An Actor's Work

by Constantin Stanislavski, Jean Benedetti (Translator)

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 revolutionized 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.

Genres: Theatre, Nonfiction, Theory, Drama, Film, Classics, Read For School

700 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1938

About the author

Constantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski (russian:Константин Сергеевич Станиславский) was a Russian actor and theatre director.

Stanislavski's innovative contribution to modern European and American realistic acting has remained at the core of mainstream western performance training for much of the last century. Building on the directorially-unified aesthetic and ensemble playing of the Meiningen company and the naturalistic staging of Antoine and the independent theatre movement, Stanislavski organized his realistic techniques into a coherent and usable 'system'. Thanks to its promotion and development by acting teachers who were former students and the many translations of his theoretical writings, Stanislavski's system acquired an unprecedented ability to cross cultural boundaries and developed an international reach, dominating debates about acting in the West. That many of the precepts of his 'system' seem to be common sense and self-evident testifies to its hegemonic success. Actors frequently employ his basic concepts without knowing they do so.

Stanislavski treated theatre-making as a serious endeavour, requiring dedication, discipline and integrity, and the work of the actor as an artistic undertaking. Throughout his life, he subjected his own acting to a process of rigorous artistic self-analysis and reflection. His 'system' resulted from a persistent struggle to remove the blocks he encountered. His development of a theorized praxis—in which practice is used as a mode of inquiry and theory as a catalyst for creative development—identifies him as the first great theatre practitioner. Stanislavski believed that after seeing young actors at Aquinas College in Moscow he could see why theatre needed to change to a more disciplined endeavour.

Stanislavski's work was as important to the development of socialist realism in the USSR as it was to that of psychological realism in the United States. Many actors routinely identify his 'system' with the American Method, although the latter's exclusively psychological techniques contrast sharply with Stanislavski's multivariant, holistic and psychophysical approach, which explores character and action both from the 'inside out' and the 'outside in'. Stanislavski's work draws on a wide range of influences and ideas, including his study of the modernist and avant-garde developments of his time (naturalism, symbolism and Meyerhold's constructivism), Russian formalism, Yoga, Pavlovian behaviourist psychology, James-Lange (via Ribot) psychophysiology and the aesthetics of Pushkin, Gogol, and Tolstoy. He described his approach as 'spiritual Realism'.

Associated Names:
Konstantin Stanislavski (Alternative spelling)
Константин Станиславский (Russian)
斯坦尼斯拉夫斯基 (Chinese)

Reviews

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read An Actor Prepares in my first acting class of my undergraduate career, it changed my life. Okay, to say it changed my life is a little drastic but it really gave me a new perspective on acting. I had never much thought about theory or process before that point.

Fast forward 7 and a half years and here I am reading this new translation combined with Stanislavski's other work Building a Character and it's just as mind opening. I love theory, I love exploring what makes acting work and makes for a good performance.

I think this is a must-read for any theatre practitioner if only for the reason that you can start to understand where so many of those acting exercises you do come from and what's the meaning behind them.

[Michael Gilboe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything you thought you knew is wrong. Well, not exactly. But this translation has many significant differences in terms from the translation everyone has been reading for decades. Overall, I feel like this is written more plainly. It would probably be easier to understand in general, however, while the translation feels very faithful and accurate, it is also less heavily edited. Thus, it rambles a bit more as well. Overall very solid, and in any case, this is the one I will use to teach acting from now onl

[Mtherk16 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book, not only applies to acting but to all art. Includes general philosophy on how to avoid stock-in-trade art done "in general", and how to dig into your imagination and give free play to your creative subconscious to create sincere art that conveys the life of the human spirit and inspires and brings joy to others.

[Shafeeque Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. Completely changed my view on acting and its potential.

[Kt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seems to be the best and most comprehensive English translation of the original Russian text.

[Evgeniy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It`s wonderful :3

[hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not trying to be an actor, just trying to get through life

[Colton Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Believe it or not, Stanislavki’s books were not required reading for the theatre program I was in. And I always meant to get to them on my own time but never did. I don’t know how different this translation is compared to the other versions. But I can say that I really liked it. If anyone is interested in getting an understanding of what acting is and can be, this is a pretty comprehensive look into what it takes. There’s a reason Stanislavksi’s writings are held in high regard.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the original better.

[Makayla]

The last few chapters are a gold mine.

[Abi]

*for uni*

[Bex P · Rating 5 out of 5]

taught so much about acting as my first book on thd subject

[Oliver Price-Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

this took me over a year to read.
but I’m very happy it exists.

[Jeremy Moran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have finished the book! (Not counting its appendices).

The fullness and detail regarding feelings of the stage, still ring true to this day, which is astonishing considering how long ago this was written. The ending page gives a warning to actors to not use this as a “how-to” guide, necessarily. “The ‘system’ is a guide[...] a reference book, not a philosophy.” These are merely recommendations and methods that can aid the actor to be natural on stage and focus on going towards, or striving to go towards, “nature.”

This book is a combination of “An Actor Prepares” and “Building a Character,” which are separated in two distinct parts here as “Year One” and Year Two.” Jean Benedetti has restored this work as a complete whole, the way Konstantin Stanislavski had originally intended. Problems in publishing with Elizabeth Hapgood separated these two works into two parts; a delay in the publication between the two books resulted in a heavily misinterpreted version of Stanislavski’s work in the first book by Lee Strasberg in his “Method”, damaging actors who focused too much on the mental and internal—resulting in many actors coming out of performances with psychological problems.

This restored version presents the full nature of the work as he had intended, and along with helpful editing by Jean Benedetti to remove redundancy between the two books, An Actor’s Work is a very full and rich book that deserves to be looked at again and again. It is incredibly hard to describe what goes on inside the mind of an actor while performing, or what is even required of them to get to a state where they can be inspired while performing, yet Stanislavski has not only tried to do this to the best of his abilities, but he has applied a narrative form and structure to divulge these ideas as if the reader were sitting in on his classes in early 20th-century Russia.

There are many critics who despise “the system” or “the method,” and whether or not they attribute this to the popularly known Strasberg approach, or whether it’s because many actors have used it to behave naughtily, there are many, many valuable insights into the craft and what an actor can do to aid creativity when rehearsing for a role.

It was an enormous read, at 612 pages, but I am very pleased to have read the very foundation of most acting techniques that have sprouted because of Stanislavski’s dedication to the craft. I am extremely grateful for his work and contribution to the world of theatre and the craft of acting.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last time I read this book was in 2011, so it seemed like about time that I pick up an Actor's Work again. I'm glad I did because there were many helpful lessons in the book, but this is a VERY dry read. This is not the kind of book you stay up all night reading, it's practically a textbook for actors. Helpful, but painful push through at times.

[Robash · Rating 4 out of 5]

the section on rhythm and beats was really good...parts of the book were hard to interpret..and although the content was good, parts of it was written poorly...I would recommend for any beginner actor to start here