerings are subject to change
SPRING CURRICULUM: THE STAGE ACTOR
Spring YAS Curriculum (Grades 7-12)
Saturday, April 6 – Saturday, June 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 three hours of additional creative classes (one 3-hour elective or two 1.5-hour electives):
MUSICAL THEATRE (3hrs) Our Young Actors will learn the art of storytelling through acting, song and dance. Scenes and numbers from the musical theatre canon are selected, rehearsed and choreographed over the course of the semester, working toward a final showcase performance.
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.
OR
MOVEMENT (1.5hrs) This class gives Young Actors the tools to better understand how their bodies work and how to use the body as an instrument for expression by utilizing various techniques, exercises, and improvisations.
BUILDING A CHARACTER(1.5hrs) Building a Character teaches students to use their Method Acting exercises to create a truthful and nuanced character. Young Actors will learn how to make informed and creative choices using both research and the imagination.
