Emotion Theory and Theatre Practice From William James to Konstantin Stanislavski

Evangelatou, Aphrodite (2025) Emotion Theory and Theatre Practice From William James to Konstantin Stanislavski. In: The Routledge Companion to Performance and Science. Routledge.

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Abstract

The chapter examines William James’ theory of emotion and its strong links to actor training. According to James, during an emotional event, the subjective experience (feeling) follows the physiological arousal that is known to accompany it, such as tears and increased heart rate. Although common sense dictates that we cry because we are sad, James’ theory of emotion argues that the reverse is true: We are sad because we cry. Following James, the chapter argues that an actor can more easily access emotion by focusing on the physiological arousal, which is under voluntary control, using the tangible body as an entry point to emotion rather than attempting to reach an inner state, which is not accessible at will, directly. The chapter also identifies other acting principles that can be traced back to James, such as the psychophysical nature of actor training and the importance of repetition and daily practice. The chapter traces how these insights may have found their way into mainstream actor training through Konstantin Stanislavski: It argues that such links between psychology and actor training were heavily explored by Stanislavski, cross-pollinated by his pupils, such as Vsevolod Meyerhold, and inherited by other highly influential theatre practitioners, such as Jerzy Grotowski.

Item Type:	Book Section
Divisions:	Acting and Performance
Depositing User:	Dr Jon Venn
Date Deposited:	10 Feb 2026 15:27
Last Modified:	10 Feb 2026 15:27
URI:	https://bruford.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/86

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