Sonia Moore reveals the subtle tissue of ideas behind what Stanislavski regarded as his "major breakthrough," the Method of Physical Actions. Moore's exhaustive analyses of Stanislavski's original texts, letters, journals and production notes have yielded a revised understanding of Stanislavki's method - and his secret of inspiration - the key to spontaneity on the stage and the path to fresh and naturalistic performance.
Stanislavsky in Focus brilliantly examines the history and actual premises of Stanislavsky’s 'System', separating myth from fact with forensic skill. The first edition of this now classic study showed conclusively how the 'System' was gradually transformed into the Method, popularised in the 1950s by Lee Strasberg and the Actor’s Studio. It looked at the gap between the original Russian texts and what most English-speaking practitioners still imagine to be Stanislavsky’s ideas. This thoroughly revised new edition also delves even deeper into: the mythical depiction of Stanislavsky as a tyrannical director and teacher yoga, the mind-body-spirit continuum and its role in the ‘System’ how Stanislavsky used subtexts to hide many of his ideas from Soviet censors. The text has been updated to address all of the relevant scholarship, particularly in Russia, since the first edition was published. It also features an expanded glossary on the System's terminology and its historical exercises, as well as more on the political context of Stanislavsky's work, its links with cognitive science, and the System's relation to contemporary developments in actor-training. It will be a vital part of every practitioner's and historian's library.
Stop reading about Stanislavsky and wondering what it's all supposed to mean. Meet the master and his disciples as they evolve new techniques and exercises in a workshop atmosphere over a quarter of a century.
"Routledge Performance Practitioners" is a series of introductory guides to the key theatre-makers of the 20th century. Each volume explains the background to and the work of one of the major influences on 20th and 21st century performance. These compact, well-illustrated and clearly written books unravel the contribution of modern theatre's most charismatic innovators, through: personal biography; explanation of key writings; description of significant productions; and reproduction of practical exercises.
This pioneering introduction to Stanislavsky's methods and modes of actor training covers all of the essential elements of his System. Recreating ‘truthful’ behaviour in the artificial environment, awareness and observation, psychophysical work, given circumstances, visualization and imagination, and active analysis are all introduced and explored. Each section of the book is accompanied by individual and group exercises, forming a full course of study in the foundations of modern acting. A glossary explains the key terms and concepts that are central to Stanislavsky’s thinking at a glance. The book’s companion website is full of downloadable worksheets and resources for teachers and students. Experiencing Stanislavsky Today is enhanced by contemporary findings in psychology, neuroscience, anatomy and physiology that illuminate the human processes important to actors, such as voice and speech, creativity, mind-body connection, the process and the production of emotions on cue. It is the definitive first step for anyone encountering Stanislavsky’s work, from acting students exploring his methods for the first time, to directors looking for effective rehearsal tools and teachers mapping out degree classes.
This book was written between 1946 and 1952, and first published in 1953. It is now widely regarded as the standard portrait of the European and American theater in the turbulent and seminal years following World War II; but it is far more than that. It ranges back as far as Ibsen and even Shakespeare, and has contributed very substantially to a number of reputations that would long outlast 1950, such as those of Bertolt Brecht, Charles Chaplin and Martha Graham. For Bentley fans, it is an essential link in a chain that runs from The Playwright as Thinker to The Life of the Drama to The Brecht Memoir and Thinking About the Playwright.
(Applause Acting Series). These words of Cicely Berry, the voice director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, speak to anyone who needs to speak his or her piece in any arena, at sales meetings or religious revivals. Berry's book will insure that the speaker and the text gets heard accurately and with true emotional range. Never again will one be accused of simply "reading a prepared statement." Berry's exercises to develop relaxation, breathing and muscular control will literally help everyone breathe easier when confronting the printed page.
In this fascinating book one sees Stanislavski's constant revision, his continuing search for more and more helpful ways to assist actors in creating their roles until the very end of his long, fruitful life. Here is a description of the work of his last years, written by one of the outstanding actors of his time, Vasily Osipovich Toporkov. One of Stanislavski's favorite actors, Toporkov was invited by him to participate in the experiments that form the basis of this book. It provides the clearest description of his famous "method of physical actions" from an insider trained by the master himself.
