Stanislavski, Konstantin

1863

1938

Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski was a seminal Russian and Soviet theatre practitioner, producer, director and character actor. Born into a wealthy merchant’s family, Konstantin began acting at an early age with his family as a part of the amateur theatricals that would take place in the theatre that his father built in their summer house. As a teenager he began taking notes on his performance and noting what worked with the audience and what didn’t. As a young man he worked for his father’s textile factory by day and went to the Maly Theatre most nights. In 1898, Stanislavski and the producer and playwright Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, co-founded the Moscow Arts Theatre with the aim to put on naturalistic productions for the people. He promoted contemporary Russian playwrights and also classical Shakespeare. His actors were trained with a vigorous regime of rehearsals and encouraged the actor’s self-reflection to get to obtain the truth of the character. The method is still used today by some. The company made many tours of Europe and the United States and were popular with the Socialist government until Stalin tightened rules on what plays could be performed.