Creating A Role

Creating A Role by Constantin Stanislavski. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780878309818.

Creating a Roleis the culmination of Stanislavskis masterful trilogy on the art of acting. An Actor Preparesfocused on the inner training of an actors imagination. Building a Characterdetailed how the actors body and voice could be tuned for the great roles he might fill. This third volume examines the development of a character from the viewpoint of three widely contrasting plays: Griboyedovs Woe from Wit, Shakespeares Othello, and Gogols The Inspector General. Building on the first two books, Stanislavski demonstrates how a fully realized character is born in three stages: "studying it; establishing the life of the role; putting it into physical form." Tracing the actors process from the first reading to production, he explores how to approach roles from inside and outside simultaneously. He shows how to recount the story in actors terms, how to create an inner life that will give substance to the authors words, and how to search into ones own experiences to connect with the characters situation. Finally, he speaks of the physical expression of the character in gestures, sounds, intonation, and speech. Throughout, a picture of a real artist at work emerges, sometimes failing, but always seeking truthful answers.