The Magic IF
The 'magic if' is the basis of assuming the mentality of a character. An
actor asks 'If I were there, what would I be thinking?' and then later 'If
I were my character, what would I be thinking?' allowing the emulation
of realism on stage.
Stanislavski did not require
actors to be the part, as is
a popular misconception,
but he did demand that they
lived the part with the magic if.