Amadahn's Theatre Resources

Constantin Stanislavski (1863 - 1938)

Nationality:       Russian

Occupation:     Actor / Director

Influences:       Pushkin / Schepkin / Salvini / Meiningen

Keywords:       Naturalism / Emotion_Memory / Truth

Texts:                An Actor Prepares / Building a Character / Creating a Role
 

Constantin Stanislavski is one of the most influential figures in the history of Twentieth Century theatre.  He is the only person ever to develop a comprehensive system of acting, and many aspects of this ‘System’ are still used today.  The style of acting developed by Stanislavski is often referred to as Naturalism.  It is called this because it is intended to reflect the way that people naturally behave.  Naturalism is the acting style that is most often used in contemporary film and television drama.  Its use has become so widespread that many people think that it is the only style of acting.

Prior to Stanislavski developing his System, the dominant style of acting tended to be declamatory.  In such a style, the characters are often stereotypical and tend to deliver their lines in an exaggerated and unnatural way.  Melodrama is one example of this style.  Stanislavski disliked declamatory acting because he saw it as having little connection with real life.  He wanted to act in a way that would make his character seem real.

Stanislavski did not invent a naturalistic style of acting.  Other people were also looking for ways to show a truer reflection of reality.  As early as 1823, a playwright named Pushkin had attempted to portray ‘real’ people acting in ‘real’ situations.  Several others had continued his work, and some of these advised the young Stanislavski.Stanislavski did not suddenly decide to create a system of acting.  The System grew as a result of his attempts to access theatrical ‘truth’.  At first it consisted of only two parts:

1) That an actor should draw on his/her own experiences in order to avoid cliché.

2) That the role should be broken down into smaller, more manageable sections.

As time passed, Stanislavski developed his System further, adding more and moreects.  His development of the System grew out of his work as an actor and director.  Often, he would revise parts that he had developed earlier in the light of his later discoveries.  As a result, the System that we have today is not a complete, finished product.  It simply marks the point at which age prevented Stanislavski from developing it any further.  He was adamant that the System was not a restrictive process which all actors were compelled to go through, stage by stage.  Instead, it was intended as an aid to acting, from which the actor could select the parts that s/he found useful.  Stanislavski’s System is laid out in the three books detailed above.

The System as we know it today consists of two main sections.  The first of these deals with the inner state of the actor.  It is concerned with helping the actor to experience and develop a character through exercises involving emotion, imagination and concentration.  It is a way of developing a character from the inside out.  The second part of the System deals with the external state of the actor.  It is intended to help with the physical aspects of the role, such as gesture, costume, and intonation.  It is a way of working from the outside in.  These two sections are not separate.  They are intended to be employed simultaneously, supporting and complementing each other, until the actor has successfully created a characterisation that is naturalistic, truthful, and which engages the interest of the audience.

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