WHAT SETS ADLER’S TECHNIQUE APART?

While many notable American acting teachers, including Adler, were influenced by Stanislavski, their interpretations differed. These beliefs are at the core of Adler’s method.

Analyzing the script

One element of Adler’s teaching is its emphasis on script analysis and its respect for the playwright. Adler gave young actors more responsibility by asking them to understand the play themselves rather than relying on a director to interpret it. Actors must examine the script closely to determine a character’s personality and life circumstances. Then, actors align their actions with the character’s circumstances, rather than warping the character to fit their own experiences.

However, the script does not contain everything an actor needs to craft a truthful performance. According to Tom Oppenheim, artistic director of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and Adler’s grandson, actors must conduct dramaturgical research to fill their imaginations with helpful specifics.

Cultivating imagination

Ron Burrus is a master teacher at the Art of Acting Studio in Los Angeles. At the beginning of every class Burrus teaches, he asks students, “What did you learn today that’s new?” Some students wonder how they could possibly learn something new every day, he says. But constant observation and curiosity are essential to developing an actor’s imagination. Think of the imagination like an engine. As actors thoughtfully notice the world around them, observations provide their imaginations with fuel. The next time they need to bring a character to life, they have a wealth of details to inspire them.

Though actors draw from personal experiences under Adler’s technique, this is different from Stanislavski’s emotional recall. Instead of using personal memories to recreate emotion onstage, actors use real observations to fuel their imagination and create three-dimensional characters.

Elevating characters

While Adler famously told her students, “Don’t be boring,” this maxim goes much deeper than finding a memorable character voice or unique action.

“I think for Stella, theatre was a door that was opening to the divine,” Oppenheim said. “‘Don’t be boring’ was in service to delivering humanity the big ideas and bitter truths we need.”

In other words, “Don’t be boring” was about more than entertaining audiences. It referenced the need to think seriously about human nature and communicate important ideas.