Konstantine Stanislavski

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Konstantine Stanislavski
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Early Life

• Born January 17, 1863
• Died August 7, 1938
• Born in Moscow, Russia
• Birth Name Constantine Sergeievich Alexeiev
• His family was one of the richest families in
  Russia.
• In 1877, Stanislavskis father opened a theatre
  on their estate to entertain family and friends.
• Originally Stanislavski wanted to be an opera
  singer, but his voice wasnt good enough.
• Stanislavski began attending the Moscow Theatre
  School in 1885, but left after two weeks when he
  learned that the course would just be mimicking
  his professors tricks.

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Contribution to theatre

• He adored the realism of set design and costumes.
• He began directing and gained a reputation
  throughout Moscow.
• Vladimir Nemirovich- Danchenko spoke with
  Stanislavski for 18 hours about their problems
  with modern theatre and their desire to create
  what would be known as The Moscow Art Theatre
  (MAT).
• Moscow Art Theatre Facts
• - Began operating in 1898
• Danchenko picked the shows and Stanislavski
  directed them.
• - Applied realism to productions
• - Worked closely with Anton Chekov. The theatre
  became known as the house of Chekov.
• - Chekovs most famous plays produced there were
  The Seagull, The Cherry Orchard, Uncle Vanya, and
  The Three Sisters.

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The System Terms

• Relaxation
• Concentration
• Given Circumstances
• Sensory Recall/ Sense Memory
• Magic If
• Objective
• Super objective
• Through line of action
• Emotional Memory
• Communion

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The System

• Encoraged the actor to live the part during
  performances.
• Emotional memory is taking a personal emotional
  experience and using it to create emotion on
  stage.
• Many problems with this technique.
• Sometimes, the actors couldnt get out of the
  emotion, and would go into fits of hysteria.
• Other times, they would exhaust the memory and it
  wouldnt produce the emotional effect they
  needed.
• Stanislavski began searching for less draining
  ways to produce emotion. He began emphasizing the
  actors use of imagination and belief in the given
  circumstances.
• Later on, he developed The Method of Physical
  Actions. The focus was on the physical actions
  inspiring truthful emotions and involved improv
  and discussion. The focus was on reaching the
  subconscious through the conscious.