About the Book:

The first volume of Stanislavski's enduring trilogy on the art of acting, An Actor Prepares defines the "System," a means of mastering the craft of acting and of stimulating the actor's individual creativeness and imagination.

Constantin Stanislavski's groundbreaking acting system, now referred to as "method acting," developed from his work in the Moscow Art Theater and acknowledged the world over, found its greatest success in America where its methods have been used for over fifty years by the Actor's Studio in New York.

Required reading for any actor, An Actor Prepares delves into Stanislavsky's process behind creating his own acting method. His analysis of the craft reads like an actor's inner monologue as he tries to emotionally understand the work he's doing. An Actor Prepares, which includes exercises and insights, was first published in English in 1936, but Stanislavsky's perspective is evergreen.

Funny at times, An Actor Prepares takes you through Stanislavsky's self-developed system which helps you to master your craft as well as stimulate creativity and imagination. Fusing psychological realism and expressionism, his exploratory exercises teach you to evoke past emotions that draw out their vulnerability. Stanislavski introduces such concepts as the magic if, emotion memory, the unbroken line and many more now famous rehearsal aids that laid the groundwork for much of the great acting today. This classic manual is written from the viewpoint of fictional actors taking lessons from a director (based on Stanislavski). Through the student's mistakes, questions, revelations, and struggles, Stanislavski teaches the actor about the stage, truth, and life itself. Stanislavski's simple exercises fire the imagination, and help you not only discover your own conception of reality but how to reproduce it as well.

What people say:

"...one of the most inspired and inspiring manifestos of our art that I know." — Richard Monette, Stratford artistic director

"Any serious student of directing should read, well, everything. Of course, don't miss the standard texts, including Stanislavski's trilogy, An Actor Prepares, Building a Character, and Creating a Role (note the clever 'A, B, C' of the title sequence)." — Frank Hauser, legendary theatre director

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.