Today is the last day of our 5-part series on what we as writers can learn about our craft from the craft of acting. In particular, I’m hopeful that between what gets posted here and what gets posted in comments — especially by those GITS readers who are actors or have taken acting classes — we can all learn something about the mind of an actor. How do they approach a part? What are they looking for? What do they think makes a great character? And so forth.

I’ve asked two professionals with acting backgrounds to provide their take on a series of questions. They are Joshua James and Shea Vitartis (their bios are at the end of this post).

Today’s question: Who are the most notable acting teachers and what are their distinctive approaches to teaching the craft?

Josh James:

Stanislovski is the first one a person usually reads, a Russian teacher who wrote a series of books … the first of which was AN ACTOR PREPARES … the focus on those books was sense memory, and the foundation he set would actually at some point evolve into the method here in America, via Lee Strasberg, I think.

I don’t know that I found the books (or the method) particularly useful, but that could be just my own personal taste … I had no problem with sense memory myself … Uta Hagen is the other great name teacher, American, that I liked, and she wrote a book or two (I believe one was Building A Character) that I remember liking as an undergrad (I actually got a chance to see her perform in a play and she was electric).

I did Meisner (named after its teacher, Sanford Meisner) training as a grad student and that’s what I found to be the most exciting and exacting and exasperating form of training … it’s definitely not for a beginner (I like to think of it as acting it its purest form, myself) and the Neighborhood Playhouse, where it originally began, generally takes students on a two year program. We did it for one year in the grad program I was in.

Nonetheless, for me it greatly informed me as a writer … one should note that David Mamet studied it too (and found he wasn’t particularly gifted as an actor) and anyone who’s taken Meisner and read Mamet can see the influence, especially in the dialogue.

There are, of course, many many other teachers that I’m sure I’ve missed, but that’s my memory of it.

One last point on acting … it is, in the end, devoted to the same thing a writer is … telling stories to an audience … it’s why it’s only helpful to understand how it works, in my opinion.

Shea Vitartis:

I've been lucky enough to have studied with some great teachers. Two of them I consider "Grand Masters" because they have had YEARS of experience not only in teaching, but also in the business both on camera and stage. Those two teachers are Peter Haskell and William Alderson. The saying "those that can't act teach" do not apply to these two.

If you are in Los Angeles, I would recommend checking out William Alderson's Studio. I am sure it is quite obvious I'm biased to the Meisner technique because it works so well and its simplicity is genius. More top names have come from that training than any other technique. And I'm not just talking actors; I'm also talking directors, writers, producers, and other professionals throughout the industry.

Peter Haskell is the other teacher that knows his stuff. He could pick up a script, have it memorized and acted out without a flaw just by reading it once. Talk about a pro. Just look at his IMDB page. I have noticed when he works with others, he really takes his time, and has great patience. He never tries to humiliate his actors which is the sign of a good teacher. Any teacher that feels they need to humiliate their students is not a good teacher.

I spent some time at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. They have a very good business sense at that studio and it is run incredibly well. The work ethic and collaboration is well known throughout Hollywood.

I studied at the Ivana Chubbuck Studio. The drawback to studying there was that is it so overcrowded -- you pay a good amount of money to get up only once or twice per month. And just like writing, acting is learned best by doing. Though I must say her book on acting would be great for writers to read because she really covers the WANTS of a character and the obstacles they must overcome in order to reach their goal. She does a great job with script analysis.

Also spent a brief spell at the Carter Thor Studio, which is similar to Ivana's as they both got their base from Roy London.

This question can take a while to break down, as there are so many out there. The best way to go about this is to find which technique works best for you.

About Shea Vitartis:

Shea Patrick Vitartas was born and raised in Los Angeles. The son of a set designer, he got a taste of the "business" at a very young age. At the age of 18, he joined the lighting union. Not long after his first day on the job, he caught the eye of an acting manager who took Shea on as a new client. It was at this time that Shea's journey into the craft of acting began. He trained at various studios and learned from the top acting coaches in Los Angeles. Throughout his journey, Shea has met many unforgettable people who have inspired him. Two of the biggest influences on his acting career have been Peter Haskell and William Alderson, both of whom approach the technique of teaching acting from a place of imagination and truth. While he continues to pursue his passion for acting, Shea has also recently completed the UCLA Certificate in Feature Film Writing. Never one to let his creative mind rest, he continues to write and direct projects, some of which have been shown at various festivals throughout the U.S. Shea is currently working on his third script, which he plans to shoot in the latter part of 2010. He is also assembling a web series that he will be writing, producing, directing and acting in.

About Joshua James:

Josh James adapted Peter Biskind’s book Down and Dirty Pictures (2010) into a screenplay now in pre-production as is his dark comedy The Jones Party.

He also wrote the thriller Block Island for Adler-Gray Productions and did a production polish on Roadkill (2010) directed by John Stockwell, which completed principal photography in January 2010. In addition, his scripts A Natural High and Pound of Flesh, were optioned in 2009.

Josh has a blog on writing here.

Thanks to Josh and Shea for a week's worth of enlightenment!