Mumbai: If you want to have the same alma mater as Al Pacino, Julia Roberts, Dustin Hoffman, Paul Newman, Marilyn Monroe, Matt Damon, Uma Thurman and Ranbir Kapoor, you`re in luck.
The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, which has trained many of Hollywood`s highly-acclaimed actors, has chosen India — Mumbai and Hyderabad — to launch the first of its international branches in 2010.
The academy, situated in New York and Los Angeles, propounds the famous ‘method acting’, developed by Academy Award-nominated actor and director Lee Strasberg. Method acting trains actors to equate their real life experiences with their characters.
In partnership with Connecticut’s Optimus Management Group and Bollywood director Rahul Rawail, the institute will open in India in January 2010.
The curriculum will retain the core of Lee Strasberg`s Method Acting, but will integrate material from India, along with dance styles and classes in regional languages.
The faculty will comprise alumni of the National School of Drama, some of whom will be trained at the New York Strasberg institute, as well as visiting faculty from the US.
The term, beginning June 2010, will offer courses that cover filmmaking, from acting to cinematography. Admissions will be restricted to 20 students a batch.
Rawail, CEO of the Indian Strasberg Institute, said the school is perfect for Indians who have visa problems or who cannot afford the fees and living expenses in New York and Los Angeles.
“India is full of actors and film makers who are working yet eager to learn more about their craft. It is the most natural place for us to be,” said co-founder Anna Strasberg, in an email.
