There can be no denial of the fact that the Stanislavski system for acting has hogged the attention of prospective actors and students of theater studies for long owing to its quintessence and effectiveness in leaving a lasting impression on the minds of the avid audience of the creative expression. It has to be noted that the contextual system of acting has a number of strengths that make it almost impeccable as a system for acting. “Stanislavski began to develop his technique in the early twentieth century, and at first emphasized the inner aspects of training: for example, various ways of getting in touch with the performer’s unconscious.” (Wilson & Goldferb 65) A close introspection of the matter would enable one to have a much better and thorough understanding of the Stanislavski system along with its way of functioning in the pragmatic domain of creative work and performances.
The proponent of this system of acting went on to institutionalize a number of guidelines for the actors to follow so as to enable them to act properly. One of the foremost rules of this system instructs the actors to think of the answer to the question what if they themselves were in a certain situation as described in the narrative of the play. As such, the actors are able to understand the natural reactions of the characters and then embody the same in their performances. Moreover, the actors are required to think about the manner in which they talk and move on the stage. Stanislavski went on focus on the need to make the actors seek ways in which the true-to-life human qualities of the individual on the stage of performance. This has to be done in congruence with the dialogues that ought to be spoken loud enough for the audience to listen. Thus, this system of acting endeavors to make the actors look and perform as close to reality as possible sans the made-up theatrics that would help to differentiate between reality and theatre. “The actor suitably disciplined must automatically restrict the sphere of his attention, concentrating on what comes within this sphere, and only half consciously seizing on what comes within its aura.” (Cole 82)
The stalwart went on to highlight the primary importance of observation on the part of the actors. In the contextual system, the actors require observing others to learn about the idiosyncratic physical traits that work to create a person’s identity just as one’s personality. As such, in the system of acting, the proponent focuses on the need of uniqueness of traits in every theatrical character. For this purpose, the actors are to be encouraged to take inspiration or cue from real life. Just like the previous methods, this rule too works a lot to strengthen the system of acting as it inculcates uniqueness and subtle quintessence in every performer’s actions on the stage. This system goes on to catapult the depth of characterization and pushes the actors to the ultimate limit of their prowess so as to give their best on the stage.
Apart from following these rules, Stanislavski directs the actors in the best possible way to find the much needed motivation for their acting on the stage while playing a specific character in any play. The proponent went on to highlight the immense importance on the part of an actor to go through the text of a play thoroughly so as to be able to comprehend the motivation that works behind a particular character’s words and actions in the course of the play’s narrative. As such, it becomes easier for the actor to understand the need and significance of certain nuances of actions or traits that are to be portrayed on the stage. In addition to this, Stanislavski talked about the need for the actors to feel the emotions of a character. In this system, the actors actually require themselves to be put into the mindset of the play’s character and understand his or her psyche in the course of the narrative. “When a performer is approaching a role in a play, the first task is to read and analyze the script. The actress or actor must discover the super-objective of the character he or she is playing.” (Wilson & Goldferb 76) So, an actor has to connect to the emotional state of the character played at any particular point of time. For this purpose, Stanislavski goes on to advice the actors to delve deep into their personal memories so as to be able to recollect comparable life experiences and perform in the best possible manner.
These nuances and directions for the actors work to bring out the best in every performer. The proponent’s system targets to explore the depth of understanding and close-to-real-life performance from every actor. The engagement with the text, the respective character and portrayal of reality on the stage accentuate the quality of performance for sure. The system of acting works by honing the skills of the performers, embodying their minds and emotions in the realm of the play and performance and creating a bridge of communication and affective relationship with the audience of any play. As such, Stanislavski system of acting can very well be deemed to be the perfect way of achieving the best on the stage and doing the ultimate justice to every character of the play and the creative work holistically.
Works Cited
Cole, Toby, ed. “Stanislavski, “Direction and Acting.” In A handbook of the Stanislavski
Method. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1995.
Wilson, Edwin & Goldfarb, Alvin. “Acting for the Stage.” In Theatre: The Lively Art.
New York City: McGraw-Hill Education, 2012.
