We mostly associate Stanislavsky with internal life and emotional training, but this wise and disciplined master also understood the value of an Outside–In approach. In fact, one of the very first examples of an actor’s success in Stanislavsky’s An Actor Prepares is Kostya’s journey to the costume shop to get fitted for the old man’s overcoat. Until then, Kostya rehearsed and rehearsed but got nowhere with his aged character’s needs or emotional life. But once the old, heavy, smelly, patched and threadbare coat was on his shoulders, the character suddenly came alive inside of him. An outside stimulus caused a powerful internal response.

And if you needed more of an incentive to employ “outside-in” approaches, it’s also the fastest way to work!