Stanislavsky, Constantin
Stanislavsky, Constantin
(kənstəntyēn` stənyĭsläf`skē), 1863–1938, Russian theatrical director, teacher, and actor, whose original name was Constantin Sergeyevich Alekseyev. He was cofounder with Vladimir Nemirovich-DanchenkoNemirovich-Danchenko, Vladimir, 1859–1943, Russian stage director, cofounder and director of the Moscow Art Theater. Prior to his historical meeting with Constantin Stanislavsky in 1897, he was an actor, war correspondent, novelist, music and drama critic, and playwright.
..... Click the link for more information. of the Moscow Art TheaterMoscow Art Theater,
Russian repertory company founded in 1897 by Constantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. Its work created new concepts of theatrical production and marked the beginning of modern theater.
..... Click the link for more information. in 1898, which he would remain associated with for the remainder of his life. As a director, he stressed ensemble acting as well as complete coordination of all phases of production. His outstanding productions included many of the plays of ChekhovChekhov, Anton Pavlovich
, 1860–1904, Russian short-story writer, dramatist, and physician, b. Taganrog. The son of a grocer and grandson of a serf, Chekhov earned enduring international acclaim for his stories and plays.
..... Click the link for more information. , in which he tried to strip away rhetorical clichés to enter the emotional core and complex psychology of the characters. Stanislavsky stressed the importance of the actor's inner identification with the character and the actor's natural use of body and voice. His training for actors, now termed the Stanislavsky method, or "method acting," had a vast influence on modern schools of acting. In New York City, The Actors StudioActors Studio, The,
organization founded 1947 in New York City by the directors Cheryl Crawford, Elia Kazan, and Robert Lewis to train professional actors. Long directed (1948–82) by Lee Strasberg and famous for its advocacy of the Stanislavsky "method" technique, the
..... Click the link for more information. adapted many of his ideas to their use. Stanislavsky also achieved renown as a director of opera.
Bibliography
See Stanislavsky's An Actor Prepares (tr. 1936), Building a Character (tr. 1950), and Creating a Role (tr. 1961); his autobiographical My Life in Art (tr. 1924); biography by E. Polyakova (1982); studies by C. Edwards, The Stanislavsky Heritage (1965), S. Moore, The Stanislavksy System (1974), and N. Gorchakov, Stanislavsky Directs (1968, repr. 1974).