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Acting Realism

Theory and Practice from Garrick to Meisner and Beyond
By Stephen Bayly
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Brief Description
If you are struggling to decipher your Boal from your Brecht, your Meisner from your Marowitz, or your Adler from your Artaud, this is the book for you. Who are the great teachers and theorists of dramatic art? What methods are associated with which practitioners? How... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$5499
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If you are struggling to decipher your Boal from your Brecht, your Meisner from your Marowitz, or your Adler from your Artaud, this is the book for you.

Who are the great teachers and theorists of dramatic art?

What methods are associated with which practitioners?

How does their work connect to one another?

When was 'realism' as a concept born?

How did David Garrick's ideas about acting impact those of Stanislavski, Grotowski and Brecht?

What were the foundational ideas of Joan Littlewood?

All of these questions and many, many more are answered in Acting Realism, which offers a refreshingly accessible survey of the major acting teachers from the early 1700s up to the present day.

It looks at what their major influences were, where their ideas came from and their legacy.

Structured by practitioner and arranged in chronological order, this much-needed book brings together the foundational acting theories that have shaped the arts scene for centuries.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781350320215

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 11 December 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Methuen Drama

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 190.0mm

Height: 246.0mm

Weight: 540g

Pages: 272

Collections

Arts & Culture Non-Fiction Stephen Bayly

About the Author

Stephen Bayly is a respected director and producer with film credits including Coming Up Roses (1986), Just Ask for Diamond (1986), Richard III (1995) and Mrs Dalloway (1997). He was Director of the National Film and Television School UK from 1998 - 2003. He alternates his teaching at the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión in Cuba with travelling extensively to give workshops in other countries, under the auspices of Directing Arts (www.directingarts.com). He is also the author of Working with Actors: Meisner Technique for Directors and Actors.

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