Books about Stanislavski from Amazon.com

So much mystery and veneration surrounds the writings of the great Russian teacher and director Stanislavski that perhaps the greatest surprise awaiting a first-time reader of An Actor Prepares is how conversational, commonsensical, and even at times funny this legendary book is. After many productions with the Moscow Arts Company, Stanislavski sought a way to introduce his new style of acting to the world outside of his rehearsal hall. The resulting book is a "mock diary" of an actor describing a series of exercises and rehearsals in which he participates. He details his own emotional and intellectual reactions to each effort, and how his superficial tricks and mannerisms begin to disappear as he increasingly gives over his conscious ego to a faith in the creative power of his subconscious. Rarely has any writer on the theater achieved the sort of lucid and inspired analysis of the acting process as Stanislavski does here, and his introduction of such now-standard concepts as "the unbroken line," "the magic if," and the idea of emotional memory has laid the groundwork for much of the great acting of the 20th century. While much excess and nonsense was to follow in the steps of Stanislavski's writings, his original texts remain invaluable, and surprisingly accessible, to any actor or student of drama. --John Longenbaugh.
Price: $14.46 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This is the second volume of Stanislaviski's enduring trilogy on the art of acting. The "System" which he describes is a means both of mastering the craft of acting and of stimulating the actor's individual creativeness and imagination It has become the central force determining almost every performance we see on stage or screen, and still remains today the only comprehensive theory of acting we possess.

In Building a Character Stanislavski discusses with mastery and insight the actor's physical means of expression for realizing character on stage, such as the use of body, movement, voice, tempo, expression, make-up and costume..
Price: $14.25 [Notify me when price goes down.]

‘scrupulously precise’ – Marie-Christine Autant-Mathieu, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris

‘a far more authentic Stanislavsky… a valuable new translation, which is fuller and more readable than anything else previously attempted’ - Laurence Senelick, Tufts University, Boston

‘very readable… a vast improvement’ – Bella Merlin, University of Exeter, UK

‘Jean Benedetti has brought his usual extensive scholarship and thorough knowledge of Russian to provide a version that is more complete, much more accurate, and more readable ’ - Richard Hornby, University of California, Riverside

Stanislavski’s ‘system’ has dominated actor-training in the West since his writings were first translated into English in the 1920s and 30s. His systematic attempt to outline a psycho-physical technique for acting single-handedly revolutionised standards of acting in the theatre.

Until now, readers and students have had to contend with inaccurate, misleading and difficult-to-read English-language versions. Some of the mistranslations have resulted in profound distortions in the way his system has been interpreted and taught. At last, Jean Benedetti has succeeded in translating Stanislavski’s huge manual into a lively, fascinating and accurate text in English. He has remained faithful to the author's original intentions, putting the two books previously known as An Actor Prepares and Building A Character back together into one volume, and in a colloquial and readable style for today's actors.

The result is a major contribution to the theatre, and a service to one of the great innovators of the twentieth century.

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Price: $23.09 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This volume completes, with An Actor Prepares and Building a Character, the trilogy in which Stanislavski set down his life's accomplishment
Creating a Role describes the elaborate preparation that precedes actual performance. Stanislavski here relates the techniques he describes in his preceding books to analyzing specific plays and their roles..
Price: $13.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]

So, you nailed your monologue, somehow managed not to trip on the way out, and impressed the director enough that he went out on a limb and actually cast you. Either that, or you've already been told you've been precast for the role. Regardless, you've got a lot of work ahead of you. Don't go into it lightly. Dive in headfirst, and take every step of the process very seriously. After all, this is what you want to
do, right? And you owe yourself, your audience, and your fellow actors the decency of a good performance, not to mention the debt you owe the
director for casting you. Keep in mind that the day this all gets boring and mundane, it's time to get out! But I hope that day never comes because, if you truly possess the gift of
performing, you are one of the most blessed people around. Thousands would amputate a limb to have the ability you have, so find the glory and
fun in what you do. Give everything you have to your role, even if that role has the fewest lines and the least stage time. There is a reason and purpose for every part in a play; if not, the playwright would have just left your character out and not
wasted everyone's time. Every role deserves a believable and committed portrayal. After all, it is the purpose of theater to enlighten the audience and, thus, change the world, and it
takes every actor playing his or her part-whether big or small-to achieve that purpose. Though it is always the goal of the actor to win the audience over with a truthful and engaging
performance, it is never our goal to upstage the other actors-a concept that will be covered in more depth later on. Playing bigger does not
always mean better, nor does volume effect believability. Some of the most gripping performances by the most notable actors in history have been delivered with a minimalist, even calm, dynamic. You must find the essence of your character, knowing his or her deepest
desire, then play it with truth (see Seventh Commandment). Do not be an audience to yourself.
Let the audience be the audience!
A good actor should be able to use anything he or she is given within a scene. I've heard far too often: "I just couldn't connect with the other
actors because they were unfocused and not playing the moments." That is never a good excuse. If you have done your homework and have
truly committed to your character, you can use any circumstance-even distraction-within that scene to achieve your character's goal. The buck stops with you-period!
Ultimately, the key to your success as an actor is respect-respect for yourself, your role, the other roles, the other actors, the director, the
stagehands, and the list goes on and on. Respect breeds respect. If you do not have respect for all the people who work to make a show happen, you will unwittingly sabotage your own future as an actor and doom your career to failure.
Reputations are made and broken every day in this business, and we are usually our own worst enemy.
As you begin to get better roles and make more connections in the industry, it will become more and more important to keep your head out of the clouds. Remember, the guy you thumb your nose at today could be the head of Paramount tomorrow! It never hurts to be nice to everybody. Enough preaching. A theater actor myself, I believe that theater is the greatest of all
performance arts. There is nothing like the feeling you get from interacting with an audience-hearing their laughter, their applause, and even their sobs. We talk about magic in the theater, and that is when everything is clicking as it should between all the players (the actors, the audience, the technicians, the stagehands), a surreal-almost
supernatural-effect is produced. Although this magic should occur with every performance, in actuality, it only happens occasionally when all
elements of the equation are in harmony..
Price: $14.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Reset and redesigned to offer a fresh look, this is an essential, comprehensive guide to the art and science of acting, as taught by the creator and great teachers of the Stanislavski Method..
Price: $4.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This is the classic lexicon of Stanislavski's most important concepts, all in the master's own words. Upon its publication in 1963, An Actor's Handbook quickly established itself as an essential guide for actors and directors Culling key passages from Stanislavski's vast output, this book covers more than one hundred and fifty key concepts, among them "Improvisation," "External Technique," "Magic If," "Imaginary Objects," "Discipline," "What Is My System?" and "Stage Fright."

This new, attractively packaged edition will be an essential book for any performer..
Price: $11.74 [Notify me when price goes down.]

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..
Price: $14.34 [Notify me when price goes down.]

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..
Price: $7.14 [Notify me when price goes down.]