Acting: The First Six Lessons (Theatre Arts Book) (Hardcover)

by Ric Boleslavsky (Author) "Morning. My room. A knock at the door..." (more)
Key Phrases: double feeling, King Lear, New York, Empire State Building (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"One wants to quote any number of passages for their wit, the gayety of their instruction, the fineness of their perceptions, the good sense they show, their helpfulness and their ever-incisive clarity...The thing for actors to do, whether they are young or old, is to buy this book....It does more to explore the art of acting than any single volume for years." -- John Mason Brow

"Under their apparent simplicity and light-heartedness, (the lessons are) profound and to the point. Both beginners and established actors, who take their work seriously, will find stimulation in this book." -- Sir Alec Guinness

One wants to quote any number of passages for their wit, the gayety of their instruction, the fineness of their perceptions, the good sense they show, their helpfulness and their ever-incisive clarity...The thing for actors to do, whether they are young or old, is to buy this book....It does more to explore the art of acting than any single volume for years.
–John Mason Brown New York Post

Under their apparent simplicity and light-heartedness, (the lessons are) profound and to the point. Both beginners and established actors, who take their work seriously, will find stimulation in this book.
–Sir Alec Guinness

Product Description
For actors by an actor of rare subtlety and imagination; for directors by a brilliant versatile director. Richard Boleslavsky's knowledge of the theatre was based on wide experience. A member of the Moscow Art Theatre and director of its First Studio, he worked in Russia, Germany and America as actor, director and teacher. On Broadway, he produced plays and musical comedies and he was a leading Hollywood director.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 134 pages
• Publisher: Theatre Arts / Routledge; twenty-ninth printing edition (January 7, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878300007
• ISBN-13: 978-0878300006
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #75,920 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Actor's Bible, January 12, 2001

By	Paul E. Doniger "Free Thinker" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In this deceptively simple little book, Richard Boleslavsky, famed director of a by-gone era, has laid out not only the "First Six Lessons" of the title, but ALL six lessons. They are, clearly, lessons that must be read more than once and over a period of years that reflect the obvious growth in maturity of 'The Creature' who is Boleslavsky's imaginary student in the book.

In each of the six lessons -- on the surface, six acts of a drama -- Boleslavsky presents the skills and tools of the classically trained actor: Concentration, Memory of Emotion, Dramatic Action, Characterization, Observation, and that elusive tool called Rhythm. In each chapter, he manages to show how these tools are applied through the three basic aspects of the actors craft: Emotion, Intellect, and Body. Unlike the American Method of Lee Strassberg, he stresses the balance among these three aspects throughout all of his 'lessons' to the creature.

Among the many delightful moments in these lessons, in the chapter on characterization, shows how an actor must approach the performance of a Shakespearean role: "All you have to do is grasp the characterization of Shakespeare's mind and follow it" (82-83). Of course, Boleslavsky knows that this is no simple task, but he is able to put it in simple terms for us to begin the process of "grasping" it.

Finally, one could make a case for non-acting artists to read this book also. It is a treatise on creativity in general, as well as acting specifically, when, for example, it says, "The theatre exists to show things which do not exist actually. When you love on stage, do you really love? Be logical. You substitute creation for the real thing. The creation must be real, but that is the only reality that should be there" (41).The universality of Boleslavsky's art is inescapable.

No better tract for the actor exists; no actor should live without this at his or her side.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best volume to begin your work as an actor, March 6, 2001

By	J. Remington "John Remington" (Adams, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Richard Boleslavsi, a key member of the Moscow Art Theatre and practioner of the Stanislvaskian "system" wrote this, a key volume that serves as the greatest starting point for any serious actor.

Writing his text in the form of a play script, Boleslavski lays out a series of easily definable and highly applicable excersises that aid tremendously towards developing the acting instrument.

Although it is impossible to learn acting from simply reading a book, if used as a complimentary text in a hands on acting class, Boleslavski's book will help one build a solid foundation upon which one can begin legitimate work in the Theatre.

However, on a strongly personally biased note, skip the second chapter, entitled "Memory of Emotion". If done improperly, this second chapter can lead to incredibly self conscious acting posing as psuedo-therepy.

The chapters of Rythym, Concentration, Dramatic Action, Characterization and Observation however prove helpful, practical and definable. Please begin with this tome.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for the Acting Student, August 12, 2004

By	Donna G. Grayson "Donna G. Grayson" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

I recently took a scene study class, and the teacher used this book as our reading material for the course. This is a great book to get if you want to find out what it takes to be a serious actor. The book teaches the basic foundations of acting, for example Concentration and Characterization and more.

It is told in a story type format with the Teacher meeting "The Creature" and her aunt and other people in her life. The characters in the book talk about the fundementals of what it takes to act. Because it is told in this format, the ideas in the book are very easy to follow.

I did find that the Teacher refering to his student as "The Creature" was somewhat demeaning. But then you have to consider how long ago this book was written and the time period it was written in. This was probably typical of the period. Even though the actual book was written so long ago, it is a classic for the acting student. And the techniques and methods the Teacher speaks about are things even modern day actors must learn.

If you are interested in the Craft of Acting, this is definately a book you should read.