Actors Studio

The Actors Studio is an American membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights located on West 44th Street in Hell's Kitchen in New York City. It is located in the former Seventh Associate Presbyterian Church, a Greek Revival-style church building constructed in the late 1850s and designated as a New York City Landmark since 1991. The studio is best known for its work refining and teaching method acting. It was founded in 1947 by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, and Robert Lewis, and later directed by Lee Strasberg, all former members of the Group Theatre, an early pioneer of the acting techniques of Konstantin Stanislavsky that would become known as method acting. Notable actors and playwrights who have shared their work at the studio include Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando (who joined the studio in its first year), Lorraine Hansberry and James Baldwin. 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. As of September 2026, the studio's co-presidents are Ellen Burstyn, Alec Baldwin and Al Pacino. In New York, the co-artistic directors are Martha Gehman and Javier Molina, and the associate artistic director is Estelle Parsons. In Los Angeles, the co-artistic directors are Katherine Cortez and Rene Rivera, and the associate artistic directors are Frances Fisher and William Hoffman.