Peter Oyston – How to Use the Stanislavski System

Peter Oyston, founding Dean of Drama at the Victorian College of the Arts and regular teacher/director at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, has been utilising Stanislavski’s famous acting methods in the professional rehearsal room and classroom for thirty years. In this video presentation, Peter reveals how he combines Stanislavski’s techniques in a systematic approach to provide a full rehearsal process or a drama course in microcosm. He has interpreted these processes to fit contemporary rehearsal schedules and provide actors and directors with a fast and accessible method of preparing for a performance. Using Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard” as the text with a group of Australian University students, Peter demonstrates how these methods can be applied to any text, modern or classical. Thirteen of Stanislavski’s methods are covered on the video, including:

o Analysing the Text
o Naming the Units of Action
o The Magic “If”
o Subtext Inner Life
o Physical Actions
o Circles of Concentration
o The Fourth Wall
o Objectives and Superobjectives
o Emotional Memory
o Thoughts Who You Are in Communion with
o Personal Objects and Costume
o The Unbroken Line of Life
o Rhythm – Tempo
For any play rehearsal or film workshop, this sequence of methods offers the director, the drama teacher and the actor, an invaluble guideline for a successful production.
Extra Features: The DVD also comes with a 40-page booklet in PDF format, including additional notes by Peter Oyston and a full transcript of the video.

This DVD provides an invaluable resource for actors, directors, teachers, drama students and researchers or for anyone interested in the making of authentic theatre. It has been on the best seller list  for six years.