[Candrama] New Book Publication: Modern Theatre in Russia

[Stefan Aquilina]

Dear colleagues



You might be interested in my new book publication, *Modern Theatre in
Russia: Tradition Building and Transmission Processes*, which just came out
on Bloomsbury. The book tackles both canonical names like Meyerhold and
Stanislavsky, but also other Russian modernists who were not giving much
scholarly attention before. There are also practical exercises to use in
the studio and rehearsal room. To order a copy, perhaps for your library,
please click here
<https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/modern-theatre-in-russia-9781350066106/>.



More information about the book follows.



Best



Stefan Aquilina

Director, School of Performing Arts

University of Malta



++++++



*Modern Theatre in Russia: Tradition Building and Transmission Processes*



What did modern theatre in Russia look like and how did it foreground
tradition building and transmission processes?

The book challenges conventional historiographical approaches by weaving
contemporary theories on cultural transmission into its historical
narrative. It argues that processes of transmission – training spaces,
acting manuals, photographic evidence, newspaper reports, international
networking, informal encounters, cultural memories – contribute to the
formation and consolidation of theatre traditions.

Through English translations of rare Russian sources, the book expounds on:

* side-lined material on Stanislavsky, including his relationship with
German actor Ludwig Barnay, use of improvisation at the First Studio, and
rehearsal practices for *Artists and Admirers* (1933);

* Valentin Smyshlaev's acting manual *The Technique to Process Stage
Performance* and the creation of hybrid practices;

* proletarian theatre as an amateur-professional combination and force in
the transformation of everyday life, as seen in the Proletkult's volume *Art
at the Workers' Clubs*;

* Meyerhold's Borodin Studio as an early example of Practice as Research,
his European tour of 1930, and international persona as depicted in
newspapers published in the West; and

* Asja Lacis's work with children, which contributes to current efforts to
address the gender imbalance that is often characteristic of modernism.

This historical-theoretical investigation is combined with practical
exercises that provide a more experiential understanding of the modern
performance realities involved. In this way, the book speaks not only to
theatre scholars and historians, but also to students and practitioners
engaged in practical work.



*Book Contents*



Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Stanislavsky: Renewing Tradition through Transmission

Chapter 3 Misinterpretation of Theatre Practice: Stanislavsky-Smyshlaev

Chapter 4 Amateur and Proletarian Theatre in Post-Revolutionary Russia

Chapter 5 Meyerhold: Bias in Transmission Processes

Chapter 6 Lesser-known Names: Rediscovering Female Voices
Dr Stefan Aquilina <https://www.um.edu.mt/profile/stefanaquilina>
Director, School of Performing Arts <https://www.um.edu.mt/performingarts>
Senior Lecturer, Department of Theatre Studies
<https://www.um.edu.mt/performingarts/theatre>
University of Malta

Co-Director, Stanislavsky Research Centre
<https://stanislavsky-research.leeds.ac.uk/>
Director, CTATT Research Project <http://www.ctatt.org/>

Book Publications:
*Amateur and Proletarian Theatre in Post-Revolutionary Russia: Primary
Sources
<https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/amateur-and-proletarian-theatre-in-post-revolutionary-russia-9781350170971/>*
(forthcoming;
Bloomsbury)
*Modern Theatre in Russia: Tradition Building and Transmission Processes
<https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/modern-theatre-in-russia-9781350066106/> *(2020;
Bloomsbury)
*Interdisciplinarity in the Performing Arts: Contemporary Perspectives
<https://www.um.edu.mt/mup/onlinebookstore>*(2018; Malta University Press)
*Stanislavsky in the World: The System and its Transformations across
Continents
<https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/stanislavsky-in-the-world-9781472587886/>
*(2017;
Bloomsbury)

And:
'Teaching Stanislavsky: Periodization and the Formation of Theatre Canons'
<https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/VGNPYBKQIFGT7WFPYIU5/full?target=10.1080%2F20567790.2020.1718862&fbclid=IwAR0Xc0Tty3MmdpAe8w3bDSMWryXU_D5Th849EGagicnN5dTUgV_3-8W8-5Q>,
in *Stanislavski Studies*
 'Cultural Transmission of Actor Training Techniques'
<https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/uhHcNSkG4YyrNfXcYeRC/full?target=10.1080%2F19443927.2018.1538018&fbclid=IwAR0pshmq_mwx1EMz8QYLA2dBLn2Sgn26HQiAaTce1e8ypHZwXZtbPfnaayg>,
in *Theatre, Dance and Performance Training (*Routledge), 10:1, pp. 4-20.
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