KONSTANTIN STANISLAVSKI’S METHOD OF ACTING
Russian theatre practitioner, Konstantin Stanislavski, developed an acting method where you use memories from
your own life to create a believable and realistic character. This technique is used in Realism. Stanislavski has a ten
point system, but in essence we can summarise the basics into his recall methods.
STANISLAVSKI’S RECALL METHOD
EMOTIONAL RECALL
SENSORY RECALL
 Deals with your EMOTIONS
 Analyse the character’s emotion (e.g.
extreme sadness because her mother is
dying)
 Recall an event in your life where you
have felt the same emotion of extreme
sadness (maybe you felt it when your
granny died or when your dad walked out
on you)
 Bring that emotion onto stage and merge
your personal experience with your
character’s experience
 Deals with your SENSES
(smell, taste, touch, sight, sound)
 Recall your body’s physical reaction in situations
 Remember how each of your five senses felt. (For
example, when you received extremely sad news, your
skin might have started to itch, you might have tasted
bile in your mouth, your vision might have become
blurry, your legs might have felt too weak to support
your body, a sweet smell might have been nauseating,
your ears might have been ringing, etc.)
 Remember these physical reactions and merge it with
your character’s reactions
THE “MAGIC IF”
(Apply this in addition to emotional/ sensory recall)
Place yourself in the character’s shoes and imagine how you
would have felt IF this situation your character is finding
him-/ herself in really happened to you.
Realistic Characters:
When we look at characters in Realism, we find that characters are ROUNDED and ARCHED. A ROUNDED
character means that the character is developed on all four levels of characterisation (physical, social,
moral, psychological). An ARCHED character means that the character changes on at least one level of
characterisation through the course of the play.
Stanislavski’s method of acting requires actors to dig deep within themselves and use their own emotions
from their own lives to portray a character. Even though this style of acting is emotionally exhausting, it is
one of the best ways to prepare and portray a realistic character that the audience can believe and relate
to. Using Stanislavski’s ten-point system will enable you to add layers to your character and help you to
portray character that is rounded and arched.
AN OUTLINE OF THE STANISLAVSKI SYSTEM
NO
STANISLAVSKI’S POINT
1
Relaxation
Learning to relax the muscles and eliminate physical tension while performing. You
need to be so relaxed in your character’s body that you don’t even have to think
about acting – everything should come naturally. Relax into your character.
2
Concentration
Learning to think like your character and to respond to one’s own imagination. There
should be thoughts in your head; (the character’s thoughts and NOT your own), even
when you are not speaking. Concentrate on the world of the play.
3
Sensory Recall/ Circles of Attention
Recall a specific sensation and expand it (meaning you intensify the emotion in your
mind), almost like the ripple effect of water, where there is a small circle (the original
memory) and it changes into a bigger circle (where you intensify the emotion in your
imagination).
4
Emotional Recall/ Sense of Truth
If you recall a real emotion from your own life, your acting will be more organic
(where the audience can believe your character is real), instead of artificial (where
your acting appears “fake” because the emotion is forced).
5
Given Circumstances
Developing the ability to create the world of the play (the circumstances given in the
text) through true and organic means. Even when your character is not on stage, you
should imagine what is busy happening to your character and see it happening in
your imagination. It is important to analyse the given circumstances of the play as a
whole and not just a part of the play.
6
Contact and Communication
Your interaction with other characters should appear spontaneous and organic, as if
the event is happening for the very first time (even though you have rehearsed the
play a hundred times). Do not anticipate another character’s lines or actions.
7
Units and Objectives
Learning to divide the role into sensible units that can be worked on individually.
Work on one aspect/ goal/ objective at a time. As soon as it is mastered, start with
the next unit. You are thus adding layers to your character to create a fully
developed (rounded) character.
8
Logic and Believability
Everything your character does on stage should have a motivation (logic) behind it. If
your character moves around or makes a gesture, you should know what motivates
that movement. You should be able to give a motivation for all of your character’s
behaviour and actions. Your motivation (logic) will make your character more
believable.
9
Work with the Text
Look at the playwright’s intention: Why did they write this play? What is the
playwright’s overall goal that they are trying to achieve through this play? Develop
the ability to uncover the social, political, and artistic meaning of the text. Make sure
that these ideas are contained within your performance.
10
The Creative State of Mind
This is where you get to a point where you have applied and practised all the steps
repeatedly, up to a point where it comes naturally and you no longer have to think
about it. You can just be the character. At his point, you will love the art in yourself,
not yourself in the art.
PERSONAL NOTES