A Beginner’s Guide to Acting Methods: Understanding Practitioners and their Legacies

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Kimberly Shire

A Beginner’s Guide to Acting Methods

Understanding Practitioners and their Legacies

Kimberly Shire

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English

Methuen Drama
26 June 2025

Acting techniques; Theatre direction & production; Individual actors & performers

Wanting to understand the workings and methods of your favourite theatre practitioner? Look no further. This accessible guide summarizes the methods of 20 practitioners by collecting the most important features of their work and framing them so that even the novice actor will understand the material.

Introducing us to the work of practitioners such as: Konstantin Stanislavski, Vsevolod Meyerhold, Bertolt Brecht, Michael Chekhov, Jacques Copeau, Maria Knebel, Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, Viola Spolin, Uta Hagen, Augusto Boal, Jerzy Grotowski, Tadashi Suzuki, and Anne Bogart among a number of others, the book sets readers on the path to discovering the methods they want to explore in greater depth.

It does so through each chapter offering:

- biographical information on each practitioner - a description of their method - suggestions for digging deeper and further exploration - journal and discussion questions - the opportunity for practical application with 3-6 hours' worth of in-class activities for instructors to use

As a whole, the book seeks to offer an introduction to the many acting teachers and their methods in one place, demystifying terminology such as ""biomechanics"", ""active analysis"", ""grounding"" and ""viewpoints"", and introducing readers to the founders of the principles that make up modern acting.

By: Kimberly Shire
Imprint: Methuen Drama
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 244mm, Width: 188mm, Spine: 22mm
Weight: 680g
ISBN: 9781350434158
ISBN 10: 1350434159
Pages: 360
Publication Date: 26 June 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Primary , Secondary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Part I - Full Chapters 1. In the Beginning 2. Konstantin Stanislavski 3. Vsevolod Meyerhold 4. Jacques Copeau 5. Rudolf von Laban 6. Michael Chekhov 7. Maria Knebel 8. Bertolt Brecht 9. Stella Adler 10. Sanford Meisner 11. Viola Spolin 12. Uta Hagen 13. Jacques Lecoq 14. Augusto Boal 15. Jerzy Grotowski 16. Tadashi Suzuki 17. Harold Guskin 18. Anne Bogart 19. Declan Donnellan 20. Patsy Rodenburg 21. Chelsea Pace Part II - Partial Chapters 22. Lee Strasberg 23. Frank Silvera 24. Barbara Ann Teer 25. Susan Batson 26. David Mamet Conclusion: Missing Chapters Notes Index Bibliography

Kimberly Shire is Associate Professor of Theatre at Carroll College, US. She has been training actors for 25 years as a high school teacher, children’s theatre artistic director, college acting professor and theatre director.