Transcript Vsevolod Meyerhold 1874-1940

Vsevolod Meyerhold
1874-1940
Biography
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Karl Theodor Kasimir Meyerhold was born in
Russia in 1874.
He later renounced his family’s Lutheran religion
and took the name Vsevolod Emilievich Meyerhold
as a new member of the Orthodox church.
In 1898 he joined the Moscow Popular Art Theatre;
an establishment with the intention of breaking
class divisions and bringing theatre to the masses as
part of the socialist movement.
After a successful Bolshevik revolution in 1917 in
which Meyerhold had fought as part of the Red
Army, he joined the party. As an official of the
Theatre Division of the Commissariat of Education
and Enlightenment, he took on a prominent role in
the production of ‘Agitprop’.
– During his 37 year long career, Meyerhold directed
nearly 300 productions.
– TB stalled Meyerhold during 1919, and his career at the
TEO was put on hold.
– 1922 saw the theatre great set up The Meyerhold Theatre,
which explored the furthest boundaries of theatre. The
theatre was to be closed two years before it’s founders
brutal execution.
– No longer a promoter of Soviet values, Meyerhold was
swiftly removed. Arrested on account of murdering his
performer wife, Zinaida Raikh,who was found dead in
their apartment, more likely a victim of a government
assassin. An ill man of 65, Meyerhold was accused of
spying for anti-communist enemies as well as various
other charges and repeatedly and violently tortured. It is
suspected he was executed on the 2nd February 1940.
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koZisVw7eVU
Ideas and Practices
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Much of Meyerhold’s work carries socialist themes, with
the belief that ‘Art cannot be non- political’. (Van
Gyseghem)
Meyerhold believed that attempts at naturalism in
theatre are absurd when a play spanning several years
may be told in a few hours.
-He also tried to break the
traditional sense of barriers
between actors and their
audience, much like the
work of Bertolt Brecht.
-Meyerhold saw both
movement and music not
merely as an
accompaniment to realism
but as a means to illustrate
the important aspects of a
scene, such as emotion.
Bio-Mechanics
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Defined as ‘the scientific study of forces
and the effects of those forces on and
within the human body’.
Exercises in bio-mechanics involve
prescribed movements in a sequence to
tell a story. There must be the careful
study of the moments before, during,
and after an action, in order to portray
it in simple poses.
‘the whole theme of the play is
interpreted in movement’. (Van
Gyseghem)
The bio-mechanics movement was
forced underground after Meyerhold’s
execution, but re-emerged in 1972
thanks to Nikolai Kustov.
Alexei Levinski and Gennachi
Bogdanov are now the only teachers of
biomechanics in Russia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZaD
ZijIo5I
Influences: Bertolt Brecht
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Many similarities can be seen between the
work of Meyerhold and German director
Bertolt Brecht.
Both held socialist beliefs and wanted theatre
to be accessible to all in society.
Brecht and Meyerhold were both very much
against the idea of theatre attempting to hide
it’s devices from the audience.
Influences: Konstantin Stanislavsky
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A co-founder of the Moscow Art Theatre
(MAT), believed the conditions for the
character must become reality for the actor.
Stanislavsky’s ‘system’ encouraged actors to
fully understand the background and feelings
of their character through research and role
play. These ideas helped form the basis of the
‘method’ system.
Stanislavsky used theatre to influence social,
political and educational factors.
Meyerhold and Stanislavsky worked together
at the MAT when Meyerhold joined in 1902.
Problems raised by Meyerhold’s work
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As with any ground-breaking work, Meyerhold’s
theatre initially experienced problems with audience
response. He was asked to leave the employment of
Vera Kommissarzhevskaya after poor audience
response to ‘Hedda Gabler’, in which all the original
stage directions were ignored.
A modern- day audience would perhaps struggle to
suspend their disbelief in a performance that constantly
reminds them of their setting in a theatre.
Bio-mechanics is a difficult skill to learn as an actor,
particularly due to little written work having been
produced about it, and there being only two teachers of
it now in Russia. It is seen as a very specialised art
form.
Impact on Theatre
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During a time of political revolution, Meyerhold
took a main role in revolutionising theatre.
The idea of not using curtains to hide the mechanics
of theatre, which was so new to audiences of
Meyerhold’s time, is now commonplace, as
audiences often arrive to see a performance where
there is no front curtain shielding the set from view.
Despite the complexities of bio-mechanics, use of
symbolism in the form of poses, and choreographed
movement to music as part of performance, are now
commonly accepted forms of theatre.
Meyerhold’s expulsion from Soviet theatre has
shown how the ancient art form that is theatre, can
be used as a modern form of communication of
political and propagandist intent.
Works in response to Meyerhold
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The emphasis on dramatic
movement in Meyerhold’s
work can be seen to an
exaggerated extent in
modern-day theatrical shows
such as:
‘ Cirque Du Soleil’ and ‘Slava’s Snow
Show’
Meyerhold’s success has inspired new theatre greats such as Slava Polunin to think
outside the box and redevelop ancient methods of performance. Polunin has won
extensive awards for his part in the Cirque du Soleil and Slava’s Snow Show. Both
shows were developed through Polunin’s own theatre, The Theatre of the Art of
Modern Clowning, which is based largely on metaphysical theatre, derived from
Meyerhold’s practices.
Glossary
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Agitprop- A Soviet term. Originally
agit ation prop aganda, meaning
information and opinions distributed
by the Russian state, giving a onesided argument, with the intention to
influence people to do what the
government desired.
Bolshevik- Russian communist
revolutionary group, influenced by
the philosophies of Karl Marx, which
overthrew a flailing Tsarist regime in a
bloody revolution in 1917. Originally
led by Lenin and Trotsky, and later
Joseph Stalin.
Lutheran- Form of Protestant
Christianity based on the ideas of the
German religious leader Martin
Luther.
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Orthodox- Form of Christianity, with more
traditional leanings, with followers in Eastern
Europe, Greece and Russia
Red Army- Military force of the Soviet/Bolshevik
state. The driving force of the revolution in 1917.
Socialist- The belief in equality of people within a
state.
Soviet- Term for the USSR (now Russia) and her
people. (United Soviet States of Russia)
TB- Abbreviation for Tuberculocis, a sometimes
fatal disease affecting the lungs.
TEO- Theatre Division of the Commissariat of
Education and Enlightenment. A section of the
Soviet government set up to expand on the regime’s
use of theatre.
Tsarist Regime- Dynasty of Russian rulers infamous
for their extreme wealth, empire and impoverished
people.
•1905 Revolution- The first attempt to overthrow the Tsarist regime occurred
partly as a result of Bloody Sunday. Peaceful protestors were shot at by the
King’s guards outside the Winter Palace. They were protesting about workers’
conditions.
•1917 Revolution- The successful overhaul of the Tsarist regime and
abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, was caused by general civil unrest and
pressures forced on the country by Russia’s part in WWI.
•MAT - Moscow Art Theatre, established in 1898 and founded by
Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko. Meyerhold joined in 1902.