About the Book:

For actors by an actor of rare subtlety and imagination; for directors by a brilliant versatile motion-picture and stage director.

Acting: The First Six Lessons is a treasure-box of wise observations about the art of acting, all wrapped up in six charming dialogues between a teacher and an idealistic student. Laid out like the script of a play, these dramatic dialogues explore the field of acting according to one of the original teachers of Stanislavsky's System in America. Generations of actors have been enriched by Richard Boleslavsky's witty and acute picture of the actor's craft. These six "lessons" – miniature dramas about Concentration, Memory of Emotion, Dramatic Action, Characterization, Observation, and Rhythm – distill the challenge facing every actor, with actionable exercises designed to "develop the actor's physical resources" and train the body as one would tune an instrument. This classic work on acting is one of the very few that stands beside Stanislavsky as a must-have for all acting students and professionals.

His knowledge of the theatre and cinema was based on wide experience. He was a member of the Moscow Art Theatre (MAT) and director of its First Studio, which trained actors in the Stanislavsky method. He emigrated to the United States in 1922. The MAT toured America in 1923, and he rejoined the company as an actor and Stanislavsky's assistant. He delivered lectures on the Stanislavsky method and was also the co-founder of the American Laboratory Theatre School ("the Lab"), which trained Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler among other actors and teachers, playing an important role in bringing Stanislavsky's techniques to America. Richard Boleslavsky worked in Russia, Germany and America as actor, director and teacher. On Broadway, he produced plays and musical comedies and he was a leading Hollywood director.

Richard Boleslavsky wrote an influential series of articles in Theatre Arts Magazine and Theatre Arts Monthly from 1923 to 1932. They were compiled into the famous book Acting: The First Six Lessons, which was first published in 1933 and remains a key text for anyone studying acting today. This new edition of an essential text is edited by Rhonda Blair and supplemented for the very first time with documents from the American Laboratory Theatre. These collect together a broad range of exciting unpublished material, drawn from Richard Boleslavsky's pivotal and unprecedented teachings on acting. Included are:

• His series of lectures at The Princess Theatre in 1923 under the title "The Creative Theatre". These pivotal lectures, presented during MAT's US tour with Stanislavsky's blessing, served as the first public introduction of the Stanislavsky System to American audiences.
• Lectures Richard Boleslavsky gave at the American Laboratory Theatre in 1924-25
• "Acting with Maria Ouspenskaya," four short essays on the work of Ouspenskaya, Boleslavsky's colleague and fellow actor trainer
• A new critical introduction and bibliography by the Editor, Rhonda Blair.

What people say:

"An actor, director, teacher, and member of the Moscow Art Theatre, Boleslavsky offers the six basic lessons for actors of all disciplines and experience. A classic text." — Backstage

"This enhanced edition gives the reader an opportunity to explore the craft of acting, improve acting technique, and increase appreciation of good theater practice. It also offers a valuable historical perspective on the birth and evolution of the American acting process in the early 20th century." — CHOICE

"Under their apparent simplicity and light-heartedness, (the lessons are) profound and to the point. Both beginners and established actors, who take their work seriously, will find stimulation in this book." — Sir Alec Guinness

"Any serious student of directing should read, well, everything. Of course, don't miss the standard texts, including Richard Boleslavski's Acting: The First Six Lessons." — Frank Hauser, legendary theatre director

"One wants to quote any number of passages for their wit, the gayety of their instruction, the fineness of their perceptions, the good sense they show, their helpfulness and their ever-incisive clarity … The thing for actors to do, whether they are young or old, is to buy this book … It does more to explore the art of acting than any single volume for years." — New York Post

About the Author:

Richard Boleslavsky (1889-1937) (born Ryszard Boleslawski) was a Polish actor and director. He was a member of the Moscow Art Theatre and director of its First Studio. He emigrated to New York in the 1920s and was the first teacher of the Stanislavski system of acting in the West. Although he went on to produce plays on Broadway and was a leading Hollywood director in the 1930s and 1940s, his enduring work is contained in this book Acting: The First Six Lessons.

Rhonda Blair is professor emerita of theatre at Southern Methodist University. In addition to directing and performing in more than 70 productions, she has presented keynote talks and papers at more than 100 conferences and symposia worldwide. Her honours include the American Society for Theatre Research Distinguished Scholar Award.