Unfinished Thoughts - Incomplete Essay.

Stanislavsky said that when an actor goes on stage to perform, the nature and demands of the craft most often inhibit, suppress or distort normal human functions that we take for granted in our everyday lives - thinking, sensing, feeling, moving. In haste and effort to overcome or counteract the problem, actors adopt cliche behaviors and/or devised behaviors to make their performance. The result of that according to Stanislavsky is an art that is superficial, and void of originality, creativity, and inspiration - arriving wholly short of potential. His answer to this was that actors should have “a return to life” while in the context of the role and under the specific conditions of the stage. Then and only then would there be potential for the art to have the detail and depth that could affect spectators in truly meaningful and profound ways. Another way of saying it is that actors tend to lose their “life” in their attempt to perform. “Life” is the essence of stage art. Without the “life” of the actor, the essence is lost and thus it’s art is lost. (becoming mere imitation). In order to restore the essence and the art, the actor must be revived on stage, must return to life. In order to follow and completely understand the ideas, logic and terminology developed by Stanislavsky, those meant to help solve the “lifeless” problem of the actor and bring about profound change to the quality of the art, it’s necessary to consider the three components that make up the issue at hand as Stanislavsky saw it . The three components are the actor her/himself, the role which is to be portrayed, and the stage itself, or rather the particular conditions and conventions that are associated and necessary for acting on stage. The actor of course is a living human being, with thoughts, feelings, sensations, movements, influenced by the past, doing in the present, and anticipating the future. The role is a fictional personality based on an interesting set of circumstances and situation. And the stage is that place where at eight o’clock spectators have gathered to witness and the actor has come to perform - a completely contrived setting. Individually considered, each of the components may be magnificent. And they might be brilliant even in pairs. But problems arise when you try to put all three together at once. When Stanislavsky sat down in front of his mirror in the privacy of his home, working at his own pace and time, for example, he could move and feel and think and assume as the role he was playing. Himself and the role worked together just fine. When eight o’clock came and he had to do it in public view surrounded by all the make believe stuff in the contrived setting, he couldn’t move and feel and think and assume in the same way he did earlier at home. And when he had to repeat the process every night, it only got worse. Himself, the role and the stage didn’t get along all together so great.