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Re-envisioned Directions: Stanislavsky in the 21st-Century

Merlin’s scholarship is undertaken in direct response to practical challenges encountered during the creation of a dramatic role. Thus, her research is almost entirely practice-as-research or practice-based research that seeks to add new knowledge to the discipline of acting. “Re-envisioned directions” is an example. The contents of this chapter arose from interviews undertaken between Merlin and Russian actor-trainer, Katya Kamotskaia, and rehearsal journals for Kamotskaia’s production of Chekhov’s The Seagull at the University of California, Davis, 2010 (in which Merlin played Madame Arkadina). She discovered under the direction of Kamotskaia the dynamic impact of Stanislavsky’s tool of ‘logic and sequence’, and her vision offers new perspectives on rehearsal-room practices. Linking the line of thought (arising from detailed analysis of the text) to the line of action (arising in rehearsal from the creation of a score of physical actions), the actor may create a holistic ‘through-line of action’. This through-line not only serves as a safety-net against stage fright, but it also comprises the unique braiding together of the playwright’s text, the director’s production plan, and the actor’s imagination. In many ways, this chapter harnesses the two key questions underpinning Merlin’s research at present: how to overcome stage fright and how to evolve Stanislavsky’s ‘system’. Kamotskaia’s unique approach to actor-training combines with Merlin’s practical engagement with Chekhov’s delicate text to produce a chapter, whose content is intended to provide actors with insights into creating a potent and imaginative line of physical actions.