What is Meyerhold known for?
Vsevolod Yemilyevich Meyerhold, Meyerhold also spelled Meyerkhold, (born Jan. 28 [Feb. 9, New Style], 1874, Penza, Russia—died Feb. 2, 1940, Moscow, Russia), Russian theatrical producer, director, and actor whose provocative experiments in nonrealistic theatre made him one of the seminal forces in modern theatre.
What happened to Vsevolod Meyerhold?
His provocative experiments dealing with physical being and symbolism in an unconventional theatre setting made him one of the seminal forces in modern international theatre. During the Great Purge, Meyerhold was arrested and tortured, only to be executed the next day in February 2nd 1940.
Who influenced Meyerhold?
– Meyerhold believed movement to be the most powerful form of theatrical expression. – He was influenced by the physical nature of the Commedia dell’Arte, circus acts and pantomime. – His actors were trained in gymnastics, circus movement and ballet.
When did Brecht create epic theatre?
Epic theatre is now most often associated with the dramatic theory and practice evolved by the playwright-director Bertolt Brecht in Germany from the 1920s onward.
Why was Meyerhold killed?
Meyerhold was accused of libel against the Communist Party. After a day of torture, Meyerhold signed all the documents his executioners wanted him to, confessing to spying for the British, the Japanese, and stated he was an opponent of the Soviet regime and Soviet art. On February 2, 1940, Meyerhold was executed.
Where did Vsevolod Meyerhold live?
Penza
It is hard to overestimate his role in the development of the Russian theater. Meyerhold’s birthname was not Vsevolod, but Karl Kasimir Theodor. He was born in a Lutheran German family which lived in the Russian city of Penza.
Who was Vsevolod Meyerhold and what did he do?
Early life Vsevolod Meyerhold by Boris Grigoriev, 1916 Vsevolod Meyerhold was born Karl Kasimir Theodor Meierhold in Penza on 28 January o.s. (9 February n.s.) 1874 to Russian-German wine manufacturer Friedrich Emil Meierhold and his Russian-Dutch wife, Elisabeth Alvina Luitgard (née van der Neese). He was the youngest of eight children.
When was Vsevolod Emil mejerkhol born and when did he die?
Vsevolod Emilyevich Meyerhold ( Russian: Всеволод Эмильевич Мейерхольд, romanized : Vsévolod Èmíl’evič Mejerkhól’d; born German: Karl Kasimir Theodor Meyerhold; 9 February [ O.S. 28 January] 1874 – 2 February 1940) was a Russian and Soviet theatre director, actor and theatrical producer.
What kind of theatre did Vsevolod yemily Meyerhold create?
For his presentation of Henrik Ibsen ’s Hedda Gabler in 1906, Meyerhold rebelled against the stylized naturalism popularized by Konstantin Stanislavsky ’s art theatre and instead directed his actors to behave in puppetlike, mechanistic ways. This production marked the beginning of an innovative theatre in Russia that became known as biomechanics.
What did Vsevolod Meyerhold study at Moscow University?
After completing school in 1895, Meierhold studied law at Moscow University but never completed his degree. He was torn between studying theatre or a career as a violinist. However, he failed his audition to become the second violinist in the University orchestra and in 1896 joined the Moscow Philharmonic Dramatic School.