Stanislavsky and Place

Stanislavsky and Place offers a new approach to actor training and theatrical direction by investigating Stanislavsky’s question to his actors of “Where?” the action that they perform (and what preceded it) took place.

This book explores how place functions beyond mere location in theatrical practice, addressing politics, colonialism, conflict, and resistance through the lens of Stanislavsky’s work. Featuring contributions from leading scholars Jonathan Pitches and Bella Merlin alongside diverse practitioners, the collection examines multiple dimensions of place-based performance. Essays analyze an Australian production of Ibsen’s Enemy of the People addressing environmental concerns; perspectives from Australian First Nations and Settler artists; Russian concepts of place that shaped Stanislavsky’s approach; and the groundbreaking site-specific Vanya Project that incorporated local environments and embodied responses. The book also investigates how actors and mise-en-scène become emplaced, while examining concepts of displacement in multimedia performances that position character-actors simultaneously in multiple locations, particularly in modernist narratives like Kafka’s. Throughout these varied contributions, place emerges as a richly ambiguous and often contested tool for understanding theatrical experience, offering fresh perspectives on Stanislavsky’s enduring influence on contemporary performance practice.

Stanislavsky And… is a series of multi-perspectival collections that bring the enduring legacy of Stanislavskian actor training into the spotlight of contemporary performance culture, making them ideal for students, teachers, and scholars of acting, actor training, and directing.

Author Biography

Jonathan W. Marshall has previously published on fin de siècle performance culture in Europe, particularly as regards to the neurosciences and hysteria, as well as site-based performance, and is an expert on Japanese butoh dance.

David Shirley trained at London’s ArtsEd and is currently Executive Dean of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, at Edith Cowan University, Australia. In addition to his professional profile as an actor and director, Shirley has published on Stanislavsky, Strasberg, Meisner, and others.