Loading...
Creator
Gilbert, Irene
Call number
*T-Mss 2011-103
Physical description
9.49 linear feet (23 boxes)
Preferred Citation

Irene Gilbert and Stella Adler Papers, Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.

Repository
Billy Rose Theatre Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Stella Adler (1901-1992) was a renowned American actress of stage and screen, but is perhaps best known as one of the most influential teachers of acting in the United States. The Irene Gilbert and Stella Adler Papers were collected by Irene Gilbert during her time serving as the director of Stella Adler's Los Angeles school, currently known as The Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theatre. The papers document many of Adler's classes taught between the years 1959 to 1990, the writing of Adler's book The Technique of Acting, and some of the duties Irene Gilbert performed while serving as director of the school. Types of materials in this collection include personal and professional correspondence, transcripts, manuscripts, business files, programs, newspaper and magazine clippings, and photographs.

Biographical/historical information

Stella Adler (1901-1992) was a renowned American actress of stage and screen, but is perhaps best known as one of the most influential teachers of acting in the United States.

Adler was born on February 10, 1901 to Jacob and Sara Adler, celebrated members of the New York Yiddish theater. She made her stage debut at the age of 4 in her father's production of Broken Hearts and spent the early part of her life performing throughout the United States, Europe and South America. She made her Broadway debut in 1922 in The World We Live In.

In 1925, Adler began taking classes at the American Laboratory Theater with the Russian teachers Richard Boleslavsky and Maria Ouspenskaya. It was under their instruction that she first became aware of the acting techniques of Constantin Stanislavski, whose system of training actors eventually became known as "The Method". She went on to become a member of the Group Theater in 1931 through Harold Clurman, whom she eventually married in 1943. The Group was founded by Clurman, Lee Strasberg and Cheryl Crawford with the intention of creating a repertory of actors that worked together as an ensemble. The Group was also dedicated to the teachings of Stanislavski and pioneered the American derivative of his technique, largely through the direction and teaching of Group founder, Lee Strasberg. The Group was responsible for launching the careers of some of the most talented playwrights, directors and actors of their time including the likes of Elia Kazan, Sanford Meisner and Clifford Odets. Adler received great acclaim for her work with the Group, most notably for her portrayal of Bessie Berger in Clifford Odet's Awake and Sing, but was generally troubled by their approach to acting. Strasberg's interpretation of Stanislavski's teaching relied heavily on the use of "affective memory". Adler felt that this approach relied too much on an actor's personal experience and this often put her and Strasberg at odds.

In 1934, Adler traveled to Paris and met Stanislavski. She told him that she was troubled by his teaching and he invited her to study with him. She did this for the next five weeks, taking extensive notes. When she returned to the United States, she began to pass on her new knowledge of Stanislavski's methods to other members of The Group and criticized Strasberg for relying too heavily on the actor's personal experience. Adler preferred to emphasize imagination and the study of text and character. This split between Strasberg and Adler continued after the demise of The Group in 1941. Strasberg continued to teach his technique through classes at the Actor's Studio, while Adler went on to found two schools of her own. Adler made her last stage appearance with the Group in 1935 as Clara in Paradise Lost.

Between the years of 1937 and 1961, Adler continued to act, direct and teach. She appeared in several films, under the name of Stella Ardler. They are Love on Toast, Shadow of a Thin Man and My Girl Tisa. She began to teach classes at the New School for Social Research and eventually opened her own studio in 1949. Students of the Stella Adler Acting Studio include Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro and Warren Beatty. Brando credited his career to Stella Adler and wrote the forward to her book The Technique of Acting. This is the only book Adler published during her life, although other books containing her lectures have been published posthumously.

Her last stage appearance was in 1961 in a London production of Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad. Bad reviews kept her from acting again, but she never stopped teaching. Her New York studio was renamed the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting in 1960 and continues to exist today. Adler also served as adjunct professor of acting at Yale University's School of Drama for several years and opened a second school in Los Angeles in 1986. This school was incorporated in 1985 as the Conservatory of Acting West and is now known as the Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theatres. Stella Adler remained active in teaching up until her death. She died of heart failure in her sleep on December 21, 1992.

Irene Gilbert was the creator and founder of the Conservatory of Acting West, Stella Adler's acting school in Los Angeles, California. This school is still in existence and is currently known as the Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theatre. She worked with Stella Adler for over 31 years, producing all her Master Classes. Ms. Gilbert also worked for over 25 years in the entertainment industry as an actor and producer and served on the board of the Screen Actors Guild for 11 years.

Scope and arrangement

The Irene Gilbert and Stella Adler Papers were collected by Irene Gilbert during her time serving as the director of Stella Adler's Los Angeles conservatory, currently known as The Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theatre. The papers document many of Adler's classes taught between the years 1959-1990, the writing of Adler's book The Technique of Acting, and some of the duties Irene Gilbert performed while serving as director of the conservatory. The documents relating to the conservatory in no way represent a complete record of the activities of the school, but rather give some insight into the role Irene Gilbert played in her professional and personal relationship with Stella Adler. Types of materials in this collection include personal and professional correspondence, transcripts, manuscripts, business files, programs, newspaper and magazine clippings, and photographs. Audio and video tapes of Stella Adler's classes as well as the ceremony honoring her with a doctorate from the University of Cincinnati in 1991 were also received but are not described in this guide. For further info, contact the Curator of the Billy Rose Theatre Division at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts..

The Irene Gilbert and Stella Adler papers are arranged in two series:

  • I. Stella Adler
    ca. 1959-1992

    Series I: Stella Adler consists of materials largely generated by Stella Adler or relating to her teaching. This material includes personal letters received by Stella Adler from Irene Gilbert, correspondence to and from some of her students and a small amount of correspondence both generated and received by Stella Adler. For letters from Adler to Gilbert, see Series II.

    The bulk of the Stella Adler series consists of drafts and revisions to her book The Technique of Acting and her teaching files. The teaching files consist of binders compiled over the years containing typed notes and transcripts of Adler's classes taught on different playwrights and plays, typed notes and transcripts compiled on her technique classes and transcripts of her master classes taught in Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. There are also several subject files on various topics relating to her teaching, including accents, realism, and monologue and scene lists. The teaching files cover a large span of years beginning in 1959 and ending in 1990. However, the bulk of the teaching materials date between the years 1970 and 1990. The teaching files contain valuable documentation of Adler's classes, technique, and her approach to the training of actors over her career.

    The Stella Adler series also contains subject files with copies of speeches and interviews given by Stella Adler as well as a collection of materials relating to honorary doctorates received by Adler from Smith College, New York University, and University of Cincinnati. Finally, there are photographs documenting her work in theater and film as well as others highlighting the careers of her father, mother and brother.

  • II. Irene Gilbert
    ca. 1960-1998

    Series II: Irene Gilbert contains materials pertaining to Irene Gilbert's role as the director of Stella Adler's Los Angeles school, incorporated in 1985 as the Conservatory of Acting West but currently known as the Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theatre. The bulk of the correspondence files contain personal letters and notes from Stella Adler to Irene Gilbert.

    The Conservatory of Acting West files contain subject files and correspondence relating to Irene Gilbert's tenure serving as director of the school. These documents in no way represent a complete record of the activities of the school, but they do provide some insight into Irene Gilbert's role as director and to a selection of activities at the school between the years 1985 to 1996. Some of the subject files include correspondence relating to employees, the writing of Adler's book The Technique of Acting, letters in support of Stella Adler's nomination for an honorary Tony Award, various interviews, documentaries, and other projects involving Stella Adler, as well as records relating to the creation and incorporation of the school in 1985. There are also subject files on memorials and events honoring Adler after her death in 1992, including a large number of files on The Adler/Clurman Letters. This was a play created from letters written between Stella Adler and Harold Clurman, her husband from 1943 to 1960. The play was produced in 1994 as an opening production of the new theater attached to the school. The Irene Gilbert series also contains a large number of snapshots taken at events involving Stella Adler between the years 1988 to 1992 as well as newspaper and magazine clippings on Stella Adler, her book, and her teaching.

Administrative information

Custodial history

The Irene Gilbert and Stella Adler papers were donated to the New York Public Library in 2007 by Irene Gilbert. Although many items in the collection were created by Stella Adler, they were in the possession of Irene Gilbert due to her professional role as the director of Stella Adler's Los Angeles conservatory, the Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theatre and her close association with Stella Adler of over 30 years.

Source of acquisition

This collection was donated to the New York Public Library by Irene Gilbert in 2007.

Processing information

Compiled by Tess Hartman.

Related Material

Eunice Stoddard papers. New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Gene Feist papers. New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Harold Clurman Papers. New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Stella Adler and Harold Clurman Papers. Harry Ransom Humanities Research.

Using the collection

Location

Billy Rose Theatre Division
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright retained by any document's creator.