From the proscenium: The influence of Konstantin Stanislavski and the psychology of acting in Vygotsky's work.

This article examines the influence of Konstantin Stanislavski’s theater theories, particularly his psychophysiological "system" of acting, on the Soviet psychologist Lev S. Vygotsky’s development of cultural-historical activity theory and his broader psychological framework. It highlights Vygotsky’s early immersion in theater as a critic and collaborator with scholars at the State Academy for the Scientific Study of Art (GAKhN), including Stanislavski’s editor Liubov Gurevich, and how concepts from Stanislavski’s *An Actor’s Work*—such as the primacy of action, the “bits and tasks” method, and the notion of *perezhivanie* (experiencing)—were integrated into Vygotsky’s later psychological theories. The article argues that Vygotsky’s reformulation of psychology, especially during his intellectual crisis in the late 1920s, was shaped by these theatrical ideas, which emphasized the unity of thought, emotion, and action within social and cultural contexts. This interdisciplinary connection provides a nuanced understanding of Vygotsky’s work and suggests that his psychological theories did not develop in isolation but were deeply informed by contemporaneous artistic and intellectual movements in early 20th-century Russia.