Imagination and Tension

IMAGINATION -
This plays a large part within Stanislavsky's system and methods. Imagination comes into play both for the actor and for the audience. Imagination is needed to visualize and explore a different version of reality that may exist for your character within the play but not for your in your reality and therefore a full emotional connection cant always be made. This the means the imagination must be pout into effect so you are able to envisage details and the actuality of the world of that play. This has a huge link to the idea of the magic if and what to do once the if's come out of realistic means, and you are no longer able to truthfully see yourself within that situation. To get around the issue this poses you must use your imagination to visualize the reality so you can place yourself within that to portray a believable and truthful response. 

TENSION -

Within Stanislavsky's methods he also talks a lot about tension and how this effects you as an actor. To explore this within our classes we looked at all the different places that we hold tension in our bodies,something of which is extremely restricting and negatively influencing as an actor and on our performance. The only exception to this would be if you needed to hold a lot of tension within certain areas of your body for your character, however this tension would be carried out with an awareness and control and therefore isn't your natural state. As a society, people often carry an enormous amount of tension within their body's without realising it, this would limit your movement and possibly convey different emotions and feelings such as anger or anxiety without meaning too. Stanislavsky believes that in order to be a successful actor you had to free yourself of any existing tension, and thereby freeing yourself of your own physical habits so you are a clean slate when getting into character. The exercise of building up all possible layers of tension in my body and relaxing made me realise what a fully relaxed body feels like, something that i definitely don't have in my day to day self. Removing tension also helps your body to flow, which in turn helps your voice and emotions to flow as there isn't any physical barrier between accessing your characters emotions. All of which link to a sense mental and physical freedom thereby enabling you to adapt to the scene, the character and any what ifs you give yourself.