Chekhov's 'The Seagull' and 'Konstantin Stanislavsky' by Bella Merlin

Chekhov's 'The Seagull' immediately made an impression on me in that, from the offset, it was presented in a way that has many parallels with contemporary theatre. Bearing in mind that the play was written over a century ago, is remarkable. True, the English adaptation may have adapted some of the language to flow more fluently with the English language, but even the structure, character arcs and the description of set bear remarkable similarity to that of today's theatre, even film and television. For example, the use of "love triangles" as a plot device is seen in half of the romantic comedies to come out of Hollywood, as it's simplicity makes it a useful and engaging plot forwarder. This device has been used since the days of La Commedia Dell'arte, with love triangles forming between the "Hero", "Villain" and "Clown" characters. However, Chekhov writes them in such a way that the triangles only feel melodramatic when melodrama adds to the entertainment factor of the play (such as when Konstantin ends his life after discovering Nina is still in love with Trigorin) which gives a new sense of believability to a plot device and makes it feel 'new' - 'The Seagull' is a predecessor of contemporary or 'new' theatre.

The depth of the plot is carried by the multitude of different characters. By giving even the smaller characters a clear motive and the suggestions of a real life outside of the pages of his script - such as Polina's desire to reveal Dorn's affections for her or Medvedenko's lust for Masha's hand - Chekhov allows intertwining stories to run alongside each other and create the impression that the audience is viewing snippets of the thriving community on Sorin's estate. This community could believably exist outside of the captured scenes, making Chekhov's world all the more believable.

The story is one of unrequited love and a desire to become loved, both by individuals (Polina, Nina, Konstantin, Medvedenko and Masha) or by all those surrounding them, be that peers or superiors (Arkadina, Konstantin and Shamrayev). Konstantin's case is particularly interesting, as he desires all of these things - Nina's love, his mother's respect and approval and acceptance by Trigorin and the artist elite that he represents. His desire for acceptance is by far the strongest, and it leads to his demise, as he is only character in 'The Seagull' that cannot accept that his desires are not accomplishable, and instead settle for less - one of the main themes of the play.

'The Seagull' was, at first, a theatrical failure, as it's nuances and contemporary storytelling could not be comprehended by the average director or cast. It required the brilliant mind of one Konstantin Stanislavsky in order to begin to breach the hidden meaning Chekhov's every word. Stanislavsky's production of 'The Seagull' saw him begin work on his famous "system". Stanislavsky's system, as well as a number of his other contributions to the acting profession and a series of rehearsal techniques, are covered in Bella Merlin's 'Konstantin Stanislavsky'.

It is quickly stated by Merlin that the system detailed in 'An Actor Prepares' is a precursor to the more intuitive Method of Physical Actions and Active Analysis. However, this does not stop the system being a vital part of an aspiring actor's knowledge. It is an attempt to bring the often non-corporeal world of immersing oneself in a character in order to become believable into an obtainable mindset. Stanislavsky does this by creating a number of ways one can harness their mind, body and feelings and direct them to feel truthful emotions.

The exercises detailed in Chapter 4 of Merlin's book originally frustrated me, as I found that I could not recreate the desired effect. However, it was not until Exercise 4.10, in which the actor must imagine dipping their hand into a bath of hot water, then again but imagine trying to retrieve a ring lost in a pond. I noticed that both actions used the muscles in my arm in reverse order of each other depending on which scenario I imagined, and that each of these actions conjured up completely different emotions. The first exercise, I was tentative and fragile, and I moved my muscles from the peripheral to the centre. In the second, I was confident and sturdy, and I moved my muscles from the centre to the peripheral. This proved to me that the connection between mind, body and emotion was real and possible to tap into with the correct training and guidance.

Annotated Script

Performance Evaluation

We were successful in our performance for a number of reasons.
Firstly, we used the space well, as we adapted our pieces in order to fill the large performance space and our command of spacial awareness and proxemics meant we never lost control of the space. This meant the space did not seem intimidating and instead contributed to our performance, allowing us to truthfully interact with our surroundings and giving us a wider expanse of given circumstances to fool around with. We did this by having purpose in the space, heading where we wanted to go and knowing why we were going there, just as if we were entering a room in real life. We also made sure we were aware of or audience in the space, heading to a place which allowed the audience to fully connect with us emotionally without disregarding the expansive nature of the space.
We kept this command of the performance running by making sure we transitioned effortlessly from one scene to the next. Because we were all contributing our own scenes to an ensemble performance, it became a juggling act between all of us to keep the energy high - of one group dropped the ball, the energy is dead for everyone else who has to follow. This meant we had to keep wary that we were on our cues and knew how to hand the energy over. We did this by confidently ending the scene, either by exiting with purpose or ending on a strong moment. We then exited in character, let the focus drift to the new scene (which must begin immediately) then quietly drifting into a neutral position by the side. This way, the focus flows effortlessly from group to group.
Another thing we did well was play our physical objectives over everything else, something we were working to achieve in rehearsal. This meant we were able to truthfully deliver our lines as there was reason and meaning behind them created by truthful and purposeful physicality. We all made sure that this was on or near the top of our things to consider as we worked through our scenes, and from this everything else sprouted; the narrative, the subtext, the desire, and the text. We did this by knowing our physical objectively well and having lucid, simple physical actions.
By doing this, this opened up the ability to be playful, something that we all did very well throughout. This can be proved by the fact that no two runs were anything alike, as we responded to external stimulus and given circumstances created by one partners that made us change our physical and psychological objectives in order to explore new interpretations of the text. It made the piece more exciting for us, because we had no clue what was going to happen next, which makes for very exciting theatre that does not become repetitive and boring. There were a number of other ways we contributed to this, one being by grounding our voices. By focusing on correct breathing at instinctual moments, we were able to relax and not focus on the text or breathing, instead letting instinct take over, allowing the truth to rear it's head from inside instead of being pushed out unwillingly, becoming a false runt of a sentence. This trust in truth meant that the slightest change in external stimulus, for example the tone of another actor's voice or the distance they stand from you, can have a big impact on how things change and flow. Some of the most intuitive of us even ended up creating these changes for our fellow actors, feeding them given circumstances from which they can bounce off and create something exciting.
Despite the same scenes being played multiple times at points, there was not the feeling of anything being repeated. This was because we were instinctual, meaning each actors interpretation was different both every time they played the scene and and every time another set of actors played the scene. This also bounced nicely off the fact that the set was evolving constantly throughout as more and more actors interacted with it, for example coats being left on the hanger and chairs being pulled farther and farther from the table as more people sat and rose.

From learning this method, we are now prepared for when we work in future with those not applying a visceral method. When met with these actors, we know to really hit them with everything we have, shocking them into an instinctual reaction by not giving them time to think. It has become instinctual in us, leaving more freedom to provoke it in others.
There were a number of notes that we received despite putting on a successful performance, these included work in front of mouth articulation, vocal resonance, being able to always find our instinctual breath, and discovering the next level of instinct by pushing ourselves to try more risqué play.
We now also need to work on letting the technique become part of the subconscious, something we don't even need to consider, so that we can apply it onstage without thinking and instead focus on relaxing and letting things change as we work on stage. If we work towards our super and scene by playing our physical objective then consistently and well then it is near impossible to have a fake reaction, as our only reactions will be that caused by a real external stimulus, so will be truthful. We also need to begin to investigate subtext, and to develop our physical form for the character. A method to achieving this is by creating a provocative mental image and which embodies or personifies the character's situation.

Costume Ideas

This is a culmination of costume ideas for Medvedenko in 'The Seagull'. Each photo has a comment attached to it click the photo to find out more.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-oaInvv3Z0QeuOvIMND_r6IbD5KwbZmgK9Ahd3sWntI

Approaching the Script

1. Given Circumstances - Details of the given circumstances of the character and if this is fact (told by text or by director) or opinion (decided by myself)

We are inside, in a drawing room - F
I am wearing a coat when I enter the scene - O
There is a makeshift stage being built outside - F
This is visible through the window of the drawing room - O
In the room there is a chaise lounge and a table with two chairs - F
I do not own the house - F
I do not particularly like the owner of the house - O
I am lower status than the homeyowner - F
I’m wearing my nicest outfit today - O
It is dusk - F
The curtains and window are open - O
The sound of builders is coming in through the window - F
I have just been on a walk - F
I am with Masha - F
We were speaking about a book we are studying in English - O
The book is ‘The Death of Ivan Ilyich’ Tolstoy - O
I have a copy of the book with me - F
We enter the room through external double doors - F
It is cold outside - O


2. Ask Questions

a) Who am I?
Name: Alexei Meshvedenko
Age: 32
DOB: 27th October 1862
Height:6’2”
Weight and Build: Slender, weighing about 9st 4lb
Education: Educated in the village of Lopasnya near the estate (see geography), by a professor from Moscow, from the age of 14. I was taken to Moscow by the professor to take my exams, gaining 2 advanced qualifications in English Language and English Literature
Occupation: Private tutor for Masha and another young boy on the estate. I teach them general studies, however Masha and I have begun to focus on English, much like I did with my old professor.
Income: 23 rubles a month, equivalent to about £9k annual salary in 2016
Religion: Russian Orthodox, the Russian church affiliated with the Tsar.
Likes: Classic and contemporary literature, smoking a pipe, Masha
Dislikes: My neighbours, particularly those not of his age; Konstantin
Health: I am often under the weather, as I am not wealthy so cannot afford fine food or good insulation and healthcare, but I am not diagnosed with any serious conditions
Behaviour: I am introverted and antisocial, preferring one on one interactions to speaking in a group or crowd. I am intellectual yet very pessimistic, able to think about important things but too busy worrying or complaining to use this for anything influential
Family: I have a large family living in my house in which mine is the only income. This includes my elderly mother, two sisters aged 11 and 12, and my 8 year old brother. My father died 7 years ago, he had pneumonia.

b) What if s the present situation?
Super objective: To convince Masha to marry me
Scene objective: To advance my relationship with Masha without jeopardising my professional relationship with her. If I get this wrong I will lose my job, meaning I will not be able to provide for my family
Tactics: Use my positive attributes to win her heart - intelligence, intellectual humour, empathy, ability to listen etc.

c) Where am I?
It is late Spring, the snow has melted but it is still cold outside and the windows are frosted in the morning. At dusk, there is still the warmth of the sun left over but coats are required to watch the show. Electricity was barely discover and certainly not commonplace in Russia in the late 19th century, so fires were the only way to keep the house warm. There is a fire burning in the room we have walked into.

d) Costume
My costume consists of some smart navy trousers, a warm winter jacket and a shirt and tie, and some tan shoes with a slight heel.

3. Explore the circumstances of that came before
I have just entered Arkadina’s house to wait for Konstantin’s show to start. Masha and I have just returned from a walk we took after class to discuss the inner workings of Tolstoy’s ‘The Death of Ivan Ilyich’. I am passionate about the book, it is one of my favourite recent works, and Masha finally seems to be engaging with it, although this may just be the effects of Masha’s sniff habit. We are early, however we do not know this as the whole performance has an air of disorganisation about it. I am in a good mood, as I have begun to engage properly with Masha, however I am now nervous as she has begun to stop responding to my attempts at conversation and it seems as if she wants me to leave. My first line is an attempt to restart the rapport we had just built up on the walk.

Social, Cultural and Historical Research

Social
Social economic status
"23 rubles a month" this was a poor wage even in the 19th century, especially with Medvedenko's large family - he is not well off. He is not a peasant or worker, but would not be classed as wealthy
Food & Drink
He would eat simple, mainly stalwarts that would last such as bread and potatoes, providing carbohydrates that could make one meal to last a week, and any fruit and veg were likely root vegetables able to grow in the cold hard Eastern European climate. He could not afford luxuries such as sugar "no sugar for tea?"
Clothes
His clothes would be made of cheaper material e.g wool, he could not afford fine materials such as wool and satin and not even cotton, though there may be an item in there. They would be natural or east colours such as black, brown and navy. He would wear leather shoes, but they would be old and battered
Music
Medvedenko would not have the opportunity to listen to music except at Arkadina's house, where there may be a gramophone


Cultural
Race
There was a lack of racial diversity in Russia in the 19th century, but there was particular prejudice towards Jewish peoples and any Jewish character in this era would likely be presented negatively, as their religion went against that of the state
Religion
The state religion was Russian Orthodox during the Tsarist regime, the bond between state and church was very close, with the people of Russia beings forcibly encouraged to follow the religion in which they would be told by ministers that the tsar had been chosen by God and therefore had divine right to rule. Most people would have therefore been more religious than today.
Marriage/divorce
It was not looked upon favourably by the church to get a divorce as it went against the will of God, however they had traditional views on marriage, that women should marry early and bear children, particularly as the infant mortality rate was so high. Arkadina is presented as a Bohemian by defying these rules.
Health ie smoking
The life expectancy was a lot lower then, around 65-70 years, this means Sorin is in the midst of old age wen in today's world he would still be on the upper cusp of middle aged. Smoking was not only socially acceptable but not even deemed unhealthy yet, so the majority of people smoked in the 19th century. Russia also had and still has a vibrant drinking culture with an affinity for liquor, particularly vodka
Youth culture
The youth as a sector of society was not yet entirely defined, particularly not in Russia. It was expected that boys would start work from a young age, usually about 14, while girls would begin to look for a husband around the same age. Puberty came later in life at this point in history so there was a more abrupt change from child to adult, with the teenager almost cut out. This is why Nina and Konstantin are presented with such childish habits and characteristics.

Historical
Government
The Tsarist regime had ruled Russia for hundreds of years, the current Tsar being Nicholas II. There was growing discontent for his ruling - just over 2 decades after the oaky is set, the regime had toppled. This growing discontent was mainly in the lowest parts of society however, so it is likely not as evident in the play, however the more intelligent oft characters may be more politically inclined e.g. Trigorin
Employment
The industrial revolution was in full swing in the West and Russia was slowly catching on - there was a large change in the working class of people moving from being peasants to workers in the city. This influx of people to the cities created dense environments and unpleasant conditions in the city, and left the country understaffed and in trouble. This could explain Shamreyev's inability to run the farm properly and have left over horses - there is a shortage of resources

Find and quote examples from the text that support these headings.

The Seagull: Lesson 5

Warm up: Exercise 8 & 9

In our final rehearsal before the performance, we took the opportunity to change things up with our scene and do a text defamiliarisation exercise, as we were worried about over-rehearsing our scene in the same fashion to the point of it losing energy. My partner and I enter the scene having just returned from a walk in the garden of the estate. We decided to recreate this walk before attempting to run our scene again. We left the site and wondered the surrounding area, staying in character despite some odd looks from passers by, and deduced some interesting information about our characters, including a noticeable shift in our relationship. Some of the given circumstances I had brought into this exercise was that we were discussing a book we were studying, that Masha is not engaging well to our studies and that I am passionate in what I teach. This led to our discussion becoming heated at times as we clashed over our contradicting opinions of literature and the book, showing that Masha and Medvedenko are more opposed to each other than it at first seemed. This was beneficial as when it came to running the scene it flowed more naturally than ever before because it gave real motive behind my opening line, meaning the energy was visible right from the beginning of the scene, something we were having difficulty with at first.

The Seagull: Lesson 4

Warm up: Exercise 7

Today we were given the layout of our performance space, and we learnt that the given space was very large, meaning we had to adapt our pieces to prevent energy being sucked out by the empty space. In order to combat this, our tutor informed us that "every scene is a chase scene", meaning that our objective as intelligent performers was not only to take into account our proxemics in terms of the other actors but to make full use of the space we had been given. This means that a lot of the action is played separately from one another, living in the space instead of using our partner as the only given circumstance. This makes the performance far more vibrant, doing away with the temptation of playing the scene purely in centre stage and instead jumping from area to area, sparking interest in objects and scenery and incorporating it into our playfulness. If the piece is played small in a large space, the energy is drained by the contrast between the living and inanimate.
We spent the second half of the lesson continuing rehearsals, in which I started to play with the energy in my scene; using both pace and power in my voice and in my physicality I increased the energy in my scene dramatically, until it was far over what it should be, in order to experiment how energy can increase the tension and interest of a scene. I found that the naturalistic boundary for this energy was far higher than I had originally gauged it, meaning I had been playing the scene with not enough energy. In order to improve this, I used the breath work we had done in the warm up to add power to my words, as well as opening up my physicality using the work we did on engaging the core. This allowed me to deliver the lines with more power and pace while still portraying the truth behind them, increasing the energy without dampening the meaning.

The Seagull: Lesson 3

Warm up: Exercise 5 & 6

From continually watching peer work and from self assessing we worked out as a class that one of the most important points we had not yet grasped was the importance of physical objectives. We had all begun to access our psychological objectives with varying levels of success, however few of us were using the physical objectives to inspire these and were instead only playing the psychological. Without the physical the scene loses its dynamics and becomes dull. Personally, I need to develop my ability to discover simple and achievable physical objectives, as at the moment some of these are too nuanced and not lucid enough to easily show to an audience or carry out truthfully.
We continued to rehearse our scene, and today I updated my physical objectives to fit with what we had learnt in class discussion, meaning we had a second attempt at analysing the script with an increased focus on the physical action of each thought, keeping the psychological objectives mostly the same. The rehearsal then consisted of attempting to sustain these physical actions and force this to provoke the words to come, finding a natural route for the scene to take place.

The Seagull: Lesson 2

Warm up: Exercises 3, 4 & 6

Today was our first chance to rehearse our scenes in individual groups. The way our scene is structured means that the majority of the scene is a duologue, so we split into our partners and spent the first part of our rehearsal analysing and discussing our scripts. Doing this as a pair meant we were more aware of our partner's intentions throughout the scene, giving us a better playing field in which to explore and challenge each other. We broke our scene into 'units' or 'bits' in which the mood of the scene changes, then set about deciding our characters' psychological objectives. We then split the bits into breaths or thoughts using a forward slash, and gave each of these thoughts a physical objective. These allow us a basis on which we can base our movement and purpose in the scene, allowing our characters to become grounded. These first impressions were entirely based on having read the script, not having played with the text yet, so could be inaccurate, but they were a starting point. We then started to play with blocking and physically rehearsing the scene while carrying out these objectives. From this, I learnt some basic first impressions of my character, including those that contradict my original impression from analysis e.g Medvedenko is not as passive as he first appears, he is open to letting his discontent with Masha show, as opposed my original impression that he put pleasing Masha over everything else. I learnt from using this method that having an original analysis of objectives lays a foundation in which it is is possible to build up truthful interpretations, even if this means knocking down the original analysis.

We then responded to our peer's scenes, watching their versions of truthful acting using physical objectives and proceeding to evaluate them, using both tutor and our own analysis. Watching other's scenes allowed me to clearly witness what it was we were trying to achieve as the groups that were showing were guided by the tutor to entice the physical truth from their performance. They were encouraged to change their entrance and initial actions repeatedly in order to breathe new life into the scene, and were asked to repeat the lines using different emphasis until the words flow naturally off the tongue. This was repeated until the text was no longer important as the focus was on playing physical and psychological objectives, the words only coming when the actions prompt it. This is referred to by our tutor as 'Ergonomic Flow'.

The Seagull: Lesson 1

Warm up: Exercises 1&2

We spent the majority of this lesson learning initial exercises, however we spent the last portion of the lesson creating a list of "given circumstances" that have been decided either by the writer or from our own deductions from the text. We began by reading the stage directions, these tell us crucial pieces of information about the characters, costume, setting and period. We then analysed the lines and found any expositional information. Finally, we had a list of facts about our character and big their immediate and overall circumstances. From this, we could gauge the second part of the exercise, the opinions. These are decided by the actor but are grounded in what has just been discovered. A final copy of this can be found in the "Approaching the Script" post.