Overview

"As a young woman, Sonia Moore studied at the Third Studio of the Moscow Art Theatre under the direction of Evgeni Vakhtangov, a protégé of Konstantin Stanislavski. When she emerged in the American theatre, her first book, The Stanislavski Method (later revised as The Stanislavski System), was written to counteract Lee Strasberg's Method. Its publication initiated her quest to reveal Stanislavski's work faithfully and to train American actors in the Method of Physical Actions. Through subsequent books, the Sonia Moore Studio, and her non-profit organization, the American Center for Stanislavski Theatre Art, Sonia Moore sought ways to promote Stanislavski's legacy through her own evolving theory and practice. Yet she is often omitted from the list of notable acting teachers in America, such as Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, Uta Hagen, and Sanford Meisner. This book places her appropriately in the company of these teaching legends. Sonia Moore was a fascinating personality as well as theatre artist. Though charming and charismatic, she was also headstrong and independent. These traits served her well in surviving the Russian Revolution and the Stalinist purges of World War II from which she escaped. Upon her arrival in the United States, she carried a ""sliver of wood"" in hand to knock on whenever she confronted the turmoil of life. Some of this turmoil arose as she struggled to find acceptance for her interpretation of Stanislavski's Method of Physical Actions, a technique she believed necessary for the artistic vigor of the American theatre. As former students and teachers of the Sonia Moore Studio, Suzanne Trauth and Elizabeth Stroppel are uniquely positioned to undertake a study of Moore's work. Their book illuminates Moore's life and analyzes her texts, her research, and her teaching in a comprehensive manner, thus providing practitioners and educators with detailed knowledge of Sonia Moore, her professional persona, and the woman behind it."

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9780810856783

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Reviews

I certainly wouldn't be able to work as hard as I do on parts, or know what I was doing at all. I can't imagine acting any other way if I hadn't studied with Sonia.--Vincent D'Onofrio

Former students and teachers at the Sonia Moore Studio of the Theatre, Trauth (theater, Monclair State U., New Jersey) and Stroppel (communications and theater studies, William Paterson U., New Jersey) trace the life of legendary actor trainer Moore (1902-95) and the development of her version of the Stanislavsky system, her teaching method, and her studio. * Reference and Research Book News * In Sonia Moore and American Acting Training, Suzanne Trauth and Elizabeth Stroppel shine the spotlight on Moore's life, then analyze her texts, research and teaching. Whether or not one agrees with Moore's ideas, this book helps us better understand the driving forces for creating a greater sense of structure for the art of acting. * Stage Directions * I certainly wouldn't be able to work as hard as I do on parts, or know what I was doing at all. I can't imagine acting any other way if I hadn't studied with Sonia. -- Vincent D'Onofrio

Author Information

Suzanne M. Trauth is professor of theatre in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Montclair State University and serves as coordinator of the B.F.A. Acting Program. Elizabeth C. Stroppel is an associate professor in the Communication Department and the director of Theatre Studies at William Paterson University.

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