Constantin Stanislavki

Constantin StanislavkiEmotional MemoryToday we will be sharing about Constantin Stanislavski and his approach to theatre, particularly the concept of Emotional memory and how it can and was intended to be applied to theatre. We will of course be providing an analysis of this technique towards the end as well, discussing how the technique is both strong but flawed. He was a Russian actor and theatre director born in the late nineteenth century. As the years went by, his continuous self-criticism and analysis eventually led to the development of his system (which he continued to modify and improve on).

1Method of physical actions

Emotional memory So What is Stanislavkis system?the system was always a work in progress, so many ideas and methods were constantly being refined, modified or scrapped. However, if one were to sum up the system in its entirety, it could be said to comprise of two main methods. *click* method of physical actions and *click* emotional memory. With the underlying focus of naturalistic and authentic acting- Stanislavski wanted the acting to be genuine, as true and faithful to reality as possible.

2Emotions are triggered by certain physical actions.Method of physical actionsSo what is method of physical action?The idea behind the method of physical actions is that emotions that lie beyond your conscious reach will naturally surface when triggered by certain physical actions corresponding to those emotions. This allows for actors to draw out real emotions when portraying a character, resulting in what could be called the closest thing to reality, were the actor truly the character he was portraying. This is of course a rough summary of what this method is all about. There are many techniques under this method, such as tempo-rhythm, but as we are focusing on emotional memory today, we will not explore this further. To clarify, even though we are focusing on emotional memory, we feel that there is a need to understand the system as a whole before inspecting its individual components closely. Although emotional memory is quite different in its approach to this method, it must be noted that at their cores, they both operate on very similar ideologies, and thus, for one to gain a deeper understanding of emotional memory, it is important that we explain both methods.

3Recreation of a memory on stage for the purposes of the play.

Wait. Physical Memory accomplishes this! So why do we need emotional memory?

The feelings created using the method of physical actions may not be intense or deep enough.

Emotional MemoryNow, to briefly sum up emotional memory, *click* it is the recreation of a memory on stage for the purposes of the play. The actor recalls a memory similar to the event the character is experiencing or one that evokes similar emotions, and in this way the role of the character is thus filled with natural emotions. *click* But, if we previously said that physical actions automatically produces emotions, why do we need emotional memory? Can anyone explain why? open up to the floor for answers- To explain in short, the feelings created using the method of physical actions may not necessarily be as intense or deep enough for what the scene calls for. So this brings the question of how we can use emotional memory. Here are three main techniques we can work on for emotion memory: using the memory of our senses, the memory of past experiences and using memory triggers and improvisations.

4The memory of our senses

The memory of past experiences

Memory triggers along with improvisationsHow can we apply Emotional Memory?So this brings the question of how we can use emotional memory. Here are three main techniques we can work on for emotion memory: *click* using the memory of our senses, *click* the memory of past experiences and *click* using memory triggers all *click* along with the use of improvisations. Before we carry on, we will be doing a very short skit, which we will then use to ease you into understanding emotional memory and its application in greater detail. To put this short performance into context, we will be playing two roommates, one of whom is an aspiring artist. *backout*

5Recollection of painful memories of his dead family membersHis brother

Feelings of failure and guilt from failing his mother

AngerAnalysis of the sceneLets examine the situation.*click* Most of the performance is centered on one roommate who has to recall painful memories of his dead family members.*click* His brothers death has evidently affected him greatly, while at the same time*click* he must struggle with an overwhelming feeling of failure and guilt from his inability to fulfill his promise to his mother,*click* as well as anger. While the actor portraying his character may not necessarily have gone through the same experiences as him, it is entirely possible to recreate the emotions that need to be portrayed here. Of course, these are not firsthand emotions, or primary emotions as they are referred to, but rather recurrent emotions. However, the chances are that someone trying to do this will fail on their first try. The reason is simple: memories are often difficult to access directly, especially painful memories, which happens to be the case here. 6Luring Memories

Use senses to recall memories

Recalling past experiences

Memory Trigger and Improvisation

Note: These memories must be real and not invented

How do we approach this scene?So how do we approach this scene? *click*The key idea is to entice memories out rather than to confront them directly, or assault the subconscious in Stanislavskis own terms. This is where one of the three main techniques mentioned before come into play. Firstly, *click*we can use our senses to help us recall memories. Note that we say memories because these experiences have to be something you have been through before. For example, under sight, you can picture a dark room. The feeling of fear will naturally come to you after that, assuming you have ever been afraid in such a situation. The same would apply for the other senses like sound, taste, smell or touch. Before we move on to the next section, maybe you can take a minute to recall the smell of the sea when you were at the beach, just to try and understand the idea behind this technique and try it out for yourself. Lets move on to the second technique. Basically, this technique requires you to *click*recall a memory of a past experience. However, we did mention before that some memories can be quite elusive. *click**click*The only real way to work around this is to not force the memory to surface, but instead to try and slowly recall the circumstances surrounding the memory, and build the memory up from there. That being said, it is still difficult to approach painful memories, so the next best thing to do would be to*click* find a memory that creates a similar emotion that is less traumatic. An important thing to remember is that these memories must be real and not invented, or the entire purpose of emotional memory, to create true-to-life emotions on stage. *click* For that same reason, we should try to avoid memories that are obviously dramatic in nature. When the memory has surfaced, emotions will naturally arise as well. The first two techniques actually fall under the third technique, which builds upon them. This technique focuses on the application of the two we just learnt. *click*We begin by using remembering a situation in life that generated emotions similar to that of what the character we are playing is experiencing. *click* Sensory memory can also be used to build upon to the situation. *click* Next, we improvise a situation in which the emotions created would be the same. The reason we have to improvise another situation is that a certain distance has to be created between the memories themselves and us, turning the raw emotion into the materials that we can then use for our performance. Without the improvisation, we would merely be remembering something and not developing the ability to use the emotions. This is of course merely an exercise- after time and practice, we will be able to draw upon these emotions quite naturally while acting.

7Application Time! Going back to the performance now, let us try and apply these techniques. Remember that we are focusing on the process, rather than the result. When the process is perfected, the result is naturally of a similar quality. So, the boy Adi first speaks about his brother. *click*Whats the driving emotion in this scene? open to the floor for answers- So, *click* sadness, *click* loss and *click* happiness are the main emotions. What are some sights and sounds that could recreate the emotion of happiness? open to the floor for answers- (thing) could possibly allow such an emotion to arise, so at the beginning portion where the actor talks about his characters brother, he can picture (thing).How about sadness? Is there a memory that could trigger the emotion of sadness? open to the floor for answers- So for the part where the character speaks about his brother getting ill and dying, the actor can remember (Situation). Both sensory memory and the memories of situations can also be used in conjunction, of course. Also, we have to remember that the first two techniques are not to be used as they are. The third technique is used to refine these raw memories and emotions so we can use them when we perform. It is thus important to carry out the exercise of improvising a scene before we actually proceed to using emotional memory for acting. Lets focus on the portion where the boy, Adi, talks about his mother and how he is a failure and cannot keep his promise to his mother. What is one of the dominant emotions? open up to floor- What memory can we associate with this emotion? open up to floor- What could the improvisation scene be about, then? It should evoke the same emotion. open up to floor-

8Before using a technique, we should question if it is both suitable and useful to us.

Emotional memory?Nervous breakdowns or hysteria.

Some memories are near impossible to access

Our own mind can interfere with the process of accessing memories and emotions, breaking the immersion

However, emotions created can be considered authentic to the greatest possible extent ConclusionSo with this, we now know how to apply emotional memory to our acting. Before we finish off, lets evaluate emotional memory. *click* Before approaching any style, we should always question if it is both suitable and useful to us.*click* Interestingly, even Stanislavski himself eventually abandoned emotional memory, which points to the fact that it is extremely flawed. *click* A major shortcoming is that many memories that are painful or traumatic can eventually cause nervous breakdowns or hysteria when the actor tries tap into them- *click*some memories are sealed off by the mind precisely because we are unable to deal with them, and forcing them to resurface can have serious negative effects. Also, the subconscious is extremely hard to reach, and it has been noted many times that the unconscious simply cannot be commanded.*click* Lastly, there are many instances where our own mind can interfere with the process of accessing memories and emotions, breaking the immersion. If an actor were to have such a mind, it would be impossible for him or her to use emotional memory.*click* However, the greatest redeeming trait of the technique is that the emotions created can be considered authentic to the greatest possible extent, which is good because the best way to move an audience is to create sympathy, and when the audience can relate to a character, they are truly immersed in the play. To conclude, whether this approach to theatre is particularly useful or not is really up to the person who wishes to adopt it, so with the knowledge of emotion memory, we leave it up to you to decide whether or not emotional memory is truly the great approach many make it out to be.9