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Stanislavski: The Basicsis an engaging introduction to the life, thought and impact of Konstantin Stanislavski. Regarded by many as a great innovator of twentieth century theatre, this book examines Stanislavski's: life and the context of his writings major works in English translation ideas in practical contexts impact on modern theatre With further reading throughout, a glossary of terms and a comprehensive chronology, this text makes the ideas and theories of Stanislavski available to an undergraduate audience.

Serafima Birman was an actress of the Moscow Art Theatre who worked in the First Studio and Second Moscow Art Theatre throughout the revolutionary and civil war period (1910s–1920s) and went on to have a distinguished career as a performer, teacher, and director in Stalinist and post-Stalinist USSR (1920s–1970s). In this article Rose Whyman investigates her artistic and cultural contribution in the development of the Stanislavsky System and of her approach to acting, working alongside Vakhtangov, Michael Chekhov, and influenced by Meyerhold and other artists of the avant-garde. She was the first female director at the theatre, continued to act and direct in Soviet theatres, and worked in film, notably with Eisenstein on Ivan the Terrible. The development of her career required great determination and necessitated making theatrical and political choices in order to survive and maintain the artistic principles on which her work was based. Rose Whyman is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts at the University of Birmingham and is the author of The Stanislavsky System of Acting (Cambridge, 2008) and Stanislavsky: the Basics (Routledge, 2013).

Stanislavski: The Basics is an engaging introduction to the life, thought and impact of Konstantin Stanislavski. Regarded by many as a great innovator of twentieth century theatre, this book examines Stanislavski's: life and the context of his writings major works in English translation ideas in practical contexts impact on modern theatre With further reading throughout, a glossary of terms and a comprehensive chronology, this text makes the ideas and theories of Stanislavski available to an undergraduate audience.

The term ‘psychophysical’ in relation to acting and performer training is widely used by theatre scholars and practitioners. Konstantin Stanislavsky is considered to have been an innovator in developing an approach to Western acting focused on both psychology and physicality. The discourse encompasses questions of practice, of creativity and emotion, the philosophical problem of mind–body from Western and Eastern perspectives of spirituality. In this article, Rose Whyman attempts to uncover what Stanislavsky meant by his limited use of the term ‘psychophysical’ and suggests that much of the discourse remains prone to a dualist mind–body approach. Clarification of this is needed in order to further understanding of the practice of training performers. Rose Whyman is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts at the University of Birmingham. She researches the science of actor training and is the author of The Stanislavsky System of Acting (Cambridge, 2008) and Stanislavsky: the Basics (Routledge, 2013).

RESUMO Este artigo considera as origens do sistema de Stanislavski e a sua insistência na ideia de que as habilidades do ator, assim como as do músico, devam ser afinadas por intermédio de exercícios diários. Tal prática precisa se tornar a segunda natureza do ator nos termos de Stanislavski. Compara-se aqui o que Stanislavski tem a dizer sobre a aquisição dessas habilidades com a discussão sobre o papel do hábito na aprendizagem do psicólogo William James. Isso levanta alguns problemas na teorização do sistema hoje, uma vez que o mesmo está radicado na ciência de mais de um século atrás, quando muito menos se sabia sobre os mecanismos da memória e da aprendizagem.

RESUMO Este artigo considera as origens do sistema de Stanislavski e a sua insistência na ideia de que as habilidades do ator, assim como as do músico, devam ser afinadas por intermédio de exercícios diários. Tal prática precisa se tornar a segunda natureza do ator nos termos de Stanislavski. Compara-se aqui o que Stanislavski tem a dizer sobre a aquisição dessas habilidades com a discussão sobre o papel do hábito na aprendizagem do psicólogo William James. Isso levanta alguns problemas na teorização do sistema hoje, uma vez que o mesmo está radicado na ciência de mais de um século atrás, quando muito menos se sabia sobre os mecanismos da memória e da aprendizagem. RÉSUMÉ Cet article se penche sur les origines du système de Stanislavski et, plus particulièrement, sur la récurrence de l'idée que les habilités de l'acteur, comme celles du musicien, doivent être entretenues grâce à des exercices journaliers. Cette pratique doit devenir une seconde nature pour l'acteur, selon Stanislavski. Le discours de Stanislavski sur l'acquisition de ces nouvelles habilités est mis en rapport ici avec la réflexion sur le rôle de l'accoutumance dans l'apprentissage développée par le psychologue William James. Cela soulève en effet quelques problèmes dans la théorisation du système aujourd'hui, puisque ce dernier est enraciné dans une science qui date de plus d'un siècle, lorsque l'on ne savait que très peu sur les mécanismes de la mémoire et de l'apprentissage. ABSTRACT This article considers the origins of Stanislavski's system and his insistence that the actor's skills, like the musician's, must be honed through daily exercises. Such practice must become the actor's second nature, as Stanislavski terms it. It also compares what Stanislavski has to say about the skills acquisition with the psychologist William James' discussion of the role of habit in learning. This raises some problems in theorizing the system today, as it was rooted in the science of more than a century ago, when much less was known about the mechanisms of memory and learning.

[...]Nature. A biblioteca de Stanislavski continha Elements of Scientific Psychology in the Theatrical Art in Connection with general questions of Theatre (Elementos da Psicologia Científica na Arte Teatral Liga- dos a Questões Gerais do Teatro), publicado em 1912 por Yevgeni Bezpiatov, (proprietário da Escola de Teatro A. S. Suvorin em São Petersburgo, onde Mikhail Tchekhov estudou), que cita Textbook of Psychology. William James foi quem popularizou o termo segunda natureza em Talks to Teachers on Psychology and Life's Ideals [Palestras para Professores sobre a Psicologia e os Ideais de Vida], no qual afirma que (1899): \"O hábito é, assim, uma segunda natureza, ou melhor, como o Duque de Wellington disse, ele é 'dez vezes a natureza'\" ( James, 1927, p. 65). É autora de The Stan- islavski System of Acting: legacy and influence in modern performance.

This article considers the origins of Stanislavski's system and his insistence that the actor's skills, like the musician's, must be honed through daily exercises. Such practice must become the actor's ‘second nature’, as Stanislavski terms it. Rose Whyman here compares what Stanislavski has to say about skill acquisition with the psychologist William James's discussion of the role of habit in learning. This raises some problems in theorizing the system today, as it was rooted in the science of more than a century ago, when much less was known about the mechanisms of memory and learning. Rose Whyman worked previously in community and experimental theatre and is now a lecturer in Drama and Theatre Arts at the University of Birmingham. Her book The Stanislavski System of Acting: Legacy and Influence in Modern Performance is to be published by CUP later this year.