Acting Is Believing: Stanislavski in the 21st Century

Acting Is Believing has trained generations of actors and remains one of the most popular and influential classic Stanislavski-based acting books over the past sixty years. Now in its thirteenth edition, it has been reimagined for the art of acting in the twenty-first century.

Stanislavski expanded our understanding of the mysterious process that results in truthful acting, devising practical steps to pursue the most elusive element of the artform—inspiration. Acting Is Believing: Stanislavski in the 21st Century, 13th Edition, introduces students to all the major concepts of Stanislavski’s System of Acting, providing them with a logical process through which they can master this complex art. It breaks down even the most complex elements defining human behavior in ways that are easy to digest.

This new edition has been greatly updated, including:

• Reworked chapters throughout to bring Stanislavski’s theories to life in a language that speaks to today’s actors
• A new approach to entering Stanislavski’s Creative State, broken into an innovative five-part process
• Updated discussions on anxiety, physical tension, social inhibitions, and intimacy onstage
• Modified solo and group exercises
• Expanded appendix on self-directed scene study
• Refined and updated glossary of acting, theatre, and film terminology

Acting Is Believing remains grounded in Stanislavski-based technique training, yet this latest text has evolved as a vital resource for twenty-first century artists pursing acting careers in theatre, film, and television. With a foreword by two-time Tony Award winning actor, Norbert Leo Butz, Acting Is Believing continues to set the gold standard in the art of acting for a new generation.