The word theatre comes from the Greeks. It means the seeing place. It is the place people come to see the truth about life and the social situation.
Stella AdlerRead
The actor has to develop his body. The actor has to work on his voice. But the most important thing the actor has to work on is his mind.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Actors must cultivate their physical and vocal skills, but mental development is paramount.
Stella Adler emphasizes that while an actor needs to be physically fit and capable in terms of voice, the most crucial aspect of their training is the development of their mind. This reflects the importance of intellectual and emotional depth in acting, suggesting that understanding and interpreting roles requires a well-trained mind to convey authenticity and complexity effectively.
Themes
ActingMindDevelopmentPerformanceSkills
In practice
Example use cases
In a workshop focused on performance techniques, a facilitator might quote Stella Adler to highlight the importance of mental work in acting.
More from Stella Adler
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One way we can enliven the imagination is to push it toward the illogical. We're not scientists. We don't always have to make the logical, reasonable leap.
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The actor cannot afford to look only to his own life for all his material nor pull strictly from his own experience to find his acting choices and feelings.
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The play is not in the words, it's in you!
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When you stand on the stage you must have a sense that you are addressing the whole world, and that what you say is so important the whole world must listen.
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