Analysis of Acting Training Practices of Six Western Realistic Theatre Practitioners through the Five Aggregates

Abstract

This research uses document-based comparative analysis between the Five Aggregates (Skandhas) and the actor training manuals of six Western realistic acting practitioners: Konstantin Stanislavski, Michael Chekhov, Stella Adler, Lee Strasberg, Sanford Meisner, and Uta Hagen. The findings show a total of 126 training exercises identified across all six practitioners. Of these, 25 exercises emphasize the Form Aggregate (Rūpa), 7 focus on the Feeling Aggregate (Vedanā), 40 on the Perception Aggregate (Saññā), 37 on the Mental Formation Aggregate (Saṅkhāra), and 17 on the Consciousness Aggregate (Viññāṇa). Stanislavski and Chekhov’s methods primarily emphasize the Form Aggregate (Rūpa), while Adler and Hagen’s approaches highlight the Perception Aggregate (Saññā). Strasberg and Meisner focus on the Consciousness Aggregate (Viññāṇa). The Feeling Aggregate (Vedanā) is the least represented according to the analysis. These results reflect an understanding of the nature of human emotional processes that corresponds with the Buddhist principle of dependent origination (Idappaccayatā), which emphasizes addressing causes at their roots. The analysis further suggests that the expression of emotion (feeling) is fundamentally caused by perception (Saññā), mental formation (Saṅkhāra), and consciousness (Viññāṇa).