If you're immersed in the world of acting or aspire to be, "Building A Character" is a foundational text that could bridge the gap between raw talent and professional skill. Stanislavski's insights into the use of the body and voice, movement, and expression are as relevant now as they were at the time of writing. It's a deep dive into honing the craft that's crucial for any serious actor's development.

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Building a Character is one of the three volumes that make up Stanislavski’s The Acting Trilogy. An Actor Prepares explores the inner preparation an actor must undergo in order to explore a role to the full. In this volume, Sir John Gielgud said, this great director “found time to explain a thousand things that have always troubled actors and fascinated students.” Building a Character discusses the external techniques of acting: the use of the body, movement, diction, singing, expression, and control. Creating a Role describes the preparation that precedes actual performance, with extensive discussions of Gogol’s The Inspector General and Shakespeare’s Othello. Sir Paul Scofield called Creating a Role “immeasurably important” for the actor. These three volumes belong on any actor’s short shelf of essential books.

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