Tag Archives: Stella Adler

“The worst enemy of truth and freedom in our society is the compact majority.” — Henrik Ibsen

Posted on March 20, 2025 by sheila

It’s his birthday today. Some posts from my archive: This is a doozy, an excerpt from an amazing book made up of transcribed lectures on Ibsen, Chekhov and Strindberg, by legendary actress and acting teacher Stella Adler. It’s a great … Continue reading →

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Interview with actor/director/teacher Ryan Czerwonko

Posted on March 27, 2023 by sheila

I’ve written about Adult Film before here, and had been wanting for a while to sit down and interview one of the founders, Ryan Czerwonko, about what he and his group are up to. Finally, we carved out some space … Continue reading →

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“Masters of the Acting Art”: An Interview with Author Dan Callahan

Posted on March 25, 2019 by sheila

Dan Callahan is one of our best writers on the craft of acting. Not only does he describe why a performance is good, he digs into the much thornier issue of how it is good. This is where most critics … Continue reading →

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Happy Birthday, Henrik Ibsen

Posted on March 20, 2018 by sheila

Famous acting teacher Stella Adler in a transcribed lecture to her acting class on playing Ibsen. Adler BEGGED her students to stop thinking about themselves and about their emotions. She wanted them to be curious about the world, about context, … Continue reading →

Posted in James Joyce, On This Day, Theatre, writers | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Bookshelf Tour #3

Posted on October 31, 2017 by sheila

Some of the most well-worn books in my library. Real Life Drama: The Group Theatre and America 1931-1940 is Wendy Smith’s exhaustive history of The Group Theater. I consider it essential reading. It’s an important part of the history of … Continue reading →

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Living Truthfully Under Imaginary Circumstances: An Interview with Sam Schacht About Method Acting

Posted on February 13, 2017 by sheila

I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time and finally last month it happened. I sat down with my old Actors Studio acting teacher Sam Schacht to get his perspective on “Method acting,” a term I hear bandied … Continue reading →

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The Books: The Fervent Years: The Group Theatre And The Thirties, by Harold Clurman

Posted on December 13, 2011 by sheila

Daily Book Excerpt: Theatre Next book on the acting/theatre shelf is The Fervent Years: The Group Theatre And The Thirties, by Harold Clurman The Group Theatre, summer of 1931, summer workshop Harold Clurman was one of the founders of The … Continue reading →

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The Books: Stella Adler on Ibsen, Strindberg, and Chekhov, edited by Barry Paris

Posted on December 8, 2011 by sheila

Daily Book Excerpt: Theatre Next book on the acting/theatre shelf is Stella Adler on Ibsen, Strindberg, and Chekhov, edited by Barry Paris Must-read. Must-read. Must-read. Stella Adler came from an illustrious hard-working theatrical family, active in the vibrant and important … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Books, Theatre, writers | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Quotes on acting 8: Stella Adler on playing Ibsen

Posted on June 6, 2010 by sheila

You have to learn the size of Ibsen. The size of the conflict. The size of the land and how it stuck out into the sea. The size of the darkness. The snowfalls and the sparkling glaciers. The mountains. Surrounded … Continue reading →

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The Books: “Brando: The Biography” (Peter Manso)

Posted on August 8, 2008 by sheila

Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: Brando: The Biography, by Peter Manso Peter Manso has an opinion about Marlon Brando, and it colors this entire book – which is 10,000 pages long – so that’s a long time to stick with … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Books | Tagged , , , | 41 Comments