The Stanislavsky Secret: Not a System, Not a Method but a Way of Thinking

Everyone in theatre knows his name -- Stanislavsky ... but only a few know his last teachings. He didn't write them down; only his colleagues and their pupils learned his final discoveries. In rehearsal rooms and classrooms since 1938, leading Soviet and Russian directors have worked to adapt and develop these concepts for modern theatre. Now The Stanislavsky Secret is summarized in print by Irina and Igor Levin in this insightful text. The Actor's Transformation: It cannot occur in a flash of inspiration. To create a believable on-stage character, the actor must become the human being that is the character he is portraying. The actor must utilize a systematic method of gradually moving away from himself into another human individuality. Until he internally exists within another logic of behavior, no external characteristic -- makeup, costume, gait, manner of speech or style -- can serve him to create a convincing character. This is The Stanislavsky Secret.