Presentational Acting - Confusion of Terms

Confusion of Terms

Stanislavski's choice of the phrase 'art of representation' to describe an artistic approach that diverges from his own has led to some confusion, given that the theatre that is often associated with his own 'experiencing the role' approach (realistic, not acknowledging the audience) is 'representational' in the wider critical sense. Uta Hagen's decision to use 'presentational' as a synonym for Stanislavski's 'experiencing the role' served to compound the confusion, part of the reason she preferred to refer to them more clearly as "formalistic acting" and "realistic acting."

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