In March 2020, as we temporarily closed our acting school due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we prepared ourselves to teach two full-time practical acting courses online. At the time, we had no idea that we would be forced to teach voice, movement, acting and so forth via Zoom for almost six months. For the past ten years as an acting coach, I have regularly used online video communication software, such as Skype, to help actors prepare for auditions in major film, theatre and television projects all over the world. I have even taught a full term of classes for a studio in Sydney, Australia, from my bed in Glasgow via Skype. I knew that the technology was not always reliable, but when called upon to use tools like Skype and Zoom to train our COVID-stranded students, and facing uncertainty, I remained hopeful.

Acting has always been an uncertain business. Every new project is different. When an actor receives a script, there is a new puzzle to solve, and for those without an established process to follow, uncertainty – and therefore self-doubt – is increased. I believe that when an actor prepares to tackle a new role, there are three essential questions that they ask themselves: ‘What should I do?’, Why should I do that?’ and ‘How should I do it?’. Actors should be able to rely upon an approach that pragmatically answers those questions and leads to confidence in their performance. The consistency and logic of Konstantin Stanislavski's system remain effective for this task nearly eighty-five years after his death.

Stanislavski is unquestionably the father of modern psychological acting. His work continues to influence actors, directors, writers and producers all over the world. I confess my own obsession with Stanislavski started aged fifteen, when I first read An Actor Prepares in the school library. His name is so synonymous with acting that once, during a routine stop by the police, an officer engaged me in a debate about the influence Stanislavski might have had on his favourite actor, Sean Connery. Stanislavski dedicated himself to continuous improvement in acting. He was an innovator who wasn't afraid to break with tradition, and the revolution in acting that he caused was due to his ceaseless desire to improve.