DRAMA EXAM PREP

Konstansin Stanislavski

  • Background.

    • Stanislavsky’s theories don’t fit on a checklist because he never stopped developing new ideas. He constantly pushed his actors to explore new techniques, and students who studied under him in the 1890s performed different exercises than his students in the 1920s.

    • In his early work, he was most concerned with creating living characters on stage.

    • Stanislavski’s real name was Konstantin Sergeyevich Alexeyev but he adopted the stage name of Stanislavski in 1884.

    • Born in 1863 to a life of considerable comfort, he died in 1938 at the age of 75.

    • Born in russia and lived there his whole life

  • Ideology.

    • Remember: there are no small parts, only small actors.

      — Konstantin Stanislavski

    • Stanislavsky taught and belived that actors must build a character's behavior through specific, concrete, performable actions

    • An actors main responseblity is to be beliveed as well as understood.

    • The body and soul of a person are inceperable.

    • Acting should be realistic and belivable.

  • The aplication of approach in rehersal. - IN NOTE BOOK ( stanislavskis principles of acting)

    • Communion: Believable action in the play must be directed to the other actors on stage, not the audience. When the actors communicate with one another through their actions, the performance captures more human truth than playing actions to the audience. 

    • Stanislavskis fundemental questions:

      • who am I?

      • Where am I?

      • What time is it?

      • Why am I here?

      • why do I want it?

      • How will I get what I want?

      • what do I need to do to overcome?

    • Stanislavskis apporch is known as the system or the meothod of physical action.

  • Method acting was not one of stanislavskis processes however it did get developed gtom his system by an actor and practitioner lee strazberg.

Elements of drama (15)

  • character

  • role

  • relationship

  • situation

  • voice

  • movement

  • focus

  • tension

  • space

  • time

  • language

  • symbol

  • audience

  • mood

  • atmosphere

Drama Processes

  • Stanislavskis apporach to realism

  • themes and issues

  • directorial vision

  • Improvisation in rehearsal and performance

When responding to a question, you must respond in the role of one of the following:

  • Actor – interprets and presents a role or character.

  • Director – decides on an interpretation and vision to realise the drama. Blocks the dramatic action.

Contextual knowledge

Drama conventions

  • conventions in drama for engaging the audience with realistic character, setting and linear narrative.

  • Form and style

  • Historical, social and cultural context

  • character value/s

  • point of view

Production and performance

space and performance

  • performer and audience relationship in the theatre space

  • Theatre spaces: proscenium arch stage and end stage.

theater design

  • collaboration creative team

  • application of design language

    • principles of design such as balance and contrast

    • Elements of design

  • application of design role and relevant technologies