After his debut performance at one in 1877, he started what would become a lifelong series of notebooks filled with critical observations on his acting, aphorisms, and problems—it was from this habit of self-analysis and critique that Stanislavski's 'system' later emerged.
The effortless, emotive, and clear playing of the Italian Ernesto Rossi, who performed major Shakespearean tragic protagonists in Moscow in 1877, particularly impressed him.
So too did Tommaso Salvini's 1882 performance of Othello. ==Amateur work as an actor and director== By now well known as an amateur actor, at the age of twenty-five Stanslavski co-founded a Society of Art and Literature.
He was born Konstantin Sergeyevich Alekseyev—he adopted the stage name "Stanislavski" in 1884 to keep his performance activities secret from his parents.
In 1884, he began vocal training under Fyodor Komissarzhevsky, with whom he also explored the coordination of body and voice.
With his notebooks on his own experience from 1889 onwards, he attempted to analyze "the foundation stones of our art" and the actor's creative process in particular.
Their first child, Xenia, died of pneumonia in May 1890 less than two months after she was born.
Their son Igor was born on . In February 1891, Stanislavski directed Leo Tolstoy's The Fruits of Enlightenment for the Society of Art and Literature, in what he later described as his first fully independent directorial work.
In January 1893, Stanislavski's father died.
But it was not until 1893 he first met the great realist novelist and playwright that became another important influence on him.
From 1894 onward, Stanislavski began to assemble detailed prompt-books that included a directorial commentary on the entire play and from which not even the smallest detail was allowed to deviate. Whereas the Ensemble's effects tended toward the grandiose, Stanislavski introduced lyrical elaborations through the mise-en-scène that dramatised more mundane and ordinary elements of life, in keeping with Belinsky's ideas about the "poetry of the real".
Viktor Simov, whom Stanislavski had met in 1896, was engaged as the company's principal designer. In his opening speech on the first day of rehearsals, , Stanislavski stressed the "social character" of their collective undertaking.
In 1898, Stanislavski co-directed with Nemirovich the first of his productions of the work of Anton Chekhov.
"Stanislavsky and the Moscow Art Theatre, 1898–1938".
The production's success was due to the fidelity of its delicate representation of everyday life, its intimate, ensemble playing, and the resonance of its mood of despondent uncertainty with the psychological disposition of the Russian intelligentsia of the time. Stanislavski went on to direct the successful premières of Chekhov's other major plays: Uncle Vanya in 1899 (in which he played Astrov), Three Sisters in 1901 (playing Vershinin), and The Cherry Orchard in 1904 (playing Gaev).
The production's success was due to the fidelity of its delicate representation of everyday life, its intimate, ensemble playing, and the resonance of its mood of despondent uncertainty with the psychological disposition of the Russian intelligentsia of the time. Stanislavski went on to direct the successful premières of Chekhov's other major plays: Uncle Vanya in 1899 (in which he played Astrov), Three Sisters in 1901 (playing Vershinin), and The Cherry Orchard in 1904 (playing Gaev).
In 1902, Stanislavski directed the première productions of the first two of Gorky's plays, The Philistines and The Lower Depths.
On 5 March 1921, Stanislavski was evicted from his large house on Carriage Row, where he had lived since 1903.
The production's success was due to the fidelity of its delicate representation of everyday life, its intimate, ensemble playing, and the resonance of its mood of despondent uncertainty with the psychological disposition of the Russian intelligentsia of the time. Stanislavski went on to direct the successful premières of Chekhov's other major plays: Uncle Vanya in 1899 (in which he played Astrov), Three Sisters in 1901 (playing Vershinin), and The Cherry Orchard in 1904 (playing Gaev).
He also staged other important Naturalistic works, including Gerhart Hauptmann's Drayman Henschel, Lonely People, and Michael Kramer and Leo Tolstoy's The Power of Darkness. ==Symbolism and the Theatre-Studio== In 1904, Stanislavski finally acted on a suggestion made by Chekhov two years earlier that he stage several one-act plays by Maurice Maeterlinck, the Belgian Symbolist.
Gorky encouraged him not to found a drama school to teach inexperienced beginners, but rather—following the example of the Theatre-Studio of 1905—to create a studio for research and experiment that would train young professionals. Stanislavski created the First Studio on .
Lear's Daughters: The Studios of the Moscow Art Theatre 1905–1927.
as Russian and Soviet Theater, 1905–1932.
His 'system' of acting developed out of his persistent efforts to remove the blocks that he encountered in his performances, beginning with a major crisis in 1906.
From his attempts to resolve this crisis, his 'system' would eventually emerge. Sometime in March 1906—Jean Benedetti suggests that it was during An Enemy of the People—Stanislavski became aware that he was acting without a flow of inner impulses and feelings and that as a consequence his performance had become mechanical.
He invited Serge Wolkonsky to teach diction and Lev Pospekhin to teach expressive movement and dance and attended both of their classes as a student. == From the First World War to the October Revolution == Stanislavski spent the summer of 1914 in Marienbad where, as he had in 1906, he researched the [of theatre] and theories of acting to clarify the discoveries that his practical experiments had produced.
He remembered that he was carrying an official document that mentioned having played to Kaiser Wilhelm during their tour of 1906 that, when he showed it to the officers, produced a change of attitude towards his group.
"What fascinates me most", Stanislavski wrote in May 1908, "is the rhythm of feelings, the development of affective memory and the psycho-physiology of the creative process." His interest in the creative use of the actor's personal experiences was spurred by a chance conversation in Germany in July that led him to the work of French psychologist Théodule-Armand Ribot.
Stanislavski's earliest reference to his 'system' appears in 1909, the same year that he first incorporated it into his rehearsal process.
The production's success when it opened in December 1909 seemed to prove the validity of his new methodology. Late in 1910, Gorky invited Stanislavski to join him in Capri, where they discussed actor training and Stanislavski's emerging "grammar".
"The best analysis of a play", Stanislavski argued, "is to take action in the given circumstances." Just as the First Studio, led by his assistant and close friend Leopold Sulerzhitsky, had provided the forum in which he developed his initial ideas for the 'system' during the 1910s, he hoped to secure his final legacy by opening another studio in 1935, in which the Method of Physical Action would be taught.
The production's success when it opened in December 1909 seemed to prove the validity of his new methodology. Late in 1910, Gorky invited Stanislavski to join him in Capri, where they discussed actor training and Stanislavski's emerging "grammar".
The MAT adopted it as its official rehearsal method in 1911. Later, Stanislavski further elaborated the 'system' with a more physically grounded rehearsal process that came to be known as the "Method of Physical Action".
It became "one of the most famous and passionately discussed productions in the history of the modern stage." Increasingly absorbed by his teaching, in 1913 Stanislavski held open rehearsals for his production of Molière's The Imaginary Invalid as a demonstration of the 'system'.
He invited Serge Wolkonsky to teach diction and Lev Pospekhin to teach expressive movement and dance and attended both of their classes as a student. == From the First World War to the October Revolution == Stanislavski spent the summer of 1914 in Marienbad where, as he had in 1906, he researched the [of theatre] and theories of acting to clarify the discoveries that his practical experiments had produced.
The following morning they were placed on a train and eventually returned to Russia via Switzerland and France. Turning to the classics of Russian theatre, the MAT revived Griboyedov's comedy Woe from Wit and planned to stage three of Pushkin's "little tragedies" in early 1915.
Following Gorky's suggestions about devising new plays through improvisation, they searched for "the creative process common to authors, actors and directors". Stanislavski created the Second Studio of the MAT in 1916, in response to a production of Zinaida Gippius' The Green Ring that a group of young actors had prepared independently.
His struggles with this role prompted him to attend more closely to the structure and dynamics of language in drama; to that end, he studied Serge Wolkonsky's The Expressive Word (1913). The French theatre practitioner Jacques Copeau contacted Stanislavski in October 1916.
Up until the communist revolution in 1917, Stanislavski often used his inherited wealth to fund his experiments in acting and directing.
Reflecting on their relationship in 1931, Stanislavski said that Suler had understood him completely and that no one, since, had replaced him. == Revolutions of 1917 and the Civil War years == Stanislavski welcomed the February Revolution of 1917 and its overthrow of the absolute monarchy as a "miraculous liberation of Russia".
Soviet Culture and Power: A History in Documents, 1917–1953.
With a greater focus on pedagogical work than the First Studio, the Second Studio provided the environment in which Stanislavski developed the training techniques that would form the basis for his manual An Actor's Work (1938). A significant influence on the development of the 'system' came from Stanislavski's experience teaching and directing at his Opera Studio, which was founded in 1918.
On 29 August 1918 Stanislavski, along with several others from the MAT, was arrested by the Cheka, though he was released the following day. During the years of the Civil War, Stanislavski concentrated on teaching his 'system', directing (both at the MAT and its studios), and bringing performances of the classics to new audiences (such as factory workers and the Red Army).
On 5 March 1921, Stanislavski was evicted from his large house on Carriage Row, where he had lived since 1903.
On 29 May 1922, Stanislavski's favourite pupil, the director Yevgeny Vakhtangov, died of cancer. ==MAT tours in Europe and the United States== In the wake of the temporary withdrawal of the state subsidy to the MAT that came with the New Economic Policy in 1921, Stanislavski and Nemirovich planned a tour to Europe and the US to augment the company's finances.
On 29 May 1922, Stanislavski's favourite pupil, the director Yevgeny Vakhtangov, died of cancer. ==MAT tours in Europe and the United States== In the wake of the temporary withdrawal of the state subsidy to the MAT that came with the New Economic Policy in 1921, Stanislavski and Nemirovich planned a tour to Europe and the US to augment the company's finances.
The tour began in Berlin, where Stanislavski arrived on 18 September 1922, and proceeded to Prague, Zagreb, and Paris, where he was welcomed at the station by Jacques Hébertot, Aurélien Lugné-Poë, and Jacques Copeau.
He discussed with Copeau the possibility of establishing an international theatre studio and attended performances by Ermete Zacconi, whose control of his performance, economic expressivity, and ability both to "experience" and "represent" the role impressed him. The company sailed to New York City and arrived on 4 January 1923.
A performance of Three Sisters on 31 March 1923 concluded the season in New York, after which they travelled to Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston. At the request of a US publisher, Stanislavski reluctantly agreed to write his autobiography, My Life in Art, since his proposals for an account of the 'system' or a history of the MAT and its approach had been rejected.
At the request of a US publisher, however, he reluctantly agreed to write his autobiography, My Life in Art (first published in English in 1924 and in a revised, Russian-language edition in 1926), though its account of his artistic development is not always accurate.
On 20 March 1924, Stanislavski met President Calvin Coolidge at the White House.
The company left the US on 17 May 1924. ==Soviet productions== On his return to Moscow in August 1924, Stanislavski began with the help of Gurevich to make substantial revisions to his autobiography, in preparation for a definitive Russian-language edition, which was published in September 1926.
At the request of a US publisher, however, he reluctantly agreed to write his autobiography, My Life in Art (first published in English in 1924 and in a revised, Russian-language edition in 1926), though its account of his artistic development is not always accurate.
The company left the US on 17 May 1924. ==Soviet productions== On his return to Moscow in August 1924, Stanislavski began with the help of Gurevich to make substantial revisions to his autobiography, in preparation for a definitive Russian-language edition, which was published in September 1926.
With that, his acting career came to an end. ==A manual for actors== While on holiday in August 1926, Stanislavski began to develop what would become An Actor's Work, his manual for actors written in the form of a fictional student's diary.
At the MAT's 30-year anniversary celebrations in 1928, a massive heart attack on-stage put an end to his acting career (though he waited until the curtain fell before seeking medical assistance).
Thanks to its cohesive unity and rhythmic qualities, it is recognised as one of Stanislavski's major achievements. With a performance of extracts from its major productions—including the first act of Three Sisters in which Stanislavski played Vershinin—the MAT celebrated its 30-year jubilee on 29 October 1928.
The news that this was Stanislavski's approach would have significant repercussions in the US; Lee Strasberg angrily rejected it and refused to modify his version of the 'system'. ==Political fortunes under Stalin== Following his heart attack in 1928, for the last decade of his life Stanislavski conducted most of his work writing, directing rehearsals, and teaching in his home on Leontievski Lane.
In 2008, an English-language translation of the complete Russian edition of An Actor's Work was published, with one of An Actor's Work on a Role following in 2010. ==Development of the Method of Physical Action== While recuperating in Nice at the end of 1929, Stanislavski began a production plan for Shakespeare's Othello.
Reflecting on their relationship in 1931, Stanislavski said that Suler had understood him completely and that no one, since, had replaced him. == Revolutions of 1917 and the Civil War years == Stanislavski welcomed the February Revolution of 1917 and its overthrow of the absolute monarchy as a "miraculous liberation of Russia".
This protected him from the worst excesses of Stalin's "Great Terror". A number of articles critical of the terminology of Stanislavski's 'system' appeared in the run-up to a RAPP conference in early 1931, at which the attacks continued.
Richard Boleslavsky presented a series of lectures on Stanislavski's 'system' (which were eventually published as Acting: The First Six Lessons in 1933).
Hapgood echoed Gurevich's frustration. In 1933, Stanislavski worked on the second half of An Actor's Work.
He first explored this approach practically in his work on Three Sisters and Carmen in 1934 and Molière in 1935. In contrast to his earlier method of working on a play—which involved extensive readings and analysis around a table before any attempt to physicalise its action—Stanislavski now encouraged his actors to explore the action through its "active analysis".
Borrowing a term from Henry Irving, Stanislavski called this the "perspective of the role". Every afternoon for five weeks during the summer of 1934 in Paris, Stanislavski worked with the American actress Stella Adler, who had sought his assistance with the blocks she had confronted in her performances.
In the wake of the first congress of the USSR Union of Writers (chaired by Maxim Gorky in August 1934), however, Socialist realism was established as the official party line in aesthetic matters.
"The best analysis of a play", Stanislavski argued, "is to take action in the given circumstances." Just as the First Studio, led by his assistant and close friend Leopold Sulerzhitsky, had provided the forum in which he developed his initial ideas for the 'system' during the 1910s, he hoped to secure his final legacy by opening another studio in 1935, in which the Method of Physical Action would be taught.
By 1935, a version of the first volume was ready for publication in America, to which the publishers made significant abridgements.
He first explored this approach practically in his work on Three Sisters and Carmen in 1934 and Molière in 1935. In contrast to his earlier method of working on a play—which involved extensive readings and analysis around a table before any attempt to physicalise its action—Stanislavski now encouraged his actors to explore the action through its "active analysis".
In June 1935, he began to instruct a group of teachers in the training techniques of the 'system' and the rehearsal processes of the Method of Physical Action.
The Opera-Dramatic Studio embodied the most complete implementation of the training exercises that Stanislavski described in his manuals. From late 1936 onwards, Stanislavski began to meet regularly with Vsevolod Meyerhold, with whom he discussed the possibility of developing a common theatrical language.
He worked with the students in March and April 1937, focusing on their sequences of physical actions, on establishing their through-lines of action, and on rehearsing scenes anew in terms of the actors' tasks.
Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski (né Alekseyev; Константин Сергеевич Станиславский|p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin sʲɪrˈgʲejɪvʲɪtɕ stənʲɪˈslafskʲɪj; 7 August 1938) was a seminal Soviet and Russian theatre practitioner.
He was to live there until his death in 1938.
A significantly different and far more complete Russian edition, An Actor's Work on Himself, Part I, was not published until 1938, just after Stanislavski's death.
By June 1938 the students were ready for their first public showing, at which they performed a selection of scenes to a small number of spectators.
In 1938, they made plans to work together on a production and discussed a synthesis of Stanislavski's Method of Physical Action and Meyerhold's biomechanical training.
Stalin's police tortured and killed Meyerhold in February 1940. Stanislavski died in his home at 3:45 pm on 7 August 1938, having probably suffered another heart-attack five days earlier.
Stalin's police tortured and killed Meyerhold in February 1940. Stanislavski died in his home at 3:45 pm on 7 August 1938, having probably suffered another heart-attack five days earlier.
The second part of An Actor's Work on Himself was published in the Soviet Union in 1948; an English-language variant, Building a Character, was published a year later.
The third volume, An Actor's Work on a Role, was published in the Soviet Union in 1957; its nearest English-language equivalent, Creating a Role, was published in 1961.
The third volume, An Actor's Work on a Role, was published in the Soviet Union in 1957; its nearest English-language equivalent, Creating a Role, was published in 1961.
London: Mentor, 1968.
Moscow: Academy of Sciences, 1969.
The Theatre of Protest in America (Edmonton, Harden House, 1972), Introduction. Braun, Edward.
Moscow: Iskusstvo, 1977. Ribot, Théodule-Armand.
London: Methuen, 1981.
Original edition published in 1982.
London and Boston: Faber, 1986.
London: Methuen, 1988.
Original edition published in 1988.
London: Methuen, 1990.
London: Routledge, 1998.
Two English-language biographies have been published: David Magarshack's Stanislavsky: A Life (1950) and Jean Benedetti's Stanislavski: His Life and Art (1988, revised and expanded 1999). ==Overview of the 'system'== Stanislavski subjected his acting and direction to a rigorous process of artistic self-analysis and reflection.
London: Faber, 2002.
In 2008, an English-language translation of the complete Russian edition of An Actor's Work was published, with one of An Actor's Work on a Role following in 2010. ==Development of the Method of Physical Action== While recuperating in Nice at the end of 1929, Stanislavski began a production plan for Shakespeare's Othello.
London and New York: Routledge, 2008.
In 2008, an English-language translation of the complete Russian edition of An Actor's Work was published, with one of An Actor's Work on a Role following in 2010. ==Development of the Method of Physical Action== While recuperating in Nice at the end of 1929, Stanislavski began a production plan for Shakespeare's Othello.
London and New York: Routledge, 2010.
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