The Actor’s ”Second Nature” in Stanislavsky’s System

Authors

  • Claudia Ene I.L. Caragiale National University of Theatre and Film, Bucharest, Romania Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37130/7bg87875

Keywords:

Stanislavsky, acting, psychology, An Actor Prepares, acting method

Abstract

An Actor Prepares is a work of its time, influenced by contemporary ideas about art and science, while also falling prey to the ideological context of 20th-century Russia. Stanislavsky’s enduring preoccupation with human nature compelled him to constantly seek means of expressing the inexpressible. The terms he employed in his work originated from his readings in psychology, yoga, as well as philosophy and theosophy. To decipher his system, it is necessary to revisit the sources that Stanislavsky accumulated throughout his life.

Author Biography

  • Claudia Ene, I.L. Caragiale National University of Theatre and Film, Bucharest, Romania

    Claudia Ene is an actress, coordinator of theatre workshops for children, and holds a PhD in Theatre and Performing Arts from the I.L. Caragiale National University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest. Her doctoral research explored methods of actor training through an interdisciplinary approach, integrating perspectives from psychology and philosophy to identify new ways of enhancing the educational process for acting students. She served as a University Assistant in the Acting Department at the I.L. Caragiale UNATC, where she contributed to the development of a new generation of actors. She was part of marketing teams for cultural, education and literacy NGOs, as Creative Lead, Social Media Manager and Content Specialist. She is currently an independent actress, based in Bucharest.

References

Banu, G., Tonitza-Iordache, M. (1975) Arta Teatrului. Bucureşti: Editura Enciclopedică Română.

Barba, E. (1997) „An Amulet made of Memory: the Significance of Exercises in the Actor’s Dramaturgy”, TDR, XLI, No. 4 (Winter)

Beţiu, M. (2025) On Analysing The Stage Process, 2nd edn. Trans. by Andra Irina Porumbeanu, Theatre Education Series, Bucharest: UNATC Press & Universitaria Craiova Press.

Brook, P. (2014) Spaţiul gol. Bucureşti: Nemira.

Carnicke, S.M. (2009) Stanislavsky in Focus: An Acting Master for the Twenty-First Century, New York: Routledge.

Cojar, I. (2025) Poetics of the Actor’s Art. UNATC Clasics Series. Translated by Maria Alexe, 2nd edn., Bucharest: UNATC Press & Paideia.

Crohn Schmitt, N. (1986) “Stanislavsky, Creativity and the Unconscious”, New Theatre Quarterly, 2/issue 8, Cambridge University Press, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266464X00002359.

Darie, B. (2025) A Course on the Art of the Actor. Improvisation. Translated by Ana Popovici. Theatre Education Series. Bucharest: UNATC Press & Universitaria Craiova Press.

Ellenberger, H.F. (1970) The Discovery of the Unconscious: The History and Evolution of Dynamic Psychiatry, New York: Basic Books.

Ene, C. (2025) Inserții psihologice în cunoașterea și dezvoltarea mecanismului logic specific de gândire în arta actorului. Colecţia Educaţie teatrală. UNATC Press & Universitaria Craiova.

Sechenov, M. (1965) Reflexes of the Brain, Cambridge: Massachusetts.

Stanislavski, K.S. (1956) Munca actorului cu sine însuși, Bucureşti : Editura de Stat pentru Literatură și Artă.

Whyman, R. (2008) The Stanislavsky System of Acting, Cambridge UK, New York: Cambridge University Press.

Downloads

Published

2026-09-02

Issue

Vol. 32 No. 1 (2026): Theatre and Memory/Teatro y Memoria // Film and Theatre Pedagogy

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Ene, C. (2026). The Actor’s ”Second Nature” in Stanislavsky’s System. CONCEPT, 32(1), 261-271. https://doi.org/10.37130/7bg87875