ABSTRACT
The actor’s own tempo-rhythm is in a constant flux under the influence of different everyday circumstances. When the actor arrives at the theatre before the show, they may be excited, or depressed by what goes on in the personal life. So they carry their own tempo-rhythm onto the stage like daily litter. ‘The performance thus depends on the accidents of daily life, not on our psycho-technique’, writes Stanislavski. The moment any event in the play is viewed in isolation from its super task, or with no connection to the play’s given circumstances, the director and the actors involved will inevitably encounter huge difficulties that often lead to serious errors. Both Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko were ambivalent about the lack of psychological justification for the transition to dancing once Famusov’s guests became convinced that Chatski was insane.
