Chekhov and the Moscow Art Theater: Crash Course Theater #34
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Date: 2022-04-04
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Comments and reviews: 8
Lance
Back in October on a Sunday evening I heard a short story read aloud over a radio broadcast on my local NPR station. The story was highly relatable and beautifully written. I was so taken with it that I made a note of the title and author on my Twitter account.
Fast forward to winter break where I finally have time to myself to read novels, play video games, watch movies etc. I decide I want to find that story I heard but I couldn't remember the title only the author, Anton Checkov. So at my local bookstore I find plenty books with his stories. Unsure of what to get I pick up like 4 different ones. I spent my winter break reading through them trying to find that one story. It's hit and miss but the hits are incredible! In particular some of my favorites are The Kiss, The Lady With The Pet Dog and many others. It wasn't until recently I went through my Twitter to find what I had tweeted back in October. The title of the story was Verotchka. It is in none of the books I bought but I'm glad to have bought them regardless!
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Back in October on a Sunday evening I heard a short story read aloud over a radio broadcast on my local NPR station. The story was highly relatable and beautifully written. I was so taken with it that I made a note of the title and author on my Twitter account.
Fast forward to winter break where I finally have time to myself to read novels, play video games, watch movies etc. I decide I want to find that story I heard but I couldn't remember the title only the author, Anton Checkov. So at my local bookstore I find plenty books with his stories. Unsure of what to get I pick up like 4 different ones. I spent my winter break reading through them trying to find that one story. It's hit and miss but the hits are incredible! In particular some of my favorites are The Kiss, The Lady With The Pet Dog and many others. It wasn't until recently I went through my Twitter to find what I had tweeted back in October. The title of the story was Verotchka. It is in none of the books I bought but I'm glad to have bought them regardless!
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HeathMaiden
Chekhov was my primary focus when I was studying theatre in college, and the way I've always interpreted his emphasis on comedy (as compared to how Stanislavski wanted to play everything for maximum pathos) was that people and life can be ridiculous. Best example in his plays is the moment when Vanya shows up with a gun to shoot the Professor. He shoots the gun twice at point blank range, yelling -BANG! - each time, and he misses both times. It's the most ridiculous thing. (Also, definitely the best Chekhov gun moment in all of his plays) It's the kind of thing that is funny to watch as an outsider, but it's also incredibly sad for the characters because of the depths of despair and anger Vanya has been driven to to find such action necessary. I doubt Chekhov wanted it played as farce, but I think perhaps Stanislavski was over -tragifying- such moments. It'd be like doing Jane Austen straight. It just doesn't work. Real people are ridiculous. So let the audience be reminded of that while still keeping them real.
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Chekhov was my primary focus when I was studying theatre in college, and the way I've always interpreted his emphasis on comedy (as compared to how Stanislavski wanted to play everything for maximum pathos) was that people and life can be ridiculous. Best example in his plays is the moment when Vanya shows up with a gun to shoot the Professor. He shoots the gun twice at point blank range, yelling -BANG! - each time, and he misses both times. It's the most ridiculous thing. (Also, definitely the best Chekhov gun moment in all of his plays) It's the kind of thing that is funny to watch as an outsider, but it's also incredibly sad for the characters because of the depths of despair and anger Vanya has been driven to to find such action necessary. I doubt Chekhov wanted it played as farce, but I think perhaps Stanislavski was over -tragifying- such moments. It'd be like doing Jane Austen straight. It just doesn't work. Real people are ridiculous. So let the audience be reminded of that while still keeping them real.
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Luboman411
You guys introduced me to -The Cherry Orchard-! I saw the play a few weeks ago and, damn, I cried when the old servant Firs died, all forgotten and alone. It was one of the most affecting, tragic deaths I have ever seen. It was soooo sad. The actor who played him was incredibly good. But just. wow. the play's ending will stick with me, along with the German governess, she was very weird, whenever I think about -The Cherry Orchard. -
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You guys introduced me to -The Cherry Orchard-! I saw the play a few weeks ago and, damn, I cried when the old servant Firs died, all forgotten and alone. It was one of the most affecting, tragic deaths I have ever seen. It was soooo sad. The actor who played him was incredibly good. But just. wow. the play's ending will stick with me, along with the German governess, she was very weird, whenever I think about -The Cherry Orchard. -
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Hairy
I love the cherry orchard! Another great episode: ) for my acting classes in college, we read one of stanislovski's books per year. By the end, we had a really wide range of acting skills, and my prof shaped each course around the respective book. It was really rooted, and fun. It's probably my favorite method, next to ancient greek (We did some Euripides tragedy, and dabbled in our best guess recreations of their acting style)
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I love the cherry orchard! Another great episode: ) for my acting classes in college, we read one of stanislovski's books per year. By the end, we had a really wide range of acting skills, and my prof shaped each course around the respective book. It was really rooted, and fun. It's probably my favorite method, next to ancient greek (We did some Euripides tragedy, and dabbled in our best guess recreations of their acting style)
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Conner
Rugnetta has transformed from a delightful pop culture, philosophy (and sometimes science) commentator and, idea presenter to a delightful traditional culture educator (and idea presenter.
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Rugnetta has transformed from a delightful pop culture, philosophy (and sometimes science) commentator and, idea presenter to a delightful traditional culture educator (and idea presenter.
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Conner
Finally, we're looking at theater of the absurd, theater of the oppressed, theater of cruelty, expressionist theater, maybe even the American musical.
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Finally, we're looking at theater of the absurd, theater of the oppressed, theater of cruelty, expressionist theater, maybe even the American musical.
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Elfos64
You're in the late 19th Century, I really hope you cover Japanese Hero Shows from the Late 20th Century or I will be very disappointed.
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You're in the late 19th Century, I really hope you cover Japanese Hero Shows from the Late 20th Century or I will be very disappointed.
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inside
Oh my goodness. Have you never seen this play? You not only pronounce all the names wrong but emphasize the wrong scenes.
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Oh my goodness. Have you never seen this play? You not only pronounce all the names wrong but emphasize the wrong scenes.
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