066-Constantin Stanislavsky.Indd

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Lesson Plan: Stanislavsky

Objective To read, apply and reflect upon theatrical pioneer Constantin Stanislavsky

Description Students will read an information sheet on Constantin Stanislavsky. They will then apply their knowledge in exercises and a topic quiz. Bonus exercise! A Reflection.

Materials

• Stanislavsky hand out • Stanislavsky True/False Quiz

Instruction

1. Journal Prompt: Is it important to have an acting method? Why or why not? 2. Discuss the prompt. Questions: What do your students think? What does it mean to have an acting method? Do they know the details of any acting methods? 3. Explain to students that they are going to learn and discuss Constantin Stanislavsky, one of the pioneers of modern acting. Questions: What does it mean to be a pioneer? Who has heard of Stanislavsky? What is he known for? 4. Give students the Stanislavsky Handout. Start with side one, with the Biography, Moscow Art Theatre, Chekhov, and the development of the process. Read through the handout. Questions: • What would it be like to be in a family where you have to keep your job a secret? • Stanislavsky’s production of The Seagull had to be a success in order for the company to survive. What would it be like to have the stress of a company’s survival on your shoulders? • What does the term “artificial acting” mean? Rephrase it on your own words. • How do you keep a performance fresh when acting the same role over and over again? • Discuss the terms Magic If, Emotional Memory, Objective and Super Object. Ask students if they know what each means. If they don’t, come up with a description based on the name.

5. Go through side two of the Handout which describes the terms used in the Stanislavsky system. Exercises: Quick Write: Have students reflect on the quote: “Love the art in yourself, not yourself in the art.” What If: In the Stanislavsky system actors use their own past and memories to help create a character. Using the imagination is also important. Have students write down a impactful childhood memory. What’s a memory that has always stayed with them. Then have students change and add to the memory so that it’s not specific to them. Change the gender, change the age, change a couple of details. Super Objective: The super objective of Hamlet is revenge. Have students come up with the super objective of three plays or movies.

Drama Teacher Academy © 2014 Lindsay Price 1 The Magic If: The Magic If asks the question - what would I do if I were in the same situation? Have students answer that question. If they were in the same situation as a play character (Romeo or Juliet, Hamlet, Stella from A Streetcar named Desire or any play you’re currently studying in class) and what would they do? Emotional Memory: Actors remember past situations where they felt a similar emotion instead of trying to “act” an emotion. Have students write down a past situation from their life in which they felt: jealousy, anger, happiness, fear. This memory should not hurt them currently.

Assignment Students complete the Stanislavsky Quiz.

Bonus Assignment Reflection: Have students reflect on the class and the exercises. They should compare the Stanislavsky system with their own thoughts on acting. How important is it to have a process? Does a process make acting easier or more complicated? Why?

Assessment An answer key for the Quiz is included.

Drama Teacher Academy © 2014 Lindsay Price 2 Biography The Process Constantin (or It took years of Konstantin) experimenting to get to Stanislavsky was what is now known as the born in Moscow, Stanislavsky System. As Russia in 1863 into an actor, Stanislavsky saw an affluent family. He a lot of bad acting - what started out as an actor he termed as “artificial.” (Stanislavsky was a Stanislavsky wanted actors stage name he used to to develop characters from keep his acting a secret the inside-out (instead from his family) and of outside-in) and thus moved on to become a create more of a “true” or director and teacher. “real” (i.e. not artificial) performance.

Moscow He also wanted to address Art Theatre how actors can keep a Stanislavsky co- role fresh performance founded the Moscow after performance after Art Theatre (MAT) performance. It’s not in 1898 with Vladimir something an actor can Nemirovich- leave to luck - there has to Danchenko, a be some sort of technique successful playwright involved. and critic. This is where he developed a Stanislavsky’s thought new approach to acting, using the company as a lab and process toward acting differed greatly from the way trying ground. Actors were put through an extensive actors traditionally approached their roles. In fact, it ensemble driven research and reading rehearsal process. changed actor training forever. Stanislavsky developed a number of processes such as Chekhov Emotional Memory, Objective and Super Objective, MAT was the first to produce Anton Chekhov’s and The Magic If, all of which are taught in drama The Seagull in the company’s inaugural season. The classes and theatre schools to this day. They have also success of the production was crucial for the survival found their way into other techniques such as Method of Stanislavsky’s new acting method and MAT itself. (Stanislavsky’s System is often confused for Method Stanislavsky felt the show was under-rehearsed going so Acting) and Meisner. far as to threaten to take his name off the posters.

Stanislavsky went on to direct the premières of Chekhov’s other major plays: Uncle Vanya in 1899, Three Sisters in 1901, and The Cherry Orchard in 1904. After leaving MAT, Stanislavsky recorded his method in three books: An Actor Prepares, Building a Character, and Creating a Role. He also wrote a biography: My Life in Art.

He died in 1938 at 75 years of age.

Drama Teacher Academy © 2014 Lindsay Price 3 What is it? Objective The Stanislavsky System is a character development Once the overall theme of the play is established, break process that strives to make a performance “real.” the script down into sections. The objective is the goal for your character in each section.It’s what the character Stanislavsky believed that in order to make a character wants to see happen (not necessarily what actually true, the character must be approached from the inside. happens) at the end of the section. The actor must know The actor draws on his or her real life and memories, what their character wants, and what they are willing to creating the inside life of the character. The character has do to get it. to have inner thought, backstory, beliefs, etc.

When the actor answers questions about the character, Emotional Memory they should speak in the first person. In the system, the actor does not “act” emotions. “I am…” “I want…” Using Emotional Memory the actor remembers a situation when he/she felt the same or similar emotions The use of the imagination is important. The system is as the character. Recalling the situation leads to not about self-indulgence and therapy, the focus is on the emotion. For example, if the character feels envy, the art of the process: “Love the art in yourself, not yourself in actor recalls a time in their own life when they felt the art.” envious. The memory must not be forced or hurtful. It’s important not to “assault the subconscious.” Past memories are used because they are more controllable. The Terms The actor can even use situations they were not The Stanislavsky System has a set vocabulary of terms. directly involved with, be it something they saw, read These terms represent specific exercises to be used as the about or heard about. actor works on the script. The exercises are appropriate for any character and any script. Magic If Your character is in a specific situation. The Magic If Given Circumstances answers the question, “What would I do if I were in the The Given Circumstances are the character details in same situation?” The “If ” is very important. This about the script - the facts the playwright gives the actor. They real life experiences in combination with imagination. are unchangeable. Sample questions to ask: Where am The situation is not real, but knowing yourself, what I? What is my specific location? What year is it? What would you do? relationships do I have? What has happened before the play begins? Inner Monologue/Subtext These are the character’s thoughts. What’s going on Super Objective inside the character during a scene? Creating the subtext The Super Objective defines the main theme of the play. is part of developing the inner life of the character. e.g. Revenge (Hamlet), Good vs. Evil (The Crucible). Every action a character takes throughout the play drives toward the Super Objective.

Answer each question with a T (True) or F (False)

1. Stanislavsky started out as an actor. 2. Stanislavsky was born into a poor family. 3. Stanislavsky’s stage name was Alexeyev. 4. Stanislavsky used a stage name to keep his acting a secret from his family. 5. MAT stands for Modern Art Theatre. 6. MAT produced the first production of The Seagull. 7. Stanislavsky wrote The Seagull. 8. Stanislavsky directed Three Sisters in 1904. 9. The Stanislavsky System changed actor training. 10. Stanislavsky defined bad acting as artificial acting 11. When an actor speaks of their character they should never use the first person under the Stanislavsky System. 12. Stanislavsky believed that in order to make a character true, they had to be approached from the inside. 13. The Given Circumstances are details the actor makes up about their character. 14. The Super Objective is what a character drives toward throughout the play. 15. Stanislavsky said: “Love yourself in the art, not the art in yourself.” 16. For Emotional Memory an actor is supposed to use their most painful memory. 17. The use of imagination is not important in the system. 18. The Objective is the goal of a character in each section of the play. 19. For each section of the play, the actor must know what the character wants and what they’re going to do to get what they want. 20. For Emotional Memory, actors only use memories they’ve actually experienced. 21. The Magic If imagines if the actor was in the same situation as their character. 22. In the Stanislavsky system an actor doesn’t need to know about their character’s backstory or inner thoughts. 23. Method acting and the Meisner technique were based on the Stanislavsky system. 24. Stanislavsky’s autobiography is called An Actor Prepares. 25. Stanislavsky died at the age of 70.

1. Stanislavsky started out as an actor. (True) 2. Stanislavsky was born into a poor family. (False, his family was affluent) 3. Stanislavsky’s stage name was Alexeyev. (False, his stage name was Stanislavsky) 4. Stanislavsky used a stage name to keep his acting a secret from his family. (True) 5. MAT stands for Modern Art Theatre. (False, it stands for Moscow Art Theatre) 6. MAT produced the first production of The Seagull. (True) 7. Stanislavsky wrote The Seagull. (False, Chekhov wrote The Seagull) 8. Stanislavsky directed Three Sisters in 1904. (False, 1901) 9. The Stanislavsky System changed actor training. (True) 10. Stanislavsky defined bad acting as artificial acting (True) 11. When an actor speaks of their character they should never use the first person under the Stanislavsky System. (False, they should always use the first person) 12. Stanislavsky believed that in order to make a character true, they had to be approached from the inside. (True) 13. The Given Circumstances are details the actor makes up about their character. (False, the Given circumstances are the facts given by the playwright) 14. The Super Objective is what a character drives toward throughout the play. (True) 15. Stanislavsky said: “Love yourself in the art, not the art in yourself.” (False) 16. For Emotional Memory an actor is supposed to use their most painful memory. (False, it’s important not to “assault the subconscious) 17. The use of imagination is not important in the system. (False, see Magic If) 18. The Objective is the goal of a character in each section of the play. (True) 19. For each section of the play, the actor must know what the character wants and what they’re going to do to get what they want. (True) 20. For Emotional Memory, actors only use memories they’ve actually experienced. (False, the actor can also use situations they were not involved with) 21. The Magic If imagines if the actor was in the same situation as their character. (True) 22. In the Stanislavsky system an actor doesn’t need to know about their character’s backstory or inner thoughts. (False) 23. Method acting and the Meisner technique were based on the Stanislavsky system. (True) 24. Stanislavsky’s autobiography is called An Actor Prepares. (False, “My Life in Art”) 25. Stanislavsky died at the age of 70. (False, 73)