As simple but as complex as everyday cooking: Stanislavski’s use of physical actions in the recreation of nature

Abstract

This article considers Stanislavski’s understanding of the “laws of nature” from the point of view provided by Henri Lefebvre’s theories of everyday life. I will argue that Stanislavski’s last years of work saw the application of his approach to physical actions as a means to create an organicity (or accordance) on stage between nature and acting processes. The term “physical actions” will be fine-tuned to “everyday physical actions” in order to contrast everyday life’s seeming triviality with its potential to embody meaningful human relationships. The article will employ Stanislavski’s rehearsal notes for a 1933 production of Artists and Admirers as a case-study and main source. These notes are not available in English translation and therefore reference to this production has rarely been made in the field of Stanislavski studies.