Transcript Vsevelod Meyerhold

Biomechanics
(of theatre!)
Kelly Nienaltowski

Born in Penza, Russia 1874
Family of a RussianGerman wine manufacturer

"Vsevelod" an Orthodox
Christian name, not birth
name

Studied law at Moscow
University (never got degree)

Under Vladimir Nemirovich
Danchencko, joined Moscow Art
Theatre

Performed 18 roles at MAT
(Treplev in The Seagull by
Chekov)

Left MAT, began
experimenting

Russian Revolution 1917 –
joined the Commies

Had a falling out with
Stanislavski

Late 1939 –
arrested/tortured/forced to
confess involvement with
enemies

Sentenced to death by firing
squad in early February, 1940




Vera Kommissarzhevskaia
founded theatre in St.
Petersburg and invited him to
direct
Once a Commie, appointed
head of the theater division
of the People's Commissariat
for Education
1923, Meyerhold had his own
troupe in Moscow, and staged
innovative productions of
both classics and new works

Mid-1930s, Meyerhold's
relentless experimentation
was no longer in favor. His
theater was harshly criticized
and then closed in 1938

Stanislavski died – Meyerhold
directed his opera for nearly
a year until his arrest
 Provocative
experiments dealing with
physical being and symbolism in an
unconventional theatre setting
 One
of the seminal forces in modern theatre
 Searched
for theatrical innovations

Actor's own personal
memories create
character’s internal
motivation

Perfect and defend
‘realist’ method

Psychological truth on
stage
Stanislavski

Connected psychological
and physiological
processes

Learning gestures and
movements as a way of
expressing emotion
outwardly

Symbolist/Experimental
theatre
Meyerhold
 One
could call up emotions in performance
by practicing and assuming poses, gestures,
and movements.
 Developed
a number of body expressions that
his actors would use to portray specific
emotions and characters.
 Tried
to return acting to the traditions of
Commedia dell’arte
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUUgaQq
gBS0
Meyerhold inspired
revolutionary artists and
filmmakers such as Sergei
Eisenstein, who studied with
Meyerhold and whose films
employed actors who worked
in Meyerhold’s tradition.
Eisenstein cast actors based
on what they looked like and
their expression, and
followed Meyerhold’s
stylized acting methods.

Ian Way’s E.T. is good example
of experimental theatre that
centered around symbolism

Although it was more geared
towards Quantum Mechanics,
the cast touched on
biomechanics

Jef’s classes are also very
closely related to Meyerhold’s
techniques.

Is there a brave soul
that would like to
demonstrate any of
the 12 movements?