An Actress Prepares
Women and 'The Method'

Case studies examine the preeminent American teachers who popularized and transformed elements of Stanislavsky's System within the U.S.--Strasberg, Adler, Meisner, and Hagen-- by analyzing and comparing their related but distinctly different approaches. This book confronts the sexism that still exists in actor training and exposes the gender biases embedded within the Method itself. Its in-depth examination of these Stanislavskian techniques seeks to reclaim Method acting from its patriarchal practices and to empower women who act.

Acknowledgments
1. The "Given Circumstances" 2. Emotional Control: Lee Strasberg as "Big Daddy" of the Method 3. Script Analysis: Stella Adler's Feminist Subtext 4. Exercises in Repetition: Sanford Meisner and "Instinct" 5. Respect for the Actress: Uta Hagen on Playing Female Roles 6. The "Magic If": Forward-Looking Conclusions
Notes
Bibliography
Index