My Life In Art

Description

No one has had a greater influence on acting as we know it than Stanislavski. His 'method' - or interpretations of it - has become the central force determining almost every performance we see on stage or screen. In My Life in Art Stanislavski recalls his theatrical career, from his early experiences in Rubinstein's Russian Musical Society to his final triumphs with Chekhov at the Moscow Art Theatre. His vivid accounts of his own most famous productions including 'The Seagul' and 'Uncle Vanya' are interspersed with anecdotes of the famous - of Kommisarjevksy, Tolstoy, Gorky, and of the Moscow visit of Isadora Duncan and Gordon Craig.

Constantin Stanislavski (1863-1938) was a Russian director who sought 'inner realism' by insisting that his actors find the truth within themselves and 'become' the characters they portrayed. His work brought international fame to the Moscow Art Theatre, which he had co-founded with Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko in 1897. During his early years at the Moscow Art Theatre, he directed the first productions of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya (1899), Three Sisters (1901) and The Cherry Orchard (1904) as well as a series of celebrated versions of Shakespeare. Stanislavski toured America with the company in 1923. He is the author of An Actor Prepares, Building A Character and Creating A Role, all published in the Bloomsbury Revelations series.

This book is a necessity of every actor's life... one of the most remarkable books about theatre that I have ever read. * The Observer * The whole book is packed with entertainment, alternating with shrewd observation and a wealth of worldly wisdom... the most interesting and original work on the theatre that has been published for years. * The Daily Telegraph * A wise and delightful book... it is packed with sage practical counsel to actors and actresses. * Times Literary Supplement *