Analysis through Action for Actors and Directors
From Stanislavsky to Contemporary Performance
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
Published:3rd Jun '24
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£145.00(9781138782129)

Analysis through Action for Actors and Directors is a comprehensive view of an innovative and exciting process for making new theatre.
As well as an understanding of how Analysis through Action has developed over time, this book also demonstrates how it can be put into practice in today’s theatre. The first part of this book traces the exciting genealogy from Stanislavsky’s unfinished experiments, through the insights of geniuses Maria Knebel and Georgii Tovstonogov, down to today’s avant-garde auteurs. The second part is a practical manual based on extensive field testing by the author and colleagues. Here, two key components of the process are elucidated: Text Actions – ten interwoven text analysis steps – to be twinned with the thrilling rehearsal process using focused and joyful improvisations called Études.
Written for new or experienced theatre students and practitioners, this book will enrich the technique of any theatre artist and anyone else interested in the theatre and its future.
"In his compelling, informative, and eminently readable new book, David Chambers wishes to play his part in explaining and popularizing this revelatory form of practice, unlocking its principles for new generations of students and practitioners. [...] Overall, Chambers’ book is an important addition to the growing literature on Active Analysis. It is an outstanding resource for lecturers, conservatoire-level teachers, and professional practitioners, and could support the learning of advanced undergraduates who were exploring these techniques through practical instruction. For Stanislavskians who find themselves Analysis-through-Action-curious, it is a rousing, challenging, and thought-provoking read, and, whether or not one finishes the book a convert, it may well inspire a profound examination of what one’s practice has been in the past and what it could be in the future."
Benjamin Askew, Leeds Conservatoire, UK in Stanislavski Studies (Vol. 13, 1)
ISBN: 9781138782136
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 610g
316 pages