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An Actor's Craft: The Art and Technique of Acting (review)

Article in Theatre Topics · January 2012

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Palgrave Macmillan, Dec 2011; pp.x 216. $27 paperback, $80 hardback.

In his new book, An Actor’s Craft – the Art and Technique of Acting, David Krasner presents

a collection of developmental exercises designed for actors and teachers who already possess

a foundation in their craft. Experienced in a whole host of techniques and processes, Krasner

leads the reader on a path of discovery within the world of actor training and its origin. Along

the way he clarifies the purpose behind various common training exercises while comparing

and contrasting different acting theories.

Krasner joins a new generation of acting teachers who are more than happy to denounce what

he describes as a “one-size-fits-all” technique. Instead he chooses to draw on numerous

diverse approaches, including Meisner’s repetition, Grotowski’s animal imagery and

Chekov’s psychological gesture. In a bid to show his support for experimentation he

condemns the age-old contention between the outside-in and inside-out methodologies and

instead urges the actor to focus on the common goal rather than choosing a single path,

sometimes resulting in a composition of existing exercises.

Krasner is quick to assure us that very few of the concepts are entirely his own creations, and

is more than happy to credit the teachers whose ideas were the inspiration for the exercises

featured in the book. In fact, this book is not just a comprehensive training manual for the

modern actor – it also provides an academic insight into the development of actor training

and the individuals who have been at the forefront of the methodologies in the past century.

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Coming from a method acting background Krasner skilfully combines Strasberg’s work with

those of fellow American acting heavyweights Stella Adler and Sanford Meisner, while

continually crediting Stanislavski with the underlying ideas. Furthermore by pointing out the

similarities in the modus operandi of Stanislavski disciples including Michael Chekov,

Yevgeny Vakhtangov, and Maria Knebel, he endeavours to restore the relationship between

American actor training and its Russian origin.

Krasner’s heterogeneous approach is very apparent in the first part of the book, preparing the

mind and body, which deals with the importance of the actor’s work on himself and his

instrument. Krasner introduces concepts such as concentration, relaxation, imagination, and

physical awareness. Included in addition to the views of the American method teachers is the

work of an impressive number of practitioners such as Chekov, Grotowski, Lecoq,

Feldenkrais, Suzuki, and Bogart, giving the individual reader a good opportunity to find a

personal connection to the material presented.

A chapter on the validity of Strasberg’s Emotional Memory is included here, and although

interesting and eloquently written, it represents a departure from the agnostic approach taken

in the rest of the book, and consequently appears somewhat compromising in attitude.

Also contained in the first part of the book is a chapter on vocal flexibility, which highlights

the importance of breathing and its influence on the acting process. The section on breathing

is both informative and engaging however I did feel that the part dedicated to vocal flexibility

was light on practical advice, being very much overshadowed by the extensive and diverse

coverage of physicality and movement exercises.

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The second section, passion and inspiration, is new and exciting because of Krasner’s fresh

take on mixing techniques. He addresses a wide-ranging set of exercises and ideas from

Meisner, Adler and Strasberg, interwoven with thoughts and advice from practitioners such

as Philip Zarrilli, Vakhtangov, and Uta Hagen. We are introduced to core American method

concepts like experience, observation, and imagination, however Krasner is careful to remind

us that the actor needs to focus on all these concepts simultaneously.

The part dealing with actions combines existing theories together resulting in modified

versions of Stanislavski’s action analysis, which I found very inspiring. The exercise The Six

Basic Actions lends itself to a myriad of versions that the individual teacher can explore. I

believe Krasner’s intention was to inspire actors and teachers to develop their own processes,

and this came through particularly well here.

This section also has a piece on so-called “Jazz Acting,” where Krasner explores the link

between jazz music and improvised acting. Krasner gives an almost anecdotal homage to the

likes of Billie Holliday and uses quotes from famous improvisers Keith Johnstone and Viola

Spolin to tie it back to actor training. This chapter is on the whole enjoyable and thought

provoking and contained some exciting exercises, but the introduction did have the feel of

being something of a stand-alone article that has been included due to the Author’s extensive

knowledge in this area.

Section three, performing the role, presents the reader with additional exercises specifically

designed for a rehearsal environment. Here Krasner offers the reader a chance to sample

theories like Chekov’s psychological gesture, Vakhtangov’s character work and Uta Hagen’s

entrance exercises, all the while staying true to his roots in method acting.

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 Krasner makes it clear that actor training is a process, and on several occasions he compares

the training of actors to the training of musicians, highlighting the slow and painstaking

nature of both disciplines, in which practice makes perfect. He reminds us that an actor must

go through their process and practice every day, and not look for quick fixes even though we

live in a world awash with promises of instant results.

American actor training has hailed the importance of the guru-like teacher for years, and I

believe this book represents a pivot in attitude away from this assumption; possibly signalling

the return to a more holistic approach to acting. The ideas Krasner presents, along with his

own substantial experience within the field, gives the reader a glimpse into his creative

imagination and shows his obvious enthusiasm for exploring the material presented. Overall

An Actor’s Craft is a well thought out journey into Krasner’s pedagogical explorations, and is

a must read for anyone exploring Stanislavski’s ideas on psychophysical acting, or those with

a keen interest in Method Acting or the development of its concepts.

PHILIPPA STRANDBERG-LONG

Central School of Speech and Drama

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