“Я есмь“ – Stanislavski and Solovyov

Abstract

ABSTRACT The paper discusses the cultural context of the expression „Я есмь“/”I am being” in Stanislavski system and his book An Actor’s Work: A Student’s Diary – part 1. It explains the relation of this term to the concepts of acting of experiencing (переживание) and supertask (сверхзадача) and Vladimir Solovyov’s philosophy. The connection between Stanislavski’s system, the acting of experiencing and orthodox liturgy can be understood through the perspective of Vladimir Solovyov’s book Lectures on Godmanhood (1878–1881) which might have been known to Stanislavski as Solovyov played a crucial role in Russian culture at the end of the 19th century.