Teffi - theatrical terminology

Sun Feb 23 17:10:03 UTC 2014

Dear Robert,
Now that I think about it (re: my response below), I think the phrase "актеро-творчество" might not be referring to Stanislavsky, but to the theatrical philosophy behind the acting experiments Meyerhold was conducting at his commedia-infused Studio on Borodinskaia Street.  All her other references are from Russian conventionalized/theatricalist innovations, so it makes sense that this one might be, too.
All best,
Dassia

Dassia N. Posner, Ph.D
Assistant Professor, Theatre, Northwestern University

>> From: Dassia Posner <dassia2 at gmail.com>
>> Date: February 23, 2014 at 10:42:11 AM CST
>> To: "SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list" <SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU>
>> Cc: "SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU" <SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU>
>> Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Teffi - theatrical terminology
>> 
>> Dear Robert,
>> I am very interested in this translation question.
>> Although Meyerhold talks about the "theatre-triangle" in the 1907 book TEATR, KNIGA O NOVOM TEATRE, he does so essentially as an illustration of what he thought the theatre should not do: have a director-dictator who controls actor-fulfillers. This and the fact that this kind of triangulation does not immediately seem to allow for an actress to show flashes of a particular style makes me wonder if it could possibly be referring to the three-part sequence of an action in biomechanics? This would, of course, depend on the year of the Teffi work in question. Also, all the other theatrical references appear to be pre-Revolutionary ones. Alternately, it could indeed refer to the theatre-triangle, but in a way that does not fully grasp Meyerhold's argument- something that was not unusual at the time and seems to be supported by the apparent randomness of this actress's borrowings.
>> I might suggest "actor-creator" or something similar for the Stanislavsky bit. Stanislavsky has a lifelong concern for the creative work of the actor (though I am not aware of him having used Teffi's specific phrase), while "building a character" recalls the late (1949) American translation/adaptation of part two of Stanislavsky's RABOTA AKTERA NAD SOBOI (1948), which has recently been superseded by Benedetti's excellent translation, now called AN ACTOR'S WORK.
>> Hope this helps!
>> Best,
>> Dassia
>> 
>> Dassia N. Posner, Ph.D
>> Assistant Professor, Theatre, Northwestern University
>> 
>> On Feb 23, 2014, at 4:59 AM, Gasan Gusejnov <gusejnov at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>> 
>>> Роберт, 
>>> комментарий к словам о "треугольнике соотношения сил"; здесь это - контаминация "театра-треугольника", с излюбленным в политическом жаргоне времени "параллелограммом сил", к которому т.-т. и восходит - Троцкий, Бухарин и др. использовали широко.
>>> 
>>> См. http://www.magister.msk.ru/library/trotsky/trotm420.htm
>>> http://yandex.ru/yandsearch?lr=10410&text=%D0%B1%D1%83%D1%85%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BD+%D0%BE+%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BC%D0%B5+%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BB
>>> гг
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 2014-02-23 14:23 GMT+04:00 Robert Chandler <kcf19 at dial.pipex.com>:
>>> Dear all,
>>> 
>>> I am sure there are many improvements that can be made here, and I'll be grateful for all suggestions, but I'll be especially grateful to anyone who can point out anything I have got wrong as regards the theatrical terms.  There may be standard translations of some of these phrases that I do not know.  Am I right to shorten the Meyerhold phrase?
>>> 
>>> Мы растерялись, но не все. Молоденькая наша актриса, как полковая лошадь, услышавшая звуки трубы, сорвалась и понесла — кругами, прыжками, поворотами. Замелькал Мейерхольд, с «треугольниками соотношения сил», Евреинов, с «театром для себя», Commedia dell'arte, актеро-творчество, «долой рампу», соборное действо и тра-та-ра-ра-та-ра-та.
>>> 
>>> This floored nearly all of us – but not our youngest actress.  Like a war horse at the sound of the bugle, she leaped to her feet and began careering around – circling, jumping and spinning.  There were flashes of Meyerhold and his ‘theatre-triangle’,  Evreinov’s 'The Theatre for Oneself', of Comedia dell’Arte, Stanislavsky’s 'Building a Character', of calls to ‘Do away with the Footlights!’, and heaven knows what else.
>>> 
>>> All the best, and thanks,
>>> 
>>> Robert
>>> 
>>> Robert Chandler, 42 Milson Road, London, W14 OLD
>>> 
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