It is less about the system and more about the attitudes : Stanislavsky’s lesser known essays about actor training

Abstract

A look at Stanislavsky’s Collected Works shows that his training ideas did not necessarily revolve around expositions on the system, nor were his practices developed solely on the Moscow Art Theatre stage or its studios. This article throws light on four such essays where Stanislavsky did not speak about the various techniques and processes that make up the system, but focused on what is referred to as ‘attitudes’, i.e. character traits such as carefulness, precision, and team-work which impinge on and moderate one’s actions and choices. ‘Attitudes training’ is identified in this article as a ‘through-line’ that goes through the four essays analysed here, to underline Stanislavsky’s concern with the conditions that facilitate learning, a learning how to learn attitude, and the national transmission of staging practices. Robert M. Gagné’s educational theories frame the discussion.