Creating a Role
Creating a Role by Konstantin Stanislavsky, published by Taylor & Francis in 1989, is the third volume in Stanislavski’s influential trilogy on the art of acting. This edition, comprising 271 pages, delves into the intricate process of character development through the lens of three distinct plays: Griboyedov’s Woe from Wit, Shakespeare’s Othello, and Gogol’s The Inspector General. The book builds upon the foundational concepts introduced in An Actor Prepares and Building a Character, focusing on how actors can effectively embody their roles.
Readers will find a comprehensive exploration of the character creation process, which Stanislavski outlines in three stages: studying the character, establishing its life, and translating it into physical form. The text emphasizes the dual approach of understanding roles from both internal and external perspectives. It guides actors in recounting the narrative in their own terms, fostering an inner life that enriches the character’s portrayal, and connecting personal experiences to the character’s circumstances. Additionally, the book addresses the physical aspects of performance, including gestures, sounds, intonation, and speech, providing insights into the artistry of acting.
Official synopsis Publisher
Creating a Roleis the culmination of Stanislavski’s masterful trilogy on the art of acting. An Actor Preparesfocused on the inner training of an actor’s imagination. Building a Characterdetailed how the actor’s body and voice could be tuned for the great roles he might fill.
This third volume examines the development of a character from the viewpoint of three widely contrasting plays: Griboyedov’s Woe from Wit, Shakespeare’s Othello, and Gogol’s The Inspector General. Building on the first two books, Stanislavski demonstrates how a fully realized character is born in three stages: “studying it; establishing the life of the role; putting it into physical form.”
Tracing the actor’s process from the first reading to production, he explores how to approach roles from inside and outside simultaneously. He shows how to recount the story in actor’s terms, how to create an inner life that will give substance to the author’s words, and how to search into one’s own experiences to connect with the character’s situation. Finally, he speaks of the physical expression of the character in gestures, sounds, intonation, and speech. Throughout, a picture of a real artist at work emerges, sometimes failing, but always seeking truthful answers.
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