Chekhov and the Moscow Art Theatre: Crash Course Theater #34
Get ready for Russian modernism. Mike is teaching you about the playwrighting of Catherine the Great, Anton Chekhov's plays, the Moscow Art Theatre, and the acting theories of Stanislavski. It's all very real, and very modern. From a Realism and Modernism perspective.
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RUSSIA: BRITISH THEATRE COMPANY TAKES CHEKHOV PLAY TO MOSCOW
English/Nat
A British theatre company has taken a Russian play to Moscow and will play to packed houses even though it's being performed in English.
The play is Ivanov one of Anton Chekhov's earliest and least known works.
But the man in the leading role might have something to do with the audience interest.
It is the Oscar winning actor and star of the hit movie, The English Patient, Ralph Fiennes.
A British theatre company is taking one of the Russian playwright's least known plays Ivanov to Moscow as part of world wide celebrations marking the city's 850th anniversary.
The star of the play, Ralph Fiennes, is a former Oscar winner and was also a nominee for the hit movie, The English Patient, now opening in Moscow.
He's delighted to be in Russia.
SOUNDBITE:
Being in a country who's music and literature have inspired so many people, it is a great honour. I hope you enjoy it, thank you very much.
SUPER CAPTION: Ralph Fiennes, actor
At least for members of the non-English speaking audience of The English Patient there will be Russian subtitles.
But for those who want to see Fiennes in Ivanov they will have to hear the words of the playwright being spoken in English. The cultural equivalent say, of listening to Shakespeare in Russian.
Such an anomaly is not lost on Fiennes.
SOUNDBITE:
Of course we come with the sense of expectation and knowledge here and the experience that Russian audiences have of Chekhov themselves in their own country, of course we come with a sense of living up to that. But we can't let that get in the way. we come with the integrity of our own production and we play that to its fullest and we'll play that to its fullest and we'll get the response that we get.
SUPER CAPTION: Ralph Fiennes, actor
For Fiennes, however, theatre transcends such barriers as language.
SOUNDBITE:
Above all its the interaction with the audience which is so strong, which is I think a way of provoking people's hearts and minds and spirits about the world they live in, the human condition. there is nothing, I believe, as powerful as a successful collaborative act of theatre between actors and audience. It is one of the most powerful forms we have.
SUPER CAPTION: Ralph Fiennes, actor.
The play is opening a three-night run on Thursday night, and it was too early to gauge reaction from Russian audiences and critics.
But if nothing else, Ivanov was attracting interest, as displayed by the lines of people at the box office.
The production features a new translation by Briton David Hare, an acclaimed playwright himself, who defends Ivanov as an overlooked work of genius.
Jonathan Kent, the play's director, says Ivanov is universal enough to speak to Britons; he didn't know how it would go over in Russia.
SOUNDBITE:
We hope it might be interesting for Russian audiences to see themselves or part of their culture, reflected in the eyes of another society.
SUPER CAPTION: Jonathan Kent, Director of Ivanov.
Whether Russians understand the actual words or not hardly matters.
Good theatre can transcend language.
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Arlekin & Moscow Art Theatre present The Cherry Orchard @ West Newton Cinema
First produced in 1904 at The Moscow Art Theatre under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavsky, this production of Anton Chekhov's classic tale of cultural futility, starring Russian stage and screen legend Renata Litvinova, is more relevant today than it was over a hundred years ago. Adolf Shapiro's interpretation asks the question, where would the characters of this play live today years after their cherry orchard has been cut down? The answer, which lies in the material world created by set designer, David Borovsky, is, of course, on the stage.
A century later, this production brings The Cherry Orchard full circle, with its wandering band of characters never at peace, but finally back home.
Presented in Russian with English subtitles.
Cast and Crew
Creative Team
Director: Adolf Shapiro
Set design: David Borovsky
Lighting Design: Gleb Filshtinsky
Assistant Costume Designer: Elena Afanasyeva
Conjuring Tricks: Rafael Tsitalashvili
Composer: Igor Vdovin
Stage Manager: Olga Roslyakova
Cast
Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna: Renata Litvinova
Anya: Yana Gladkikh
Varya: Jana Sekste
Gaev Leonid Andreevich: Sergey Dreiden
Lopakhin Ermolay Alexeevicht: Andrey Smolyakov
Firs: Nikolay Chindyaykin
The Golden Age: Anton Chekhov And The Moscow Art Theater
On March 8th, 2017 the Jordan Center welcomed critically acclaimed Russian stage director Aleksey Burago for “The Golden Age: Anton Chekhov And The Moscow Art Theater.” Burago discussed a lesser-known Chekhov and his influence on the Moscow Art Theater. Through the decoding of Chekhov’s letters and memoirs, as well as his extensive work in directing Chekhov’s plays and short stories, Burago revealed a more relatable Chekhov, one whose work was never intended to be as depressive as most productions around the world.
From an early age, Anton Chekov was a theater lover. He wrote his first play when he was eighteen years old and eagerly presented it to Maria Nikolevna Ermolova, leading actress of the Imperial Theater. Of course she never read it.
All his life, Anton Chekhov was obsessed with the idea of creating a new theater. He used to spend hours in the studios of his friends—Russian impressionist painters Levitan and Korovin—and remarked that he longed to create the same kind of theater as the paintings on their canvases, one that would reflect real life around him, bursting with its colorful flaws, contradictions and complexity.
Because his ideas were new for his time, Chekhov felt discouraged by the various attempts of established theaters to stage his plays. After the infamous Seagull flop at the Alexandriisky Theater, Chekhov fled from St. Petersburg, promising himself and his close friends that he would never write another play. It took only the patience and intelligence of Nemerovich-Danchenko to convince Chekhov to give his unsuccessful play another try, this time to a new theater company led by Nemerovich-Danchenko and a certain actor/director named Konstantin Stanislavsky. What followed was a production that would elevate Chekhov’s play to unforeseeable heights and shape him as one of the most important playwrights of all time.
Join critically acclaimed Russian stage director Aleksey Burago as he discusses a lesser-known Chekhov and his influence on the Moscow Art Theater. Through the decoding of Chekhov’s letters and memoirs, as well as his extensive work in directing Chekhov’s plays and short stories, Burago reveals a more relatable Chekhov, one whose work was never intended to be as depressive as most productions around the world.
A graduate of the Moscow Academy of Theatre Arts (GITIS), Aleksey Burago is a protégé of the world famous Russian director Pytor Fomenko. He has directed many productions to critical acclaim in Europe and America, including Beyond Recognition, which had a sold-out run at the Hermitage Theatre in St. Petersburg. His television production of Queen of Spades (Moscow TV) also received rave reviews. In New York, Aleksey has directed over thirty productions, including On the Eve (Obie Nominee), Ah, My Dear Anderson (Time Out NY Critic’s Pick), Gamblers, The Master and Margarita, Lady with a Lapdog With Jokes and a Happy Ending, Vassa, An Absolutely Happy Village, In Paris, The Seagull, The Magic Forest of Baba Yaga, The Bear, The Great Nothing, Uncle Vanya, Avenue of Wonder and My Uncle Chekhov. His latest production of Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment played to rave reviews and enjoyed many sold-out performances at the West End Theater.
Aleksey is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Best Director Award at the Moscow Annual Festival of Classical Plays, Best Director Award at the St. Petersburg Comedy Festival, and the Best Show Award at the 2010 International United Solo Festival. Additionally, Aleksey’s creation of Billy Bob Boils the Sea was selected to represent the United States at the 9th International Ordu Youth and Children’s Festival in Turkey. As a teacher, Aleksey has taught around the world, including at the Theatre Academy and Conservatory in St. Petersburg, Danish Theatre School GITIS Scandinavia in Denmark, Manhattanville College, the International Festival in Mexico, Bilkent University in Ankara Turkey, and most recently at the Theater Communications Laboratory in Osaka and Tokyo, Japan.
Link to written event recap:
Theatre History - Stanislavski and the Moscow Art Theatre
A brief history of the Moscow Art Theatre and Konstantin Stanislavski's system of acting.
The Moscow Art Theatre
The fabulous theatre district in Moscow, Russia, which I visited in October, 2010. I was in Moscow for the premiere of my stage musical, DORIAN GRAY, and of course took in some sights during my stay.
Paying homage to the venue where Chekhov's plays were first done, and where Stanislavski developed his revolutionary theories on acting, was the first thing I wanted to do when I arrived in Moscow.
For every theatre student in the world, this location is hallowed ground. I had wonderful shivers while standing there were Russian geniuses created our modern sensibilities about acting, and everything we now take for granted about theatrical entertainment.
Randy B.
RUSSIA: MOSCOW ART THEATRE OPENS 100TH SEASON
Russian/Eng/Nat
One of Russia's best known and most prestigious playhouses, the Moscow Art Theatre, has opened its 100th season.
Centenary festivities on Monday included celebrations to mark the 70th birthday of the theatre's artistic director Oleg Yefrimov.
Yefrimov has given 27 years of his life to the Moscow Art Theatre which was founded by Konstantin Stanislavsky 100 years ago.
One hundred years of drama.
The celebrated Moscow Art Theatre has begun its 100th season with a classical rendition of Chekov's Three Sisters.
And even though Muscovites now have a choice of Hollywood movies, American television shows and a plethora of new restaurants and nightclubs, a good play can still pack the house.
Despite the country's economic difficulties which have nearly crippled the arts financially, theatre in Russia is still going strong.
While many Westerners are brought up on a diet of television programmes, Russians are raised on the classics of the stage, and it appears that five years of Western culture has done little to undermine that tradition.
The price of a theatre ticket is still cheap in Russia, which certainly helps.
Rarely are prices for some of the best shows more than the ruble equivalent of five dollars.
Though state coffers are running low, theatre is still financed by the Russian government.
SOUNDBITE (English)
Theatre here is usually about 80 or 90 per cent subsidised by the state. People that work in these places are used to essentially creating art for arts sake, and they aren't really interested in worrying about financial problems, and they don't want to have to worry about them, and frankly to a certain extent it's one of the reasons why Russian theatre is so good.
SUPER CAPTION: John Freedman, Moscow theatre critic
Russian theatre is known and respected for its almost strict, art for art's sake approach.
It specialises in both classical and avant garde productions, but almost never in theatre as commercial entertainment.
At a special ceremony for veteran actors of the 100 year-old Moscow Art Theatre, world- renowned art director Oleg Yefrimov explained how much of an influence commercialisation can have on the finished product.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
In Russia, we could also have commercial theatres which determine style and shows based on what the ticket buyers want. But if you leave it up to the audience they will have a very narrow vision of entertainment, therefore commercial theatre becomes very specific.
SUPER CAPTION: Oleg Yefrimov, Artistic Director, Moscow Art Theatre
Russia's up and coming actors and actresses are determined not to buck the tradition.
At Moscow's Shepkin School of Performing Arts, students are well aware of the financial difficulties that an acting career is almost sure to bring.
But the majority seem undaunted and devoted more to the art of acting than to making money from it.
With Moscow's almost 100 theatres full of actors willing to work for a pittance, competition is tough even for the lowest paying jobs.
Some 85 per cent of Moscow's playhouses are financed by the city government and another 10 per cent from federal coffers.
Actors and actresses often go months without wages, while companies have to hold off on new productions for lack of financing.
But the theatre world is now getting a helping hand in the form of charity.
Many Moscow theatres now boast individual sponsors -- wealthy Russians who are willing to pay for big stage productions.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
SUPER CAPTION: Olga Olshanskaya, Theatre student, Shepkin Institute
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Igor Vernik interview – II Grand Charity Ball «Treasures of Russia»
Igor Vernik the Master of Ceremony of the Second Grand Charity Ball «Treasures of Russia» and a host of the charity auction.⠀
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Igor Vernik, People's Artist of Russia, actor of the Chekhov Moscow Art Theater, TV host of numerous programs. Invited to the jury of the Higher League of KVN. Together with his brother Vadim leads the author's program 2Vernik2, dedicated to young stars of Russian show business. Igor is one of the founders of Artist Charity Foundation. ⠀
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Igor is telling about the activities of the charity foundation Artist and what means happiness for him.
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Распорядитель Второго Большого Благотворительного Бала «Сокровища России» и ведущий благотворительного аукциона - Игорь Верник⠀
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Народный артист России, актер МХТ им. Чехова, телеведущий многочисленных программ. Приглашен в жюри Высшей лиги КВН. Вместе с братом Вадимом ведёт авторскую программу «2Верник2», посвященную молодым звездам российского шоу-бизнеса.⠀
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Игорь рассказал о деятельности благотворительного фонда «Артист» и о том, что такое для него счастье.⠀
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???? Tickets:⠀
russiannights.ch⠀
???? +41 21 552 0770⠀
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#treasuresofrussia2020 #beaurivagepalace #charityball #Switzerland #Швейцария #русскийбал #russianball #благотворительность
Stage Russia HD: The Seagull Trailer
Directed by Yury Butusov
Production: Satirikon Theatre
.Moscow Chekhov Arts Theatre.
Stanislavsky founded it. If Method acting tickles your taste then you must watch a play entitled 'The Critic' by Dr David Eltis. The sign on the door says 'main stage'. Come here for an Elysian evening. There is also a superb restaurant in the theatre. Its décor and ambience are full of old world opulence and grace. The waitresses will make a fuss over you. It is all white and gleaming inside.
Michael Chekhov & the Moscow Art Theater
As if it is a Friend Video-lecture by Ragnar Freidank, recorded at The New School in NYC. - Ragnar is a co-founder of the Michael Chekhov School ( and has been on faculty at The New School’s Acting Program in NYC for the past 12 years. He is one of the featured teachers and co-director of the acclaimed DVD series Master Classes in the Michael Chekhov Technique, produced by the Michael Chekhov Association (MICHA). He directed the award-winning narrative film Beautiful Hills of Brooklyn, starring Joanna Merlin, executive producer Bob Balaban:
Chekhov, Love and All That (Russian Theater Performance) (Zake's Theatrical debut)
University of Oregon Russian Theatre performance of two Chekhov plays: The Bear and the Proposal. This is my theatrical debut, I hope you guys enjoy these performances. My friends, instructor and I worked hard to make this play happen. Thank you to my friend James for providing me with this footage.
Stage Russia: The Cherry Orchard - in cinemas 1 July
First produced in 1904 at The Moscow Art Theatre under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavsky, this production of Anton Chekhov's classic tale of cultural futility, starring Russian stage and screen legend Renata Litvinova, is more relevant today than it was over a hundred years ago. Adolf Shapiro's interpretation asks the question, where would the characters of this play live today years after their cherry orchard has been cut down? The answer, which lies in the material world created by set designer, David Borovsky, is, of course, on the stage.
A century later, this production brings The Cherry Orchard full circle, with its wandering band of characters never at peace, but finally back home.
Chekhov and the Moscow art Theatre
Works Cited: Living Theatre: A history of Theater, Sixth Edition. Wilson, Edwin and Goldfarb, Alvin.New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. PP339-340. Print.
안톤 체호프와 모스크바 예술극장, Anton Chekhov & Moscow Art Theatre / 이정식-박정곤 대담
2019. 4. 5. 저녁, 모스크바 예술극장에서는 안톤 체호프의 '세자매'를 공연하고 있었다. 체호프를 유명 극작가로 만든 '갈매기'를 1898년에 상연한 곳이다. 2년전 상트페테르부르크에서의 초연은 실패했었다. 극장 건너편에는 체호프의 동상이 서 있다. 꽤 큰 동상이다. 체호프는 키가 컸다. 190센티쯤 됐다고 한다. 그래서인지 동상도 길쭉했다. 체호프를 전공한 박정곤 교수와 극장앞에서 잠시 이야기를 나눴다. 이야기를 시작할 때는 거리의 악사가 섹소폰을 불고 있었는데, 이야기하는 도중 거리공연을 접고 있었다. 체호프의 인생과 작품에는 시베리아와 사할린 방문이 가장 큰 영향을 미쳤다고 보는 이들이 많다. 사할린 방문은 그의 나이 30세 때인 1890년의 일이다.. 나는 1917년 8월 사할린에 가서 체호프의 흔적들을 둘러 보았다. 리모뷰 K1으로 촬영.
From Russia To Hollywood (Michael Chekhov Documentary)
From Czarist Russia's Moscow Art Theatre to Hollywood's Dirty Harry, narrator Gregory Peck joins an A-list of Hollywood stars to take us through the odyssey of two Russian-born men. Academy Award-nominated Michael Chekhov and noted director/actor George Shdanoff brought a unique technique of acting to Hollywood. This documentary examines the journey of Chekhov and Shdanoff that led to their creation of this revolutionary acting system.
Cherry Orchard Festival presents US Tour of the Moscow Pushkin Drama Theatre June 11-21, 2020
Moscow Pushkin Drama Theatre
THE CHERRY ORCHARD by Anton Chekhov
Directed by Vladimir Mirzoev
Tickets and information: CherryOrchardFestival.org
Starring Victoria Isakova, Alexander Petrov, Maxim Vitorgan, Mikhail Zhigalov, Veronika Safonova, Natalia Reva-Ryadinskaya, Vera Voronkova, Sergey Miller, Anastasia Mitrazhik, ArtemYeshkin, Alexander Dmitriev, Konstantin Pohmelov
Visually striking, psychologically nuanced and hypnotically performed Russian staging of Chekhov's play - The Stage, London (2/6/2019)
The costumes are lavish, the sets surreal, the audiences rapt - Financial Times ( 2/6/2019)
After sold-out run in New York’s BAM in 2018, Russia’s legendary Moscow Pushkin Drama Theatre makes a triumphant return to New York, Boston and Chicago June 11-21, 2020 with the award-winning production of Anton Chekhov's masterpiece, The Cherry Orchard.
The epitome of measured elegance, Ranevskaya returns to her estate when she learns her beloved orchard is to be sold to pay off debt. Haunted by the all-too-real presence of her dead son, she and her family fail to recognize their plight, living in denial, while the world they know succumbs to the tide of transformation. “We take classical texts and bring them to life in the modern world,” says Evgeny Pisarev, artistic director of the Moscow Pushkin Drama Theatre. “Our Cherry Orchard has a very gloomy feeling of uncertainty about the future, which strikes a chord with people. Billedas a “mystical grotesque or metaphysical thriller” ( visionary director Vladimir Mirzoev presents a play that strike a chord with our times.
While The Cherry Orchard embodies the spirit of Russia at the turn of the 20th century, Mirzoev's contemporary version conveys societal collapse recognizable in recent events. This emotional and musical production, with bursts of sexual energy and incredible menace, features brilliant performances by celebrated Russian screen and stage actors: Victoria Isakova, Aleksander Petrov, Mikhail Zhigalov, Maxim Vitorgan and others stars - their characters standing tall in the shadow of fate.
Duration: 2 hours 50 mins, including an intermission
Performed in Russian with English surtitles
මුහුදු ලිහිණියා - Muhudu Lihiniya Trailer #1 (Anton Chekhov's The Seagull - Russian: Чайка, Chayka)
(Anton Chekhov's The Seagull - Sinhala Version)
Translated by Ariyarathne Vithana
Production Design & Directed by Sampath Perera
Tower Repertory Theater Presents
Tower Hall Theater Foundation Production
For more info. 0715 199 400 / 0112 695 633
e-mail muhudulihiniya@gmail.com
Vakhtangov State Academic Theatre of Russia with UNCLE VANYA by Anton Chekhov
After a sold-out run in London's West End, Cherry Orchard Festival presents Russia’s legendary Vakhtangov State Academic Theater makes a triumphant return to New York's City Center June 15-18, 2017 and Boston's Cutler Majestic Theatre June 20-21, 2017 with its award-winning production of Anton Chekhov's UNCLE VANYA. Tickets and information
EUGENE ONEGIN by Vakhtangov State Academic Theatre of Russia
Cherry Orchard Festival presents a rare appearance by the legendary Vakhtangov State Academic Theatre of Russia, with a modern interpretation of Alexander Pushkin's most sincere and timeless work - EUGENE ONEGIN. Directed by Rimas Tuminas
Cast: Sergey Makovetskiy, Irina Kupchenko, Ludmila Maksakova, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Galina Konovalova,Olga Lerman, Oleg Makarov, Vasiliy Simonov
The New York City Center
May 30 - Jun 1, 2014
and
Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston
June 6 - Jun 7, 2014
dazzling production
-- The Guardian
Anyone who saw the Vakhtangov [Theatre] ...will know they are a first-rate troupe.
-- The Guardian