ABSTRACT
Editor’s note: This section records Lee Strasberg’s own words as he oversaw the exercises for the Actor’s Unit, the fi rst two hours of the traditional four-hour session. The exercises include relaxation, sense memory, emotional memory, the private moment, the animal exercise, song and dance, and voice exercises. In the Actor’s Unit, Lee emphasizes relaxation and concentration as the backbone of the work. He talks to the students about eliminating tension, the role of habits that confi ne expression, and how to relax in the chair. To help actors take control, he describes the use of sound in eliminating emotional tension, and discusses the “abstract or additional movement,” which tests the actor’s ability to follow their own commands and break habits. As will be clear from the transcriptions, Lee’s ability to focus on and communicate with individuals, discern and analyze their acting problems, and use of the exercises illustrate the depth of his understanding of how to develop craft in acting. Also clear from the classes is one of Lee’s deepest beliefs, “that actors must make a commitment to train themselves and continue to work on their craft throughout their careers”; the importance of taking classes and continuing to work with a teacher as a guide is a point he stressed to all of his students.
