Russian Theatre in Practice - The Director's Guide

Amidst the turmoil of political revolution, the stage directors of twentieth-century Russia rewrote the rules of theatre making

From realism to the avant-garde, politics to postmodernism, and revolution to repression, these practitioners shaped perceptions of theatre direction across the world

Strongly practical in its approach, Russian Theatre in Practice equips readers with an understanding of the varying approaches of each director, as well as the opportunity to participate and explore their ideas in practice

The full range of the director's role is covered, including work on text, rehearsal technique, space and proxemics, audience theory and characterization

Each chapter focuses on one director, exploring their historical context, and combining an examination of their directing theory and technique with practical exercises for use in classroom or rehearsal settings

Through their ground-breaking ideas and techniques, Russia's directors still demand our attention, and in this volume they come to life as a powerful resource for today's theatre makers

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of illustrations
Notes on contributors
Note on transliteration and Russian terms

Introduction

1. Innovative Practices: Stanislavsky directs Chekhov and Gorky ~ Maria Shevtsova

2. Meyerhold and the Visual Arts: Creating an Interdisciplinary Mise en Scène ~ Amy Skinner

3. Nina Simonovich-Efimova: Theatre as Sculpture in Motion ~ Dassia Posner

4.Yevgeny Vakhtangov: The Future Head of the Russian Theatre ~ Andrei Malaev-Babel

5. Alexander Tairov: Theatricalizing the Theatre ~ Claire Warden

6. Michael Chekhov: Directing an Actors' Theatre ~ Tom Cornford

7. Alexandra Remizova: A Dialogue with Time ~ Andrei Malaev-Babel

8. Natalia Sats: A Soviet Life in the Theatre ~ Manon van de Water

9. Mar Sulimov's School of Directing: A Case Study of the Production Shoo, Death, Shoo! ~ Sergei Tcherkasski

10. Anatoly Efros' Principles of Acting and Directing: Psychological Truth, Active Analysis, Adaptations-'Zigzags', and Thematic Modernity ~ James Thomas

11. Oleg Efremov: The Heir to Stanislavsky ~ Jesse Gardiner

12. Interviews with Genrietta Ianovskaia ~ Manon van de Water

Conclusion ~ Amy Skinner

Postscript: Where to next? ~ Amy Skinner

Bibliography

REVIEWS

"This illuminating collection of directorial case studies drawn from Russia's rich theatrical tradition, promises to challenge contemporary directors forging new careers in theatres much further afield" ~ Jonathan Pitches, University of Leeds

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