Modern Theatre in Russia: Tradition Building and Transmission Processes

Description

What did modern theatre in Russia look like and how did it influence global theatre at the start of the 20th century? This book offers fresh readings of the Russian theatre scene from 1898 to 1934. It combines a historical narrative with contemporary theories including cultural transmission. Stefan Aquilina argues that it is through the process of transmission from one culture to another that theatre traditions are formed and consolidated. Through historical case studies and rare English translations of Russian sources, this book examines the international dissemination of Stanislavsky's System, reflects upon the extent to which a practitioner's persona is altered when his works are translated into another language and culture, and discusses how efforts to create an official artistic canon in Soviet Russia halted the natural transmission process. The historical-theoretical investigation is accompanied by a series of practical workshops and exercises to be practised in the rehearsal room and studio, bringing the migration of Russian modernist theatre into the present. Cover Contents List of illustrations Acknowledgements Translation credits and a note on transliteration 1 Introduction Modern theatre and the problem of continuity Lines of continuity in the Russian theatre tradition Implications to tradition building Milestone, stagnation and renewal A concerted effort Cultural transmission Chapter summaries Suggestions for practice Note on the practical exercises Transmission exercise and belts 2 Stanislavsky: Renewing tradition through transmission Renewing theatre traditions Scenic Transmission: The case of Ludwig Barnay The First Studio: An example of Democratic Levelling Rehearsal Transmission: Stanislavsky’s work on Artists and Admirers The international dimension of the Stanislavsky acting tradition Conclusion Suggestions for practice The Gorky Method 3 Misinterpretation of theatre practice: Stanislavsky-Smyshlaev Why cultural transmission? Smyshlaev’s diary: January–December 1917 Theatre references in Smyshlaev’s diary The Stanislavsky-Smyshlaev rift: Collective creation The use of improvisation Work processes in The Technique to Process Stage Performance Conclusion Suggestions for practice From individual to group work 4 Amateur and proletarian theatre in post-revolutionary Russia Aesthetics and theatricality on the amateur stage Historiographical difficulties Transmission point 1: Critical processing Transmission point 2: Collective creation and independent action – From the studio to everyday life Insurrection as an example of proletarian theatre Conclusion Suggestions for practice Amateur aesthetics and collective practices Political scenarios and improvisation 5 Meyerhold: Bias in transmission processes Researching Meyerhold: From bias to myth-making Recurrence and difference in Meyerhold’s work Meyerhold’s rediscovery of past traditions The Borodin Studio as an instance of Practice as Research The Meyerhold Theatre’s foreign tour of 1930 Meyerhold’s internationalism discerned from Western newspapers Suggestions for practice Introducing Meyerhold’s theatricality ‘Expressing thoughts spatially’ 6 Lesser-known names: Rediscovering female voices The status of women in early Soviet Russia Contributions of female artists The case of Asja Lācis Conclusion Axioms about modern theatre in Russia Organizational principles when running transmission workshops Notes References Index