I

PLAN

1. The future through art. How do you understand the role of art in
imagining the future?

Art is a powerful medium that helps humanity explore and shape its vision of
the future. It serves as both a mirror to current realities and a window into
possibilities. Artists use their works to examine societal values, fears, and
aspirations, imagining futures that range from utopian to dystopian. Through
creativity, art helps society:

1)Critique the present: Artists question current norms, systems, and behaviors,
pointing out flaws that could lead to undesirable futures.
2)Warn of potential dangers: Art can serve as a cautionary tale, highlighting
the consequences of unchecked technological or societal developments (e.g.,
Orwell’s 1984).
3)Inspire hope: By envisioning utopian futures or innovations that solve major
problems, art motivates society to work toward positive change.
4)Bridge emotions and intellect: Art connects people emotionally to abstract
ideas, making complex future scenarios more relatable and understandable.

2. Investigation of the unit topic: “Art imagines possible futures”

3. Connecting the unit topic to IB standards

Global Context (GC): Scientific and Technical Innovation

This context involves examining how humanity interacts with and is shaped by
technological advancements. Art acts as a mediator between the technical and
the emotional, helping people see both the potential and the risks of innovation.
Example: My play focuses on the lack of communication due to rapid
technological progress. It aligns perfectly with this GC by highlighting the
unintended social consequences of innovation.

Key Concept (KC): Change

Change is at the heart of this topic, as both technology and societal structures
are constantly evolving. Art captures these changes and offers insights into how
people can adapt or resist them.
Example: My play explores how changes in communication due to technology
can alienate individuals, urging audiences to rethink their relationship with
progress.

Related Concept (RC): Innovation

Art thrives on innovation—new ideas, mediums, and perspectives. It not only
reflects but often drives change, pushing boundaries in technology and culture.
Example: Your play may use innovative staging techniques or multimedia
elements to immerse the audience, mirroring the very technological progress it
critiques.

4. Research Questions

1) How did creators envision the future?

The creators imagined both utopias and dystopias, showing what could go
right or wrong.

Example: "The Jetsons" presents a fun, technology-filled future, while

"The Hunger Games" presents a society of inequality and control.

2) Which authors were ahead of their time?

Jules Verne predicted submarines and space travel. George Orwell
foresaw mass surveillance. Visionary architects like Buckminster Fuller
proposed eco-friendly designs decades before their time.

3) How did art and science together shape society?

Leonardo da Vinci's inventions inspired engineers. Modern collaborations
between artists and scientists, such as art created by artificial intelligence,
are pushing both fields forward.

4) To what extent has technology improved or worsened civilization?

Improved: Global connectivity, breakthroughs in medicine, and access to
education.
 Made it worse: The erosion of privacy, increasing social isolation, and
ethical dilemmas in AI.

5) How can art look into the future?

Art serves as a model to help people emotionally embrace abstract
concepts such as climate change or the ethics of AI and move them to
action.

6) Can art challenge the established order?

Absolutely. Art has been an instrument of revolution and change, from

Picasso's Guernica, which criticizes war, to performance art that advocates for
social and economic change, to art that is a tool for change.

II

Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavsky is a director, teacher and actor whose

system of acting still remains one of the most sought-after and effective in the
world of theater. His approach is based on deep psychology, sincerity and
organic performance, which makes it ideal for working with emotionally intense
themes such as mine.

1)Who is Stanislavsky?

- Born: January 5, 1863 in Moscow.

- Founder: Moscow Art Theater (MHT) together with Vladimir Nemirovich-

Danchenko.

- Contribution: Created a system for actors to achieve truthfulness and

sincerity in their performance.
- Goal: To make the art of acting deeply psychological, and stage action -
organic.

2)My play deals with the lack of communication due to too rapid technological
advancement, and I believe Stanislavski's system is the most suitable for staging
it. Why?

The essence of the system and its uniqueness is that Stanislavski suggests that
the actor seeks the truth in art, that is, to make the play so real that the audience
believes in every emotion and action on stage.

- The magical "if" allows actors to imagine themselves in the shoes of their
characters: "What would I do if I were in these circumstances?" This is perfect
for the theme of my play, where the characters are faced with inner emptiness,
disconnection from real communication, and loss of themselves.

- Emotional memory gives the actors the opportunity to refer to their own
experiences and memories in order to feel more deeply the loneliness and
isolation in question.

3)Why Stanislavski?

I am closest to Stanislavski's method because he emphasizes psychological

truth. In my play, it is important that the audience feel themselves in the
characters' shoes, that they experience this alienation and the pain of lack of
communication. The system allows the actors not just to "play" emotions, but to
experience them, filling each moment with life.
4)An example of a Stanislavsky production that I particularly appreciate is
Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard. It too touches on the theme of loss,
change and the inability to adapt to the new world. In this play, the characters
convey their inner contradictions not only through words, but also through
facial expressions, gestures and silence. This is what I want to achieve in my
project: to show how technological progress destroys real emotions, leaving
only emptiness:.

1. When, where and by whom the play

"The Cherry Orchard" premiered on January 17, 1904 at the Moscow Art
Theatre (MHT). The director of the production was Konstantin Sergeyevich
Stanislavsky, one of the founders of the theater. This performance was a
landmark event, as it was not only the first staging of Chekhov's play, but also
his last work, completed shortly before the writer's death.

Stanislavsky saw The Cherry Orchard as a drama, despite the fact that Chekhov
himself considered it a comedy. The director interpreted the work as a tragedy
of loss, the conflict between the old and the new world, which was reflected in
the features of the production.

2. Supertask of the director

Stanislavsky sought to convey to the audience the idea of the tragedy of change
and the impossibility of reconciliation with them. Through the image of the
crumbling way of life at Ranevskaya's estate, he raised the issues of the loss of
spiritual values, the inability of man to adapt to change and the contradictions
between generations.

The super task was to show how people refuse to accept the new reality:

- How people refuse to accept the new reality.

- The tragedy of the loss of a native and familiar world.

- The disconnection of characters who seem to live together but are emotionally
distant from each other.

My perception:

I was deeply impressed by the production. I saw in it not only the story of one
family, but also the universal conflict between past and future. I was particularly
moved by the scenes where the characters look at the cherry orchard, realizing
that they are losing it forever. This pain of loss was conveyed through the
sincere acting of the actors and the melancholy stage design.

3. Features of the scenography

The scenography for the play was developed by Viktor Simov. His approach
was aimed at creating a realistic environment, which enhanced the emotional
impact on the audience:

- Venue: The stage was traditional, using a full theatrical space. The centerpiece
was the symbolic image of a cherry orchard, conveyed through lighting effects
and minimalistic sets.

- Setting: Simplicity in the design emphasized the gradual destruction of the

characters' world. For example, the emphasis on furniture that was old and worn
conveyed a sense of decay.

- Audience seating: The audience was in a classical auditorium, which

enhanced the immersive effect. The emotional closeness of the characters and
the audience was achieved through realistic staging.

4. Reflection in the performance of the chosen direction

Stanislavsky's performance reflected the features of the direction of realism, the

key to his theater.

- Psychologism: All the characters were worked out in detail, their emotions
and actions looked logical and vital.
- Naturalness: The sets, costumes and behavior of the characters were as close
to real life as possible.

- Depth: Each scene had a subtext, thanks to which the viewer could
independently interpret the characters' feelings and motivations.

5. Noise design, music, costumes, lighting

- Noise design: The sounds of nature - birds chirping, wind rustling in the
garden - created a sense of life offstage. In the finale of the performance the
sound of a broken string increased the drama of what was happening.

- Music: Chamber music was used, which emphasized the melancholy mood of
the production. Lyrical motifs were replaced by disturbing chords at key
moments.

- Costumes: They corresponded to the era - the clothes of the characters were
kept in the style of the early XX century. Ranevskaya's dresses emphasized her
aristocratic origins, while Lopakhin's costume reflected his practicality and
simplicity

6)Light: Stanislavski made extensive use of light to create emotional mood. For
example, the soft lighting in the flashback scenes and the cold light in the finale
heightened the sense of loss.

In addition, his method involves deep work on the character's task, which helps
to reveal the meaning of the characters' actions against the background of a
rapidly changing world. This makes the performance more integral and full.