ABSTRACT

In this chapter of Stanislavski's Legacy, Stanislavski says that the Moscow Art Theatre is a long-hoped-for, long-promised child. It is not for the sake of material gain that he has waited so long for it. It is the answer to prayer for something to bring light and beauty into humdrum lives. He advises people to be careful to appreciate what has fallen into their hands lest they shall soon be crying like the child who has broken his favourite toy. According to Stanislavski, we should not forget that if we break up with such a black mark against us we shall deserve to be laughed to scorn, because here we have undertaken something which is not a simple, private matter, but bears a public character. We should also not forget that the goal is to bring enlightenment into the lives of the poor, to give them some aesthetic enjoyment amid the gloom in which they have been living.