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Tag Archives: Stella Adler
“The worst enemy of truth and freedom in our society is the compact majority.” — Henrik Ibsen
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
Posted in James Joyce, On This Day, Theatre, writers
Tagged Clifford Odets, Henrik Ibsen, Lee Strasberg, Norway, scripts, Stella Adler
4 Comments
Interview with actor/director/teacher Ryan Czerwonko
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
“Masters of the Acting Art”: An Interview with Author Dan Callahan
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
Posted in Actors, Movies
Tagged Al Pacino, Cate Blanchett, Charles Laughton, Diane Keaton, Dustin Hoffman, Ellen Burstyn, Faye Dunaway, Gena Rowlands, interviews, John Cassavetes, Judy Davis, Laurence Olivier, Lee Strasberg, Maggie Smith, Marlon Brando, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Patricia Clarkson, River Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Stella Adler
11 Comments
Happy Birthday, Henrik Ibsen
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 Henrik Ibsen, Norway, Stella Adler
2 Comments
Bookshelf Tour #3
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
Posted in Books, Theatre
Tagged August Strindberg, bookshelves, Group Theatre, Harold Clurman, Jack Garfein, Michael Caine, Stella Adler
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Living Truthfully Under Imaginary Circumstances: An Interview with Sam Schacht About Method Acting
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
Posted in Actors
Tagged Actors Studio, friends, interviews, James Dean, Kim Stanley, Kristen Stewart, Lee Strasberg, Liza Minnelli, Marilyn Monroe, Stella Adler
1 Comment
The Books: The Fervent Years: The Group Theatre And The Thirties, by Harold Clurman
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
Posted in Books
Tagged Clifford Odets, Group Theatre, Harold Clurman, Lee Strasberg, Morris Carnovsky, politics, Stella Adler
2 Comments
The Books: Stella Adler on Ibsen, Strindberg, and Chekhov, edited by Barry Paris
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 Anton Chekhov, August Strindberg, Group Theatre, Harold Clurman, Lee Strasberg, Russia, Stella Adler, Sweden
8 Comments
Quotes on acting 8: Stella Adler on playing Ibsen
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
The Books: “Brando: The Biography” (Peter Manso)
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 entertainment biography, Francis Ford Coppola, Marlon Brando, Stella Adler
41 Comments