'Rediscovering Stanislavsky is more than a step back in history. It offers a fresh new look at one of the key masters of modern theatre, and it makes him relatable to those of us who create and study theatre today. This book is written by a scholar who is uniquely familiar with the key contemporary theatre practitioners, and their work, and who can relate history to today's theatre practices - both in the academia and at the premier international venues. Maria Shevtsova uncovers the secret behind Stanislavsky's unmatched influence by stressing his unparallelled versatility as actor, director, theatre manager and entrepreneur, musicologist, designer, technician, researcher, pedagogue, experimentalist, scholar and author. Stanislavsky, as depicted by Shevtsova, lived and breathed theatre, just as today he symbolizes it. Everyone who wants to fathom the meaning behind Stanislavsky's greatness must read this book!' Andrei Malaev-Babel, Florida State University and Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training