Reformers of the stage

The XX century gave the world such innovators and stage reformers as Stanislavsky and Vakhtangov on the one hand and Meyerhold and Brecht on the other. Stanislavsky and Brecht were both practitioners and theorists. They created the most complete drama theories. Each of them had his own working methods and their achievements brought them general acclaim. Their influence on the world theatre and their appeal don’t lessen with time.

Stanislavsky (1863-1938) is an outstanding Soviet actor, stage director and theorist who looked for the new ways of scenic expressiveness, he strove to sum up the experience of the best stage masters of Russian and world stage masters. Stanislavsky’s conceptions were greatly influenced by Schepkin (1788-1863) who has been called the father of Russian realism, and the plays by Anton Chehov. Under Schepkin’s and Chehov’s influence Stanislavsky strove to create an authentic atmosphere in the theatre.

The Stanislavsky System fought against overacting, clichés and mannerism. Before Stanislavsky drama schools everywhere in the world had been teaching only physical elements of an actor’s playing: ballet, fencing, speech, diction. There had been no inner acting technique. Stanislavsky developed the technique, which helped actors to build the inner world of the person portrayed on the stage. His demand for truth and simplicity didn’t mean only external presentation of naturalness. He believed in realism rather than in naturalism. Stanislavsky’s “art of adaptation” concerned everything from the actor’s make-up to the inner identification with the character. Stanislavsky fought against dilettantism in the theatre. He believed that theatre became art only through professionalism.

The Stanislavsky System played an outstanding role in the development of the theatre. With the System’s terminology – super-objective logic of actions, subtext, tempo-rhythm, method of physical actions, and so on – a common theatrical language has been created. All over the world actors, directors, and teachers of acting follow his method. However we should remember that the method is not dogmatic. The great innovator did not look upon his method as an end in itself. “Create your own method,” he used to say to his actors. ”Don’t depend on mine, but keep breaking traditions”.

Vakhtangov (1883-1922) was Stanislavsky’s greatest pupil. He was an inspired artist who left his own mark on all his creations. If Stanislavsky had been reforming the stage for more than 40 years, Vakhtangov’s creative life lasted only five though very fruitful years. His achievement was the product of his understanding of Stanislavsky’s System.

It is interesting to note that during the short years of Vakhtangov’s creative effort he was much interested in the work of V. Meyerhold (1874–1940), the famous innovator whose productions aroused heated and contradictory discussions. This brilliant director left the Moscow Art Theatre to fight the revolution of his own. Meyerhold’s ambition was to find the sensational new stage laws. He never repeated himself, never stopped experimenting. In contrast to Stanislavsky who wanted the spectators to lose themselves in the atmosphere of the play, Meyerhold wanted the spectator remember that he was in the theatre, to make him think. In fact, Meyerhold strove for the same purpose as Stanislavsky – fighting against everything trivial. Vakhtangov appreciated Meyerhold’s imagination and sense of form, but on the other hand he thought that Meyerhold often acted purely from a desire to reject the old and used the form which had little connection with the essence of the play.

As far as Brecht is concerned, his art has very much in common with the art of Meyerhold. One can easily trace the influence of Soviet art on Brecht’s aesthetic views: of Eisenstein’s method of film editing, Mayakovsky’s poetry, and Meyerhold’s dramaturgy. They all cultivated the metaphor and strove to emphasize the social message. Like Meyerhold, Brecht used open directorial devices, demonstrated emphasis of his own point of view, and an epic form of drama. But Brecht’s main contribution is innovatory drama heritage.

Brecht’s attitude to Stanislavsky System was contradictory. On the one hand, it appealed to him as an integral aesthetic theory, but on the other hand, he rejected the “day-dreaming theatre” as he called it. In many points their principles are diametrically different. The difference between their approaches can be explained by the difference in their historical tasks and national traditions. The Stanislavsky System and Brecht’s epic drama grew out of the deep and continuous desire to better the level of acting.

(From “The Stanislavsky System” by Sonia Moore)

I. Translate into Russian

General acclaim, an influence on, to lessen, to look for, to strive, authentic atmosphere, elements of an actor’s training, inner acting technique, inner world, to portray, demand for, simplicity, to believe, to concern, to create, follow the method, to depend on, inspired artist, creative life, fruitful, achievement, effort, to arouse, ambition, stage laws, purpose, sense of form, to reject, essence of the play, to have much in common with, to trace the influence, device, contribution, drama heritage, to appeal to, approach, reminder

II. Translate into English

Противоречивый, отношение, цельная, подход, уровень, выдающийся, физический, фехтование, техника, внешнее выражение, становиться, профессионализм, терминология, новатор, ломать традиции, горячие споры, зрители, желание.

III. Explain meanings of the following terms in English

Scenic expressiveness, overacting, inner acting technique, art of adaptation, speech, make-up, diction, subtext, tempo-rhythm, method of physical actions

IV. Find in the text and read abstracts telling about:

1. Stanislavsky’s contribution to the development of the theatre

2. Vakhtangov’s attitude to Meyerhold

3. Brecht’s attitude to Stanislavsky System

V. Answer the questions:

1. What theater reformers are mentioned in the text?

2. What were the main influences on Stanislavsky’s aesthetic views?

3. What did Stanislavsky fight against?

4. What were Stanislavsky’s main demands?

5. What words of System terminology can you name?

6. What was Vakhtangov’s contribution to the stage art?

7. What did Meyerhold strive for?

8. What staging principles did Brecht have with Meyerhold?

9. What was Brecht’s attitude towards the Stanislavsky System?

10. In what points did Brecht and Stanislavsky differ?

VI. Compare scenic principles of Stanislavsky and Brecht using the table. What do you think about the advantages and disadvantages of their systems?

Stanislavsky	Brecht
Drama of theatrical presentation	Epic drama
Theatrical illusion	Staginess
Art of identification	Method of “alienation”
Faithful rendering of the playwright’s lines	Freedom of actors improvisation

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