The Stanislavsky System of Acting
Legacy and Influence in Modern Performance

A study of Stanislavsky's highly influential method of acting, which draws upon original source material.

Rose Whyman (Author)

9780521886963, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 22 May 2008

316 pages
23.5 x 16 x 2.5 cm, 0.64 kg

"This engrossing, thorough study of Konstantein Stanislavsky's revered system of acting challenges the mythologies that have accumulated around this iconic figure...a thorough going assesment of the spiritual, psychological, and political framework of the late - 19th and early 20th century Russia,...Highly recommended..."
- J. H. Houchin, Boston College, Choice, Vol. 46 No. 06

Konstantin Stanislavsky, the Russian director and actor and co-founder, in 1898, of the Moscow Art Theatre, was the originator of the most influential system of acting in the history of western theatre. Many of Stanislavsky's concepts are widespread in popular thought on acting; this book offers a evaluation of the basis of his ideas, discussing whether the system has survived because Stanislavsky made discoveries about acting that are and always have been scientifically verifiable, or whether his methods work on a practical basis despite an outdated theory. Drawing on information that has become available in recent years in Russia, the book examines how the development of Stanislavsky's system was influenced by scientific discoveries in his lifetime, and compares Stanislavsky's methods with those of Evgeny Vakhtangov, Michael Chekhov and Vsevolod Meyerhold. A full understanding of these ideas is crucial for anyone interested in acting and actor-training today.

Preface
1. Science, nature and acting: the context for Stanislavsky and the system
2. Experiencing: the emotional and spiritual actor
3. Incarnation: the actor as machine
4. Challenges to the system: Vakhtangov and Michael Chekhov
5. Challenges to the system: Meyerhold
6. Theory and practice of the system: Stanislavsky and Soviet science.

Subject Areas: Theatre: individual actors & directors [ANB], Theatre studies [AN]