Stanislavski research

Stanislavski’s real name was Konstantin Sergeyevich Alexeyev but he adopted the stage name of
Stanislavski in 1884. Born in 1863 to a life of considerable comfort as a member of one of the most
affluent families in Russia, he died in 1938 at the age of 75. One of the main themes that Stanislavski
wanted people to remember was he takes the approach that the actors should really inhabit the role
that they are playing. So, the actor shouldn’t only know what lines he needs to say and
the motivation for those lines, but also every detail of that character’s life offstage as well as
onstage. In this way we can establish Stanislavski as a director and practitioner whose productions
are naturalistic. He was a serious theatre practitioner and wrote books where he had made notes
and carefully evaluated his work. Later he was to write major texts on the art of performance:

 My Life in Art
 An Actor Prepares
 Building a Character
 Creating a Role

In 1998, he founded the Moscow Arts Theatre. Although Stanislavski was wealthy he only
contributed to the foundation rather than paying the bills. It was both successful and hugely
influential in the world of the theatre and survived until it was split into two troupes in 1987. It was,
of course, affected by the political turmoil in Russia from 1917.

Political turmoil - often used to describe a state of extreme unrest, unease or agitation, in relation to
a government or other policy-making body.

Stanislavski was a follower of realism and working in real life.

Naturalism - Naturalism is often used to refer to the same things but it can also mean the belief that
a human character is formed by what they’ve inherited from their family and environment. 

One of his main ways he created art was experimentation. Even though he did follow realism, he
also explored symbolism.

Stanislavski’s famous device to help performers deliver a realistic and naturalistic performance is The
System. It focuses mainly on helping an actor recall the emotions needed for a role.