A Dream of Passion: survey and analysis stanislavskis processes of interpretation as formulated by Lee Strasberg

• Grant number: 16/06545-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2016
• End date: July 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Arts - Theatre
• Principal Investigator: Maria Sílvia Betti
• Grantee: Carolina Xavier de Oliveira Longatti
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The theme of this project is about concepts formulated by the North American director Lee Strasberg about the use of affective memory take as a basis for the acting's work, developed in his book "A Dream of Passion", and the practical application of some of his exercises with a group of actors - formed by students in Linguistics course in FFLCH-USP - recorded and documented trough videos, photos and interviews. Strasberg, in his work, undertake a summary and an analytical retrospect of his formation path and concepts/exercises that he developed through his work as director and actor trainer in three successive stages, first such as participant of workshops in American Laboratory Theatre (1924 to 1931), after such as one of directors in Group Theatre (1931 to 1936), and finally such as director in Actors Studio (1949 to 1982). The Strasberg's book which the title was based on Hamlet's scene (scene 2, act II) by William Shakespeare, aims to achieve a natural and, at the same time, pungently way to take the art of acting (dream) the strength of passion. This is the aim of Strasberg with his method, which is based on reflections and processes of acting formulated by Stanislavski about the performance. Thus, the method developed and studied by Strasberg and its application point out importants questions about the performance, and will guide this research: what is the technical basis for actor's performance? How the actor can feel and, at the same time, practice the technical control about what he feel?