Method acting aspects), and Sanford Meisner (the behavioral aspects). The approach was first developed when they worked together at the Group Theatre in New York. All three subsequently claimed to be the rightful heirs of Stanislavski's approach. "The Method" is an elaboration of the "system" of acting developed by the Russian theatre practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski. In the first three decades of the 20th century, Stanislavski organized his training, preparation, and rehearsal techniques into a coherent, systematic methodology. The "system" brought together and built on: (1) the director-centred, unified aesthetic and disciplined, ensemble approach of the Meiningen company; (2) the actor-centred realism of
Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia provoke him by acting as a brake on progress. He faced a fractured group of representatives, divided between dedicated reformers intent on enacting the Emperor's reforms immediately, and a host of conservative aristocrat representatives who vehemently opposed the emancipation of the serfs. Konstantin was particularly scornful of the numerous aristocratic protests against his plan, commenting once that they were not even worthy for him to spit upon. On several occasions, Konstantin only just managed to keep the Committee from disintegrating under the strain. The post was a difficult one and the pressures wore on the Grand Duke. His enemies retaliated