To Tell the Truth: The Adaptive Truth Method (ATM): an Actor's Guide to Truth (Acting... NOT!)

To Tell the Truth: The Adaptive Truth Method (ATM)—An Actor’s Guide to Truth is a comprehensive acting resource created by actor, director, educator, and Wilsonian Soldier N.L. Starr, M.Ed. Written for beginning students, seasoned professionals, directors, teachers, and theatre programs, the book introduces a practical method for developing performances that are emotionally honest, behaviorally specific, responsive, and adaptable. ATM is founded upon one essential principle: an actor should not manufacture emotion or imitate believable behavior—the actor must prepare fully, listen actively, pursue a genuine need, and respond truthfully to what is happening in the moment. “Truth is the destination. Adaptation is how the actor gets there.”

At the center of ATM are the Five Anchors: Circumstance, Want, Connection, Choice, and Adjustment. Circumstance grounds the actor in the facts and conditions of the character’s world. Want identifies what the character urgently needs to obtain, change, protect, prove, or prevent. Connection directs the actor’s attention toward the person, object, memory, or relationship that truly matters. Choice transforms intention into playable action. Adjustment keeps the performance alive by requiring the actor to respond when new information, direction, or behavior changes the moment.

The book also presents the seven-step ATM Working Cycle: Read, Root, Reach, Receive, Respond, Refine, and Release. Actors learn to investigate the text, root themselves in the character’s reality, reach for an objective, receive what is actually happening, respond without pretending, refine the work through rehearsal, and release the need to control the result. This process provides beginning actors with a clear preparation map while giving experienced performers a powerful diagnostic tool for scenes that feel forced, mechanical, disconnected, or overly rehearsed.

To Tell the Truth moves beyond theory by demonstrating how ATM can be used to break down a monologue, scene, audition, screenplay, or full theatrical script. Readers learn how to identify objectives, obstacles, stakes, beats, tactics, relationships, subtext, operative words, and turning points—and, most importantly, how to transform that analysis into playable behavior. An extensive Action Word Bank gives actors more than sixty active choices, while a glossary of over fifty acting terms makes the material accessible to readers encountering these concepts for the first time.

The book also serves directors and educators. It demonstrates how to replace result-oriented instructions such as “be sadder” or “give me more intensity” with playable adjustments that strengthen circumstance, relationship, objective, action, stakes, tempo, and focus. Starr’s directing philosophy encourages directors to impose as little as possible, speak less, listen more, encourage when it is earned and as much as possible, and remember that there are no wrong choices—only different choices. This approach creates rehearsal rooms where actors are disciplined enough to prepare and safe enough to discover.

Rather than rejecting established acting traditions, ATM draws practical value from Stanislavski, Meisner, Hagen, Adler, Chekhov, Practical Aesthetics, and other approaches. Its distinction lies in teaching artists how to select and adapt tools according to the actor, character, text, director, medium, and moment.

Designed for independent study, acting studios, community theatres, middle schools, high schools, colleges, and professional rehearsal rooms, To Tell the Truth is for artists who want more than the appearance of emotion. It is for actors more concerned with Truth than games—and for directors and teachers committed to helping them find it.

Nic Starr is a performing artist, writer, director and producer, who constantly looks to the hills because he knows that's where his help comes from. He has been blessed to have a well marked following in metropolitan Atlanta and its surrounding areas. Nic has graced the Atlanta stages with varying ranges of characters from those of the prolific playwright, August Wilson, to Charles Dickens', A Christmas Carol. You may have seen Nic on Survivor's Remorse, or The Banker. He is currently in NBC's Found, and BET's Average Joe. His directing credits include such short films as Dap Paxton's "What If" and Denise Black's "Things Not Forgotten", featuring the renowned stage and tv actor, Taurean Blacque. He has co-produced the award winning short film "Unconditional", which focused on the challenges of LGBT youth, and is currently in production directing a feature film, the Amazing Ninja, starring Dr. Cornel West. His love for the arts and children motivated him to become an educator for 10 plus years. This ultimately led him to establish a non-profit youth organization which would teach life skills through performing arts: Young Voices United, affectionately referred to as YVU. YVU has established itself as one of the premiere youth organizations in Atlanta, focusing on nurturing the talents of underprivileged youth, who otherwise would not have an opportunity to have their talents recognized. Nic started working with and developing talented youth through Paine College's Etheridge Arts Ensemble.In all this, Nic still finds the time to fulfill his role and responsibilities as the Managing Director of the New African Grove Theatre Company, which he co-founded along with Keith Franklin and Cynthia Williams. In addition to its local performances, New African Grove productions have been performed and recognized at both the Atlanta Black Theatre Festival and the National Black Theatre Festival, and one of only sixteen theatre companies in the nation that have produced all ten plays from August Wilson's "Century Cycle." Nic has performed in all ten. Regardless of his role, whether its actor, director, writer, producer, spouse or father, Nic counts it more than a blessing to be chosen and set apart to make a difference in the lives of people he works with, lives with and loves with...