The
Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street in the
Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of
Manhattan in
New York City. It was founded October 5, 1947, by
Elia Kazan,
Cheryl Crawford,
Robert Lewis and
Anna Sokolow, who provided training for actors who were members.
Lee Strasberg joined later and took the helm in 1951 until his death on February 17, 1982. It is currently run by
Al Pacino,
Ellen Burstyn, and
Harvey Keitel. The Studio is best known for its work refining and teaching
method acting. The approach was originally developed by the
Group Theatre in the 1930s based on the innovations of
Constantin Stanislavski. While at the Studio, actors work together to develop their skills in a private environment where they can take risks as performers without the pressure of commercial roles.