Stanislavsky Versus Brecht

 Stanislavsky and Brecht's first major difference is in their core philosophies. At the core of Stanislavsky's method, the purpose is for the audience to feel. This is achieved by creating theater so seamless and authentic that it is as indiscernible from reality as possible. Through this, theater reaches its pinnacle in Stanislavksy's eyes. On the opposite end of this Brecht does not want the audience to feel, but think. For him, a performance's most important objective is to pass on its intended message with maximum effectiveness. Brecht implements this by in many ways doing the polar opposite of Stanislavsky. He ensures through the dialogue, set, and the manner in which the theater is represented in order to best disconnect the audience from the show. The audience must feel like spectators, unable to relate to the characters and their going-on's from this the audience is more inclined to not feel but think about the theater, and what it means. In the five truths videos, Brecht's approach presents the dialogue by saying "she says" before every new line. In this way, the actor is less acting out the script and more so reading from it. Stanislavsky on the other hand seeks immersion, the actor conveys a heavy sense of mourning and dread through their mannerisms. And the actor also focuses on speaking their lines in as realistic a way as possible. Another difference is the lighting. Brecht's lighting feels very much fake, and instead of being used to achieve a certain look or aid the setting, Brecht's lighting is simply overhead fluorescent lights that light the actor's face and the props and does nothing else. Stanislavsky's lighting on the other hand attempts to simulate nighttime and the moonlight, it uses warm colors in the light bulbs to feel fire-esque and also utilizes the absence of light to achieve a nighttime effect. In terms of sound Stanislavksy employs the sound of birds chirping to create an ambiance, Brecht does not. Even in their mannerism's the Brecht actor is more disconnected. When she gets up, she doe not appear to be upset or any emotion at all, she is simply an actor moving from one point on a stage to another, and when she sings she sings her song plainly and devoid of any sense of grieving. Stanislavsky's actor on the other hand moves with a slowness and a shamble that only someone whose whole world has just crumbled could achieve. And when they sing, their voice is filled with the guilt and sadness, and mourning one would expect.