Teffi - theatrical terminology

[Edythe Haber]

Dear  Robert:

A little bit of biographical background:  In 1906 (perhaps beginning in 1905), Teffi attended meetings of the "Fakely" theater group, which grew out of Ivanov's Wednesdays, and in which Meyerhold, as far as I understand, played the central role.  Teffi wrote in a Mar. 17 (30), 1913 feuilleton in "Russkoe slovo" (in my translation -- I can find the original and scan it for you if you like:

"Several years ago, when the extremely talented V.E. Meyerhold was not yet a director on the imperial stage, but only burned and dreamed, he often spoke within a circle of sympathizers about the theater of the future.  About a 'real' theater.
He had his own theory.  I don't remember too well what it was about, but I remember that it was founded somehow mathematically, geometrically, all on a single theorem known in the community by the name Pythagorean trousers.
. . . .
'Down with the footlights!' squealed some.
'Down with the stage!' another recommended.
'Collective action!' someone in the corner hooted.
We burned!"

In a late memoir of Meyerhold, published only after her death, Teffi wrote:  "Meyerhold sketched a magic triangle.  The author, director, and actor were placed in the corners of the triangle.  Each in his own corner.  They communicated through the sides [katety] and the hypotenuse.  The hypotenuse -- the longest route -- unites the author and actor."  Etc.  The article was originally published in "Vozrozhdenie," !955, no. 42.  Repr. in Teffi, "Moia letopis'," (M: Vagrius, 2004) and probably elsewhere.      

Hope this helps,
Edythe
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From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list <SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU> on behalf of Robert Chandler <kcf19 at DIAL.PIPEX.COM>
Sent: Sunday, February 23, 2014 5:23 AM
To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU
Subject: [SEELANGS] Teffi - theatrical terminology

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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