STANISLAVSKI EXERCISES

Stanislavski's acting technique has inspired all the a!"r acting eth"ds devel"ped in Aerica in the t#entieth centur$% $et
a l"t "& 'eginning act"rs still &ind it di&&icult t" understand( )"r a quick l""k at the 'asics "& the *Stanislavski s$ste*% 'el"#
are &"ur "& Stanislavski's acting principles% each illustrated '$ a siple acting e+ercise(
1) Using your imagination to create real emotions on stage
Stanislavski enc"uraged his students t" use the agic i& t" 'elieve in the circustances "& the pla$( Act"rs use their
iaginati"n t" ans#er questi"ns like, *-hat i& #hat happens in the scene #as reall$ happening t" e.* *-here d" I c"e
&r".* *-hat d" I #ant.* *-here a I g"ing.* *-hat #ill I d" #hen I get there.*
A siple e+ercise $"u can d" an$#here t" devel"p $"ur iaginati"n is t" sipl$ "'serve pe"ple surr"unding $"u as $"u g"
a'"ut $"ur dail$ li&e /&"r e+aple% in the su'#a$ "r at the c"&&ee sh"p0( Then% invent details a'"ut their lives and use $"ur
"'servati"ns t" ake up a 'i"graph$ &"r each pers"n( The ne+t step is t" #rite the 'i"graph$ "& a character $"u're pla$ing(
2) Action versus Emotion
Stanislavsk$ enc"uraged his students t" c"ncentrate "n acti"ns rather than e"ti"ns( In ever$ scene% the act"r has an
objective /a g"al "& #hat he #ants t" acc"plish0 and &aces a series "& "'stacles( T" reach his g"al% the act"r 'reaks the
scene d"#n int" 'eats% #ith each 'eat 'eing an active verb% s"ething the character does t" tr$ t" reach his "'!ective(
1ere are a &e# e+aples "& active ver's that can 'e acti"ns in scenes, T" help T" hurt T" praise T" deean T" leave T" keep
T" c"nvince
A siple e+ercise t" get used t" this #a$ "& #"rking is t" get a piece "& paper and c"ntinue this list% adding as an$ active
ver's as $"u can think "&(
3) Relaxation and Concentration
Act"rs #h" stud$ Stanislavski's acting eth"d learn t" rela+ their uscles( The g"al is t" n"t use an$ e+tra uscles than
the "nes needed t" per&"r a particular acti"n "n stage( The$ als" #"rk "n c"ncentrati"n s" the$ can reach a state "&
solitude in public and n"t &eel tense #hen per&"ring "n stage( In this acting technique% rela+ati"n and c"ncentrati"n g"
hand in hand(
1ere's a siple Stanislavski c"ncentrati"n e+ercise t" get started2 Cl"se $"ur e$es and c"ncentrate "n ever$ s"und $"u
hear% &r" the l"udest t" the "st quiet, a d""r slaing in the distance% a ru&&le "& the leaves in the trees "utside% the
hu "& the air c"nditi"ner% etc( Tr$ t" &"cus s"lel$ "n s"unds% e+cluding ever$thing else &r" $"ur ind( The ne+t step is t"
"pen $"ur e$es and tr$ t" retain the sae a"unt "& &"cus(
4) Using the senses
Stanislavsk$ students practiced using their senses t" create a sense "& realit$ "n stage( )"r e+aple% i& their character !ust
#alked ind""rs and it #as sn"#ing "utside% the$ a$ #"rk "n an e+ercise t" ree'er #hat 'eing "utd""rs in the sn"#
&eels like s" the$ can have a str"ng sense "& #here the$'re c"ing &r"(
1ere's a quick e+aple "& h"# $"u #"uld appr"ach that t$pe "& e+ercise2 Cl"se $"ur e$es and iagine $"u are "utd""rs in
the sn"#% then ask $"ursel& the &"ll"#ing &ive questi"ns,
What do you see? Is the sn"# pristine. 3udd$. Is it sparkling in the sun. Is it "re "& a dark cl"ud$ da$.
What do you smell? 1"# c"ld is the air as it enters $"ur n"strils and g"es d"#n t" $"ur lungs.0
What do you hear? Is it "re quiet than usual.
What do you feel? 1"# d"es the sn"# &eel as it &alls "n $"ur &ace. Is it stick$. 4"#der$. -et. Are $"ur t"es c"ld.
What do you taste? Iagine that a sn"#&lake &alls "n $"ur lips( 1"# d"es it taste. Is $"ur thr"at dr$ &r" the c"ld.
Stanislavski Through Practice
Stanislavski is rightly called the 'father of modern theatre', his System of acting became the backbone of
twentieth century theatre craft. Nearly all other practitioners use him as a starting point, either to build
from or to react against. He cannot be ignored.
So much has already been written about Stanislavski, the brief of the book is not to go over that ground
again. Rather it covers the salient points Stanislavski made in his many books and studio experiments, to
order them into a logical form so that they can be easily followed and understood by students and to
translate them into purely practical terms so that each theory can be tested through practice. Students
may thus pick up the points made and turn them easily into essays backed up with practical knowledge.
eni roughly divides her practical teaching of Stanislavski into two areas!
". the general training of the actor which prepares the student in the main principles of the System
#. the preparation of a role showing how the System is useful in building towards a
characteri$ation. %his study program follows the same format.
&very effort has been made to demystify the theory and to show the interdependency of all the different
elements of the system.
'hether you are studying Stanislavski per se or have chosen the topic of 'naturalism' from your syllabus
you will find this study program useful and easy to follow.
Contents:
General Introduction; First Lessons;
Part One: %he (eneral training of an )ctor!
". *magination
#. +elief
,. -oncentration
.. Relaxation
/. 0hysical -ontrol
1. Speech 2ersatility 3 -ontrol
4. -ommunication
5. 2ocal -ommunication 6 Subtext
7. %empo6Rhythm
Part Two: %he )ctor's approach to a Role!
". Research
#. Subtext 6 8nits and 9b:ectives
,. Subtext 6 &motion ;emory
.. %empo6Rhythm 6 )nother 8seful %ool
/. <ine %uning 6 Speech
1. <ine6%uning 6 (roup Sensitivity, %eamwork
4. %he )ctor in 0erformance
Conclusion
Sample Pages rom Stanislavski Through Practice:
!elie
". %he teacher could begin the work on belief with an exercise in which the students do not even reali$e
they are participating= -ome into the studio in a real flap and tell the students you've lost your wallet, car
keys, glasses, register, notes on Stanislavski, whatever you like= ;ake sure it is something really
important 6 without the lost item, you, or they, will be in real trouble 6 so that they are really looking
everywhere. >ou think it may have fallen behind something, have been picked up by mistake and be in
someone's bag, etc. *t's up to you to keep the urgency going in any way you can. ?eep it going as long as
you can, constantly whipping up their concern and commitment to the task. &ventually you disclose that
this is all an exercise and that you want them to repeat their search from the beginning, trying to
remember how they felt, behaved, etc. 9bserve them carefully. How convincing are they@ Ao they
believe in what they are doing@ How can you tell@ -omment on their 'performance' as fully as you can. B
)nother way of doing this is to let one or two students in on the secret at the beginning, giving them
instructions to observe closely the differences in feeling, commitment and sincerity between the two
searches.C &ither way of approaching the exercise is a useful starting point and will fuel an animated
discussion, which should be fully explored, explained and written up by the students. %he reali$ation
they should come to, hopefully of their own accord, is that doing something for real is one thing,
imitating that activity in such a way as to convince an audience that it is real is an altogether different
thing and infinitely harder to pull off.
-entral to Stanislavski's System is believing in what you are doing. 9nly if the actor believes will the
audience believe. %hey are drawn in by the sincerity of what the actor is doing. +asically the whole
System is the set of aids by which the actor is helped to believe he is the role he is creating.
Aespite the fact the whole System is working towards belief, * find it helpful to do some 'belief exercises
with students early on, which can prove a number of important things, starting with the reali$ation that
belief 'in limbo' is well6nigh impossible.
Practical "ork
#. Sit in a circle. %eacher leads by passing a scrumpled up piece of paper around the circle and telling
them it is a bird that has fallen out of its nest, fully feathered but not yet able to fly. %he students must be
very gentle. ?eep talking about the bird, its color, si$e, the brightness of its eyes, ' Dook at its beak
opening, perhaps it's hungry'E 'How its claws grip, don't they@' 6 you are trying to build up belief by
building up visual facts to hang onto.
'hen the bird returns to you, you can do a number of things.
>ou can mash it in your hands 6 this cruelly tests belief 6 those who have begun to believe will be
horrified. >ou could gently place it in a box, or take it outside. *t is up to you. %he seriousness with
which you, the teacher, approach this gives the students a clue as to how seriously these actors' exercises
should be taken.
,. Still in the circle, pass round an envelope containing a blank piece of paper.
*t must be used as!
a love letter
a coded message containing escape plans
exam results
a letter calling off the engagement
news of the death of a rich old aunt from whom you are due to inherit
the offer of a :ob
news that your son has been killed in the war
the letter has been given to you by mistake 6 it should really have gone to another member of
your family
.. 0ass an ob:ect around and each person must use it in a different way convincingly. %he ob:ect could
:ust be a stick, or the biro you have in your pocket. *t could be used as a comb, a dagger, a mobile phone,
etc.
Variation: scatter and use any ob:ect in the room as something it is notE retain the same ob:ect and
change what you use it as at least twice more.
)fter this series of exercises discuss the difficulties. Some will have the Fuality of 'naivety' that allows
them to lose themselves in the imagination Fuickly and easily. 'hether they could sustain that Fuality
with a number of distractions is another matter. 9thers will have found it difficult to do these exercises.
%hese students may well be those who are most honest about 'feeling' and 'believing' themselves.
&ncourage this honesty. &ncourage them to see the difference between 'pretending' and 'believing'. How
many, when challenged, honestly believed in what they were doing@
+elief is helped by facts. Remind them how many found it easier to believe in the bird the more detail
about the bird was added.
%his is the same relationship that 'magic if and 'given circumstances' have to one another. '*f is the
plunge that the imagination is taking 6 'if this piece of paper were a bird that had fallen from its nest ' 6
the imagination then asks Fuestions 6 what@ why@ how@ etc., it needs more detail, more facts, more
'given circumstances' 6 beak, bright eyes, color, etc. &ach new fact acts as an aid, a kind of fixative, to
the imagination.
/. 8se a stick, a strip of stiff cardboard or similar. %he stick is a knife. *t is used in an exercise that in
some way involves life and death! you are contemplating killing a rival, or freeing a condemned captive,
or performing an operation under difficult circumstances in which the patient may die.
>ou will need to build up a whole scenario answering the Fuestions who@ why@ when@ where@ how@ etc.
&ach one of these invented facts, or circumstances, will help the process of belief and make it easier.
*t will be helpful to build up belief in the 'knife' by starting with a kind of meditation on the ob:ect.
-oncentrate totally on it till you see its shape, si$e, feel its weight, test its sharpness and so on. 9nly
when you really believe in the knife should you complete the exercise and perform the scene.
)fter the exercise is finished, :ot down how many elements of the System are used and interrelated here.
;agic if, given circumstances, concentration, imagination. )ll the elements feed into one another.
1. %est the inter6relationship of imaginationGmagic if with given circumstances to aid belief in another
series of exercises!
<ind your own space. >ou are cooking. %here is your stove in front of you, saucepans and so on. Now
begin.
<or a moment they will look flummoxedE this is because they have so little to go on. %hen they'll begin.
Det them all carry on in their own space for a little, then stop them and ask a few Fuestions! who are
they@ where@ etc. +y the readiness of their answers you will know if they have already felt the need to
do this process for themselves. Hopefully, some of them will have found it impossible to proceed
without inventing circumstances.
Now start the exercise again, but this time give them more specific scenarios with more detail!
>ou are an older sisterG brother having to prepare supper for awkward younger siblings. %hey are
fussyE neither eat the same thingsE ;um, however, has specified they must have a balanced
meal...
>ou are a busy chef in a popular restaurant at half past ten on a Saturday night. 9rders are
coming from all directions, it is hot, the noise level is terrific...
>ou are preparing a supper for a boyG girlfriend, wanting very much to impress with your
capabilityE your parents are out for the evening, your special visitor is due to arrive in half an
hour...
%hey should see at the end of this!
aC how important detail is to aid belief6 %he fuller the circumstances, the easier it is to believe.
bC how different circumstances will change the basic action and prevent the actor from acting 'in
general'. %he first instruction, simply 'to cook' will lead to acting 'in general'. %he different given
circumstances will dictate how the actor cooks, in Fuite a uniFue fashion according to each set of
circumstances.
&xplain how this exercise needs to be used when studying a playtext for such directions as '&nter
(eorge'. %he details of! from where@ to where@ what time of day@ what state of mind is (eorge in@ and
so on, will all affect the way (eorge enters.
4. %ry some enterGexit exercises. %reat it as a game with volunteers performing from the following
categories in turn. 9thers must guess, for instance, where they are coming from.
a# a series o entrances showing $
where you are coming from
what has happened offstage to affect mood Bargument with boss, for instanceC
when 6 what time of day it is
a letter calling off the engagement
news of the death of a rich old aunt from whom you are due to inherit
why you are entering Bto look for lost purse, for instanceC
%# a series o e&its showing $
where you are going off to
when 6 time of day
why 6 the reason for going
what you are feeling B e.g. you are psyching himself up to face a dreaded interview with the
headmasterC
<inish this section by setting a number of tasks for which the individual students must invent their own
'if and 'circumstances'. Remember that the 'if is 'magic' because it gives the imagination that stimulatory
nudge which will excite the actor into action. %he 'circumstances' which he will 'give' or invent for
himself are the facts needed to give substance to that imagined person and situation. %ake them through
the process first by sending one student up on the stage. %ell him to sit and wait. %hen tell him to invent
a reason for sitting there. Next he must add as many details as he needs 6 who is he@ where is he@ why is
he there@ what is he feeling about it@ BHow does this feeling make him sit@C %his latter Fuestion is
verging on the over6analytical at this stage. )nalysis is useful but after the event. )t this analytical stage
discuss, too, aC how much of the feeling was stimulated by the invention of detailed information and bC
how much the expression of that feeling, i.e. body language, facial expression, came naturally out of the
inner state. 'ere any of these physical signs consciously imposed@
5. %ry inventing an 'if' and 'given circumstances' for the following!
writing a letter
tidying a room
digging a hole
'n Outline o the Stanislavski S(stem
". Relaxation. Dearning to relax the muscles and eliminate physical tension while performing.
#. -oncentration. Dearning to think like an actor and to respond to oneHs own imagination.
,. 'ork with the senses. Aiscovering the sensory base of the work! learning to memori$e and recall
sensations, often called Isense memoryJ and Gor Iaffective memoryJE learning to work from a small
sensation and expand it, a techniFue Stanislavski called Ispheres of attentionJ.
.. Sense of truth. Dearning to tell the difference between the organic and the artificial. Stanislavski
believed that there were natural laws of acting, which were to be obeyed.
/. (iven -ircumstances. Aeveloping the ability to use previous four skills to create the world of the
play Kthe circumstances given in the textL through true and organic means.
1. -ontact and communication. Aeveloping the ability to interact with other performers spontaneously,
and with an audience, without violating the world of the play.
4. 8nits and ob:ectives. Dearning to divide the role into sensible units that can be worked on
individually, and developing the ability to define each unit of the role by an active goal desired by
the character rather than as an entirely literary idea.
5. Dogic and believability. Aiscovering how to be certain that the sum of the combined ob:ectives are
consistent and coherent and that they are in line with the play as a whole.
7. 'ork with the text. Aeveloping the ability to uncover the social, political, and artistic meaning of
the text, and seeing that these ideas are contained within the performance.
"M. %he creative state of mind. )n automatic culmination of all the previous steps.
)*L'+'TIO, - CO,C*,T)'TIO,
&xercises should begin with a short period of relaxation followed by the following concentration
exercises.
". %he three dominant senses are sight, sound, and touch. Have students select an ob:ect that
appeals to the senses or you may supply one. Have them concentrate on that ob:ect by examining
the ob:ect millimeter by millimeter. )sk them which of the senses is the most dominant. Have
them touch the ob:ect to their face and feel its temperature, feel the sensation. Repeat and note
what is physically memorable about this experience. Aiscuss as a group when finished. K"M minL
#. (et comfortable in a sitting position. <ocus your attention on one stimulus only Kexample! search
the room for anything that is colored redE tune into every sound you can hear no matter how
faint, etc.L Aiscuss afterward. K/ minL
,. (et comfortable in a sitting position. *n your mind reconstruct every detail of your day so far.
%hink of what you ate, every word you spoke, every movement you made. Aiscuss afterward. K/
minL
.. Aivide class into groups of 4 Kcan varyL. )ssign them letters of the alphabet. &ach student will be
responsible for , or . letters. -reate a rhythm, such as slap leg, clap hands, snap fingers, snap
fingers. )fter establishing a rhythm have the group spell words, then expand to sentences.
K;ovie or play titles are fun to do with this.L %he students must say the letters they are
responsible for when they come up in the spelling. Have them say the letters on a certain part of
the rhythm, such as on the clap. -oncentration is a must for this exercise. K"/6#M minL
/. >ou may need to take another "M6"/ minutes to discuss what they have learned during the class
period and how they can apply it to acting.
*&ercises and Suggestions or each !asic Step
%hese are only suggestions and examples. >ou are welcome to incorporate your own improvisations
and ideas to meet the purpose of each step. * suggest that you hold a discussion after students finish
each step to be sure they understand the concept.
". )ela&ation! ;ost theatre textbooks will give you a good set of relaxation exercises. -hoose
what works for you and your students.
#. Concentration! 9ne of my favorite concentration exercises is as follows! "L 0air students #L
have each pair select a fairy tale or other story that they are familiar with ,L have one student be
the storyteller and the other student, the mirror .L have the storyteller begin telling the story. %he
mirror must concentrate on the mouth of the storyteller so they can say words with the
storyteller. /Lhave them continue this for several minutes, then reverse roles 1L extend the time
and speed up the procedure as students become more accustomed to working together.
,. "ork with senses! %his is an exercise * use with my students. %he idea comes
from the book IHi6-oncept N Do6%echJ by +arbara -arlisle and Aon Arapeau.
+egin with relaxation. 'hen thoroughly relaxed, instruct the students to close their
eyes, let their minds be free so they can focus. Now have them think or a place where they, as a
child, spent a lot of time. *t could be their room, a playhouse, a place in the woods, etc. )sk them to
try to see it in their mind. (uide them with Fuestions, such as! 'hat is there@ 'hat do you feel
beneath your feet@ 'hat do you see to your right, left, over your head@ *s it hot@ 'arm@ -ool@ &tc.
'hat do you smell@ How much light is there@ 'hat is the air like around you@ 'hat ob:ects do you
see@
Now remember a particular moment in that space. +e very specific. 'hy did you go to this
place@ 'hat was said@ How do you feel@
9nce all this is in your mind and in your sense memory, move to a spot in this room where
you can be in that place. (o there silently without interacting with anyone. Ao not disturb your
concentration. Stay there until you are told to break.
Have each student, after they break, condense this experience into two or three sentences. *f
the experience is too personal, respect their desire not to share. Have a good discussion about their
experience.
.. Sense o Truth! ) Isense of truthJ refers to finding the truth of your physical
actions and perceptual reactions. -ommitment to the ImomentJ. >ou can begin
discovering this Isense of truthJ with the following exercise on patience. (iving
the time needed to wait for a whole picture to develop in the mindHs eye, so that it
can be responded to honestly.
Have students imagine that they are eating an apple. %hey must be able to IseeJ the apple in
their hand, feel their teeth as they bite into it, feel it dissolving as they chew and swallow it.
0erhaps a bit of the skin is caught in their teeth. How do they get it out@ Aoes the :uice run down
their chin@
Aiscuss the exercise.
./ Given Circumstances. %he technical theatre term used to describe all the details that make up
the situation is the given circumstances. 8se exercises dealing with who, what and where. 2iola
SpolinHs book, I*mprovisation for the %heatreJ, has many exercises to choose from.
0/ Contact and Communication. 8se exercises from 2iola SpolinHs I*mprovisation for the
%heatreJ. )ll these exercises should help develop an awareness of self, space and environment.
1/ 2nits and O%3ectives. %his step begins the analytical process. +egin work with chosen
monologues. 'ork exercises that present work with obstacles, conflict and goals. Ksee suggested
websites for examples of improvisationsL.
4/ Logic and %elieva%ilit(/ -ontinue work with monologues. 'ork on continuity of the piece.
%his is a good place to reinforce commitment to the ImomentJ.
5/ "ork with the te&t. 'hat does the text mean@ 'ork on vocal expression and delivery.
67/ The Creative State o 8ind. )n automatic culmination of all the previous steps. 0ractice
monologues and present to class.