A Director's Guide to Stanislavsky's Active Analysis: Including the Formative Essay on Active Analysis by Maria Knebel

by James Thomas

A Director's Guide to Stanislavsky's Active Analysis describes Active Analysis, the innovative rehearsal method Stanislavsky formulated in his final years. By uniting 'mental analysis' and 'etudes', Active Analysis puts an end to the problem of mind-body dualism and formalized text memorization that traditional rehearsal methods foster.The book describes Active Analysis both practically and conceptually; Part One guides the reader through the entire process of Active Analysis, using A Midsummer Night's Dream as a practical reference point. The inspiration here is the work of the Russian director Anatoly Efros, whose pioneering work led the way for a reawakening of theatre in post-Soviet Russia. Part Two is the first English translation of Maria Knebel's foundational article about Active Analysis. Knebel was hand-selected by Stanislavsky to carry his final work forward in unadulterated form for succeeding generations of directors and actors.A Director's Guide to Stanislavsky's Active Analysis provides the first detailed explanation of Active Analysis from the director's perspective, while also meeting the needs of actors who seek to enhance their creative involvement in the process of play production.

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 2, 2016

About the author

James Thomas is a Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Wayne State University, Detroit.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

The highlight of this book, by far, is the translation of Maria Knebel's "Active Analysis of the Play and the Role." In this in-depth essay, Knebel lays out the concepts behind Active Analysis, the last stage of Stanislavsky's work. It is clear-eyed and fascinating, and the translation is excellent.

The other half of this volume is Thomas' descriptions of working with Active Analysis in development of A Midsummer Night's Dream. These are decidedly less useful, as records of a specific rehearsal process so often are. I'm not sure these illuminate Knebel's words with the kind of practical explication which was intended.