The superobjective, when deciding on the superobjective the cast simply had to come up with a simple sentence that summed up the significance of the play as a whole, taking into account their interpretations of the authors intentions. Stanislavski believed that this helped the actors focus on a key idea, which they were all contributing to through their role in the performance. Therefor he believed it was important that all of the actors involved in the production to know and agree on the superobjective.
The method of physical actions, This idea grew from Stanislavski’s feeling that his actors were being overwhelmed by too much character and plot detail at an early stage of the rehearsal process. He believed this led them to try to hard, which resulted in physical and mental tension. In the last five years of his life Stanislavski explored a different approach to working on a production, in which the company began by telling the story of a play’s plot through its main physical actions. The next stage was to create a more detailed version that was based on an understanding of the logical sequence and nature of those actions, with the actors adding their own improvised words. Gradually as the rehearsals proceeded, the words of the text would replace the improvisation. This technique is based on the idea that the rhythm and tension of physical states and action can trigger emotions. Thus it becomes possible for the performer to work from outer expression to inner feeling.
Subtext, Stanislavski uses this term for the meaning and emotional power that lie beneath the lines , the ‘unspoken’ content of characters’ thoughts, actions, attitudes and relationships. In probing and expressing the subtext, actors create a more dynamic and life like interpretation and performance of the text.
The through line of action, This device is based on Stanislavski’s idea that each actor should discover and utilise her/his character’s main motive for action whatever it is that drives them through the play. I have used this device in helping me to understand a character from A play by Anton Chekhov called ‘The Three Sisters’, stanislavski was well known for directing Chekhov’s plays including this one. I had chosen to work on the character of Andrey. The through line of action can be summed up in one sentence starting with ‘I want….’. Firstly I considered how Andrey’s character behaves during the play and what his main objectives are. I eventually came up with the sentence which I think works for a through line of action of his character. ‘I want my sisters to understand me and respect my decisions’. Going through this process helped me because it forced me to look in depth at the character I was working on and as a result a have a clearer understanding of the role he plays in the play as a whole.
The magic if . Stanislavski took his actors through regular exercises that developed their ability to imagine how they might feel IF they were the character in ‘given circumstances’ of the play. The Moscow Art Theatre actors were also encouraged to explore imagined experiences/settings outside the text to help them build an understanding of and feeling of their role.
Circles of concentration, As well as concentration, Stanislavski is also referring to the naturalistic performer’s need to focus on stage action, while apparently being unaware of the audience, thus creating what is known as the ‘fourth wall’. Stanislavski was critical of contemporary actors whose focus was on the audience rather than what was happening on stage. He took this further in discussing the actor’s need to create ‘solitude in public’. In part, it is the actors concentration on her/his own stage action that draws the audience into emotional and intellectual involvement with in the performance.
Objectives Stanislavski set out the key features of objectives. These include suggestions that actors should relate to the character playing; be real and not theatrical; be truthful; be precise; correspond to the inner content of the role; be active. There are two kinds of objectives both kinds should be expressed by means of a sentence that includes an active verb.
Emotion Memory Stanislavski based this concept on a book on psychology by Ribot called ‘Problemes de Psychologie Affective’, in which it is argued that the human nervous system bears traces of all previous experiences, the memory of which can be triggered by stimuli such as sound, touch, smell and so on. Stanislavski developed this into a technique in which actors created ways of recalling experiences and emotions in their own past that were appropriate to those required by their role. Thus, if an actor is called upon to portray some experience they have not actually had, an analogous feeling could usefully be recalled and used. Stanislavski remained aware that for an actor to draw on a very painful personal experience may not be good for that individual or control of the emotion aroused might prove difficult. An alternative was to use improvisation: a freely created dramatic scene can generate powerful emotions that can also be recalled later and channeled into the text.
The unbroken line of life. Stanislavski stresses that actors should not only maintain concentration and remain in role when onstage but offstage, too. Furthermore, events that take place offstage during the play even simply elapses of time must also be taken into account and drawn into the portrayal of characters. So offstage experiences are made physically and emotionally apparent to the audience, if appropriate, and at each entrance/re-entrance onto the stage the actor brings with them the offstage experience. This led Stanislavski to encourage his actors to improvise scenes and events that were referred to in the play or were a crucial part of the development of the text. These creations around the play aided the creation of this continuous ‘life’ of a character, which in turn contributes to the subtext of the whole performance.
By using these 10 techniques Stanislavski intended to introduce an almost scientific, methodical approach to acting.
