Everyone has heard of Method acting . . . but what about Modern acting? This book makes the simple but radical proposal that we acknowledge the Modern acting principles that continue to guide actors' work in the twenty-first century. Developments in modern drama and new stagecraft led Modern acting strategies to coalesce by the 1930s - and Hollywood's new role as America's primary performing arts provider ensured these techniques circulated widely as the migration of Broadway talent and the demands of sound cinema created a rich exchange of ideas among actors.

Tells the story of Modern acting long hidden by the mystique of Method acting

List of Illustrations.- Acknowledgements.- Introduction.- Part I: Making Modern Acting Visible.- Chapter 1: A Twenty-First-Century Perspective.- Chapter 2: Acting Strategies, Modern Drama, New Stagecraft.- Chapter 3: Modern Acting: A Conscious Approach.- Chapter 4: Modern Acting: Obscured by the Method's "American" Style.- Part II: Acting and American Performing Arts.- Chapter 5: Developments in Modern Theatre and Modern Acting, 1875-1930.- Chapter 6: Shifting Fortunes in the Performing Arts Business.- Park III: The Creative Labor of Modern Acting.- Chapter 7: The American Academy of Dramatic Arts.- Chapter 8: The Pasadena Playhouse.- Chapter 9: Training in Modern Acting on the Studio Lots.- Chapter 10: The Actors' Laboratory in Hollywood.- Part IV: Modern and Method Acting.- Chapter 11: Modern Acting: Stage and Screen.- Chapter 12: The Legacy of Modern Acting.- Appendix: Group Theatre, Alfred Lunt, and Katharine Cornell Productions.- Notes.