Description
Due to the demands of Shakespeare’s verse and prose, Stanislavsky’s “system” cannot be directly applied to Shakespeare’s texts without modification and adaptation, a conclusion which Stanislavsky ultimately arrived at (Stanislavsky, 1952: 350). Through my Practice as Research, I have developed The Shakespeare Toolkit, a character-driven pedagogy for performing Shakespeare’s texts. It is comprised of twenty exercises (tools) which adapt aspects of Stanislavsky’s “system”, Elizabethan acting practices, and the First Folio editions of the plays. The tools are scaffolded to build characterisation through embodied practice rather than textual dissection to explore the demands of working with verse and prose through a practice-first, character-driven approach to the text.This paper contextualises the research and provides a more detailed examination of how principles of Stanislavsky’s “system” were adapted to create a familiar acting vocabulary which facilitates student actors’ approach to Shakespeare’s text. Focusing on the initial phase or ‘tray’ of the Toolkit - The First Encounter - this paper explores how learners initially access the text through Stanislavsky-based principles of inner and physical action, with vocal action emerging from these foundations. Thereby prioritising a practice-first engagement with the text, enabling learners to embody the demands of Shakespeare’s verse and prose without becoming alienated by complex literary analysis, and their intellectual grappling with the text.
| Period | 7 Nov 2025 |
|---|---|
| Event title | The S Word: Stanislavsky and Contemporary Theatre |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Valletta, MaltaShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |