In the book, Mamet derides the practice of teaching drama students the system of Constantin Stanislavski or method acting of Lee Strasberg. In Mamet's opinion, time spent searching for emotion memory or considering character's biographies is time wasted, and he suspects that it is an academic bluff working to keep actors uncertain.
Mamet criticizes the practice of teaching drama students about Stanislavski's system or Strasberg's method acting. Mamet thinks that time spent searching for emotional memory or thinking about a character's background is wasted, and he suspects it's an academic tactic meant to keep actors uncertain.