An Actor Prepares

Consider Stanislavski’s concept of circumstances, both imagined and given; then, think of a character in a work of fiction. What are the character’s given circumstances? Now, choose a blank spot in those circumstances and imagine how you might create the rest of the character’s circumstances.

What are some of the broader lessons from An Actor Prepares, outside of the description of the method and its use to an actor? What arguments does Stanislavski make about consciousness, what it means to be a person, and the human experience?

More than once, Tortsov tells the students that “the abnormal circumstance of an actor’s creative work” is that it “must be done in public” (294). What does this mean? How do you think working in public might affect an artist? What other artistic forms take place in public?

What does “truth” mean within Stanislavski’s acting system? How is it similar to or different from generally understood conceptions of truth? Why is it necessary for an actor to value and subscribe to this idea of truth?

Do you think Stanislavski’s acting system is practical? What challenges do you think might arise? What aspects of acting do you think need further exploration? Would this system turn any willing and diligent follower into an effective actor?

An Actor Prepares presents the lessons as a dialectic in the form of a fabricated journal recounting acting classes as a narrative. This allows Stanislavski to incorporate likely student questions into his teachings. What is a question that you would ask if you were in his class? Based on the responses he does give to questions, what are some potential answers he might give?

Considering that An Actor Prepares was published in 1936, which was the same moment when Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis theories and practices were popular, how does Stanislavski’s system leverage human psychology? What elements of psychology does he utilize or reference? Research some of these elements and explain how some of the theories have shifted, while others have remained the same. How might this affect actors who want to practice the method today?

How would you distill Stanislavski’s method into a list of tasks? Are there elements that require much deeper description? Do you think the text offers a clear, easy-to-follow instruction guide for actors? Why or why not?