Konstantin Stanislavski

The man who would become known as Konstantin Stanislavski was born into a wealthy Moscow family as Konstantin Sergeievich Alexeiv in 1863. He grew up surrounded by the arts, and his family even constructed private theatres on their estate. He started performing at a young age in the family circle, but when he began to professionally pursue theatre, Stanislavski changed his name in order to keep these activities a secret from his family. As an artist, he became famous for directing and staging new works, but always had an appreciation for the classics (such as Hamlet and Othello) and would return to them as a way to develop his theories on acting and performance. In 1889, Stanislaski married actress Maria Petrovna Perevostchikova (stage name Maria Lilina). Together they had three children: Xenia (who died as an infant in 1890), Kira (born 1891), and Igor (born 1894). In 1938, Stanislavski’s health sharply declined, and he died at home on August 7, 1938.

Key Dates & Events

• 1891 - Stanislavski directs Leo Tolstoy's Fruits of Enlightenment
• 1898 - The Moscow Art Theatre (MAT) is founded
• 1904 - Stanislavski begins to incorporate symbolism into his System
• 1923 - Stanislavski and the MAT tours the United States and promotes the System
• 1924 - My Life in Art, Stanislavski's first book to articulate his dramatic theories, is published