Stanislavski’s system : mimesis, truth and verisimilitude

Abstract

Although the title “Building a Character”, may not have been coined by Stanislavski himself, certainly, the idea of construction may be linked to his work. His system may be viewed in terms of a giant artistic edifice that is still alive today. This essay will therefore establish links between Stanislavski’s vision of theatre, as expressed mainly through his writings, and architecture, focusing mainly on the writings of three contemporary architects, the Swiss-French Bernard Tschumi, the Finnish Juhani Pallasmaa and the Maltese Richard England. The choice of these three architects is due to the fact that each of them has questioned prevailing practice and has searched for paths that focus on the here-and-now spatial experience of the body in movement. Stanislavski’s idea of the truth of experiencing can be linked to the importance given in architecture to the “experiencing” of space by its users. The common element of experiencing therefore, will serve as a guide to trace the idea of truth, verisimilitude and mimesis in theatre and in his work.