Konstantin Stanislavski (1863 - 1938)

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                           KONSTANTIN STANISLAVSKI (1863 - 1938) 

  1. What is Stanislavski known for?

Stanislavski is known as the founder of the first acting "System". He is also recognised as the co-founder of the Moscow Art Theatre, and as an eminent practitioner of the naturalist school of thought. Stanislavski challenged traditional notions of the dramatic process, establishing himself as one of the most pioneering thinkers in modern theatre. Using the Moscow Art Theatre as his conduit, Stanislavski developed his own unique system of training wherein actors would research the situation created by the script, break down the text according to their character's motivations and recall their own experiences, thereby causing actions and reactions according to these motivations. He believed that onstage an actor should be totally relaxed in order to make his performance plausible. To reach a "believable truth," after years of research with actors of the Moscow Art Theatre, Stanislavski started to employ new and original methods, such as "emotional memory." He felt at that time that to work on a particular emotion in a role that involved fear, the actor might remember something that frightened him from his own life.
Stanislavski believed that an actor needed to take his or her own personality onto the stage when he or she began to play a character. Stanislavski investigated and charted the acting process that good actors used intuitively. He systematized that process so that it could be studied and developed consciously. He was interested in how to maintain a consistent performance and how to be a conscious human being on stage.

  1. List 3 significant points about Stanislavski's upbringing
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Stanislavski was born Konstantin Sergeyevich Alexeyev in Moscow on January 5, 1863, More than one hundred years prior, Konstantin's ancestor had broken the chains of serfdom that bound the family and gained immediate status and wealth as a merchant. By the time Konstantin was born, the Alexeyev business of gold and silver thread production had made the family name well known throughout the world.
The family also organized a theatre group called the Alexeyev Circle. Throughout his ascent to a major role on the stage, Konstantin maintained obligations to his family business, organizing shareholder meetings and keeping the accounts in ...

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