Stanislavski was the first person to develop a cogent and practical system of acting. Throughout his life he sought the answers to such fundamental questions as: "What is great acting?" and "How can you find inspiration in every performance?" Stanislavski remains the most important influence on actor training today; and yet many of his ideas are little known; or even misunderstood.Stanislavski For Beginners charts the development of the Stanislavski system. It includes a clear exposition of the key elements of the system and explores his Method of Physical Actions; which he worked on in the years before his death; and which he called ldquo;the result of my whole lifersquo;s work.rdquo;
#1944884 in eBooks 2015-03-01 2015-03-01File Name: B00WR57VJO
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Customerdaughter loves with her new writing tools19 of 20 people found the following review helpful. Fascinating material marred by poor presentationBy Kathy GraceI received this book; along with "Brush Writing" and the Takase CD vol. 1; as a gift recently. I am finding each of them useful in its way; but this is the book that I most wish were better."Sho" covers quite a large range of subject matter--everything from interviews with sho masters to tips on selling your work at exhibitions to instructions on carving in wood; with little sidelights like Japanese monograms and brushes made of mouse hairs (and yes; there are step-by-step photos of actual brush calligraphy; too). Unfortunately; lots of these topics are discussed in just enough detail to make me want more; but not enough to satisfy me. The book lacks focus. In this respect; "Brush Writing" is much better--its author has wisely (I think) decided that a beginning text is not the place to drag in every topic under the sun related to sho. (Perhaps "Sho" is not meant to be a beginning text; but thats part of the same problem--I cant tell whether its aimed at me; a novice; or at an expert; or at someone in between.)Organization is a weak point as well. How to line your work (the equivalent; more or less; of matting/framing it) and sell it is discussed well before we get around to making basic strokes with ink on paper. Interviews are plopped in the middle of the book. There are two different discussions on brushes--one near the beginning; the other near the end. Theres a blow-by-blow critique of a work in the authors collection that gives some real insight into how an artist imbued his work with emotion; but it uses technical terms that arent introduced till later in the book. Take a look at the Table of Contents--I think youll agree that its all over the place. Great if youre a browser; not so hot if youre not.Finally; and this is a big one for me; the typography of the book is just awful. It seems to have been produced on a dedicated word processor with a daisywheel printer (anyone remember those?) or something similar. Boldface print is clearly just overstrike. There is no italic. The font is something from the typewriter era. The book is formatted in two narrow columns per page; which are right-and-left justified with no hyphenation; producing many lines that have huge gaps between the words. Its painfully unattractive; to the point of being difficult to read. In a book presumably meant to appeal to Westerners who are interested in an aesthetic of writing; the ugly typography is a major flaw.Having said all this; Ill repeat--the book contains a great deal of information which fascinated me; and Im glad I own it. But if Id seen it in a store; Id never have purchased it.In any case; do yourself a favor and order the Takase CD; which contains something like thirty videos of the sensei writing characters and critiquing student efforts; in addition to the usual written text about materials; posture; strokes; and so on. The videos on this CD will make any book you choose much more understandable.Update:I see that has added the "Look inside this book" feature. Please take a look before you buy!8 of 9 people found the following review helpful. A true tool for spiritual growth...By NFL-PRO-34I found this book to offer a complete in-depth analysis and discussion on the importance of Japanese calligraphy from a historical and spiritual reference point. There are many books in my opinion that offer novice information on the stylist qualities and brush stroke procedures; but not many of them focus on the deep history spiritual connection that mastering the art of calligraphy can bring. The book explains that as your body mind master the physical art of calligraphy; the spirit becomes enlightened and strong. It explains how great Zen teachers; warriors emperors increased their proficiency in brush writing and as a result enabled them to reflect a high degree of inner character self-discipline. Simply a fabulous read and reference for all of us who strive to improve ourselves and understand more of the inner workings and benefits of Japanese calligraphy. A+++Blessed;Andy
