STANISLAVSKI BACKGROUND RESEARCH
• Konstantin Stanislavski, a Russian born theatre practitioner, was born on
the 17th January 1863 and died on the 7th August 1938
• He performed and directed as an amateur until the age of 33 when he
cofounded the world-famous Moscow Art Theatre
• It’s influential tours included productions of The Seagull (1898) and Hamlet
(1911) in Europe
• He changed his stage name to Stanislavski to keep his performance
activities secret from his parents
• Up until the communist revolution in 1917 he often used his inherited
wealth to fund experiments in acting and directing
• As a child he was interested in circus, the ballet and puppetry
• He filled notebooks with critical observation on his acting, aphorisms and
problems – he used this to create Stanislavski’s System and “experiencing
the role”
• Anton Chekov, a Russian born playwright, was born on 29th January 1860
and died on the 15th July 1904
• He was the third of six children and son to a physically abusive father – he
quoted “we got our talents form our father, but our soul from our mother”
• In 1876 his father was declared bankrupt and so he fled to Moscow where
his two eldest sons were studying
• The family lived is dire poverty in Moscow – his mother was physically and
emotionally scared and Chekov was left behind to sell the family’s
possessions and finish his education
• In 1887, exhausted form ill health and work, Chekov took a trip to Ukraine,
which reawakened him to the Beauty of Steppe
STANISLAVSKI TECHNIQUES RESEARCH
• OBJECTIVES – reasons for our actions, what we are trying to achieve. An
objective is in response to life, people and circumstances, which put
barriers in our way
• SUPER-OBJECTIVE – an over-reaching objective, most likely linked to the
overall outcome of the play – it is a word to characterize the essential
• Konstantin Stanislavski, a Russian born theatre practitioner, was born on
the 17th January 1863 and died on the 7th August 1938
• He performed and directed as an amateur until the age of 33 when he
cofounded the world-famous Moscow Art Theatre
• It’s influential tours included productions of The Seagull (1898) and Hamlet
(1911) in Europe
• He changed his stage name to Stanislavski to keep his performance
activities secret from his parents
• Up until the communist revolution in 1917 he often used his inherited
wealth to fund experiments in acting and directing
• As a child he was interested in circus, the ballet and puppetry
• He filled notebooks with critical observation on his acting, aphorisms and
problems – he used this to create Stanislavski’s System and “experiencing
the role”
• Anton Chekov, a Russian born playwright, was born on 29th January 1860
and died on the 15th July 1904
• He was the third of six children and son to a physically abusive father – he
quoted “we got our talents form our father, but our soul from our mother”
• In 1876 his father was declared bankrupt and so he fled to Moscow where
his two eldest sons were studying
• The family lived is dire poverty in Moscow – his mother was physically and
emotionally scared and Chekov was left behind to sell the family’s
possessions and finish his education
• In 1887, exhausted form ill health and work, Chekov took a trip to Ukraine,
which reawakened him to the Beauty of Steppe
STANISLAVSKI TECHNIQUES RESEARCH
• OBJECTIVES – reasons for our actions, what we are trying to achieve. An
objective is in response to life, people and circumstances, which put
barriers in our way
• SUPER-OBJECTIVE – an over-reaching objective, most likely linked to the
overall outcome of the play – it is a word to characterize the essential
