An Introduction to Stanislavsky

These are the facts and notes I believed to be most important in our Language of Theatre class focusing on the introduction we were given on the life and times of Konstantin Stanislavsky:

He was born in 1863 in to a wealthy family. He had nine siblings and all of them were brought up in the world of the arts. He had a theatre in his home, so it was a personal and common occurrence for Stanislavsky to be immersed in  the theatrical world. He was able to put on his own plays from a young age- a happy consequence of a privileged childhood.

By age 22 he had already started debating deep theatrical questions that filled his mind for the rest of his life. He started out appearing in family productions. He was performing during a time when theatre was censored by the Tsar which meant only French and German melodramas were performed. None of society's rich culture was conveyed through theatre due to these strict guidelines. Stanislavsky aimed to give his actors theatrical empowerment and imagination. He wanted to bring "the life of the human spirit" to the stage.