Resource: Marcus and Marcus. Theater As Life, 2011.

Life 1863 – 1938, Moscow, Russia Actor, singer, performer since age 6 Raised by aristocratic theater family Founded Moscow Art Theater (1898) Created First Studio (1912) Theory Developed “System” of actor preparation to create realistic characters Given Circumstances Public Solitude Subtext Communion Emotion Memory Physical Action Illusion of the first time “Love Art in Yourselves, Not Yourselves in Art.”

Life , Poland Studied under Stanislavski at the First Studio of the Moscow Art Theatre. Served with Russian military during WWI. Founder of American Laboratory Theatre (1923) Acting: The First Six Lessons (1933) Theory Dialectic of Artistic Truth Concentration Memory of Emotion Dramatic Action Characterization Observation Rhythm “To imitate is wrong. To create is right.”

Life 1891 – 1955, Russia Original member of the Moscow Art Theatre’s First Studio Fled Russia in 1928 Chekhov Theatre Studio (1938) Hollywood acting coach (1942) On the Technique of Acting (1912) To the Actor (1953) Theory Psycho-physical approach to acting: Creative Individuality Psychological Gesture Visualization The body is a sensitive instrument to express ideas and emotions. Actors should be “experts” of theater, understanding production elements, music, and writing. “An actor has a thousand eyes”

Life 1898 – 1956, Germany The Modern Theater is the Epic Theater(1930) Fled Nazi Germany (1933) Screenwriter in Hollywood (1943) Founder of the Berliner Ensemble (1949) Theory Sought to bring about social change by challenging audiences’ conventions and norms Dialectic Materialism Epic Theater The V-effect Gestus or gest Actors were expected to be educated, politically informed, observers of the external world Pair Work Exercise “The actor’s job is to give a reading of a character rather than become it.”

Life 1901 – 1982, Austrian born, immigrant to New York Co-founder The Group Theatre (1931) Artistic Director of The Actors Studio (1951) A Dream of Passion: The Development of the Method (1988) Theory Created a “Method” of acting, based on the work of Stanislavski Relaxation Improvisation Concentration Affective memory Justification Substitution Used the actor’s past experiences and emotions to create believable characters “Talent alone isn't enough. What makes for greatness in the actor? Greatness needs that extra effort, which is commitment.”

Life 1901 – 1992, New York Actress of vaudeville, stage, and screen Member of American Laboratory Theater (1925) Founding member of The Group Theater (1951) Stella Adler Acting Studio (1949) The Technique of Acting (1988) Theory Technique based on humanist approach of service to others Circumstances Imagination Action Justification Characterization Acting requires great vulnerability and the elimination of human barriers Adler vs. Strasberg “Your talent is in your choice.”

Life 1905 – 1997 Founding member of The Group Theater (1951) Director of New Talent Division, 20 th Century Fox (1958) Head of the Drama Department at NYC’s Neighborhood Playhouse (1964 – 1990) Sanford Meisner on Acting (1987) Theory “Meisner Technique” focuses on instinct, “inner impulses” and simplicity Being in the Moment Reality of Doing Word Repetition Game Living truthfully under imaginary circumstances Preparation “An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words.”

Life 1909 – 1997, New York Founding member of The Group Theatre (1931) Co-Founder, Actors Studio (1947) Robert Lewis Theater Workshop (1952) Advice to the Players (1980) Head of the Yale School of Drama Acting and Directing Departments Theory “Total Acting” incorporates Stanislavski, Boleslavski and Michael Chekhov Inner Action Intention Sensory Perception “To help bridge the gap from the classroom to the stage, it’s a good idea to perform.”

Life 1906 – 1994, Chicago, IL Drama Supervisor for the Chicago branch of the WPA’s Recreational Project ( ) Founded the Young Actors Company in Hollywood, CA (1946) Workshop Director for Second City Company (1960 – 1965) Improvisation for the Theater(1963) Theory “Theater Games” system of actor training: Cultivate playfulness Develop interpersonal trust Increase spontaneity Creativity Organic response Physicalization Single File Activity “Everyone can act. Everyone can improvise… "Talent" or "lack of talent" have very little to do with it."

Life 1919 – 2004, German-born Immigrated to Madison, WI (1924) Three-time Tony Award Winner Cofounder of Herbert Berghof Studio in New York City Respect for Acting (1973) A Challenge for the Actor (1991) Theory Approach advocates realistic acting Identification Immediacy Endowment Object Exercises Video Clip “We must overcome the notion that we must be regular... it robs you of the chance to be extraordinary and leads you to the mediocre.”

Life 1920 – 2007, Chicago, IL. Leading Broadway casting director Established Casting Consultants independent casting service(1962) Established workshop in Los Angeles (1978) Audition: Everything an Actor Needs to Know to Get the Part (1978) Theory The 12 Guideposts: 1.Relationship 2.Conflict 3.The Moment Before 4.Humor 5.Opposites 6.Discoveries 7.Communication and Competition 8.Importance 9.Find the Events 10.Place 11.Game Playing & Role Playing 12.Mystery and Secrets “Creating relationship is the heart of acting. It is basic. It is essential.”

Life 1933 – 1999, Poland Teatr Laboratorium in Wroclaw, Poland (1965) Paratheatrical Phase ( ) Theatre of Sources ( ) Objective Drama ( ) Pontedera WorkCenter established (1986) Towards a Poor Theatre (1968) Theory “Poor Theatre” Simplicity of Production Communion between actors and audience Via Negativa Organicity Psychophysical Exercises Video Clip “One must give oneself totally…with confidence, as when one gives oneself in love”

Life 1931 – 2009, Brazil Director of Arena Theatre in Sao Paulo, Brazil Exiled to Argentina (1971) Theatre of the Oppressed (1979) Theory “Theatre of the Oppressed” uses theatre to promote social and political change. Image Theatre Forum Theatre Invisible Theatre Facilitators Spect-actors Uses theatre to establish a dialogue among opposing viewpoints. “Theatre is the passionate combat of two human beings on a platform.”

Life Graduate of Northwestern University Currently an acting coach in Los Angeles No Acting Please (1977) Being & Doing (1998) Theory “The Eric Morris System” Involves intense emotional work that some consider inappropriate to a classroom environment. Obligations to the Material Being State Ultimate Consciousness Choice Approaches Focuses on the actor’s instrument Video Clip Prezi – Sarah Newstrom “There is more to learn about acting than being a heart surgeon”

Life ??, Chicago, IL. Film producer, writer, teacher, artist Artistic Director of the Court Theatre, Chicago, IL Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Artistic Director of the Nevada Conservatory Theatre The Actor at Work (1968) Seeming, being, and becoming: Acting in our century (1976) Theory Focuses on the major skills required of all actors: Creativity Movement Voice/Speech Analysis Characterization

Life , Japan Founder of SCOT, Suzuki Company of Toga (1976) Co-founder of SITI, Saratoga International Theater Institute, Saratoga Springs, NY (1992) The Way of Acting (1986) Theory Suzuki Actor Training Method Stamping Physicality Repetition Sacred Spaces Video Clip “The value of my training can be said to begin and end with the feet.”

Life , Chicago, IL Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and film director Co-founder of the Atlantic Theater Company, New York City (1985) True and False: Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor (1997) Theory “Practical Aesthetics” provides principle of the craft, that focuses on commitment to truth, not talent. Simplicity of Action Pursuit of an Objective Compelling Storytelling Physical Action versus Emotion Believed in a deep connection between actor’s personal identity and his effectiveness onstage. “A life in the theater is a life spent giving things away… An act of selfless spirit.”