Acting Realism

Theory and Practice from Garrick to Meisner and Beyond

Stephen Bayly

$150

Hardback

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English

Methuen Drama
11 December 2025

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

If you are struggling to decipher your Boal from your Brecht, your Meisner from your Marowitz, or your Adler from your Artaud, this is the book for you.

Who are the great teachers and theorists of dramatic art?

What methods are associated with which practitioners?

How does their work connect to one another?

When was 'realism' as a concept born? How did David Garrick's ideas about acting impact those of Stanislavski, Grotowski and Brecht?

What were the foundational ideas of Joan Littlewood?

All of these questions and many, many more are answered in this book, which offers a refreshingly accessible survey of the major acting teachers from the early 1700s up to the present day.

It looks at what their major influences were, where their ideas came from and their legacy.

Structured by practitioner and arranged in chronological order, this much-needed book brings together the foundational acting theories that have shaped the arts scene for centuries.

By: Stephen Bayly
Imprint: Methuen Drama
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 252mm, Width: 208mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 780g
ISBN: 9781350320222
ISBN 10: 1350320226
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 11 December 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Stephen Bayly is a respected director and producer with film credits including Coming Up Roses (1986), Just Ask for Diamond (1986), Richard III (1995) and Mrs Dalloway (1997). He was Director of the National Film and Television School UK from 1998 - 2003. He alternates his teaching at the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión in Cuba with travelling extensively to give workshops in other countries, under the auspices of Directing Arts (www.directingarts.com). He is also the author of Working with Actors: Meisner Technique for Directors and Actors.