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Bibliography

"American Realism: 1865-1910." American Realism: 1865-1910. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.

Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.

"Constantin Stanislavski." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.

"Jeannot and Colin." By Francois-Marie Arouet Voltaire. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.

Stanislavski's Opposition:

While Stanislavski was a greatly admired and respected theatre practitioner during his time through the modern day, it cannot said that his work went without opposition. Many other theatre practitioners at the time had their own, different 'ideal' styles of theatre. Some fought to rid modern theatre of Melodrama, others fought to keep the Victorian Romanticism alive.

A prime example of this would be the german theatre practitioner Bertolt Brecht, who lived during Stanislavski's time and developed his own version of the naturalist theatrical style called 'Epic Theatre'. This new style combined the taboo subject matter of 19th century naturalism yet required the audience to think and reflect actively and critically about the action happening on stage and its affect on the characters and the audience members themselves. Brecht's thought-provoking style opposed the simple and quotidian nature of Stanislavski's style.

Slide Author: James W

Sources: Stanislavski/Brecht, Epic Theatre and Brecht]

Stanislavski's Influence

Lee Strasberg

Playwrights, Directors and Theorists:

[PHOTO SOURCE: "Lee Strasberg." Bio. Bio, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2015. <http://www.biography.com/

people/lee-strasberg-9496658>. ]

Fin

The Success of Stanislavski's style and "System" can be largely attributed to the fact that his Realist Theatrical Practices and Teachings were provided a director, playwright or actor structure, yet allowed them to interpret and bend some rules as they wish (when appropriate). This made for more unique shows (in construction and implementation) than earlier histrionic theatrical methods (e.g. Melodrama).

One notable theatre practitioner and director who used Stanislavski's methods to create more realistic theatre was Lee Strasberg (1901-1982), the creator of method acting. Strasberg's own acting method draws on aspects of earlier Stanislavski theatre to create an immersive acting experience in which the actor can create an organic (believable) and moving performance (for the audience) by rooting their acting in real life experiences. Method acting is still in wide use today and actor's such as Al Pacino and James Dean have been know to use the technique to channel energy into their performances.

Additionally, the practices of Stanislavski and other realist Thespians (e.g. Henrik Ibsen) played a pivotal role in supplying the basis upon the American Realist Era of the early 20th Century. Here, the realist and naturalist style bled over into Literature and Visual Arts as well as Theatre. Artists (Literary, Visual, Theatrical. etc.) tended to depict scenarios in which every day characters (people) performed normal and ordinary tasks. However, from these simple tasks, conflicts would emerge, creating the tension which continued throughout the duration of the play, book or piece of art.

Slide Author: James W

Sources: Naturalism and Stanislavski, What Is Method Acting]

Naturalism

Realism

vs.

Approach to Acting

  • Naturalism emerged in the 1800s and was an exaggerated and heighten form of Realism
  • Unlike Realism, Naturalism placed great emphasis on real-life and quotidian scenarios
  • Naturalist Plays often take place in a single setting within the time frame of a single day
  • All characters are a direct product of their (social, political, cultural, etc.) environment
  • Lower-class characters were very often the subjects of naturalist plays
  • Plays deal with/bring up previously taboo subject matters such as suicide, poverty and prosititution
  • Famous naturalists (playwrights, theorists and directors) include Emile Zola and Therese Raquin
  • Early Realism began in the 2nd half of the 19th Century, as a result of a need for more 'useful' theatre
  • Unlike Melodrama, Realism placed great emphasis on real-life and quotidian scenarios
  • Realist Plays treat the stage as an actual environment, instead of a platform simply for the purpose of acting
  • Middle- and Lower-class characters were considered heroes for performing ordinary tasks
  • Ordinary (normal) movement, settings and vernacular speech are used to make the plot purposefully (deliberately ordinary)
  • Plots were made quotidian to be better identified and related with by everyday audience members
  • Famous realists (playwrights, theorists and directors) include Henrik Ibsen and Constantine Stanislavski

Stanislavski's approach required a lot of training for the actors, which is now called the Stanislavski Method. It was never his intent to create an official system of acting, but many actors swore by his ideas of how to act when performing realistic style plays. One of the main parts of the Stanislavski Method is that actors must use their emotions from past experiences and apply them to their roles. According to Britannica, "The actor’s entrance onto the stage is considered to be not a beginning of the action or of his life as the character but a continuation of the set of preceding circumstances. The actor has trained his concentration and his senses so that he may respond freely to the total stage environment. Through empathic observation of people in many different situations, he attempts to develop a wide emotional range so that his onstage actions and reactions appear as if they were a part of the real world rather than a make-believe one."

Stanislavski (far left) performing a naturalist play at the Moscow Art Theatre

[PHOTO SOURCE: "Stanislavski (far left) in The Lower Depths at The Moscow Art Theatre,1902

Credit: Stanislavski Centre/ArenaPal." BBC Bitesize. BBC, n.d. Web. 20 Oct.

2015. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zxn4mp3/revision/3>.]

Slide Authors: James W, Ariane I

Source: Stanislavski System, Encyclopedia Britannica

Sources: Stanislavski – Naturalism and Realism, Realism and Naturalism Theatre Conventions, Realism]

Slide Author: Cori

"Our demands are simple, normal, and therefore they are difficult to satisfy. All we ask is that an actor on the stage live in accordance with natural laws."

-Constantine Stanislavski

Sources: Naturalism and Stanislavski]

Slide Author: James W

Theatre

Literature

In theatre, it was a way to perform a piece that focuses on social and psychological aspects of real life and put them into a story. It was a performance that would constantly have human who were interesting, yet ordinary. Characters faced problems that were bigger than them. There was a lot more opportunity in realism and naturalism for the characters to sometimes not achieve their goal, to face disappointment and failure. It is a type of art that is meant to show and represent what we see with our eyes in the real world.

Stanislavski's work was focused more on realism, due to the fact that he very much liked to focus on the real parts of it, and trying to make it as close to real life as possible.

Realism

Realism in literature were stories about man and everyday normal life and activities. It is seen as a way to tell stories about humans, especially those from the middle and lower classes, they were written and known for not romanticizing and dramatizing characters or the whole story.

Visual Arts

Realism in art was very real looking art pieces. Meaning the bodies and the landscape and everything looked realistic. Furthermore the message or story the art piece is trying to show was generally very real. Meaning real struggles from humans or a historical event.

Slide Authors: Ariane I

Constantine Stanislavski

Also: Konstantin Stanislavsky

Who was Stanislavski?

Constantine Sergeyevich Stanislavski, born on the January 17th 1863, was a Russian actor, director and theatre theorist who played a major role in developing the Realist Theatrical Style, still used in modern theatre. After working as a famed thespian and director, he created the Stanislavsky system for acting and directing realist plays, which focussed on quotidian characters and scenarios. While Stanislavski's work grew to become popular in his lifetime, it had a greater influence on the post-World War II restoration era. The realist and naturalist styles which Stanislavski pioneered laid the foundation for other theatrical styles such as the American Realist Movement.

Stanislavski's Early Life:

Stanislavski grew up in one of the richest families in Russia, the Alexeyevs. Therefore, the prospect of becoming a professional actor was not very well respected (much less encouraged) for someone of his social class. Nevertheless, as a teenager, Stanislavski worked in a local theater and worked his way up to become an acclaimed actor and director of stage productions.

Stanislavski's and the Moscow Arts Theatre:

C. Stanislavski (1936)

Stanislavski co-founded the Moscow Art Theatre in 1897 and developed a performance process allowing actors to use their personal histories to express real emotion and create rich characters.

[PHOTO SOURCE: "Stanislavski (far left) in The Lower Depths at The Moscow Art Theatre,1902

Credit: Stanislavski Centre/ArenaPal." BBC Bitesize. BBC, n.d. Web. 20 Oct.

2015. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zxn4mp3/revision/3>.]

Slide Authors: Lena P, James W

Sources:

Stanislavski

Realism, Melodrama's arch-enemy

Realism formed in direct opposition to the opulent and grandiose melodramatic theatrical style and the characteristics of realism reflect its unidealized style.

Realism:

1870s - 20th Century

And Theatrical Realism

Slide Author: James W.

By Ariane, Cori, Lena, James

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