Stanislavski: New and Old Perspectives

This article discusses the Polish edition of Maria Shevtsova’s book Rediscovering Stanislavsky (Cambridge University Press, 2020) which has been published under the title Stanisławski na nowo (translated by Edyta Kubikowska, Instytut Grotowskiego, Wroclaw 2022). The critical part of the article is devoted to a polemic with the thesis put forward by Maria Shevtsova about the decisive role of the Orthodox religion in the formation of Stanislavski’s worldview and its impact on his approach to acting and theatre in general. A number of biased or erroneous interpretations of some of the concepts of Stanislavski’s ‘system’ are indicated, such as: ‘Ja jesm’ (I Am) or perevoploshchenie (trans-embodiment) identified by the author of the book with the religious notion of transubstantiation. The conclusion of this part of the article is as follows: while polemicising with the overly, in her view, materialist approach to ‘the system’, represented by Sharon M. Carnicke, and also with Sergei Cherkassky’s overestimation of the importance of yoga to Stanislavsky, Maria Shevtsova interpreted Stanislavsky’s attitude to acting in a one-sided manner, without identifying any sources in the artist’s statements themselves that would support her argument. The following sections of the article outline the cognitive values of the book, such as a depiction of the vast cultural context in which Stanislavsky worked, a presentation of all the theatre studios he inspired, including the Opera Studio and the Opera-Dramatic Studio, an explanation of the importance of the Russian artist’s discoveries for both dramatic theatre and opera directing, and finally, a brief discussion of the accomplishments of contemporary directors being Stanislavsky’s heirs.