Stanislavski believed that the key to portraying a character properly was for the actor to imagine a situation where they had felt the emotion that the character was feeling and to portray that. This is called emotion memory.
Stanislavski created a three-part system. Firstly, the actor must get used to the role they are given, and explore what the character would do through thinking about the actor themselves would do. The second part is about using body and voice to portray a character. The third part is about applying the concepts to specific roles.
Stanislavski, especially later in his career, believed greatly physical movements. He wanted actors to be in character most of rehearsal as well as while acting. He wanted the actors to develop a believable character.
Stanislavski came up with a concept “Magic If”, in which an actor must think about what they would do in a situation if they were their character, considering the context of the play or the “given truth” of where when ect the character is. To create the character, actors also had to come up the biography of the character to make the character seem more real and to better understand what the character would do. The aim was to believable, because otherwise the audience would not believe it.
To help actors be more relaxed on stage, Stanislavski developed what is know as circles of attention. The actor first focuses on one other actor or prop as well as himself. Then they would focus on a larger circle, then a larger until the whole stage is covered. The actors, while practicing must create a communion between the other characters to be able to convey the relationship between the two characters. Dialogues were always practiced with the other character.
Each actor had to develop the right way and speed that a line is to be delivered and practice it. Stanislavski also told the actors to dived the play into units, each unit having a specific purpose, and once achieved, it ended. Through this the actors knew what they wanted to happen- whether they wanted to achieve the aim or to prevent it. The super objective was the main goal of the whole play. Each actor had to know their character’s feelings towards the super-objective.
"Konstantin Stanislavski and Method Acting." BBC - H2g2. BBC, 1 Dec. 2005. Web.
15 Jan. 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A5133151>.
Parts of the system that are important for my role:
- The Given circumstance
- Imagination
- Circles of attention
- Communion
- Emotion memory
The Given Circumstance
Stanislavski describes the given circumstance in the following way:
“[t]he story of the play, the facts, events, epoch, time and place of action, the actor’s and [director’s] interpretation, the mise-en-scène, the production, the sets, the costumes, properties, lighting and sound
effects – all the circumstances that are given to an actor to take into account as he creates his role.”
Therefore, the actor must discover and be aware of the given circumstance, and then think about what they would do if they were the character and in that situation. The magic if serves to evoke the feelings that a person would experience in such as situation, and aids the actor to put themselves in the character’s shoes, so to speak. This is important because only through the superficial core of the play, in the way that the characters speak and react to each other and things that are going on, can the deeper feelings and the personality of the character be portrayed.
"Three Sisters Program Notes." Dalhousie University Department of Theatre.
Dalhousie University, 16 Oct. 2007. Web. 20 Mar. 2011.
<http://theatre.dal.ca/DalTheatre Productions/Three Sisters/Programme_Notes.php>.
Imagination
In addition to the given circumstance, the actor must know more about their character in order to fully portray him or her. Therefore, they use their imagination to build on the character, creating the background. Actors ask themselves “who am I?” This helps the actors develop the characters response to the given circumstance. It also aids them with recognizingm and formulating the character’s objectives objectives.
"Acting Techniques Stanislavski System." Acting Classes. Web. 20 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.acting-classes-online-tips.com/acting-techniques-stanislavski.html>.
Emotion Memory
Stanislavski theorized that though emotion memory people could feel emotions from the past, as the brain remembers them. It is an important concept because it allows for the actor to portray the emotions and the actions more realistically. Actors must find the right emotion from their memory, and use the unanticipated inspiration that follows. Also the actor must come to realize when the emotion in their memories goes from “subconscious” to “conscious”.
"Three Sisters Program Notes." Dalhousie University Department of Theatre.
Dalhousie University, 16 Oct. 2007. Web. 20 Mar. 2011.
<http://theatre.dal.ca/DalTheatre Productions/Three Sisters/Programme_Notes.php>.
Circles of Attention
Stanislavski came up with this because he often had nerve problems on stage. The circles of attention aim to help the actor be more calm and relaxed. It starts of with the actor focusing on himself or herself and a prop or another actor. This is then extended to a new prop or actor, extending the circle until the entire stage, or at least the entire stage as the character sees it, is within the focus of the actor. Then if the actor loses the concentration, they can begin again to build up the circles.
"Konstantin Stanislavski and Method Acting." BBC - H2g2. BBC, 1 Dec. 2005. Web.
15 Jan. 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A5133151>.
Communion or Communication
An actor cannot talk straight to the audience. They need to focus on the other characters on stage.
There are three ways to convey information in a play:
- “Self communication”: The internal thoughts of the character
-“ Communication with imaginative beings or things”: This is not visible, but it exists with the characters imagination
-“Direct communication”: This is with other characters and actors in the play
Communication can happen “externally” (this is visible and concrete) and “internally” (this is somehow unexplained, “beams or rays”).
To capture and to maintain an audience’s intrigue, actors must communicate amongst themselves. Before speaking, an actor must think of the emotions and thoughts of the character that they are talking to. After saying their lines, they must wait for the information to reach the character’s mind and feelings. In return, whenever an actor is being spoken to, they must let the characters “mind” comprehend it.
At times, actors might experience sorts of rays that convey something, be it inner thought, emotions or feelings. An actor must recognize and show these.
Actors must take in information from all of their senses, and when this is strong, it is called grasp.
"Stanislavski." Dulwich College Drama. Web. 20 Mar. 2011.
<http://host.uniroma3.it/docenti/boylan/courses/gen/stanisl1.htm>.
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