ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to introduce Stanislavsky’s famous System in a manner that is informative to a reader not already versed in Stanislavsky. The System is the backbone of Stanislavsky’s writings and practices and underpins Analysis through Action. But there are many readings or misinterpretations of the System, the first of which is that it is not a system – it is a set of theoretical propositions meant for the actor and director, and moreover theory of the creative interaction of mind and body for anyone. It is important to recognize that Stanislavsky was a deeply spiritual Russian Orthodox up to his death, but Americans, fixated on individualistic psychology, ignored or denied the spiritual aspects of Stanislavsky’s works. Further complicating matters for Westerners is the fact that the two major books of Stanislavsky – An Actor Prepares and Building a Character – were published thirteen years and one world war apart from each other: 1936 and 1949. Both were greatly redacted from Stanislavsky’s originals, and the latter volume, which emphasizes physical and vocal expression, was more or less seen as an afterthought to the more psychological Actor Prepares. Employing a detailed graphic image initiated and supervised by Stanislavsky, the chapter traces the actor’s journey from the conscious to the subconscious through several steps.
