Vsevolod Meyerhold

<p><em>Vsevolod Meyerhold</em> considers the life and work of the extraordinary twentieth-century director and theatre-maker. This compact, well-illustrated volume includes:</p><ul> <p> </p> <li>a biographical introduction to Meyerhold’s life</li> <p> </p> <li>a clear explanation of his theoretical writings</li> <p> </p> <li>an analysis of his masterpiece production <i>Revisor, or The Government Inspector</i> </li> <p> </p> <li>a comprehensive and usable description of the ‘biomechanical’ exercises he developed for training the actor.</li> </ul><p>As a first step towards critical understanding, and as an initial exploration before going on to further, primary research, <strong>Routledge Performance Practitioners</strong> offer unbeatable value for today's student.</p> <p>A LIFE OF CONTRADICTIONS Apprenticeship (1874–1905) St Petersburg (1906–17) Meyerhold and the Revolution (1917–22) The Meyerhold Theatre (1922–31) The death of Meyerhold and his theatre (1932–40) Meyerhold today <strong>MEYERHOLD'S KEY WRITINGS </strong>Don’t (always) believe what you read! The key theoretical principles Naturalism Stylisation Rhythm and music The mask The grotesque Biomechanics and the actor of the future Chaplin and Eisenstein: a theory of montage CONTENTS <b>MEYERHOLD’S KEY PRODUCTION: <i>THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR </i></b>Gogol’s challenge Meyerhold’s response Nikolai Gogol: the comet Gogol’s <i>Government Inspector</i> Meyerhold’s <i>Government Inspector </i><strong>PRACTICAL EXERCISES </strong>Practice: the living link with Meyerhold So what <i>are </i>the basic skills of a biomechanical actor? The exercises Skills-based exercises Back to the basic skills Improvisation exercises Work on text Conclusions <strong>Bibliography </strong>Books and articles Films and videos </p>