UNIT TITLE
Acting Methods and Styles
LESSON TITLE
Stanislavski System Moves to America
CLASS
Drama 4
DURATION
75 Minutes
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVE
Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of 20th century theatre pioneers by making short, group presentations to the class.
NATIONAL CORE ARTS STANDARDS
CREATING
• TH:Cr1.1.HSIII.a
o Synthesize knowledge from a variety of dramatic forms, theatrical conventions, and technologies to create the visual composition of a drama/theatre work
• TH:Cr3.1.HSIII.b
o Synthesize knowledge from a variety of dramatic forms, theatrical conventions, and technologies to create the visual composition of a drama/theatre work.
PERFORMANCE
• TH:Pr4.1.HSII.b
o Apply a variety of researched acting techniques as an approach to character choices in a drama/theatre work.
• TH:Pr5.1.HSIII.a
o Use and justify a collection of acting exercises from reliable resources to prepare a believable and sustainable performance.
MATERIALS
• Computer/projector to play the following clips:
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2iGQV_H4PQ (Harold Clurman)
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNBRFSUXR-A (Lee Strasberg)
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpzLLv-7_JE (Uta Hagen)
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjNCdjWee5k (Stella Adler)
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP1Nkr1kc5o (Sanford Meisner)
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTRb4F7hyK0 (Group Theatre)
TEACHING PRESENTATION:
Hook:
Begin the class with a where exercise. All you have to do, is say “What if this room were an airport?” Wait for students to respond. They will be confused, for a moment maybe. Just repeat the question and eventually they will begin to imagine that the room is an airport and behaving as such. Allow the exercise to continue for some time. You can change the location by asking another question like, “What if we were on the beach?” Go through as many questions as you can to allow students to stretch their imaginations and to get physically a little warmed up.
Step 1: Review Upon completion of the “where exercise,” lead a short discussion to review the important aspects of the Stanislavski system. Use the following questions:
• Which part of the Stanislavski System were we using in that activity? (the “magic if”)
• How would you describe the magic if?
o Ensure they know and understand that the magic if is the “lever” that lifts you from reality and into the imagined circumstances.
Just spend a brief amount of time catching up, then continue on.
Step 2: Transition Explain that we are going to move on from Stanislavski today. Explain that, even though we are moving on, Stanislavski had a HUGE effect on theatre artists of the early 20th century. A gigantic effect. Today we are going to brush over several of individuals that were greatly affected by Stanislavski and his work. Since they are all so similar to Stanislavski, we are going to just touch on each person so that you are aware of them.
Step 3: Instructions Explain to the student that they are going to take turns going through their presentations. They should all come up as a group and present their little mini presentations. They should include all the information they could find about their assigned person. Explain that the order that you will proceed in is as follows:
• Harold Clurman
• Lee Strasberg
• The Group Theatre in New York City
• Uta Hagen
• Stella Adler
• Sanford Meisner
Step 4: Group presentations Let students present. As the present, take note of who is participating and who is not. Their grade for the day is dependent upon their participation in their presentation. Explain that after each presentation, you are going to be adding bits and pieces to ensure that the students have all the information. Also explain that you are going to show After each presentation, follow the instructions that follow after each name below:
Harold Clurman:
• Show the Harold Clurman video clip.
• Ask the students the following:
o Is he was you expected?
Lee Strasberg:
• Show the Lee Strasberg clip
• Ensure students understand that Lee Strasberg is the man who invented the Method Technique.
• He loved Stanislavski’s teachings, especially emotional recall and sense memory.
• When Stanislavski moved away from those, Lee Strasberg felt utterly betrayed.
The Group Theatre:
• Show the Arthur Miller talking about The Group Theatre clip
• Explain that this video is Arthur Miller, a playwright, talking about The Group Theatre.
• It was a group of like-minded theatre artists all seeking to create good realistic theatre. It was based in Stanislavski.
• It ran in repertory, meaning that it was the same group of actors for every show, and no one was the star. They were all equal.
• Be sure students know that it was founded by Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford, and Lee Strasberg.
Uta Hagen:
• Show the Uta Hagen clip
• Explain that Utah Hagen was very much interested in bring herself to her roles. She didn’t think you could be real without bring a part of yourself to it. She is also interested in the details that surround and make-up the character. You are constantly motivated by something in someway, and as the actor you need to find out what that is.
• Harold Clurman heavily influenced her in her work.
Stella Adler:
• Show the Stella Adler clip
• Explain that she was the only American to have studied directly with Stanislavski.
Sanford Meisner:
• Show the Meisner clip
• Explain that Meisner had his voice box removed and so he talks through a series of controlled burps. Crazy, right?
• Explain that Meisner was a member of the Group Theatre and came out with a strong training in Stanislavski based theory, however he rejected emotional recall and sense memory, instead working from the outside in to create honest characters
• Explain that we are going to learn more about Meisner next time.
Step 5: Conclusion Explain to the students that they are going to be held accountable for all the information we covered today. Ensure they understand that they need only know the basics about each of these individuals and their contributions to modern day theatre. Take any questions that may arise.
Assessment
Students can be assessed on their short group presentations. If they have effectively participated in their groups, they can receive 20 points for the day.