Stanislavski, emotion and the future of the UK conservatoire

Abstract

Understanding Stanislavskian practice in the UK conservatoire is a complex task for at least three reasons. Firstly, there is the challenge of grasping the system itself. Secondly, there is the complexity of tracing the multiple branches of the Stanislavski “family tree.” Finally, as David Shirley explains, the transmission of his ideas to the UK was a “piecemeal” process extended over many years, often obscured by imperfect translations and limited contact with Russian practitioners. The additional task of revitalizing the system for the twenty-first century is, therefore, highly problematic. This paper explores how cognitive science might provide some powerful tools for such a task. I begin by discussing some of the aesthetic and scientific ideas that shaped Stanislavski’s view of emotion, including the widely-reported influence of Théodule Ribot. I then consider how Stanislavski departed from Ribot and developed a distinctive, multi-faceted theory of emotion in the creative process, a conception that incorporated Vakhtangov’s notion of “affective emotion.” I pose the questions, what exactly is “affective emotion,” how widely is it understood in the UK, and is it supported by the current science? I then turn to contemporary theories of emotion, drawing particularly on Damasio’s updating of Jamesian psychology. I propose a link between “affective emotion” and Damasio’s “as-if” body loop. Furthermore, I discuss some key questions relating to future actor training: how might we need to reconfigure our practice in the light of the science and what alternative models of acted emotion have emerged to compete with the Stanislavskian paradigm?

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