Blending theater history, acting theory, and theater and film criticism, Hirsch traces the origins of the Actors Studio, examines the work behind its closed doors, and measures the impact of the Studio's method on American acting. He begins with a historical survey of the Stanislavski technique from its conception at the Moscow Art Theatre through the Group Theatre to its final Americanization at Actors Studio. He describes the various exercises performed at the Studio during the last 35 years and presents an appraisal of the legendary Lee Strasberg. In the final part he looks at the results of Method training, as seen in the work of the Studio's renowned members--Marlon Brando, James Dean, Geraldine Page, Robert DeNiro, and Al Pacino--and in the production of the Actors Studio Theatre in the 1960s.
|
