Method Acting
The History of Method Acting According to the Oxford Dictionary, “Method acting is a technique in which an actor aspires to complete emotional identification with a part” (Oxford Dictionary, 2014). Method acting began based off a system by the director Constantin Stanislavski. This system was created approximately a hundred years ago when Stanislavski wanted actors to start representing realistic human emotions on stage (Bilgrave, 2004). During this time many people believed that great actors just had natural intuitions or would learn from bad performances (Strasberg, 1975). In 1898, this began to change when the Moscow Art Theatre produced the play Seagull. Stanislavski used this play to help actors connect emotionally with the characters
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“The method” contained many different aspects to help actors such as techniques to trigger physical responses, mental preparation, the importance of the audience believing what is on the stage as well as acting out that parts of the script that …show more content…
Look at any fine play, and the chances are that the author was thinking of characters who not only “wanted” their victories, they craved them: They were excited and enthusiastic about them; deep in their hearts they were even sure (often mistakenly) that they were going to get them! Expectation, excitement, enthusiasm, and even energy…define characters who have not only wants, but passion! You are playing one of those characters. The victory you seek is not just an ordinary whim; it is the prime goal of your life, and it is within your reach if you just try hard enough. (Bilgrave, 2004) With these concepts Stanislavski gave theatre a realistic and more believable point of view. However Stanislavski was not the only one that was unimpressed with the performances on the stage. In 1931, twenty eight American actors came together to create The Group Theatre based off of Stanislavski’s ideas (Strasberg, 1975). This group of actors went on to perform some of the best productions and to this day they are still know as one of the best theatre groups. Lee Strasberg, one of
“The method” contained many different aspects to help actors such as techniques to trigger physical responses, mental preparation, the importance of the audience believing what is on the stage as well as acting out that parts of the script that …show more content…
Look at any fine play, and the chances are that the author was thinking of characters who not only “wanted” their victories, they craved them: They were excited and enthusiastic about them; deep in their hearts they were even sure (often mistakenly) that they were going to get them! Expectation, excitement, enthusiasm, and even energy…define characters who have not only wants, but passion! You are playing one of those characters. The victory you seek is not just an ordinary whim; it is the prime goal of your life, and it is within your reach if you just try hard enough. (Bilgrave, 2004) With these concepts Stanislavski gave theatre a realistic and more believable point of view. However Stanislavski was not the only one that was unimpressed with the performances on the stage. In 1931, twenty eight American actors came together to create The Group Theatre based off of Stanislavski’s ideas (Strasberg, 1975). This group of actors went on to perform some of the best productions and to this day they are still know as one of the best theatre groups. Lee Strasberg, one of