Anton Chekhov and Konstantin Stanislavsky an introduction

Realism: new drama new theatre

The Independent Theatre Society in London (1891-97)

Thatre Libre in Paris (1889) Moscow Art Theatre (1898)

Moskovskiy Hudojestvenny Akademicheskiy Teatr, H

- Konstantin Stanislavski, Vladimir Nemirovitch-Danchenko (+Chekhov)

We rebelled against the old manner of acting, against theatricality, against false pathos, declamation and artificiality, against bad conventions of staging and decor . . . against the whole system of production, and the contemptible repertoire, in theatres at that time.

The Stanislavski System:

- live/feel the part

- a holistic, organic, psychophysical approach

- emotional memory working from inside out (magic if)

- physical actions - working from outside in - motivation, objectives and superobjectives

Create your own method. Don't depend slavishly on mine. Make up something that will work for you! But keep breaking traditions, I beg you.

Chekhov and Stanislavski - - the nature of the relationship, - an argument over Three Sisters (1901), - the Chekhovian mood (Chekhovskoe nastroenie), - Three Sisters the sound of the fire brigade going past the house vs. Stanislavskis terrible commotion of wheels, footsteps, various bells, chains, 2-3 voices

I am describing life. It is a dull average life. But it is not tedious whimpering. They either make me out to be a cry-baby or simply a boring writer. I have written several volumes of humorous stories. And criticism puts me down as some kind of weeper. They invent something about me out of their heads, anything they like. Something I never thought of or dreamt about. This is beginning to make me angry. - You say you have cried at my plays. And you are not the only ones. But this is not why I wrote them, it was Alekseev [Stanislavski] who turned them into crybabies. I wanted something else. I simply wanted to say to people honestly: 'Look at yourselves, look at how bad and boring your lives are!' The important thing is that people should understand this, and when they understand it, they will, without fail, create for themselves another and better life. I will not see it, but I know it will be completely different, and nothing like this life. And until it arrives, I will say to people again and again. Understand how bad and boring your lives are! What is there in this to cry about?