Which aspects of the Stanislavski's system have you found or would consider to be the most helpful in preparing a role?

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Which aspects of the Stanislavski’s system have you found or would consider to be the most helpful in preparing a role?

Through the start of the course we have looked at lots of different elements of the Stanislavski system. Firstly we have looked at the ‘magic if’ this is and element of inner preparation. It places the actor in the given circumstances of their character. This is useful in preparing a role as there are a number of different circumstances you can place yourself in to practice for the role. The magic if is ‘the starting point, the given circumstance, the development…If gives the push for dormant imagination.’ The magic if is a key start for developing a role as it gives atmosphere and a starting point for an actor to develop. The magic if is like stage directions in a play, it gives basic positions that can be developed. To practice this technique you can do a number of different exercises like being in a confined space, being told a bomb is about to go off behind you, being told to find something.

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   We have also looked at emotional memory. This is where an actor recalls past experiences and brings about emotions in the performance. This helps the actor to prepare for a role as they can recall all their senses, imagination and subconscious thoughts. For an actor this can help stop mechanical acting. We can look at different exercises like being at a bus stop or a party. This technique also helps an actor stop acting stereotypically as Stanislavski wanted real actors.

   Stanislavski put a huge amount of emphasis on imagination. ‘Every movement you make on stage, every word you ...

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