NAME___________________________________
Theatre Arts II
Stan the Man Info!!!
Read the following informational article about Constantin Stanislavski. Create a list of ten questions based on the
information. Then, answer your own questions. To earn full credit, your questions should represent complex thinking.
From jbactors.com / written by Trevor Jones and Bradley W. Bishop
As founder of the first acting "System," co-founder of the Moscow Art Theatre (1897-), and an eminent practitioner of the
naturalist school of thought, Konstantin Stanislavski unequivocally challenged traditional notions of the dramatic process,
establishing himself as one of the most pioneering thinkers in modern theatre.
Stanislavski coined phrases such as "stage direction", laid the foundations of modern opera and gave instant renown to the
works of such talented writers and playwrights as Maksim Gorki and Anton Chekhov. Konstantin Stanislavski's process of
character development, the "Stanislavski Method", was the catalyst for "method" acting- arguably the most influential acting
system on the
modern stage and screen. Such renowned schools of acting and directing as the Group Theatre (1931-
1941) and The Actors Studio (1947-) are a legacy of Konstantin Stanislavski's pioneering vision.
Like all pioneering thinkers however, Konstantin Stanislavski stood on the shoulders of giants. Much of the thought and
philosophy Konstantin Stanislavski applied to the theatre derives from his predecessors. Pushkin, Russia's original literary
hero and the father of the native realist tradition, wrote that the goal of the artist is to supply truthful feelings under given
circumstances, which Stanislavski adopted as his lifelong artistic motto.
Konstantin Stanislavski was born Konstantin Sergeyevich Alexeyev in Moscow on January 5, 1863, amidst the transition from
the feudal serfdom of Czarist Russia under the rule of Peter the Great, to the free enterprise of the Industrial Revolution.
More than one hundred years prior, Konstantin Stanislavski's ancestor Alexei Petrov had broken the chains of serfdom that
bound the family and gained immediate status and wealth as a merchant. By the time Konstantin Stanislavski was born, the
Alexeyev business of gold and silver thread production had made the family name well known throughout the world.
Silver and gold were not the only interests of the Alexeyev family. While Konstantin Stanislavski was still very young, the
family organized a theatre group called the Alexeyev Circle. Throughout his ascent to a major role on the stage, Konstantin
Stanislavski maintained obligations to his family business, organizing shareholder meetings and keeping the accounts in
order. However, his preoccupation with all aspects of theatrical production eventually made him a leading member of his
family's theatre group. Reared by a wealthy and generous father, Konstantin Stanislavski was never short of funding in his
early stage performances. Ultimately, in order to escape the stereotype of the prodigal son and to be mindful of the
reputation of his family, at the age of 25, Konstantin Stanislavski took the stage name Stanislavski. In the same year he
established the Society of Art and Literature as an amateaur company at the Maly Theatre, where he gained experience in
ethics, aesthetics and stagecraft. As he progressed independently, Konstantin Stanislavski began to further challenge the
traditional stage approach. In 1898, in cooperation with Vladimir Nemirovich- Danchenko, Stanislavski founded the Moscow
Art Theatre, Russia's first ensemble theatre.
"The program for our undertaking was revolutionary. We protested against the old manner of acting and against theatricality,
against artificial pathos and declamation, and against affectation on the stage, and inferior conventional productions and
decoration, against the star system which had been a bad affect on the cast, against the whole arrangement of plays and
against the poor repertoire of the theatres." - Konstantin Stanislavski
Using the Moscow Art Theatre as his conduit, Konstantin Stanislavski developed his own unique system of training wherein
actors would research the situation created by the script, break down the text according to their character's motivations and
recall their own experiences, thereby causing actions and reactions according to these motivations. The actor would ideally
make his motivations for acting identical to those of the character in the script. He could then replay these emotions and
experiences in the role of the character in order to achieve a more genuine performance. The 17th Century melodrama Tsar
Fyodor was the first production in which these techniques were showcased.
"How does an actor act? ... How can the
actor learn to inspire himself? What can he do to impel himself toward that necessary yet maddeningly elusive creative
mood? These were the simple, awesome riddles Stanislavksi dedicated his life to exploring. Where and how to 'seek those
roads into the secret sources of inspiration must serve as the fundamental life problem of every true actor' ... If the ability to
receive the creative mood in its full measure is given to the genius by nature", Stanislavski wondered, "then perhaps
ordinary people may reach a like state after a great deal of hard work with themselves - not in its full measure, but at least
in part." - A Method to Their Madness: The History of the Actors Studio
Using this system, Konstantin Stanislavski succeeded like no producer or director before him in translating the works of such
renowned playwrights as Chekov and Gorki, whose writings were aptly suited to his method. With their social consciousness
and emphasis on the importance of imagery and theme rather than plot, they were blank canvasses on which Stanislavski
could exercise his artful hand.
Konstantin Stanislavski clearly could not separate the theatre from its social context. Konstantin Stanislavski viewed theatre
as a medium with great social and educational significance. During the civil unrest leading up to the first Russian revolution
in 1905, Stanislavski courageously reflected social issues on the stage. Twelve years later, during the Red October of 1917,
Bolshevism had swept through Russia and the Soviet Union was established. In the violence of revolution, Lenin's personal
protection saved Konstantin Stanislavski from being eliminated along with the Czardom. The USSR maintained allegiance to
Konstantin Stanislavski and his socially conscious method of production and his theatre began to produce plays containing
Soviet propoganda.
"The revolution thundered in and made its demands on us. There began a period of new explorations, of reappraisal of the
old and the search for new ways. At a time when the new for the sake of the new and the negation of everything that had
come before held sway in the theatre, we could not reject out of hand all that was fine in the past ... This link with the past
and the eagerness to move to an unknown future, the searching quests of the new theatre - all this helped to keep us from
succumbing to the dangerous 'charms' of formalism ... We did not succumb; instead we began our quest for new ways,
cautiously but doggedly." - Konstantin StanislavskiIn 1918, Konstantin Stanislavski established the First Studio as a school
for young actors and in his later years wrote two books, My Life in Art and The Actor and His Work. Both have been
translated into over 20 languages. Through his earnest professional and educational leadership, Konstantin Stanislavski
spread his knowledge to numerous understudies, leaving a legacy that cannot be overstated.
"It was with a feeling of deep emotion and joy that we entered Stanislavski's house: a tall old man with snow white hair rose
from the arm chair to greet us. It was enough for us to converse with Stanislavski just 5- 10 minutes to come away feeling
like a new born person, cleansed of all that might be 'bad' in art."
In 1938, just before World War II, Konstantin Stanislavski died holding on to the ideal of a peaceful, socially responsible
world. A world completely engulfed in the experiences and interchange of works of art that people of every nation would
identify with and cherish.
"Let the wisdom of the old guide the buoyancy and vitality of the youth; let the buoyancy and vitality of the youth sustain the
wisdom of the old." - Konstantin Stanislavski