Method — Or Madness?

"Method — Or Madness?" was the title of a series of lectures given by Actors Studio founder Robert Lewis in New York in 1957, and later published as a book of the same title.

The Lectures

The first of the eight lectures was presented on the stage of the Playhouse Theatre in New York City, at 11:30 P.M. on the evening of April 15th, 1957, to a standing room only audience of professional actors, directors and writers. The lectures embodied an attempt by Mr. Lewis, an early student of the Stanislavski System, or "method" of acting, to dispel what he considered to be myths and misinformation surrounding the various interpretations of Stanislavski, which had all become popularly, and in some cases inaccurately, known as "The Method."

The Book

The book, "Method — Or Madness?" was published in 1958 by Samuel French, Inc.

In his introduction for the book, Harold Clurman referred to the lectures as "a kind of codicil to the classics of the subject, the three books by Constantin Stanislavski." He went on to say "The distinguishing feature of the Lewis lectures, beside their humor, is their "common sense"."

"Method — Or Madness?" has been translated into several languages and is still in print, some fifty years after the original lectures.