Category Archives: Constant Stanislavski

CONSTANT STANISLAVSKI (145) ·

The words and wisdom of Constantin Stanislavski:

In order to express a most delicate and largely subconscious life it is necessary to have control of an unusually responsive, excellently prepared vocal and physical apparatus. This apparatus must be ready instantly and exactly to reproduce most delicate and all but intangible feelings with great sensitiveness and directness. (AP)

CONSTANT STANISLAVSKI (144) ·

The words and wisdom of Constantin Stanislavski:

Our aim (as actors) is not only to create the life of a human spirit, but also to ‘express it in a beautiful, artistic form.’ An actor is under the obligation to live his part inwardly, and then to give his experience an external embodiment. I ask you to note especially that the dependence of the body on the soul is particularly important in our school of art.” (AP)

CONSTANT STANISLAVSKI (142) ·

The words and wisdom of Constantin Stanislavski:

(Think) about the inner side of a role, and how to create its spiritual life through the help of the internal process of living the part. You must live it by actually experiencing feelings that are analogous to it, each and every time you repeat the process of creating it. (AP)

CONSTANT STANISLAVSKI (141) ·

The words and wisdom of Constantin Stanislavski:

Aside from the fact that it opens up avenues for inspiration, living the part helps the artist to carry out one of his main objectives. His job is not to present merely the external life of his character. He must fit his own human qualities to the life of this other person, and pour into it all of his own soul. The fundamental aim of our art is the creation of this inner life of a human spirit, and its expression in an artistic form. (AP)

CONSTANT STANISLAVSKI (140)  ·

The words and wisdom of Constantin Stanislavski:

You may play well or you may play badly; the important thing is that you should ​play truly (Shchepkin to Shumski).
To play truly means to be right, logical, coherent, to think, strive, feel and act in unison with your role.
If you take all these internal processes and adapt them to the spiritual and physical life of the person you are representing, we call that living the part.  This is of supreme significance in creative work. (AP)

CONSTANT STANISLAVSKI (139)  ·

The words and wisdom of Constantin Stanislavski: 

Our art teaches us first of all to create consciously and rightly, because that will best prepare the way for the blossoming of the subconscious, which is inspiration.  The more you have of conscious creative moments in your role the more chance you will have of a flow of inspiration. (AP) 

CONSTANT STANISLAVSKI (138) ·

The words and wisdom of Constantin Stanislavski:

[Tommaso] Salvini said: ‘The great actor should be full of feeling, and especially he should feel the thing he is portraying.  He must feel an emotion not only once or twice while he is studying his part, but to a greater or lesser degree every time he plays it, no matter whether it is the first or thousandth time.’  Unfortunately this is not within our control. (AP)

CONSTANT STANISLAVSKI (137) ·

The words and wisdom of Constantin Stanislavski:

The very best that can happen​ is to have the actor completely carried away by the play.  Then regardless of his own will he lives the part, not noticing how he feels, not thinking about what he does, and it all moves of its own accord, subconsciously and intuitively. (AP)