| Contemporary Theatre
At the beginning of the 19th Century, Russian theatre was heavily censored and only Moscow and St Petersburg sustained acting companies. Towards the middle of the century, social comedies began to disguise scathing attacks on society and gradually broke down censorship. Playwrights, such as Gogol and Schepkin, tried to make acting a respectable and structured practice; but by the time Stanislavski came to it, it was as chaotic as it had ever been. Stanislavski's chief worries early on as a director lay with the punctuality of the actors and their backstage drunkenness.
The acting style itself was almost anarchic. Actors would strut on stage as they saw fit and deliver the lines downstage to the audience, without any regard to addressing fellow actors. The actors or theatre store provided whatever costumes they had to hand. The theatre provided sets and props from stock, while set design placed doors for the convenience of actors rather than to create a realistic aesthetic for the crowds. In 1894, Stanislavski directed Shakespeare's Othello and took a trip abroad to buy props and fabrics for costume that would actually fit the play - something unheard of at the time.
Stanislavski not only disliked the costumes and props, but also the general feel of theatre - an indifferent system negligent of thespian training or a rehearsal process, relying primarily on cheap French and German farce comedies. In a bid to eradicate this problem, he developed a method, or more accurately a system, with which to train the actors he directed. This system led Stanislavski to become the father of modern theatre.
The System
The System uses a balance between an actor's personal experience and an attempt to imagine being in their character's situation. The actors could not merely rely on observation and imitation, they had to emotionally feel the role of their characters and recognise themselves in it, not just think of the part but also live it. Stanislavski stressed importantly that no part of his three-part system take precedence over another part, as this would create an imbalance. All aspects of The System must systematically engage together.
The System falls into three sections, elaborated upon in Stanislavski's novels:
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An Actor Prepares (1937) - This book explains how the actor must psychologically and emotionally prepare for a created role. Once it is created, the actor must personally develop it until he feels comfortable living as somebody else. Actors must ask themselves 'What would I do if...?' based on the circumstances surrounding their character. The System describes this as a personal reality.
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Building A Character (1949)2 - This book deals with the external training an actor undertakes to communicate different aspects of a role. The stress here is on a physical and vocal approach to the role and how far these aspects can change to display aspects of the role while remaining in the character.
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Creating A Role (1961) - This book gives detailed examples of how The System can be applied to various roles. The actor must make the role fit the script, but only after preparing the role and assuming it both physically and vocally. The actor must effectively consider and approach each line and every pause from the character's perspective. This helps the actor gain proper access to the subtext.
The Method
By encouraging actors to become artists in their own right, Stanislavski had to lay down a method to stimulate his three-part System. Now known as 'method acting', the mechanisms used to take on a role are varied, but all focus on making an actor put their own experience, imagination and feeling into a role.
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