Woe from Wit
Turning to the classics of Russian theatre, the MAT revived Griboyedov's comedy "Woe from Wit" and planned to stage three of Pushkin's "little tragedies" in early 1915. Stanislavski continued to develop his 'system', explaining at an open rehearsal for "Woe from Wit" his concept of the state of "I am being". This term marks the stage in the rehearsal process when the distinction between actor and character blurs (producing the "actor/role"), subconscious behavior takes the lead, and the actor feels fully present in the dramatic moment. He stressed the importance to achieving this state of a focus on action ("What would I do if ...") rather than emotion ("How would I feel if ..."): "You must ask the kinds of questions that lead to dynamic action." Instead of forcing emotion, he explained, actors should notice what is happening, attend to their relationships with the other actors, and try to understand "through the senses" the fictional world that surrounds them.