Outline Stanislavski's Ideas On Relaxation

Outline Stanislavski’s ideas on ‘imagination’ and ‘relaxation’ and assess the usefulness of these aspects of the system to the actor within the rehearsal process.

In order for a performer to perform successfully Stanislavski believed that they would need to put the method of ‘relaxation’ into practice. They would also need to use their imagination, to create their characters and roles.

Stanislavski’s thoughts on relaxation were based on the idea that in order to achieve control of all motor and intellectual faculties, the actor needed to relax his muscles: ‘Muscular tautness interferes with inner emotional experience’ (AAP 96). These concerns over an actor being tense were valid because actors have been known to ‘clam up’ through muscular