Second Draft

Gabrielle Phillips

Maddie Khal

ENC 2135-077

14 February 2018

Introduction Paragraph and Body Paragraphs (Excluding Interview)

Marilyn Monroe, Al Pacino, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Robert Dinero, Viola Davis, and Gabrielle Phillips. What do all of these names have in common? The names that comprise this list are all actors. More specifically, each person listed utilizes Stanislavski’s method. Stanislavski’s method, also known as “method” acting focuses on realism. Briefly summarized, Stanislavski curated a groundbreaking method of “believable truth” where the techniques of his method focus on numerous ways of reaching believability. My name appeared on the list of individuals because I too am an actor, and Stanislavski based. I chose the theatre community as my group to focus on, but more specifically, the collective of trained actors who engineer their work off of the method. I am a BFA Acting major at Florida State University’s School of Theatre. FSU’s School of Theatre values Stanislavski’s method as the foundation for the program. Stanislavski does not strike me as a casual household name, which I would find understandable if he didn’t impact today’s entertainment industry. Without Stanislavski, the realism of movies, theatre, and television may never have existed. For that idea alone, I chose this specific community. With my focus being on the theatre community, and more precisely the association of trained actors practicing the Stanislavski method, I question: “How is Stanislavski’s method impacting pre-professional, and professional acting today?” Currently, the conversation regarding Stanislavski's approach is very limited. Outside of the modest professional community, the method is nameless. For this reason, I hope the topic at hand will create an awareness of Stanislavski and his connections with the current entertainment industry.

Stanislavski’s method provides the basis of all realistic acting today. To grasp the prevalence of the method in today’s industry, an understanding of the method itself will be helpful. In Stanislavski’s book, An Actor Prepares, he breaks down his technique into fourteen parts, all which work in tandem to achieve the goal of truthful acting.

Beginning with “Action,” Stanislavski stresses the importance of having a purpose (Stanislavski, 37). Actors take plays and create a story that people can relate to; the relationship between performance and audience members is not curated with just the given text. Stanislavski emphasizes this by articulating, “we bring life to what is hidden under the words; we put our thoughts into the author’s lines, and we establish our relationships to other characters in the play, and the conditions of their lives” (Stanislavski, 56). The actor takes the lines and infuses humanity so that the audience can see their own lives onstage: their troubles, triumphs, relationships, fears, and dreams.

Imagination is another key part of the method. Not all essential background information is provided by the playwright. Performers have to imagine beyond the text to reach the depths of their character and circumstances, asking “when, where, why, and how” throughout the story arc (Stanislavski, 77). For example, if an actor is given the character description, “mom of 3, middle-aged, divorced”, the actor must create a backstory of the character’s life. Where did this character grow up? What are the children names? What are her likes and dislikes? What leads her to divorce her partner? Questions such as these aid in determining the details of their life on and offstage (Naturalism).

Stanislavski also believed in the constant striving towards achieving a goal (as the character). Humans are all working to achieve goals in life; high school student strives for a high school diploma after graduation people put effort into finding a job. This idea applies to characters as well because “whatever happens onstage, as well as off it, consists of an uninterrupted series of objectives” (Bilgrave, 330). Ph.D. Psychologists Dyer P. Bilgrave and Robert H. Deluty compare a concept of psychology to Stanislavski’s method in their article, “Stanislavski’s Acting Method and Control Theory: Commonalities Across Time Place, and Field.” Bilgrave and Deulty specifically delve into the details of Stanislavski’s objective work.

Another essential part of Stanislavski’s method is the emotional memory. The process of emotional memory begins with the recollection of a time in which you felt an emotion to its fullest. Once you have a specific memory, you put yourself back into that time. You then apply this feeling into a scene that calls for a similar emotion to the one from your memory (Constantin). Emotional memory work can be perfected over time but is often found to be difficult to master.

Clearly, Stanislavski’s method primarily relies on psychological and directional aspects, but physicality also plays an important role. One element of the methods physicality is the relaxation of muscles. The relaxation of tense muscles develops attention and focuses thoughts towards one point (Galendeyev, 104). The psychological and physical pieces of the method work hand and hand in creating the realism Stanislavski’s method sets out to produce. Professor V.N. Galendeyev affirms “physical actions in the play and role analysis became so essential for Stanislavski” in his article “Physical actions, and the Emergence of Speech Origination” that was a part of his dissertation on Stanislavski’s Teaching on Voice and Speech on Stage. As seen from the extensive explanation of some of the more critical elements of Stanislavski’s method, many intricate moving parts work side by side to create a process for actors to utilize to reach a more realistic performance.

Stanislavski’s method has held up against the test of time. The longevity of his discoveries is not only due to his monumental publishings but also because of the interpretation of his work by his colleagues. The method functions as the base for many other offspring teachings. Well known methods and creators of different ways that credit Stanislavski include Checkov, Uta Hagen, Viewpoints, Stella Adler, Lee Strasberg and Stanford Meisner. Each of these methods expands on specific facets of Stanislavski’s method. For example, Meisner “enable(d) his students to approach their work with absolute emotional truth and genuine psychological depth” (Shirley, 200). Automatically you know this idea derived from the method just based off the articulation of words such as, “truth” and “genuine,” which would not have been used before Stanislavksi’s method. His influence on the majority of other forms of acting training methods exemplifies the adaptability of his method.

Being the most commonly used method in acting, conservatory and pre-professional acting programs operate with his techniques to prepare their students for the industry. Widely agreed upon, “today virtually all training programs for the professional action in both Europe and the United States are based on his work” (Bilgrave, 330). If the entirety of the industry practices by his works, the schools that are preparing students for the industry would need to be teaching his methods in order to adequately prepare them. According to StartClass, there are over 91 college programs that offer Acting Degrees in the United States alone (Compare). This number does not even take into account all other performance degrees that require acting, such as musical theatre and dance performance. From this list, there are several notable universities and conservatories that are known for their employment of Stanislavski’s techniques. Arguably the most well known conservatory in the world, Juilliard, is one of many that teach Stanislavski. First year actors in their drama school have the alexander technique integrated in their circiulum (Drama). Alexander technique derives from Stanislavski, and their continue with realistic acting approaches through their four years. Others that are included in the long list of Stanislavski based schools include Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University, Florida State University, and University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Each of these universities offer information regarding their curriculum and beliefs on their university websites. With such a large base of universities training the next generation of actors, the list of graduates and current actors who use Stanislavki’s method expands even longer.

Universities and conservatories pride themselves on their alumni; the individuals continuing to represent their school in their field of work. In today’s theatre, film, and television, “realism is a foundational element in almost all current naturalistic productions that seek to tell a story and evoke a response’ (Cole, 400). With the goal of acting being placed on the realism within a get of given circumstances, actors welcomed stray from the method. The initial list from the beginning of this paper offered a few names of Stanislavski based actors, evidently the list is not this short. Well known actor, William H. Macey, currently starring in Showtime’s hit television show, Shameless connects with Stanislavski’s teachings. Not only does he practice the method in his work, but also teaches his application of the method alongside David Mamet at The School of Practical Aesthetics, which they founded (Scholte, 1373). With an entire industry following in the footsteps of Stanislavksi’s work, inevitably you are familiar with the works of famous actors who value him and his method. To name a few… Marlon Brando, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Jane Fonda, Al Pacino, Robert Dinner, and Al Pacino. The chances are if you are watching any performance that includes acting that is current, it is realistic, therefore it is based from Stanislavski’s work.