An Actor Prepares
An Actor Prepares is the first volume of the translations of Constantin Stanislavski's books on acting, which were published as a trilogy in English, though originally meant to be published as two books in Russia. "An Actor Prepares" was initially meant to be the first half of a volume on the inner preparation of an actor, while the second half (later published in English as "Building a Character") was meant to cover the outside work on the actor. The English volumes also include Building a Character and Creating a Role. An Actor Prepares was first published in 1936.
The book takes the form of the diary of a student named Kostya during his first year of training in Stanislavski's 'system'. Kostya and his fellow students have little to no experience in acting. As they go through the class, Tortsov, their teacher and director, addresses the many assumptions they have formed that do not coincide with the 'system'. The book endeavours to teach the 'system' indirectly, through example. It also argues that the 'system' is not a particular method, but a systematic analysis of the 'natural' order of theatrical truth.
The 'system' that he describes is a means both of mastering the craft of acting and of stimulating the actor's individual creativeness and imagination. It has influenced the majority of performances we see on the stage or screen.
Unfortunately, due to the complications in manuscript acquisition which occurred during the Second World War, the volume covering the outside work of an actor and thus completing Stanislavski's basic analysis of the Actor was not published until more than a decade after "An Actor Prepares", leaving many English speaking actors and directors to assume it as a stand alone volume.
An Actor Prepares deals with the imaginative process, techniques of relaxation and concentration, and the inward preparation an actor must undergo to explore a role to its full. Stanivslavski introduces concepts such as the "magic if", "affective memory", "unbroken line" and many more now-famous rehearsal techniques.
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| Active Analysis • Action • Adaptation • Affective Memory • Bit | |||
| Cognitive Analysis • Communication • Concentration of Attention • Etude | |||
| Experiencing • Given Circumstances • Imagination • Indicating • Inner Contact | |||
| Inner Monologue • Intention • Justification • Lure • Method of Physical Actions | |||
| Motivation • Objective • The Questions • Relaxation • Representation | |||
| Sense Memory • Subtext • Substitution • Through-line of Action • Turning Point | |||
| An Actor Prepares • My Life in Art • Method Acting • Meisner Technique | |||
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