Stanislavkiian Approach

Konstantin Stanislavski

The Stanislavkiian approach is often described as a way of producing a realistic way of acting. The method is designed to present a picture of real human beings living under "imaginary circumstances "that is presented in the theatre. The aim with Stanislavskiian approach is not to portray a Character but to become the character. Between the audience and the actors there is the invisible fourth wall that separates the reality on stage from the audience, which are spectators to the scenario that is taking place on stage.

One of the things that the Stanislavski method is most famous for is the magic "if". The actor steps into the character and asks himself the question what he would do if he was the character in the given situation. It acts as a note to lift us out of the world of actuality into the world of imagination.

The actor is supposed to react within the given circumstances of the play. The given circumstance is the reality of the world of the play. Stanislavski tries to make the actor aware of this by asking a series of questions which the actor has to answer from the characters point of view. Examples are; "who am I? How old am I? Where do I live?" These are just a few of the basic 12 questions which are designed to give a vivid picture of the world as the character experiences it. By doing this Stanislavski wants the actor to achieve a deeper understanding of the character .Stanislavski also wanted the actor to be specific, for example to be able to draw up the plan for the apartment the character lives in, or name and describe a sister which a character might have grown up with which is not necessarily present in the play. The actor is asked to examine every aspect of the character and give detailed background information which gives deeper depth to the characters way of acting as that's relevant to the play. It also helps the character not to become one dimensional and rather to be based on just you, trying to find more substance within the context of the play.

Stanislavski offers a system for the actor to better understand the text from the characters point of view. This is done by breaking down the text into units, uniting the text means that it is easier to

...