
The Director's Prism
E. T. a. Hoffmann and the Russian Theatrical Avant-Garde
Dassia Posner(Author)
Northwestern University Press
Published on 30. August 2016
Book
Hardback
296 pages
978-0-8101-3356-3 (ISBN)
Description
The Director's Prism investigates how and why three of Russia's most innovative directors- Vsevelod Meyerhold, Alexander Tairov, and Sergei Eisenstein-used the fantastical tales of German Romantic writer E. T. A. Hoffmann to reinvent the rules of theatrical practice. Because the rise of the director and the Russian cult of Hoffmann closely coincided, Posner argues, many characteristics we associate with avant-garde theater-subjective perspective, breaking through the fourth wall, activating the spectator as a co-creator-become uniquely legible in the context of this engagement. Posner examines the artistic poetics of Meyerhold's grotesque, Tairov's mime-drama, and Eisenstein's theatrical attraction through production analyses, based on extensive archival research, that challenge the notion of theater as a mirror to life, instead viewing the director as a prism through whom life is refracted. A resource for scholars and practitioners alike, this groundbreaking study provides a fresh, provocative perspective on experimental theater, intercultural borrowings, and the nature of the creative process.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Evanston
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
593 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8101-3356-3 (9780810133563)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
08/2016
1st Edition
Northwestern University Press
€101.99
Available for download
Person
Dassia Posner is an assistant professor in the Department of Theatre at Northwestern University, USA.