About
the Book:
Acting: A Handbook of the Stanislavski Method is an
essential, comprehensive guide to the art and science of acting, as
taught by the creator and great teachers of the Stanislavski Method.
One of the greatest acting teachers of all time, Konstantin
Stanislavsky's work signaled a shift in 20th-century acting and
inspired a whole new generation of techniques and teachers.
An exact facsimile of the original 1947 edition, this book is a
compilation of essays on the craft, several by Stanislavski and one
by his greatest student, Vakhtangov. Also included is an essay by M.
A. Chekhov on Stanislavski's Method of Acting, and a brilliant
introduction by the great and legendary Method-acting coach Lee Strasberg,
who based his teaching on the method he learned as a youth from
disciples of the famed Konstantin Stanislavski of the Moscow Art
Theatre. He taught ''method acting,'' using improvisation to show his
students how to internalize roles – letting the performance emerge
from emotion and disposition rather than working for external effects
or manners. The graduates of Strasberg's Actors Studio comprise a
virtual Who's Who of American acting: James Dean, Ellen Burstyn, Al
Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Marilyn Monroe, Julie Harris, Jane Fonda,
Joanne Woodward, Paul Newman, and Dustin Hoffman were all his
students. His technique boasts many famous alumni as well, including
Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson, and Steve Buscemi.
Contents of Acting: A Handbook of the Stanislavski
Method include:
• Introduction by Lee Strasberg
• The actor's responsibility by
Constantin Stanislavski
• Direction and acting by Constantin
Stanislavski
• The work of the actor by I.
Rapoport
• The creative process by I. Sudakov
• Stanislavski's method of acting by
M.A. Chekhov
• Preparing for the role by E.
Vakhtangov
• Case history of a role by A.S.
Giatsintova
• From the production plan of Othello
by Constantin Stanislavski
• Film acting: two phases by V.I.
Pudovkin
• Principles of directing by B.E.
Zakhava
• To his players at the first
rehearsal of The Blue Bird by Constantin Stanislavski.
• Also includes 25 illustrations related to the stage and the
art of acting.
What people say:
"A
wealth of material on the theory and practice of acting ... a book
which may be read, re-read and absorbed by everyone who assumes the
directing of actors or that most difficult task, the teaching of
acting." — Quarterly Journal of Speech
About the Author:
Constantin Stanislavski
(1863-1938), arguably the most influential director in the history of
the theater, was the founder of the renowned Moscow Art Theater. A
pioneer of psychological realism and improvisation on the stage, he
devoted his life to developing the performance techniques now
emulated throughout the world.
Toby Cole (1916-2008) was an
American talent and literary agent. A lifelong devotee to
humanitarian causes and avant-garde talent, from 1957-73 she ran New
York's Actors and Authors Agency. She helped many actors revitalize
their careers after they had been damaged by McCarthy-era
blacklisting. In addition to Sam Shepard, whom she guided from East
Village one-act plays to major off-Broadway productions, she helped
increase recognition for the works of Bertolt Brecht.
