Overview

Acting Is Believing has trained generations of actors and remains one of the most popular and influential classic Stanislavski-based acting books over the past sixty years. Now in its thirteenth edition, it has been reimagined for the art of acting in the twenty-first century. Stanislavski expanded our understanding of the mysterious process that results in truthful acting, devising practical steps to pursue the most elusive element of the artform—inspiration. Acting Is Believing: Stanislavski in the 21st Century, 13th Edition, introduces students to all the major concepts of Stanislavski’s System of Acting, providing them with a logical process through which they can master this complex art. It breaks down even the most complex elements defining human behavior in ways that are easy to digest. This new edition has been greatly updated, including: Reworked chapters throughout to bring Stanislavski’s theories to life in a language that speaks to today’s actors A new approach to entering Stanislavski’s Creative State, broken into an innovative five-part process Updated discussions on anxiety, physical tension, social inhibitions, and intimacy onstage Modified solo and group exercises Expanded appendix on self-directed scene study Refined and updated glossary of acting, theatre, and film terminology Acting Is Believing remains grounded in Stanislavski-based technique training, yet this latest text has evolved as a vital resource for twenty-first century artists pursing acting careers in theatre, film, and television. With a foreword by two-time Tony Award winning actor, Norbert Leo Butz, Acting Is Believing continues to set the gold standard in the art of acting for a new generation.

Full Product Details

Author:   Kenneth L. Stilson ,  Larry D. Clark ,  Charles McGaw ,  Norbert Leo Butz
Publisher:   Rowman & Littlefield
Imprint:   Rowman & Littlefield
Edition:   Thirteenth Edition
Dimensions:   Width: 17.90cm , Height: 2.20cm , Length: 25.00cm
Weight:   0.739kg
ISBN:  

9781538171776

ISBN 10:   1538171775
Pages:   356
Publication Date:   25 May 2023
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Norbert Leo Butz Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1A: Life in Art Acting with Professional Competence The Six Parts of Actor Training The Business of Acting Acting is Believing: Stanislavski in the 21st Century External Resources Chapter 2: The Creative State Body Training Breathing and Posture Exercise 2.1 Breathing Exercise 2.2 Posture The Creative State Exercise 2.3 Aerobic Exercise 2.4 Stretching Exercise 2.5 Moving Exercise 2.6 Vocalizing On Anxiety Physical Tension Social Inhibitions Nudity and Intimacy Chapter 3: The Choice of Actions Exercise 3.1 Given Circumstances and Imagination Commitment to Actions Belief in Actions Improvisational Technique Exercise 3.2 Improvising Simple Tasks Exercise 3.3 Recalling a Special Memory Scoring Physical Actions Tempo/Rhythm Exercise 3.4 Scores from Scenarios Chapter 4: Stanislavski’s Method of Physical Actions Simple Objectives Exercise 4.1 Refining Your Score Action Verbs Exercise 4.2 Actions from an Emotional State Exercise 4.3 Everyday Actions Physical and Psychological Obstacles Strategy and Desire Expectations and Adaptations Nonverbal Group Improvisations Exercise 4.4 Waiting Exercise 4.5 Not on Speaking Terms Verbal Group Improvisations Exercise 4.6 Opposing Objectives Exercise 4.7 Improvisation from Action Verbs Exercise 4.8 Non-Content Scenes Chapter 5: Observation Exercise 5.1 Playing a Condition Exercise 5.2 Three Objects Exercise 5.3 Adjusting to Conditions Observing People Exercise 5.4 Observation Notebook Exercise 5.5 Creating an Actor’s Image Collage Adapting Your Observations Exercise 5.6 Observing Visual Art Abstraction Exercise 5.7 Abstractions from Inanimate Objects Exercise 5.8 Abstraction from Animals Chapter 6: Circles of Attention Exercise 6.1 Distractions Exercise 6.2 Add-a-Word Public Solitude The Small Circle Exercise 6.3 Objects in the Small Circle Communion Exercise 6.4 Mirrors Exercise 6.5 Silent Argument Communion with the Audience Dramatic Action in Speech Exercise 6.6 Key Line Improvisation Chapter 7: Emotion Memory Stanislavski and Emotion Memory Retaining an Emotion Memory Selecting the Emotion Memory Using the Emotion Memory Emotional Triggers Exercise 7.1 Reconstructing a Personal Memory Inner Images Exercise 7.2 Verbalizing Images Exercise 7.3 Image Improvisations Inner Monologues Exercise 7.4 Inner Monologues Chapter 8: Creating a Character Script Analysis The World of the Play Exercise 8.1 Historical Imagination Character Autobiography Exercise 8.2 Character Autobiography Exercise 8.3 If It Were Up to Me… Second Plan Exercise 8.4 Second Plan External Expression Units of Action Scoring Exercise 8.5 Scoring a Role The Motivating Force Exercise 8.6 Motivating Force The Super-Objective Exercise 8.7 Super-Objective Summary Chapter 9: Subtext Exercise 9.1 Improvising Subtext Verbal Action Exercise 9.2 Text, Subtext, and Verbal Action Relating the Lines to the Motivating Force Relating the Lines to the Super-Objective Manners of Speaking Dialects and Accents Exercise 9.4 Speech Patterns Longer Speeches Exercise 9.5 Verbal Actions in Longer Speeches Chapter 10: The Power of Words Meaning, Operative Words, and Idioms Sentence Structure Progressions Antithesis Secondary Inner Images Exercise 10.1 Longer Speeches Chapter 11: Reincarnation Tablework and Early Discoveries Working Rehearsals Exercise 11.1 Putting Spontaneity into Physical Choices Run-throughs and Technical Rehearsals Performances Chapter 12: The Business of Acting Understanding the Business Business Plan Exercise 12.1 The Actor’s Business Plan Exercise 12.2 The Elevator Pitch Headshots and Resumes Exercise 12.3 Resume Introductory and Follow-up Emails Exercise 12.4 Introductory and Follow-up Emails Preparing Your Audition Exercise 12.5 Audition Preparation – Working Off a Partner Auditioning Exercise 12.6 Moment Before Exercise 12.7 Laughing at the Top Exercise 12.8 Portfolio Appendix A: Self-Directed Scene Study Appendix B: Glossary Bibliography Index

Reviews

Acting is Believing gives you the distillation of a century's worth of observations, advice, and exercises that will help you find your way as an actor. You also have the advantage of learning, in later chapters, how to approach the business end of an actor's profession, something I had to learn belatedly, pounding the pavements of New York City. --Chris Cooper, Academy Award-winning actor I love the truth of this book and its breadth. I love that the acting process is described in great detail for the novice or professional, yet it's mysterious, too. This is an important book to have on your bookcase to dive back into time and again for insights into our artform. --Molly Smith, Artistic Director, Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater In our volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world, it is a rare thing for a classic acting text to retain its relevance as a foundational primer in the principles of the craft as well as a guide to applying those tools in context. Stilson's revisal remarkably does both and is well worth the time spent for the inquisitive practitioner who wishes to investigate the existential dilemmas of the human experience in this ever-evolving global environment to which contemporary dramatists, griots, storytellers, what you will, are responding. --Robert Barry Fleming, Artistic Director of the Actors Theatre of Louisville Loved it! Kenneth L. Stilson was my acting teacher in the mid-90s. Now, several decades into my own journey as a professional actor and acting coach, I'm thrilled to rediscover the foundations he taught years ago in a fresh text that feels wholly relevant and accessible in today's world. Acting is Believing is filled with great advice, exercises, and insights about the art of acting. It's a thorough and engaging text appropriate for both amateurs and seasoned professionals. What I love most about Stilson's Acting is Believing 13th edition is how vital it feels in today's industry. He's brought forward techniques and ideas that made the book a classic to begin with and married it with the intricacies of the industry in the 2020s. It's accessible, authentic, and artistically engaging. Now, in my third decade as a professional actor, Acting is Believing is a great reminder of the foundations of the craft, and also a treasure trove of fresh insights on being a working actor in today's complex theatre business. --Dana Schultes, Executive Producer, Stage West Theatre The acting techniques and exercises in Acting is Believing can give you insights and abilities you will use the rest of your life, no matter what you do for a living. Over the years, this book became my acting bible, and I learned to relax and allow myself to fail often and grow as an actress while discovering how to enjoy the whole learning process. --Marilu Henner, Broadway, film, and television actor This book, perhaps more fundamentally than any other, offers a full investigation of the complexity of the art of acting that is hidden behind the truthful simplicity of the title: 'acting is believing.' Within these pages, an actor will find analysis, exercises, examples, and demonstrations that can guide an individual's exploration of inner creativity; these lead to the phenomenon in which the character and the actor become one in the experience of a living play. Reading this book . . . will elucidate an understanding of what it takes to develop your talent to its maximum capacity. If you follow the logical progression the author provides, you will explore step by step all the means available to make your performances natural and revelatory. --Marshall W. Mason, Tony Award-winning director, acting coach, writer, and founder of the Circle Repertory Company in New York City This staple of the actor's tool kit is now even more essential with the release of the 13th edition. Equally valuable for the actor in training and the seasoned professional, Acting is Believing is a comprehensive, accessible, and practical guide to the core principles of Stanislavski-based acting technique. Of particular value are the guided exercises that help the actor make the technique their own. An indispensable guidepost for the craft of acting today. --Robert M. Hupp, Artistic Director, Syracuse Stage

In our volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world, it is a rare thing for a classic acting text to retain its relevance as a foundational primer in the principles of the craft as well as a guide to applying those tools in context. Stilson's revisal remarkably does both and is well worth the time spent for the inquisitive practitioner who wishes to investigate the existential dilemmas of the human experience in this ever-evolving global environment to which contemporary dramatists, griots, storytellers, what you will, are responding.--Robert Barry Fleming, Artistic Director of the Actors Theatre of Louisville This staple of the actor's tool kit is now even more essential with the release of the 13th edition. Equally valuable for the actor in training and the seasoned professional, Acting is Believing is a comprehensive, accessible, and practical guide to the core principles of Stanislavski-based acting technique. Of particular value are the guided exercises that help the actor make the technique their own. An indispensable guidepost for the craft of acting today.--Robert M. Hupp, Artistic Director, Syracuse Stage Acting is Believing gives you the distillation of a century's worth of observations, advice, and exercises that will help you find your way as an actor. You also have the advantage of learning, in later chapters, how to approach the business end of an actor's profession, something I had to learn belatedly, pounding the pavements of New York City.--Chris Cooper, Academy Award-winning actor I love the truth of this book and its breadth. I love that the acting process is described in great detail for the novice or professional, yet it's mysterious, too. This is an important book to have on your bookcase to dive back into time and again for insights into our artform.--Molly Smith, Artistic Director, Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater Loved it! Kenneth L. Stilson was my acting teacher in the mid-90s. Now, several decades into my own journey as a professional actor and acting coach, I'm thrilled to rediscover the foundations he taught years ago in a fresh text that feels wholly relevant and accessible in today's world. Acting is Believing is filled with great advice, exercises, and insights about the art of acting. It's a thorough and engaging text appropriate for both amateurs and seasoned professionals. What I love most about Stilson's Acting is Believing 13th edition is how vital it feels in today's industry. He's brought forward techniques and ideas that made the book a classic to begin with and married it with the intricacies of the industry in the 2020s. It's accessible, authentic, and artistically engaging. Now, in my third decade as a professional actor, Acting is Believing is a great reminder of the foundations of the craft, and also a treasure trove of fresh insights on being a working actor in today's complex theatre business.--Dana Schultes, Executive Producer, Stage West Theatre The acting techniques and exercises in Acting is Believing can give you insights and abilities you will use the rest of your life, no matter what you do for a living. Over the years, this book became my acting bible, and I learned to relax and allow myself to fail often and grow as an actress while discovering how to enjoy the whole learning process.--Marilu Henner, Broadway, film, and television actor This book, perhaps more fundamentally than any other, offers a full investigation of the complexity of the art of acting that is hidden behind the truthful simplicity of the title: 'acting is believing.' Within these pages, an actor will find analysis, exercises, examples, and demonstrations that can guide an individual's exploration of inner creativity; these lead to the phenomenon in which the character and the actor become one in the experience of a living play. Reading this book . . . will elucidate an understanding of what it takes to develop your talent to its maximum capacity. If you follow the logical progression the author provides, you will explore step by step all the means available to make your performances natural and revelatory.--Marshall W. Mason, Tony Award-winning director, acting coach, writer, and founder of the Circle Repertory Company in New York City

Author Information

Kenneth L. Stilson is the author of the last five editions of Acting is Believing, along with the late Larry D. Clark and the late Charles McGaw. Stilson serves as the Executive Director of the Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival and Founding Chair of The Jeanine Larson Dobbins Conservatory of Theatre & Dance at Southeast Missouri State University. As a playwright/librettist, his works include An American Hero: A World War II Musical (OB, Acorn Theatre, NYMF, winner, Best of Festival), Stage Door Johnny: A Rock Musical (with Mike Appel), Where the Lilies Grow, and more. His screenplays include Fire Lily (Best of Festival, American Artist Film Festival) and Interviewing Monsters (with Tom Greene), and he is the author of Ezra Stone: A Theatre Biography. He has been an acting coach for 30 years, with former students having earned Tony and Obie Awards. He has directed more than 70 plays and musicals at numerous theatres. He currently serves on the Commission of Accreditation with the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) in Arlington, VA.

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