Moscow Art Theatre Letters

Description

The legendary Moscow Art theatre was born of a dream to reform and forge a new dramatic and production style which would revitalize the Russian stage. Its impact has enduringly changed acting and theatre around the world. The book contains the correspondences of the founders (Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko) and key talents (e.g. Chekhov, Gorki, Isadora Duncan) of the legendary Art Theatre, from its turn of the century origins through its first 40 years, as selected, edited, and translated with commentary by Benedetti.

Jean Benedetti was born in 1930 and educated in England and France. He trained as an actor and teacher at the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama, returning in 1970 as Principal of the College until 1987. His published translations include Brecht's Edward II and A Respectable Wedding and Georges Michel's A Sunday Walk. From 1979 to 1987 he was chairman of the Theatre Education Committee of the International Theatre Institute (UNESCO).

"The fragmentary history of the Moscow Art theatre in English is aided by this collection, containing previously untranslated correspondence." -"Choice "Benedetti, biographer of Stanislavski, has done an excellent job of piecing together a gripping offstage drama." -"Publishers Weekly "This extraordinary cache of letters only recently came to light in various Russian and international archives. Sixteen pages of black and white photos evoke dramatic moments in the history of this famed and influential theatre company." -"Playbill "Letters composed by the Art Theatre's many legendary collaborators . . . are clearly and vividly rendered into contemporary English. . . . an absorbing documentary history. . . . Students of modern drama will find considerable food for thought in this rendering of a theater company's progress from birth to maturity." -Anne Sharp, "Library Journal "It's the perfect form for a theatre book. The protagonists shout, weep, bellow, protest undying affection, plot behind each other's backs, and proclaim repeatedly that this absolutely, finally the end. It's as good as a play." -"The Globe and Mail