1st Edition

Stanislavski and the Actor The Method of Physical Action

By Jean Benedetti Copyright 1999

    In Stanislavski and the Actor , Stanislavski scholar and biographer Jean Bendetti has recovered materials that can stand as a final, last work by the great director and teacher. In this volume readers will find the first English text of Stanislavski s notes and practical exercises from these last sessions. This is a major rediscovered work by Stanislavski, full of new ideas and insights about his working method. To the original materials Jean Benedetti adds his own analysis of Stanislavski's approach to acting and rehearsal methods.The master's own summary of a lifetime of theatrical experience, Stanislavski and the Actor will quickly become an essential tool for actors, students, and teachers everywhere.

    Part one An Outline of the Method of Physical Action; Part two The Stanislavski ‘system’; Chapter 1 Physical Action; Chapter 2 Mental Action; Chapter 3 Mind and Body; Chapter 4 Interaction; Chapter 5 Tempo-rhythm; Chapter 6 Verbal Action; Chapter 7 Physical Characterisation; Chapter 8 Total Action; Chapter 9 Performance Mode; Part three The Method of Physical Action in Rehearsal; Part four Stanislavski’s Master Classes on Hamlet;

    Biography

    Jean Benedetti is formerly the Principal of the Rose Bruford College, UK. He is a biographer of Stanislavski.

    "A hands-on approach. Stanislavski and the Actor incorporates exercises, improvisations and other notes handed down by Irina Novitskaya, one of the maestro's assistants's from the short-lived Opera-Dramatic Studio in the 1930's. Benedetti, author of Stanislavski: A Biography, modernizes the vocabulary and references, and fleshes the material out with his own summary of the great man's system." -- American Theatre
    "Overall the book is fascinating..." -- Theatre Journal
    "Students beginning the study of acting often need a primer about Konstantin Stanislavski--who he was and an overview of theories he crafted for the training of actors...For novice actors, and the teachers who are about to introduce them to Stanslavski, this title is perfect...Every undergraduate library supporting theatre studies should own this first-level introduction to Stanislavski. It is also a terrific book to give to freshman-level acting students as they walk in the door." -- Choice
    "Every undergraduate library supporting theater studies should own this first-level introduction to Stanislavski. It is also a terrific book to give to freshmen-level acting students as they walk in the door." -- Choice