using the stanislavski method 12kvo75

8/9/2019 Using the Stanislavski Method 12kvo75

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Who was Stanslavski?

Stanislavski (1863-1938)Russian Actor,Director and Innovator of Acting and Theatrical

Practices. father of modern acting. He was the first to

put the actor's process into logical steps andpursue the truth in acting at all costs.

the backbone of much of the Westerntradition of acting.


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Stanislavski created seven steps to building a character. These are:Who Am I?Where Am I?When Is It?

What Do I Want?Why Do I Want It?How Will I Get It?What Do I Need To Overcome?

This is a process of inquiry for both the character and their motivation foracting is desire driven. These seven aspects recognize the purpose ofboth your character and its movement.


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Always start from an understanding of the text.


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Look for the facts of what happens, what thecharacters do, and how the plot unfolds.

This includes the backstory—what happens

before the play starts. Look at the play’s given circumstances. Identify the play’s setting and research it. Familiarize yourself with the history,

manners, culture, fashion, style ofmovement, mind-set, and behavior of theworld of the play.


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The External Plane: the events, the facts The Social Plane: the historical and cultural

context

The Literary Plane: the playwright’s voice,style, rhetoric, and structure. The Aesthetic Plane: the production

elements, such as costumes and scenery.

The Internal Plane: the characters’ inner livesand psychology

The Physical Plane: the “plastic” of thecharacter, meaning the way the character

looks, moves, and talks.


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Focus on the heart of the play—its

themes, the main character’s struggle on

an emotional and psychological level, theprotagonist’s hamartia (core wound, tragic

flaw, etc.), what is at stake.


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Re-read and consider the play from

your character’s perspective.

What is your character’s journeythrough the story of the play? What

does he/she want? What are his/her

obstacles? What tactics does he/sheemploy?


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What to Look For and How to Approach the Role


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What does your character want from eachof the other characters?

How does your character feel about eachof them?

How well does your character understandthe other characters?

How well does your character understandhis- or herself? How does your character relate to other

people?


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Each character in a play has a superobjective—theultimate dramatic need that guides his/her journeyover the course of the whole play.

The superobjective can be broken down into smaller,more manageable, easily studied units. Each unitconsists of a major step towards the achievement ofthat superobjective.

Keep the “big picture” in mind as you divide the scriptinto units, making sure each unit contributes to theoverall throughline (the logical progression of events

leading the protagonist towards his/her intendedsuperobjective—whether or not it is achieved).

Be aware of the counter-throughline (the logicallyprogressing efforts of the antagonist OR the logicalprogression of the obstacles).


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Further divide each unit into beats—a character’suse of one tactic in his/her attempt at achieve thegoal of the unit. Units often have many beats.

A character will use one tactic to achieve the

objective of the unit or a step therein. Based onits perceived success or failure, he/she will adaptthe tactic to the new circumstances.

Score your script: In preparation for playing therole, place brackets around each beat in which

your character participates. For each beat, writeout the (I) Intension, (O) Objective, and (N) Name. Discuss your beatwork with your director and/or

scene partner, to insure that you are all inagreement about the action of the scene.


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Who is the leader in the scene?Who is the follower? Which is your

character? Note: A character may lead in one

beat/unit/scene and follow in another.


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What do you do at each change of beat?

What new action do you take?

While you may be able to analyze the textto observe your character’s shift in tactics,

much of this is best discovered while

working with the other actors in the scene.


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Exploring the Physical Life of the Character


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Consider how the Given Circumstances of boththe play and the character effect the physicalityof your characterization.

The Play: time period, setting, time of day,

weather, historical context, cultural context, etc. The Character: social class, family dynamics,social dynamics, education, wealth, manners,philosophy, religiosity, relationships, personalhistory, gender, race, sexuality, personality,present emotional state, etc.

Use this information to guide you in establishinghow the character moves, speaks andphysically interacts with others and his or herenvironment.


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Stanislavski often said it was by means of theword, of language, that the character’s objectivewould be fulfilled.

You must give the lines shadings, nuances, mood,

coloration, emotional reality, and energy, all ofwhich should ideally arise organically—notmechanically—by means of precisely setting up theframework in your mind. Do this by finding the

right moment-to-moment “if.” Use your training in speech and dialect to find the

voice of the character. Find the cadence andtimbre of the character’s voice through yourobservation of the world around you.


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Part of your job is to embody the physicallife of the character, including his/herposture, gait, use of gesture, expression,

eye contact, and general movement styles. Again, this is something that is embodied

organically without seeming preconceivedor calculated by means of finding the right“if.”

It is important for you to be observant of therepertoire of movements in the peoplearound you. Also, look for the animal-likemovements exhibited by those around you.


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Stanislavski’s Method suggests extensive work on theinner life of the character, maintaining that the actor’suse of body and voice will then emerge out of the thatunified, clear vision of the character’s inner life.

As the practice of Stanislavski’s Method developed,later practitioners found that working from the insideout was too cerebral, and they began exploringworking from the outside in to create more physicallyinteresting performances. The effect, however,

seemed to lead to less unified and thoughtful work. At present, most Method practitioners suggestworking simultaneously from the inside out and theoutside in—in order to create performances that areboth mindful and physical


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A paradox is the truthful co-existence of

two polar opposites.

Actors often find great freedom to riffwithin the confines of very rigid and

specific parameters of characterization

and action.

It is not unlike how musicians can “jam” or

create solos out of a strict, repetitive chord

progression.


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Breathing Life Into the Text


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Before you enter, you should know whereyou have just been, what were the conditionsof this previous space, what you have just

been doing, why are you coming into thisnew space, what is this new space, and whatdo you immediately want as you enter?

Explore the moment of orientation—that is,the moment in which you orient yourself towhere you are and, if applicable, to the othercharacter(s) in that new space.

How does your entrance alter the particles inthe space?


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As you design the blocking, let it emergeorganically as part of the objectives of thecharacters. Blocking should bepurposeful—not decorative or separatefrom the intentions of the characters.

As much as you can, design blocking so

that it adheres to the principles of stagepresence and blocking that you havestudied; however, your first responsibilityis truth of characters in the moment.


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Is there any stage business that could beincorporated into the scene?

Stage Business can help give the actor an way to

enter into the reality of the scene. Using theprinciple of Spheres of Concentration, you canfirst find the reality of stirring a pot, going througha stack of mail, setting the table, and then expandoutward to the larger, more challenging realities ofthe scene.

Stage Business should be relevant to the overallaction of the scene, help to establish setting andmood, reveal character, and if possible, make a

symbolic contribution to the meaning of the scene.


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Stanislavski noted the existence ofcontradictory positive and negative charactertraits, desires, and impulses.

Look for opportunities for villains to becharming and heroes to be wicked, etc.

Likewise, behavior and speech is often theopposite of one’s emotions or intentions.

Characters often suppress emotions thatthreaten to expose them. Have you ever toldsomeone to call you, hoping that you willnever hear from them again?


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Begin to memorize the words and

blocking in concert, as they are

inseparable. This should be the halfway mark in your

rehearsal process. As is often

misperceived by the novice,

memorization is not the final product of

the rehearsal process.


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Polishing the Mechanics and Finding the Deeper Life of the Character


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Use relaxation and concentration exercises

to prepare for all rehearsal and

performance work. Remove tension andsharpen your focus to welcome in order to

welcome the life of the character into your

body.

Use sense memory and affective memory

efforts to recreate and fully inhabit the

reality of each beat of the text.


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Take into account what happens to thecharacters before the play begins—thebackstory.

Take into account what happens in thetime between the scenes when thecharacter is offstage—the between-time.

Take into account what happens to yourcharacter after the scene ends. Are you

setting up the character for where he/sheis headed?

Consider how the accumulative affect ofthe action might alter both the inner life

and the physicality of the character.


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What does your character want in each of

the relationships with the characters in

each beat? Does the character succeed in getting

what he or she wants from the other

character(s) in each beat?

What does the character do when he/she

does or does not attain an objective?


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Through all of the work up until now,

you may be starting to get a clearer

glimpse of the character’s underlying,

subtextual unconscious motivations

and ambivalences, which will add

depth to your characterization as

they gradually dawn on you andemerge because of your work on the

script.


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Look back through your beatwork andrefine/adjust it based on your discoveries.

Allow yourself to “forget” what you havechosen (because it has been assimilated

and absorbed into the preconscious areaof the unconscious) as you act organicallywhen you actually perform the rehearsedpiece, at which point all the work on therole is pushed away from consciousawareness and acting it—performing it—takes over.


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By this time, too, you will have found

the correct rhythm and tempo for

each line, beat, unit, scene, act, andthe play as a whole.


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As you begin to perform the piece for

audiences, continue to discover new

things and refine your work.

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