The method
actor became a staple in American theater and films around the middle of the 20th century, but his roots can be traced back to Russia and the Moscow Art Theatre and, especially, Stanislavski.
An Actor Prepares combines all the knowledge of Stanislavski in a first person semi-fictional account of preparing for a role. Stanislavski is both the young writer recounting his education and the
acting teacher who guides him. Consider it a story of Stanislavski the younger and elder.
Indispensable for any actor, the
lessons learned inside this book will guide you through your odyssey of becoming a complete actor. The book is written in a conversational style, filled with humor and insight. Follow the young actor as he learns the
importance of
concentration and tapping the subconscious.
The book reveals that acting requires every part of the body, from the muscles that must be controlled to the imagination that must be explored. The book follows the young acting student as he both attends classes and then goes home to put his lessons to work. At times, the book almost reads like a novel, with dialogue and conversations taking place among the participants. At other times it reads more like a diary, with insight in the psyche of the writer. Both means of getting his message across are utilized to full effect.
The dialogue sections allow for alternative viewpoints to be expressed as the instructor, the elder Stanislavski, reveals his technique and why it is superior. The acting students become exposed to thinking in ways they never thought before. Through the course of arguments and oppositional ideas, Stanislavski enforces the authority of his unique methods.
Among the most valuable
chapters are those that express the importance of concentration and muscle relaxation. Many actors overlook the importance of physicality or else ignore it completely. After reading this book, you will come to a better sense of why you sometimes feel awkward with a gesture or even just walking off the stage. Stanislavski takes great pain to emphasize that if you aren't in control of your physical being on stage or in front of the camera, everything else will ring untrue. Once you have fully comprehended the necessity for gaining control over your body and concentration, then you can move on to the more abstract areas of acting.
Indeed, the last four or five chapters can be tough going. The content often seems to be more at home in a book of philosophy than of acting advice, but if you stick with it and use the powers of concentration that you were taught earlier in the book, these concepts will become clearer. Don't be surprised if it takes several readings of these late chapters and also don't be surprised if you are sitting somewhere doing something that has nothing to do with acting and your body literally shakes from a sudden epiphany in which you get it.
The ideal way to use this book is to dedicate at least a week or two, and preferably a full month, to each chapter. Read it and then reread it and then keep rereading it. At the same time, utilize the lessons into your own acting. Simply reading this book all the way through over the course of a few days or weeks is to misuse the valuable advice contained inside it. Take the book and its lessons seriously no matter how silly they may seem to you at first.
An Actor Prepares is a must-have in the library of any actor.
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