The lessons are there. The insights are there. The book matches the enormity of its reputation. It is empowering--you will find it changes how you view theater or film performance. Stanislavski's marvelous exercises are useful as well in a non-theatrical sense. You can discover many observations about human psychology here, which even without being an actor are useful to help you understand yourself and your everyday behavior.
Dovetails very nicely with Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, and other thinkers of the phenomenology school. This is the primary value I receive from the pages so far. What are the little performances we constantly adopt when around others? What routines and mechanical habits unconsciously dominate us as we go about our day?
What are all these coy little social masquerades we all live by? How do we communicate mood and feeling? Why do we 'read' or intuit atmosphere from others? It's all here. It's an intense read, a book of ideas. A book which makes you pause to digest every few paragraphs. But once you accept the convoluted 'storytelling' conceit, you will get a lot out of it. It's easy to see why it is so renowned. After just the first chapter I am decidedly not in favor of David Mamet's elaborate counter-arguments against this Method.
Mamet lays great emphasis on 'simplicity' in stage acting; and yes it may be that some Method actors go too far in their flouncy backstage shenanigans, their green-room perambulations Mamet's finickiness and Mamet's primness is shouted down by the genius of this ardent, verbose, passionate Russkie.
Jan 23, Akhil Jain rated it really liked it. My fav quotes not a review : An Actor Prepares Constantin Stanislavski -Page 95 "The exercises which the Director used today had the purpose of making the students conscious of the fact that on the stage, in every pose or position of the body, there are three moments: First: superfluous tenseness which comes necessarily with each new pose taken and with the excitement of doing it in public.
Second: the mechanical relaxation of that superfluous tension, under the direction of the "controller" T My fav quotes not a review : An Actor Prepares Constantin Stanislavski -Page 95 "The exercises which the Director used today had the purpose of making the students conscious of the fact that on the stage, in every pose or position of the body, there are three moments: First: superfluous tenseness which comes necessarily with each new pose taken and with the excitement of doing it in public.
Second: the mechanical relaxation of that superfluous tension, under the direction of the "controller" Third: justification of the pose if it in itself does not convince the actor. I insulted you publicly. Today, when we meet, I want to go up to you and offer my hand, indicating by this gesture that I wish to apologize, admit that I was wrong and beg you to forget the incident. To stretch out my hand to my enemy of yesterday is not a simple problem. I will have to think it over carefully, go through and overcome many emotions before I can do it.
That is what we call a psychological objective. Truth cannot be separated from belief, nor belief from truth. Search for falseness only so far as it helps you to find truth.
Don't forget that the carping critic can create more falsehood on the stage than anyone else because the actor whom he is criticizing involuntarily ceases to pursue his right course and exaggerates truth itself to the point of its becoming false. He will not nag you over trifles, but will have his eye on the substance of your work.
Oh, dear! How quickly you did all that! Not even the most expert cashier could have counted those crumpled, dirty old banknotes at such a rate! They will appear in time as the logical outcome of what has gone before. His choice was established by the monkey's evident capacity to grasp and hold something.
How can I touch the very soul of such an influential person? He will look into me more attentively, his heart will be touched.
But to reach this point I must penetrate into the being of the other person, I must sense his life, I must adapt myself to it.
If it is not particularly alluring it won't. Artificial means would have to be used to sharpen it up, make it lively and interesting. On the other hand, a fascinating objective does have a direct and immediate effect. But—not on the will.
Its attraction is to the emotions. First you are carried away by your feelings, desires are subsequent. Therefore its influence on your will is indirect. Then they become more intimate, quarrel, are reconciled, marry and conceive.
Feb 10, Naja rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites. I was never required to read this text in my intro to acting classes in college, even though we all knew this book was what the beginning lessons were based on. I really wish we'd used this text!
It's the original modern acting manual, and by far the best one I've read so far! It's a non-fiction book disguised as fiction, written in 1st person which surprised me. You follow the learning processes of a small handful of acting I was never required to read this text in my intro to acting classes in college, even though we all knew this book was what the beginning lessons were based on.
You follow the learning processes of a small handful of acting students who have decided to learn "the system. The director had an almost naughty, child-like penchant for not telling them his game plan for a day's lessons until he'd set them up and watch their reactions. Only then would he tell them what he was looking for and how they'd disappointed him! Not fair really, but I only rarely felt that the director took his games too far besides, who will ever know what was fact and what was fiction?
Besides, besides- by the end of it all, it was really sweet to see how each member of the group came to admire and respect each others' unique talents. I had a knee-jerk reaction to a tantrum he threw when our main character let's call him Stanislavski arrived about 15 minutes late for the first rehearsals. The director called off the entire day of lessons for the entire class and then proceeded to blame his own actions calling off the day of rehearsal onto Stanislavski, his student who did not have all that much to do with this impulsive action if you think about it critically.
I'd read Sanford Meisner's book, and although I thought it and the theories behind it were extremely brilliant, I strongly disapproved of the sadistic way he treated the students in his book; especially since I once had an acting teacher had a weird obsession with recreating the moods and moments of the great acting coaches, and also with throwing students under the bus in order to create "scenes" for himself to star in. So I feel that I got a bargain basement version of Meisner and it was horrifying.
I actually believe that I got a glimpse at the origins of human evil by seeing him in action. Anyways, by the end of this book, I absolutely adored Tortsov the director for his wit, his ability to learn from his own experiences in a long career on stage and to pass this knowledge on to his students in understandable pieces.
I also admired his much, much more typical patience that he had with his students as time went on. The director's loyalty and commitment to doing what he could for the students he'd grown attached to brought an arc to his character. There is so much to learn from this book that I could only read it in very small chunks. It's not the type of literature you can or should whiz through.
It's so introspective and complex that you should spend a day or two thinking about each concept as it's presented. I think it's a really rare and great kind of book that starts off this way, progresses the way it does, and ends so bittersweetly you don't want to say goodbye! Truly a classic to be read and reread. Jun 21, Elizabeth Ellen rated it really liked it.
This is "the" basis for Method Acting. The writing style is from a much earlier era: the lessons framed in the context of a group of young actors being trained by a directortold as a story rather than directly. Nevertheless it was full of valuable information and ideas.
While this is not the ONLY way to act by any means, the skills used for character-building are the fundamentals for many of the most highly recognized actors working in the profession today.
I read this as a writer studying the This is "the" basis for Method Acting. I read this as a writer studying the craft of character creation. This is a fabulous resource of ideas and techniques I will employ as I round-out my novel work. In addition, it has interesting insights into self-discoverythe Inward and Outward being fundamentally interconnected. As a book, it isn't perfect. It's not a fiction, per se, so there isn't a plot. And I find the artifice of the "lessons" more of an annoyance than getting to the material.
This being said, I highlighted much in every chapter that is worth the price of admission, which is something to say of any book that's stood the test of time. I will be re-reading this for years. The main point is that actors should draw on their own emotional memories when performing their roles.
The deeper they can dig into their own subconscious, the better the performance will be. But not right away. View 1 comment. Jul 26, Persephone Abbott rated it really liked it. This book is written in a master s and disciple manner. Each chapter up to the last two begins with a simple narrative filled by a question answer form. Nonetheless this book for me was a st This book is written in a master s and disciple manner.
Nonetheless this book for me was a stark reminder of the professional acting lessons I had as a child as much of the material was familiar. I was wondering personally about what information I might use for my hobby of horseback riding after the chapters on Adaption and Communion.
I would recommend it for those willing to submit to the form. The language is dry at times but extremely effective; the bare bones of creativity and the fluidity of living beings. This is partially due to the translation, which is ancient and not very good. It reads very much like a textbook and I found it difficult to read large chunks at a time.
It's a very difficult book to read. There's a lack of simplicity May 15, Stuart Wilson rated it it was amazing Shelves: Yeah so, this really made me think about acting. Be wary of all extraneous tendencies and purposes foreign to the main theme.
Feb 12, Tim rated it it was amazing Shelves: theatre , writing. This is a classic, the first of Stanislavski's great trilogy on acting. These books form the basis for many of the great schools of acting that followed, in particular the method technique. It is required reading for all actors and others interested in theatre.
I first became determined to read this in a play writing class taut by Eduardo Machado. The techniques he used came from his teacher, Irene M. Fornes, and they were based on Stanislavski. I found only a little here which could be useful f This is a classic, the first of Stanislavski's great trilogy on acting.
I found only a little here which could be useful for my writing, but what I did find was very good.
It is conceivable that some of the advice and exercises in this book could be applied to writing, but it is a stretch and would require some imaginative thinking. It may be that there are sections in his other books that could be useful. This book was readable and inspiring, if not exactly entertaining. But for anyone who has ever taken acting seriously, there is food for thought.
There are a number of techniques and brief lessons which are presented, all in a smooth and concise manner. The sections are meant to approximate the acting classes Stanislavski taut. An interesting narrative tool is employed - the book is told in the first person by a student taking the class, and the author is transformed into "Tortsov" the brilliant teacher.
Teh reader thus gets to experience the Stanislavskian "system" in a more vibrant and naturalistic manner than if it were set out in theoretical academese. Stanislavski's main point is this: "unconscious creativeness throu conscious technique. That is, he emphasizes the role of the subconscious mind in the creative process. He talks about cajoling and accessing its power rather than harnessing it; he believes that its nature is ultimately mysterious and beyond our ability to master it completely.
The actor must always use his own emotional experience in creating the part; he must always be playing himself and something that he truly believes in. There are other aspects of the system. Stanislavski emphasizes the importance of breaking the role up into manageable units and having a "super-objective" which unifies the various moods of the part. Read more Allow this favorite library to be seen by others Keep this favorite library private. Save Cancel. Find a copy in the library Finding libraries that hold this item Actor prepares.
This work is the first volume of Stanislavski's trilogy on the art of acting. Reviews User-contributed reviews Add a review and share your thoughts with other readers. Be the first. Add a review and share your thoughts with other readers. Tags Add tags for "An actor prepares;". Similar Items Related Subjects: 1 Acting. User lists with this item 3 Things to Check Out 8 items by lucoble updated All rights reserved.
Please sign in to WorldCat Don't have an account? Remember me on this computer. Cancel Forgot your password? Konstantin Stanislavsky. Print book : English : Anniversary ed View all editions and formats. User lists Similar Items.
Online version: Stanislavsky, Konstantin, Konstantin Stanislavsky Find more information about: Konstantin Stanislavsky. Working at Bloomsbury Current Opportunities. Working at Bloomsbury. Jobs in Publishing. Apprenticeships at Bloomsbury. Reeds Nautical Almanac. Harry Potter Book Night Harry Potter Fun Stuff. Magical Activities. Name Generator. Diagon Alley. Maas Sarah J.
Maas Books. About Sarah. Downloadable Free Activities. Teaching Resources. Education Series. Bloomsbury Digital Resources Bloomsbury Academic. Item added to basket. Checkout Continue Shopping. Add to basket. Add to wishlist. Ebook help. This title is available for inspection copy requests. Request an inspection copy. Paperback Ebook PDF. You must sign in to add this item to your wishlist. Please sign in or create an account. Description An Actor Prepares is the most famous acting training book ever to have been written and the work of Stanislavski has inspired generations of actors and trainers.
Close Preview. Table of Contents Note by the Translator 1. The First Test 2. When Acting is an Art 3. Action 4. Imagination 5. Concentration of Attention 6. Relaxation of Muscles 7. Units and Objectives 8. Faith and a Sense of Truth 9. Emotion Memory Communion Adaptation Inner Motive Forces The Unbroken Line The Inner Creative State The Super-Objective On the Threshold of the Subconscious Index. About the contributors.
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