Theatrical Practitioners: Konstantin Stanislavski System Essay Example
<center><b>As an actor using Stanislavski's system, how would you use his ideas on imagination', units and objectives' and emotion memory' in the preparation of a role?</b></center>
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<br>Stanislavski's principle theory of acting was that of psychological realism. In other words, acting should be an art that teaches an actor how to consciously produce natural action; it must teach the actor "how to awaken consciously her subconscious creative self for its superconscious organic creativeness," and how to consciously create action that is usually subconsciously expressed as a result of conscious thought. He discovered that there is no inner experience without outer physical expression, but if an actor on stage performs only physical actions, this violates the psycho-physical union and her performance is mechanical and dead. Therefore Stanislavski protested against "mechanical" acting, exploitation of art, bathos, the art of representation, "theatricality" and the "star" system, and aimed to create a real, artistic, scenic truth by examining the psychological aspects of life by manipulating the subconscious via conscious physical action. This would ensure believability, not only for the actor but for the audience too.
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<br>In order to prepare an actor for a role so that it relates back to these concepts, Stanislavski developed a number of rehearsal and performance techniques such as imagination, units and objectives and emotion memory. These techniques were designed in order to help an actor awaken her consciences, and eventually achieve psycho-physical involvement.
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<br>Stanislavski said that "Imagination creates things that can be or can happen." An actor must develop her imagination and learn to think on any theme; this will help the actor to adapt easily to any role. As a playwright rarely gives details of a character's past or future, an actor must complete her character's biography in her own mind in order to possess a greater understanding of the
<br>
<br>Stanislavski's principle theory of acting was that of psychological realism. In other words, acting should be an art that teaches an actor how to consciously produce natural action; it must teach the actor "how to awaken consciously her subconscious creative self for its superconscious organic creativeness," and how to consciously create action that is usually subconsciously expressed as a result of conscious thought. He discovered that there is no inner experience without outer physical expression, but if an actor on stage performs only physical actions, this violates the psycho-physical union and her performance is mechanical and dead. Therefore Stanislavski protested against "mechanical" acting, exploitation of art, bathos, the art of representation, "theatricality" and the "star" system, and aimed to create a real, artistic, scenic truth by examining the psychological aspects of life by manipulating the subconscious via conscious physical action. This would ensure believability, not only for the actor but for the audience too.
<br>
<br>In order to prepare an actor for a role so that it relates back to these concepts, Stanislavski developed a number of rehearsal and performance techniques such as imagination, units and objectives and emotion memory. These techniques were designed in order to help an actor awaken her consciences, and eventually achieve psycho-physical involvement.
<br>
<br>Stanislavski said that "Imagination creates things that can be or can happen." An actor must develop her imagination and learn to think on any theme; this will help the actor to adapt easily to any role. As a playwright rarely gives details of a character's past or future, an actor must complete her character's biography in her own mind in order to possess a greater understanding of the