CHARACTERISATION: Stanislavskis System Aspect

Muscular Memory

DEFINITION, DESCRIPTION, REFLECTION

Muscular memory, according to Stanislavskis System, is a technique aimed at making artists perform with much higher level of realism. Muscular memory is when an actor on stage tries and remember they way she/he felt during the same moment previously and display the same body gestures that relate to that moment. This allows to transfer emotions, feelings, thoughts and sensations of the actor to the audience, which in return increases the connection to the audience and makes the events on stage more relatable and believable. I have never actually really thought about acting this way, and I find it very interesting the way Stanislavski brought in conscious thinking and cognitive decisions to enhance what I just thought to be artistic enthusiasm. I dont think it will be too much of a trouble to act as masculine as possible and I am quite happy to do so, since Macbeth is a soldier on the outside.

Emotional Memory

Emotional memory is much like muscular memory, when an actor is resourcing back to his previous emotional experiences on stage and relate his personal past to the character on stage to make the acting that more realistic. Portraying Macbeths emotions will not be simple. He is a very round character, he isnt black and white, he is also the grey scale in between, starting as valiant, honourable and loyal, he slowly starts decaying on the inside, as he gets corrupted not only by his own inner desire but also under the manipulative influence of his wife.

The Magic If

The magical if closely ties in with the previous two techniques but mixes them up and makes it easier for the actor to draw back to those points on stage by asking the question what if. What if I was really there? What if it were a real sword? This makes acting a lot more realistic since the actors will portray the character were really them, and the audience will feel that and will be much more interested in what is happening on stage.