FAMOUS DIRECTOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23111, 9 August 1938, Page 9

FAMOUS DIRECTOR

MOSCOW ART THEATRE DEATH OF STANISLAVSKY (Received August 8, 5.5 p.m.-) MOSCOW, August 8 The death has occurred of Konstantin Sergeycvitch Stanislavsky, the famous director of the Moscow Art Theatre. , ! Stanislavsky, who founded the Mos- ! cow Art Theatre, was born in Moscow in January, 1863. His father was a rich Russian business man and his mother the daughter of a Russian and a Frenchwoman who had been a wellknown actress. The theatrical blood of his grandmother came out in him. While still at school he devoted all his leisure and his pocket-money to the theatre. Later for years he organised private performances along with other young amateurs. In 1897 he got. to know the dramatist Danchcnko. Holding similar views, they decided to found an independent theatre. This was the Moscow Art Theatre which became the pioneer in Russia. It,strove for realism and truth in its presentations and exercised an iron discipline over the actors. The realism of the performances was such that spectators forgot that they were in the theatre. Stanislavsky had a long and arduous struggle against great odds. For many years he had to support the venture out of his own pocket and he was only able to hold out because he had private means. His theatre became a model, not only to Russia, but to Germany and the United States. He tried all methods, including "expressionism" and black curtains. Never satisfied, he retired for a time at the height of his fame to Finland to take stock of his methods, coming to the conclusion that they still left much to be desired. N Stanislavsky then worked out his famous system for the teaching of "creativeness," based on the formula "the superconscious through the conscious." For a year he employed Gordon Craig as his producer and the result was one of the most notable presentations of "Hamlet" ever seen. But he felt that Craig and others attached too little importance to the actors. Ho abandoned realism, gave the actors more freedom and laid greater stress on individuality and psychology. The greatest successes of the Art Theatre were attained with Tchekoff's plays. After the war Tniroff and Meyerliold came to the front with new ideas for the development of the Russian stage which were described as the "liberation of the theatre," with the result that Stansilavskv and his theatre were driven into the background for a time. Rut he regained his hold on the public, for the "expressionism" of his rivals lost its charm. In 1028, the 30th anniversary of the Art Theatre was marked by the award of pensions to Stanislavsky and Danehenko by the Government. On his 70th birthday in 1033 Stanislavsky was given the Ordor of the Red Flag for his services to the stage. In 1021 his book "My Life in Art" appeared in an English translation.