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Emit Snake-Beings

1007143

Comparison between the actor training techniques of Bertolt Brecht an

!onstantin Stanisla"ski

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%a& 'oole

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  #o make a comparison between the two ifferent actor training methos of

Bertolt Brecht an !onstantin Stanisla"ski it is first necessar& to compare the

i"erse approaches an aims which has moti"ate each of the e"isers of

theatrical s&stems as well as the backgroun of theatrical traition against which

the& were reacting(

  )n the case of Stanisla"ski *1+,3-13+ .ussia/ his apparent aim was to

create realistic an belie"able theatre which i not epen on the "ariable

performance of the actor an to e"ise a training metho to equip the pla&er with

a reliable technique of belie"able characterisation with which the auience coul

ientif&( #he ominant traition of theatre which precee Stanisla"ski was

base on 2aturalism with the main emphasis on the correct an accurate

eli"er& of tet base ialogue( #he naturalistic st&le tene to ignore the

ph&sicalit& of characterisation incluing the non-"erbal communication or bo&

language which although usuall& takes place unconsciousl& can re"eal the

eeper ps&chological traits of a stage personalit&( Stanisla"ski attempte to

create an actor training metho which woul allow some of the eeper

ps&chological an inner emotional aspects of the stage character to be

communicate to the auience aspects which were not being aresse b& the

naturalistic school of theatre an therefore restricting the role of the actor(  Bertolt Brecht approache the sub5ect of theatre b& taking a step

backwars to the efinitions of theatre create b& 6ristotle aroun 30 BC(

 6ristotle escribe two "er& ifferent branches of theatrical form8 the 9ramatic

theatre an the Epic theatre( *Brecht Bertolt( Theatre for Pleasure or Theatre for 

Instruction:/ #he 9ramatic theatre was base on the epectation of the auience

to be entertaine with a strong narrati"e an to be passi"e an homogenousl&

moti"ate obser"ers which were reache through the emotional in"ol"ement an

ientification with the actor an the e"ents on stage( ;n the other han the Epic

theatre which was e"elope an performe in a festi"al or pageant

en"ironment coul not rel& on the capti"e passi"it& of the auience an was

therefore force to acti"el& engage an stimulate the auience who were not

necessaril& people of similar backgrouns or "iewpoints an coul not be

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epecte to react in a uniform manner( Brecht has sai that Epic theatre requires

a powerful mo"ement in societ& *<illing =ane an >e& %raham( '1,4/

ispla&ing his "ision as theatre as a catal&st for social change( )t was the

9ramatic theatre which 6ristotle ha escribe an formulate which moti"ate

Brecht to e"ise a new s&stem of theatre an role of actor which woul use

i"erse methos to break the auience out of their self-obli"ion an trance like

state *Bo5e 9a"i ?003/ an allow a wier ialogue to e"ol"e which was not

base solel& on entertainment "alues(

  #he iea of two forms of theatre 9ramatic an Epic can be applie to a

comparison between the ifferent actor training methos of Brecht an

Stanisla"ski( 6lthough Stanisla"ski wante to epan the epressi"eness of

theatre through the actors realistic representation of inner emotional an

ps&chological states the aim of the actor remaine within the 9ramatic traition

which encourages auience ientification through one or more of the si poetic

elements of plot character theme ialog rh&thm an spectacle as escribe b&

 6ristotle(*Brecht Bertolt( in @illet( '71/

  )n Stanisla"skis s&stem the actor must first ientif& with their own inner

feelings an moti"ations before the auience can also be able to respon with a

similar emotion( Stanisla"ski aske the actor to use their own eperiences anemotional memor& *2eelans =onothan an 9obson @arwick( '??/ to firstl&

create an accurate inner ps&chological state which was then use to irect their

ph&sical action( Stanisla"ski raicall& change theatre through emphasising to

the actor the importance of the connection between action that is ph&sicalit& an

feeling the inner emotional state of the actor( )n contrast the actors role in

Brechtian theatre was not that of creating auience ientification but to create

alienation which was e"oi of the seamless illusion of Stanisla"skis methos(

#he illusion which is at the heart of the Stanisla"ski technique of making the

auience see what the actor sees was refute b& Brecht who mae the analog&

of an auience intoicate with alcohol to allow them to see rats pink ones

*Brecht Bertolt( Short Description ) Brecht urge his actors to resist from using

illusionistic empath& to encourage auience ientification an to strip the

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performance of all other forms of illusion which obscure the fact that the actor

was on stage in front of an equall& real auience presenting a real stor&(

*Brecht Bertolt(/

Brecht suggests an acting technique in which the actor remains out of

character in an unabsorbe state through the memorising of their initial

reactions to the script incluing the feelings of contraiction which emerge in the

actor( #his pre"ents the actor from li"ing the part an losing sight of their real

sel"es *Brecht Bertolt( Short Description../( Brecht uses further acting techniques

to isrupt the illusion an alienate the character from the actual actor so that the

auience are in no oubt that the actor on stage is not the character( #his

in"ol"es the actor transposing the characters actions an wors into the thir

person escribing what the character sai or i( #he transposition ma& also be

to a past tense or the actor ma& actuall& speak the stage irections for the

character *Brecht Bertolt( Short Description../ which are usuall& silent an

hien( 6nother technique suggeste b& Brecht is to hol more reaing

rehearsals than is usuall& necessar& to pre"ent the actor from aing ramatic

an illusionist flourishes( )n contrast to this technique Stanisla"ski allows an

encourages the actor to make the script their own an to create a precise

ob5ecti"e for each part of the script base on the "isualisation of the actor toimagine themsel"es immerse in the role( Stanisla"ski escribes the use of the

actors imagination to eamine the script in etail an create an inner "ision or

subtet which is personal to the actor an contains the inner epth of the role in

a series of unit useful to create pace an to mark changes in the actors

moti"ation or ob5ecti"e( *Stanisla"ski Constantin( '7A13,/

Stanisla"ski escribes three t&pes of character ob5ecti"e the so-calle

moti"ation of later popularise $oll&woo base acting techniques8 <echanical

ob5ecti"e the reason for the actor to mo"e ph&sicall& basic ps&chological

moti"ation of which the character is aware an eep ps&chological ob5ecti"e of

which the character ma& not be aware( *<itter Shomit ',-41/ #he mechanical

ob5ecti"e ma& not necessaril& contain a ps&chological element an in this sense

woul correspon to a Brechtian metho in that the actor is require to mo"e to a

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certain part of the stage for whate"er reason howe"er the use of hien an

inner actor training elements to create an illusion of realism is against the

Brechtian ieal where the methos an means are at all time "isible( *Brecht

Bertolt( Short Description/

  #he simularities between Brecht an Stanisla"ski actor training s&stems is

that both aim at epaning the theatre of 2aturalism which was lacking in both

realism in Stanisla"skis case an humanist truth in Brecht efinition( $owe"er

the two s&stems can be seen as iffering o"er the role of the actor to create a

realist role or a non-illusionistic character(

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#oporko" Masil& ;sipo"ich( 17( Stanisla$s#i in rehearsal % the final &ears. 2ework D #heatre 6rts Books( 2ew ork