The Stanislavski Method
Heard of Stanislavski? Are you into “The Method”? Some actors are, some actors aren’t. Well, in case you ARE into “The Method”, The Stanislavski System is probably one of the most popular method acting techniques.
Constantin Stanislavski lived from 1863-1938 and was a Russian actor and theater director. His method was innovative and introduced a naturalistic and realistic approach to acting which has remained at the core of mainstream western performance training for much of the last century.
Stanislavski organized his realistic techniques into a practical system for his students and when they eventually became acting teachers themselves, they simply promoted and help popularized the system.
The Stanislavski ’system’ or method focuses on the development of artistic truth onstage by teaching actors to “live the part” during any given performance. Despite being primarily known in The United States for Realism, Stanislavski developed the system to be applied to all forms of theater, directing and producing melodrama, vaudeville, opera, etc. Of course, there was no television during his lifetime but many professional actors today utilize his method for that medium as well.
The method simply focuses on the physical actions of the actor inspiring truthful emotion, and also involves improvisation. The heart of the techinique is to reach the subconscious through the conscious in hopes of achieving a more natural, realistic and even spontaneous approach to acting. Just as we live life from moment to moment, The Stanislavski Method is an acting method that “lives the part” or “lives in the moment”.
If you’d like to read up on more of this method, check out The Actor Prepares by Constantin Stanislavski.
