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Creating a Role
Creating a Roleis the culmination of Stanislavski's masterful trilogy on the art of acting. An Actor Preparesfocused on the inner training of an actor's imagination. Building a Characterdetailed how the actor's body and voice could be tuned for the great roles he might fill.
This third volume examines the development of a character from the viewpoint of three widely contrasting plays: Griboyedov's Woe from Wit, Shakespeare's Othello, and Gogol's The Inspector General. Building on the first two books, Stanislavski demonstrates how a fully realized character is born in three stages: "studying it; establishing the life of the role; putting it into physical form."
Tracing the actor's process from the first reading to production, he explores how to approach roles from inside and outside simultaneously. He shows how to recount the story in actor's terms, how to create an inner life that will give substance to the author's words, and how to search into one's own experiences to connect with the character's situation. Finally, he speaks of the physical expression of the character in gestures, sounds, intonation, and speech. Throughout, a picture of a real artist at work emerges, sometimes failing, but always seeking truthful answers.
This third volume examines the development of a character from the viewpoint of three widely contrasting plays: Griboyedov's Woe from Wit, Shakespeare's Othello, and Gogol's The Inspector General. Building on the first two books, Stanislavski demonstrates how a fully realized character is born in three stages: "studying it; establishing the life of the role; putting it into physical form."
Tracing the actor's process from the first reading to production, he explores how to approach roles from inside and outside simultaneously. He shows how to recount the story in actor's terms, how to create an inner life that will give substance to the author's words, and how to search into one's own experiences to connect with the character's situation. Finally, he speaks of the physical expression of the character in gestures, sounds, intonation, and speech. Throughout, a picture of a real artist at work emerges, sometimes failing, but always seeking truthful answers.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 16, 2013
62 people are currently reading
2,166 people want to read
About the author
Constantin Stanislavski
92?books331?followersConstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski (russian:§¬§à§ß§ã§ä§Ñ§ß§ä§Ú§ß §³§Ö§â§Ô§Ö§Ö§Ó§Ú§é §³§ä§Ñ§ß§Ú§ã§Ý§Ñ§Ó§ã§Ü§Ú§Û) was a Russian actor and theatre director.
Stanislavski's innovative contribution to modern European and American realistic acting has remained at the core of mainstream western performance training for much of the last century. Building on the directorially-unified aesthetic and ensemble playing of the Meiningen company and the naturalistic staging of Antoine and the independent theatre movement, Stanislavski organized his realistic techniques into a coherent and usable 'system'. Thanks to its promotion and development by acting teachers who were former students and the many translations of his theoretical writings, Stanislavski's system acquired an unprecedented ability to cross cultural boundaries and developed an international reach, dominating debates about acting in the West. That many of the precepts of his 'system' seem to be common sense and self-evident testifies to its hegemonic success. Actors frequently employ his basic concepts without knowing they do so.
Stanislavski treated theatre-making as a serious endeavour, requiring dedication, discipline and integrity, and the work of the actor as an artistic undertaking. Throughout his life, he subjected his own acting to a process of rigorous artistic self-analysis and reflection. His 'system' resulted from a persistent struggle to remove the blocks he encountered. His development of a theorized praxis¡ªin which practice is used as a mode of inquiry and theory as a catalyst for creative development¡ªidentifies him as the first great theatre practitioner. Stanislavski believed that after seeing young actors at Aquinas College in Moscow he could see why theatre needed to change to a more disciplined endeavour.
Stanislavski's work was as important to the development of socialist realism in the USSR as it was to that of psychological realism in the United States. Many actors routinely identify his 'system' with the American Method, although the latter's exclusively psychological techniques contrast sharply with Stanislavski's multivariant, holistic and psychophysical approach, which explores character and action both from the 'inside out' and the 'outside in'. Stanislavski's work draws on a wide range of influences and ideas, including his study of the modernist and avant-garde developments of his time (naturalism, symbolism and Meyerhold's constructivism), Russian formalism, Yoga, Pavlovian behaviourist psychology, James-Lange (via Ribot) psychophysiology and the aesthetics of Pushkin, Gogol, and Tolstoy. He described his approach as 'spiritual Realism'.
Associated Names:
Konstantin Stanislavski (Alternative spelling)
§¬§à§ß§ã§ä§Ñ§ß§ä§Ú§ß §³§ä§Ñ§ß§Ú§ã§Ý§Ñ§Ó§ã§Ü§Ú§Û (Russian)
˹̹Äá˹À·ò˹»ù (Chinese)
Stanislavski's innovative contribution to modern European and American realistic acting has remained at the core of mainstream western performance training for much of the last century. Building on the directorially-unified aesthetic and ensemble playing of the Meiningen company and the naturalistic staging of Antoine and the independent theatre movement, Stanislavski organized his realistic techniques into a coherent and usable 'system'. Thanks to its promotion and development by acting teachers who were former students and the many translations of his theoretical writings, Stanislavski's system acquired an unprecedented ability to cross cultural boundaries and developed an international reach, dominating debates about acting in the West. That many of the precepts of his 'system' seem to be common sense and self-evident testifies to its hegemonic success. Actors frequently employ his basic concepts without knowing they do so.
Stanislavski treated theatre-making as a serious endeavour, requiring dedication, discipline and integrity, and the work of the actor as an artistic undertaking. Throughout his life, he subjected his own acting to a process of rigorous artistic self-analysis and reflection. His 'system' resulted from a persistent struggle to remove the blocks he encountered. His development of a theorized praxis¡ªin which practice is used as a mode of inquiry and theory as a catalyst for creative development¡ªidentifies him as the first great theatre practitioner. Stanislavski believed that after seeing young actors at Aquinas College in Moscow he could see why theatre needed to change to a more disciplined endeavour.
Stanislavski's work was as important to the development of socialist realism in the USSR as it was to that of psychological realism in the United States. Many actors routinely identify his 'system' with the American Method, although the latter's exclusively psychological techniques contrast sharply with Stanislavski's multivariant, holistic and psychophysical approach, which explores character and action both from the 'inside out' and the 'outside in'. Stanislavski's work draws on a wide range of influences and ideas, including his study of the modernist and avant-garde developments of his time (naturalism, symbolism and Meyerhold's constructivism), Russian formalism, Yoga, Pavlovian behaviourist psychology, James-Lange (via Ribot) psychophysiology and the aesthetics of Pushkin, Gogol, and Tolstoy. He described his approach as 'spiritual Realism'.
Associated Names:
Konstantin Stanislavski (Alternative spelling)
§¬§à§ß§ã§ä§Ñ§ß§ä§Ú§ß §³§ä§Ñ§ß§Ú§ã§Ý§Ñ§Ó§ã§Ü§Ú§Û (Russian)
˹̹Äá˹À·ò˹»ù (Chinese)
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 30, 2020
Creating a Role (The Acting Books #3), Konstantin Stanislavski
Creating a Role is theatre actor/director Constantin Stanislavski's third and final book on his method for learning the art of acting. It was first published in Russian in 1957.
Contents:
Part I: Griboyedov's Woe from Wit: The Period of Study; The Period of Emotional Experience; The Period of Physical Embodiment.
Part II: Shakespeare's Othello: First Acquaintance; Creating the Physical Life of a Role; Analysis; Checking Work Done and Summing Up.
Part III: Gogol's The Inspector General: From Physical Actions to Living Image
Appendices: Supplement to Creating a Role; Improvisations on Othello.
????? ?????? ?????: ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? 2003 ??????
?????: ???? ?????? ??? ??????? ??? ??? - ?????? ???? ????????????? (???? ???)? ???????: ????????? ?????????????? ?????: ???? ??????? ????? ? ????? ??? ??? 1382? ?? 639?? ????? ??? ??? 1387? ???? 9789643765767? ??? ????? 1389? ????? ??????? ? ????? ?? ??? ????????????? - ??? 20?
???? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ??????????????? ?? ?????? ????? ?????? ????? ??? ???.? ?? ??? ???? ????? ? ??????? ? ??? ???????? ? ??????? ??? ?????????? ? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ??? ???.? ????? ?? ??? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ????? ? ????? ????? ? ???? ??? ????????: ????? ?????? ????? ?????? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ?? ????????? ? ???? ??????? ????? ??????? ??????? ????? ????? ????????? ? ???? ????? ????? ??????? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ????? ??????? ? ????? ?? ??????? ??? ???? ?????.? ??????????????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ???? ?????? ??? ????? ??????? ? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ???????? ? ???????? ??? ?? ???? ???? ? ????? ? ???? ? ?????? ????? ????????? ????? ??? ? ?????? ???? ?????? ???? ???????
????? ?????? ????? 08/05/1399???? ???????? ?. ???????
Creating a Role is theatre actor/director Constantin Stanislavski's third and final book on his method for learning the art of acting. It was first published in Russian in 1957.
Contents:
Part I: Griboyedov's Woe from Wit: The Period of Study; The Period of Emotional Experience; The Period of Physical Embodiment.
Part II: Shakespeare's Othello: First Acquaintance; Creating the Physical Life of a Role; Analysis; Checking Work Done and Summing Up.
Part III: Gogol's The Inspector General: From Physical Actions to Living Image
Appendices: Supplement to Creating a Role; Improvisations on Othello.
????? ?????? ?????: ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? 2003 ??????
?????: ???? ?????? ??? ??????? ??? ??? - ?????? ???? ????????????? (???? ???)? ???????: ????????? ?????????????? ?????: ???? ??????? ????? ? ????? ??? ??? 1382? ?? 639?? ????? ??? ??? 1387? ???? 9789643765767? ??? ????? 1389? ????? ??????? ? ????? ?? ??? ????????????? - ??? 20?
???? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ??????????????? ?? ?????? ????? ?????? ????? ??? ???.? ?? ??? ???? ????? ? ??????? ? ??? ???????? ? ??????? ??? ?????????? ? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ??? ???.? ????? ?? ??? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ????? ? ????? ????? ? ???? ??? ????????: ????? ?????? ????? ?????? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ?? ????????? ? ???? ??????? ????? ??????? ??????? ????? ????? ????????? ? ???? ????? ????? ??????? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ????? ??????? ? ????? ?? ??????? ??? ???? ?????.? ??????????????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ???? ?????? ??? ????? ??????? ? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ???????? ? ???????? ??? ?? ???? ???? ? ????? ? ???? ? ?????? ????? ????????? ????? ??? ? ?????? ???? ?????? ???? ???????
????? ?????? ????? 08/05/1399???? ???????? ?. ???????
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March 25, 2016This and and are not academic books on theatre history. But they are far too important and influential to ignore. In the Actor Prepares Trilogy, Stanislavski defines acting as a very serious activity requiring immense discipline and integrity. He lays out a system for acting that demands a kind of psychological realism that was rarely seen in pre-19th Century acting styles. It is common for teachers of acting to regard the works of Stanislavski as the beginning of the modern era in terms of how young theatre artists are trained.
July 29, 2011
Volume 3 of THE classic actor's handbook, and though "Method Acting" is essentially out of style, you have to know where the art has been to understand where it is now. It's still a fascinating read, as it was written during the discovery of the technique itself.
June 11, 2017
Stanislavsky's first in his set of three books on method acting. He breaks up a role into three parts: the study, emotional experience, and physical embodiment. Then he gives to examples, which are boring. First part is worth it.
May 1, 2008
Make me great. Stanney. Make me ACT.
July 30, 2016
Me pareci¨® muy inspirador y lo recomendar¨ªa a todos los cantantes l¨ªricos.
February 20, 2024
I liked this (or this translation) better than the first two of what is considered his trilogy.
August 1, 2024
Wonderful addition to the trilogy. Having now read all 3 books I find myself much more drawn to this one in particular. Loved it.
May 8, 2025
necessarily obtuse, unhelpful without praxis of course
April 16, 2023
¡°N?o ¨¦ sem motivo que nossa palavra ¡°drama¡± ¨¦ derivada da palavra grega, que significa ¡°eu fa?o¡±.
Explorar cada vez mais sua pr¨®pria natureza tamb¨¦m ¨¦ talvez, a melhor forma de multiplicar almas. Com o acaso imposto e a adaptabilidade natural, somos coagidos a exercitar essa multiplica??o que vem percorrendo um longu¨ªssimo caminho de refinamento, desde a heresia ¨¤ estrutura??o de uma moral fugaz que batalha para descobrir as mais sublimes formas de expressar nossa escala insuficiente.
Stanislavski encerra sua colet?nea submetendo suas incorpora??es a mais pr¨¢ticas psicot¨¦cnicas e as avaliando equitativamente no aspecto mais importante: atingir o momento da cria??o atrav¨¦s da vivacidade. A pr¨®pria vivacidade, respons¨¢vel por florescer uma vertente profunda que visa suprir o sentimento de dist?ncia: A filosofia existencialista. Nietzsche, um dos pais dessa vertente diz: O que importa n?o ¨¦ a vida eterna, mas a eterna vivacidade das alegrias sem futuro.
O diretor tamb¨¦m refor?a sobre a import?ncia das tenta??es, entenda: ¡°Uma c¨®pia ruim de um bom modelo ¨¦ pior do que um bom original de tra?ado med¨ªocre¡±. O agu?amento da dualidade visa sintetizar a deliberada l¨®gica de pensamento no ator para que haja poucas, sen?o nenhuma sugest?o externa sobre a correla??o de seus sentimentos pessoais e as formas escolhidas para ultrapassar de forma convincente o desafio renascentista: o controle da promiscuidade e resolu??es pr¨¢ticas do mist¨¦rio impetrado na raiz de cada express?o.
Em suma, o trabalho consiste em ajustes cont¨ªnuos como autoan¨¢lise induzida, acentua??o percept¨ªvel nas am¨¢lgamas, respeito ¨¤ sequ¨ºncia criativa e o desenvolvimento do subtexto l¨®gico nos aspectos acess¨ªveis. Com isso, o diretor cr¨º no florescimento do ¡°cogito ergo sum¡±, ou seja, o modo de vida que amplia a paix?o humana e penetra de forma indireta no reino do subconsciente para decodificar o ¡°superobjetivo¡± no espet¨¢culo. Como diz Shakespeare em Hamlet: ¡°What a piece of work is man¡±.
Link para meus grifados:
Explorar cada vez mais sua pr¨®pria natureza tamb¨¦m ¨¦ talvez, a melhor forma de multiplicar almas. Com o acaso imposto e a adaptabilidade natural, somos coagidos a exercitar essa multiplica??o que vem percorrendo um longu¨ªssimo caminho de refinamento, desde a heresia ¨¤ estrutura??o de uma moral fugaz que batalha para descobrir as mais sublimes formas de expressar nossa escala insuficiente.
Stanislavski encerra sua colet?nea submetendo suas incorpora??es a mais pr¨¢ticas psicot¨¦cnicas e as avaliando equitativamente no aspecto mais importante: atingir o momento da cria??o atrav¨¦s da vivacidade. A pr¨®pria vivacidade, respons¨¢vel por florescer uma vertente profunda que visa suprir o sentimento de dist?ncia: A filosofia existencialista. Nietzsche, um dos pais dessa vertente diz: O que importa n?o ¨¦ a vida eterna, mas a eterna vivacidade das alegrias sem futuro.
O diretor tamb¨¦m refor?a sobre a import?ncia das tenta??es, entenda: ¡°Uma c¨®pia ruim de um bom modelo ¨¦ pior do que um bom original de tra?ado med¨ªocre¡±. O agu?amento da dualidade visa sintetizar a deliberada l¨®gica de pensamento no ator para que haja poucas, sen?o nenhuma sugest?o externa sobre a correla??o de seus sentimentos pessoais e as formas escolhidas para ultrapassar de forma convincente o desafio renascentista: o controle da promiscuidade e resolu??es pr¨¢ticas do mist¨¦rio impetrado na raiz de cada express?o.
Em suma, o trabalho consiste em ajustes cont¨ªnuos como autoan¨¢lise induzida, acentua??o percept¨ªvel nas am¨¢lgamas, respeito ¨¤ sequ¨ºncia criativa e o desenvolvimento do subtexto l¨®gico nos aspectos acess¨ªveis. Com isso, o diretor cr¨º no florescimento do ¡°cogito ergo sum¡±, ou seja, o modo de vida que amplia a paix?o humana e penetra de forma indireta no reino do subconsciente para decodificar o ¡°superobjetivo¡± no espet¨¢culo. Como diz Shakespeare em Hamlet: ¡°What a piece of work is man¡±.
Link para meus grifados:
Read
December 26, 2016After long and meticulous reading, underlineing, studying, contemplating on this last book that Stanislavski wanted to write but was published with the help post-mortem. He didn't see the light of day. But apart from the other two books- this book kind of recapitulates all the main subjects from the other two and adding a finalization of thought.
A very good guide to actors and actresses, anyone interested in pursuing to be an actor should ready the three books chronologically. Because only ready the first two- does a lot of the things mentioned on the third makes sense and molds its soul into a form, a body.
Lots of references were made on Stanislavsky's autobiographical "My Life in Art", after reading these 3 books (1- An Actor Prepares 2- Building a Character 3- Creating a Role), I want to read this book.
A good reference for all cinema or theatre actors/actresses interested in pursuing acting.
A very good guide to actors and actresses, anyone interested in pursuing to be an actor should ready the three books chronologically. Because only ready the first two- does a lot of the things mentioned on the third makes sense and molds its soul into a form, a body.
Lots of references were made on Stanislavsky's autobiographical "My Life in Art", after reading these 3 books (1- An Actor Prepares 2- Building a Character 3- Creating a Role), I want to read this book.
A good reference for all cinema or theatre actors/actresses interested in pursuing acting.
August 5, 2007
?? ?????? ?? ??? ? ????? ??? ????????????? ?? ????? ???? ??? ??? ?? ?? ???? ?? ????. ?????? ?? ?? ?? ??? ???? ??? ????? ?? "??? ??????" ?? ????? ??? ?? ???? ???. ??? ?? ???? ????? ??? ????? ? ??? ????? ????? ? ????? ?? ??? "???? ?????????" ?... ?? ??? ? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???? ??? ????????????? ?? ??? ?????
October 23, 2021
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?????? ????? ???? ?? ???? ??????? ? ???????? ??????? ????? ?? ??????? ???? ????? ? ?????? ???? ??????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ?????.
?? ?? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ? ??????? ????.
?????? ????? ???? ?? ???? ??????? ? ???????? ??????? ????? ?? ??????? ???? ????? ? ?????? ???? ??????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ?????.
?? ?? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ? ??????? ????.
April 15, 2009
Creating a Role by Constantin Stanislavski (1989)
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February 9, 2016Usable exercises for any situation most applicable for actors and directors in text theatre
September 30, 2016
Belongs on every actor's shelf. Great reference book.
May 3, 2018
MUST read in order. All three. Amazing for actors, read before any other acting book. This is the foundation, period.
August 2, 2020
Brilliant.
April 15, 2021
The book for everyone who belongs to theatre .
June 19, 2021
Another must own book for all actors everywhere.
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