Theatre Arts on Acting

550 Pages·2008·1.87 MB·English

by  Laurence Senelick

Theatre Arts on Acting
“The successful leading players of today stand on an uneasy bridge between two
extremes of theatrical development. Behind us lie the glories of tradition, the
grand manner, the star system [...] Before us lie the fear of convention and
imitation, the demand for novelty, the restless, impatient craving for easy success
[...]” John Gielgud
“I hate actors who bump into the furniture, or stand where they seem to be goosed
by an armchair, or are frightened by tables, beds, lamps, doors and the surround-
ings in general.” Hume Cronyn
During its fifty year run, Theatre Arts Magazine was a bustling forum for the fore-
most names in the performing arts. Renowned theatre historian Laurence
Senelick has plundered its archives to assemble a stellar collection of articles on
every aspect of the theatrical life.
Contributors include:
Konstantin Stanislavsky on Character Building; Stark Young on Illusion in Act-
ing; Edith Isaacs on Typecasting; Lee Strasberg on Past Performances; Cedric
Hardwicke on The Moribund Craft of Acting; as well as articles by and about
Michael Chekhov, John Gielgud, Fred Astaire, Richard Boleslavsky, Shelley
Winters, Laurence Olivier, Bette Davis, Alastair Cooke and Vivien Leigh
Laurence Senelick is Fletcher Professor of Drama and Oratory at Tufts Uni-
versity, and winner of the George Jean Nathan award for Dramatic Criticism. He
is the author of over 20 books on theatre history and dramatic theory and a
practising actor, director and translator.
Routledge Theatre Classics
The Routledge Theatre Classics series brings some of the theatrical world’s
seminal texts to a new generation. Drawn from Routledge’s extensive archives,
including the renowned Theatre Arts imprint, each volume has received expert
editorial attention to update it for today’s reader. This collection brings the theatre
of the 20th Century into the spotlight of the 21st.
Titles include:
On the Art of the Theatre – by Edward Gordon Craig
Edited by Franc Chamberlain
A prescient vision of the state of theatre from one of its great modernisers, still
bearing huge influence almost a century after it was written.
Theatre Arts on Acting – edited by Laurence Senelick
A compendium of articles from the pages of Theatre Arts Magazine, with contri-
butions from John Gielgud, Michael Chekhov, Konstantin Stanislavsky and Lee
Strasberg among others.
Stanislavsky in Focus, 2nd Edition – by Sharon M. Carnicke
A crucial exploration of one of the theatre’s towering figures. Dispels the mis-
conceptions that dog his teachings and explains the truth behind the myth.
Theatre: The Rediscovery of Style, and other writings – by Michel
Saint-Denis
Edited by Jane Baldwin
Combines Saint-Denis’ two major works, moving seamlessly from theory to prac-
tice and addressing everything from actor training to the synergy of modern and
classical theatre.
Theatre Arts on Acting
Edited, with an Introduction, by
Laurence Senelick
First published 2008
by Routledge
2 Park Squre, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
Selection and editorial matter © 2008 Laurence Senelick; individual articles
© the contributors
Typeset in Baskerville by RefineCatch Limited, Bungay, Suffolk, UK
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham, Wiltshire
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted
or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Theatre arts on acting / edited and with an introduction by Laurence
Senelick.
p. cm.
Articles published in Theatre arts, 1916–1961.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Acting. I. Senelick, Laurence.
PN2061.T47 2008
792.02′8–dc22 2008003041
ISBN10: 0–415–77492–6 (hb)
ISBN10: 0–415–77493–2 (pb)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–77492–5 (hb)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–77493–2 (pb)
For Darcy
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Contents
Acknowledgments xii
Introduction xiv
PART I
Acting in the American tradition 1
1 Acting and the New Stagecraft, by Walter Prichard Eaton
(November 1916) 3
2 The place of the actor in “the new movement”, by
Claude King (July 1922) 6
3 Billets doux, by Stark Young (October 1929) 10
4 Paul Muni: a profile and a self-portrait, by Morton Eustis
(March 1940) 18
5 Margaret Sullavan, by John Van Druten (May 1944) 25
6 Comedienne from Radcliffe: Josephine Hull, by William
Lindsay Gresham (June 1945) 30
7 Laurette Taylor, by Norris Houghton (December 1945) 35
8 Seven interviews in search of good acting, by Aimee
Scheff (March 1952) 41
9 That wonderful, deep silence, by Shelley Winters
(June 1956) 48
10 Shakespeare and the American actor, by John Houseman
(July 1956) 52
11 Geraldine Page: The irony of a legend, by Joseph
Carroll (April 1953) 56
viii Contents
12 Jason Robards, Jr., by John Keating (April 1960) 62
13 George C. Scott, by Jack Balch (June 1960) 66
14 Maureen Stapleton, by Gilbert Millstein (July 1960) 70
15 “Dear Diary ...”, by Hume Cronyn (July 1961) 74
16 Julie Harris, by John Keating (January 1962) 83
PART II
The British legacy 89
17 A crux in English acting, by Alistair Cooke (September 1932) 91
18 Acting in my time, by St. John Ervine (August 1935) 96
19 An artist’s apprenticeship: Chapters from an
autobiography, by John Gielgud (June–July 1937) 103
20 The Gielgud Macbeth, by Ashley Dukes (October 1942) 118
21 John Gielgud: Actor, by Alan Dent (February 1947) 121
22 The actor as biographer: Wilfrid Lawson, by
Rosamond Gilder (December 1937) 126
23 Gertrude Lawrence, by Theodore Strauss (May 1942) 131
24 The Oliviers, by Sewell Stokes (December 1945) 137
25 Sir Laurence and Larry, by Alan Pryce-Jones (February 1961) 141
26 Shaw and the actor: Interviews with Rex Harrison and
Siobhán McKenna (March 1957) 145
27 An actor stakes his claim, by Cedric Hardwicke (February 1958) 151
28 Albert Finney, by Audrey Williamson (October 1963) 155
PART III
Foreign modes of performance 161
29 How Reinhardt works with his actors, by Gertrud Eysoldt
(October 1921) 163
30 The Month of Duse (excerpts), by Kenneth Macgowan
(January 1924) 165
Contents ix
31 Eleonora Duse: The last phase, by F. Bruno Averardi
(September 1931) 168
32 Giovanni Grasso, by Stark Young (January 1922) 173
33 Mei Lan-Fang, by Stark Young (April 1930) 174
34 Between curtains: The acting of the Abbey Theatre, by
Andrew J. Stewart (March 1933) 184
35 The actor and the revolution, by Pavel Markov
(September 1936) 188
36 Child of silence, by Jean-Louis Barrault (October 1949) 197
37 Louis Jouvet: The triumph of deceit, by Monroe Stearns
(January 1953) 203
38 Lotte Lenya, by David Beams (June 1962) 209
PART IV
Stanislavsky and his followers 223
39 Stanislavsky to his players, by Konstantin Stanislavsky;
translation from the Russian (arranged by Lucie R. Sayler)
(January 1923) 225
40 Perspective in character building, by Konstantin
Stanislavsky (July 1949) 229
41 Fundamentals of acting, by Richard Boleslavsky
(February 1927) 236
42 An actor prepares: A comment on Stanislavsky’s method, by
John Gielgud (January 1937) 243
43 An actor prepares: Comments on Stanislavsky’s method, by
Robert Sherwood, Harold Clurman and Norris Houghton
(February 1937) 247
44 The Group Theatre: In its tenth year – a critical estimate,
by John Gassner (October 1940) 251
45 The Actor’s Lab, by Dwight Thomas and Mary Guion
Griepenkerl (February 1947) 257
46 Past performances, by Lee Strasberg (May 1950) 261