1. Hero Worship Stanislavsky, Method Acting, and the effects of the Method on the contemporary stage

2. The Man 4 Constantin Sergeyevich Stanislavsky 4 1863-1938 4 Son of a wealthy merchant

3. The Man: Theatrical Life 4 Began acting at the age of 14 4 Continued to act & began to direct through the late 1800s 4 In 1898, with Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, founded the Moscow Art Theatre (MAT) 4 Focused on a naturalistic approach to acting 4 Debut production was Chekhov’s The Seagull

4. The Man: His System 4 Developed “The Method”--the first prescribed system of acting--through work at the MAT 4 Published two books about his system: An Actor Prepares and My Life in Art

5. The Man: His Legacy 4 Is still revered as a teacher & theorist 4 “Love the Art in yourself, not yourself in the Art.”

6. The Method 4 Strives to create the illusion of natural reality on stage 4 Relies heavily on the “Fourth Wall” & “Willing Suspension of Disbelief” 4 An “inside-out” system of acting

7. The Method: Emotional Memory 4 Encourages actors to connect real emotions with emotions for the stage 4 Actors recall a time when they experienced a similar emotion, feel it again within themselves, and then show its manifestation to the audience

8. The Method: “The Magic If” 4 Also referred to as “The Situation” or “Given Circumstances” 4 Asks the actor to place himself in the shoes of the character 4 “What would I do if I were in Hamlet’s position?” 4 Encourages actors to improvise off-stage interactions and to play out scenes not found in the script

9. The Method: Character Creation 4 Emphasizes “inner life” of the character 4 Asks actors to create extensive backgrounds for their characters to fill out the text 4 Stanislavsky insisted that even his extras have full bios for their characters

10. The Madness 4 The Method is still the preferred acting technique of millions of actors & acting teachers around the world, particularly in the US 4 It has almost reached cult status, as Method Actors embrace Stanislavsky’s theory with pseudo- religious fervor

11. The Madness: The Actors Studio 4 Founded in 1947 by Lee Strasburg 4 Espouses Method Acting, encouraging students to develop characters, rely on emotions, etc. 4 Accepts only the best 4 Has produced some of the greatest film & stage actors of our time

12. The Madness: Mutations 4 Many variations on Stanislavsky have appeared over the years 4 Stanislavsky himself encouraged actors to use only the parts of the Method they chose and to discard the rest

13. The Madness: Rebellion 4 David Mamet and many others have rebelled in recent years, calling the Method nonsense and mumbo-jumbo 4 They espouse a more direct system, eliminating character creation and focusing on the actor himself 4 “Hit your spot and tell the truth”

14. My Assessment 4 Do what works for you 4 Young actors can benefit from the Method 4 Learn as you grow 4 Don’t fall into the trap of hero worship 4 And most importantly, HAVE FUN!

15. Thank You!