Jacket
design
by
Carla
René
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From PAGE 1 of forthcoming book by Robert Epstein:
This book also exists within a specific tradition, that of behavioral
realism, and reflects the goals and principles of this school of acting.
It
stems from Konstantin Stanislavski's Method Of Physical Actions and
Active
Analysis, and strongly reflects the contributions of the major American
teachers Sanford Meisner and Stella Adler.
Stanislavski's later work
involved
finding specific physical actions to create a roadmap of a role. These
actions
were found from the actor's truthful immersion in the imaginary life of
the role,
with full psychological involvement and physical commitment. "Truthful"
acting
and involvement, as used here, means that the actor's work is "real,"
that he is
trying to live the part as if it were actually happening, and is
responding
authentically to the imaginary life of the role.
Through a long,
involved series
of active rehearsals, with emphasis on the "truth" of the role, a
logical chain of
actions would be discovered improvisationally and then gradually refined.
Each
external action would mark a place in the inner journey of the role, and
provide
concrete access to the role's inner life.
From PAGE 3:
Meisner believed in the primary importance of specific behavioral
responses. He
believed that by going fully with behavioral action and interaction,
working
directly off of other actors and objects in the environment with full
physical
engagement, the actor would feel a real involvement in the imaginary
situation and
would begin to generate consistent truthful responses in the moment.
His
training method focused on the actor's response to each moment,
pinpointing
dramatic action's most basic unit: one clear stimulus, and one specific
truthful
response.
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