Konstantin Stanislavski Overview

Born Konstantin Sergeyevich Alekseyev in Moscow, actor, director, and producer Konstantin Stanislavski was nothing less than the father of modern acting theory. His theories facilitated the evolution of theatrical performance from hyperventilating melodrama to realistic depictions of human behavior. According to... [more]

Born Konstantin Sergeyevich Alekseyev in Moscow, actor, director, and producer Konstantin Stanislavski was nothing less than the father of modern acting theory. His theories facilitated the evolution of theatrical performance from hyperventilating melodrama to realistic depictions of human behavior. According to Stanislavski, actors should draw from personal experiences in order to create convincing emotions onstage. Today, Stanislavski's adherents are separated into two camps. The larger camp is comprised of the method actors. The method technique is based upon Lee Strasberg's interpretation -- or misinterpretation -- of Stanislavski's original theories pertaining to sense-memory recall. Ironically, Stanislavski came to believe that these emotional memory techniques could be psychologically damaging. He abandoned this early work and created a new theory: the "Method of Physical Actions." Although lesser known, this theory is not just a total reversal of his previous work, but a more integrated psychophysical approach. [show less]