The Art of Acting - Stella Adler

STELLA ADLER

STELLA ADLER
HOWARD KISSEL

won't behave the same way in the French embassy garden as in the
You
working class garden. You won't dress the same way or even speak or
Italian
sit the same way.
you're sipping champagne and nibbling on canapes among people you
If
not have met but that you know are diplomats and government officials,
may
going to be more careful about your posture, about your conversation,
you're
your manners than if you're sitting at a picnic table with a group of
about
people you've known for many years.
want you to think of something funny that happens in each of these two
I
something touching, something disturbing, something beautiful.
gardens,
beautiful in the French embassy garden may be the entrance of a
What's
wife, a very striking woman who's a former movie star and still
diplomat's
as if she'll be photographed incessantly. Depending on how you
dresses
her, that may be more funny than beautiful.
imagine
beautiful in the Italian garden may be the sound of everyone
What's
"Aah," as the hostess comes from the kitchen and places an aromatic
saying,
of pasta on the table. Again, depending on how you imagine her, this
plate
can be funny, though probably in a warmer way than the diplomat's wife.
too
the Italian mother is beaming because she's proud of what she's cooked,
If
she's trying to conceal that pride, we are touched by her modesty. If the
if
ambassador is making a speech about the heroism of someone he's
French
to honor and if that person seems uncomfortable about being praised
going
grandly, we're also touched. In each case what's happening is speci c to
so
circumstances. It doesn't take place in the abstract, but in a speci c
the
garden.
of the most important things to learn is to do as little "acting" as
One
When we let the circumstances dictate what we do, everything will
possible.
a reason, will seem perfectly natural, truthful. It's only when we don't
have
the circumstances that we have to "act," that we have to fake it.
understand
And, believe me, the audience knows that instinctively.

CLASS TEN

doing will absorb the fake. In your justi cation of what you're doing,
the
avoid indicating, and in the modern style of acting, above all, you must
you
not indicate.
are some exercises to help you understand justi cation: Give me
Here
reasons why you complimented somebody, why you left your job, why
ve
helped someone on the street, why the man crossed the street so fast,
you
the mother left the package at the department store.
why
Give
ve reasons why you opened the window, why you closed the
window.
what you do in circumstances when you feel these emotions: I'm
Trace
happy, I'm so angry, I'm so pleased.
so
on a dark level in ten different ways the line, "He'll be glad about
Justify
that."
ten inner justi cations for reading a book, getting dressed, going
Give
downtown.
Give
ve reasons for complaining in the theatre, in a story, on the
subway.
A woman enters a grocery story. Imagine what she will buy and why.
prepared to answer the following questions about a basket: What kind
Be
it? How heavy is it? What's inside it? Whose is it? Why is it on the shelf?
is
a pose. Relax every muscle except those needed for the pose.
Strike
the pose. Example: You raise your hand. Why? To x the washing on
Justify
the line. Or, to prevent the basket from falling.
four poses, justify each and link them together in the justi cation.
Take
(1) Raise your right hand. (2) Put your hand to your forehead. (3)
Example:

actions can be complicated, and you have to get a sense of doing
All
truthfully. You must overcome your desire to do the whole thing
them
of being very patient. If I want to take a splinter out and I take the
instead
and sterilize it and it's black and I don't know whether to use it
needle
because it's black, I'm working correctly.
if I overlook these little truths and just grab a needle and say, "Ooo,
But
going to take the splinter out," I haven't done my homework. No
I'm
action is done all together. It grows from one thing to another. If I
physical
the needle up, it will be black. If it's black, I'll know that maybe I have
pick
wipe it. If I wipe it, really, and I have to get the splinter, I'll know the
to
is a little bit sticking out. As long as I work this way I'll have no
splinter
You're only uncomfortable if you use the lazy approach and
problems.
generalize.
the action complicates it and makes it stronger. We've worked
Justifying
scraping imaginary mud off our shoes. If you begin to really take off the
on
there's no way for you to be uncomfortable. Later on if you justify the
mud
by imagining you've killed someone and you don't want anyone to
action
that you've been out in the street and you must do it quickly ... you
know
STILL take off the mud, but you have a lot of reasons to make it more
must
interesting.

else has a profession? All right, Sal, go up on stage. What's
Who
about Sal is his costume. He has an electrician's belt slung
good
his waist that has the tools of his trade - screwdriver,
from
measuring tape, needle-nose pliers.
wirecutters,
STELLA: A professor of what?
BOBBY: A professor of English.
I'm frightened of the physical limitations when you take
STELLA:
kind of profession. But go ahead.
that
BOBBY: Good morning, class. Today we're going to study ...
I have to stop you. You're moving around the stage in a
STELLA:
professorial manner, but the rhythm is boring. Also, you
supposedly
demonstrated any reason for where you're going. Your walk is
haven't
shuffle, the bottoms of your feet never leave the ground. We can
a
the walk but I doubt we can salvage the profession. Take a
correct
where you do something, not a profession where we have
profession
to guess what you're doing.
what's he doing? It looks like he's untangling a web of wires. You're
Now
too long in the same space, Sal. Remember the work we did on
taking
up actions. If you want us to see that something doesn't work,
smartening
must make it not work. You took props that controlled you completely.
you
appearance is also wrong for the profession you chose. For a
Your
face and hands, yours are too clean. You should have dust on your
worker's
dirt on your hands and, possibly, a rag appearing from the pocket of
arms,
pants. your
Who wants to be next? All right, Sally. What's your profession?
SALLY: Librarian.

you think of a person stimulates you to behave in a certain way
What
him. Herein lies the wisdom of acting. It's not what a person says
toward
your reaction to what he says that creates your attitude toward the
but
Without this attitude you don't exist on the stage.
person.
does it mean to have an attitude toward your partner and where
What
it come from? From your reactions to what you see, what confronts
does
you, what you're exposed to.
can illustrate this on the most primitive level. If you see a snake on
We
ground, would you go over and pick it up? Having already developed an
the
toward the snake, from what you know or have heard or read about
attitude
going back to the earliest Biblical reference, you wouldn't.
snakes,
develops an attitude toward everything - even toward the snake. As
One
intern at the hospital, you quickly become aware the operation has failed.
an
actions are to check the Xrays, the patient's chart and the EKG. You
Your
everything's gone wrong. Now you have an attitude toward the doctor in
see
charge.
you have a very wealthy friend. Her husband, whom she didn't
Suppose
care for, has died. In his memory she gives money to various
much
and dedicates a number of memorials to him. Now she wants to
institutions
but not for love. She wants a companion.
remarry,
do you feel about her? One attitude might be you'd like to exploit
How
money yourself. We can add a little information. She likes to give parties
her
even invites people she doesn't know well. She is regularly accustomed
and
spending $400 or $500 a night inviting people to dinner. What do you
to
think of her? Are you developing an attitude toward her? Do you
really
her values are distorted, or that she's lonely, or do you resent her
think
money? Do you feel she's mixed up, wasteful and stupid?
suppose, to bring it closer to home, this woman comes to me and
Now
she wants to direct a play using the students in this class for the cast. My
says
reaction to her proposal is: Why not? She has money. Why shouldn't she