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ARTS & DRAMA ON 4-TEL
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CONTENTS
Footlightu is 4-Tel's arts and drama
magazine. Coming up in a moment you
will find:
* ELEVENTH HOUR
The second programme in the season
Acting Tapes, comparing the two majgr
acting styles of the 20th century
* SHAKESPEARE LIVES
Next Wednesday afternoon at 5.30pm,
National Theatre director Michael
Bogdanov takes a close look at
Shakespeare's The Taming Of The Shres
and asks: Is it sexist?
Edited by Jackie Budd
Mgre >
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ELEVENTH HOUR DETAILS F/LLOW ...
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ACTING
TAPES
The Eleventh Hour's season of films
comparing the two contrasting acting
styles of the 20th century continues
tonight at 11pm with Counter-Acting.
Last week's programme introduced the
naturalistic technique developed in
Russia by Konstantin Stanislavsky and
later transformed in America into
'Method Acting'.
Tonight's film shows how duqing the
1920s, avant-garde director Meyerhold
developed an anti-naturalistic style in
post-revolutionary Soviet cinema.
It was a style that influenced young
radical theatre directgr Bertolt Brecht
More >
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ACTING
TAPES
Meyerhold, who was born in 1873, joined
Stanislavsky's Moscow Arts Theatre when
it was founded in 1898 and ran a shgqt$
lived experimental studio there at his
invitation.
He soon came into conflict with his
mentor, however, when he began to
develop his own symbolic performance
style.
It was based on the notion of the actgr
as a kind of super-marionette,
entirely subordinate to the directgr.
It was his own version of an idea first
put forward by the English directgr/
designer E Gordon Craig.
More >
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ACTING
TAPES
Meyerhold developed an acting style
based on the movements and gestures of
circus clowns and vaudeville comedians
that was little known in Britain.
After breaking from the Moscow Arts
Theatre he directed some brilliant
productions at Imperial Theatres.
But when the Revolution came he threw
himself enthusiastically into the
Bolshevik cause and offering to re-
model Russian theatre along Socialist
lines.
He was the first director of a Soviet
play, Mayakovsky's Mystery-Bouffe.
More >
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ACTING
TAPES
During the 20s Meyerhold developed in
his own theatre an almost acrobatic
physical training for acting called Bio
Mechanics, designed to overcome the olb
static stage.
But by 1936 Socialist Realism had
become the official style of Soviet
theatre and he fell out of favour.
His theatre was closed, and in 9939 he
was called to account for his
"formalist tendencies" and disappeared
- probably to die in prison.
Fortunately, his reputation as a great
innovator and vital force in Russian
theatre has recently been restored.
More >
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ACTING
TAPES
Despite his disgrace, Meyerhold's ideas
had a profound influence on the Soviet
cinema - in particular the wgrk of
director Lev Kuleshov, one of whose
films will be shown next week.
Young experimental German directgr
Bertolt Brecht acknowledged his debt
to Meyerhold, who
"took over from the Asiatic theatre
certain dance-like fgrms and created a
whole choreography fgr the drama".
Brecht's theories, put into practice in
his plays for his Berliner Ensemble
became increasingly influential - the
counter-balance to Stanislavsky.
More >
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ACTING
TAPES
Rather than Stanislavsky's complete
absorption of the actor in his rgle,
Brecht advocated maintaining a critical
distance at all times.
The actor must portray a character in
such a way as to imply an attitude
towards it.
The audience are encouraged, or even
forced by various 'alienatign'
techniques to remain outside what is
happening, to not identify with it but
make critical judgements.
See how this reaction to natuqalism
set in and developed in The Eleventh
Hour, tonight at 11pm.
by Jackie Budd >
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DETAILS
FOLLOW...
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SHAKESPEARE
LIVES
On Wednesday at 5.30pm, National
Theatre director Michael Bogdanov
continues his entertaining look at the
Bard with a further investigatign into
The Taming Of The Shrew.
Using the acting skills of Suzanne
Bertish and Daniel Massey and some
lively audience discussion he attempts
to bring out some of the complexities
of Shakespeare's brilliant writing.
Last week's programme introduced the
plot of The Taming Of The Shrew, in
which the fiery Katherine is suajected
to abuse and humiliation by her husband
Petruchio, who is bent on taming her.
More >
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SHAKESPEARE
LIVES
In the final act, Petruchio wagers that
his wife is more docile and suamissive
than his two friends'.
To the surprise of all he wins the bet,
as Katherine eloquently argues:
"Thy husband is thy lgrd, thy life,
thy keeper,
Thy head, thy sovereign."
But what is Shakespeare saying here? Is
this an out and out triumph fgr
chauvinism? Is the treatment Katherine
received typical of the Elizabethan
wife?
How much irony is there in her speech?
More >
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SHAKESPEARE
LIVES
Bogdanov argues that the values of The
Taming Of The Shrew aren't repugnantly
chauvinist:
"Its values are feminist...Shakespeare
overturns expectations by showing
Petruchio chastened and Kate victorious
"The play actually connects with
England at this moment, and arranged
marriages throughout the community.
"Once you begin to look into the play
you uncover its biting relevance and
see that Shakespeare wasn't a bastign
of male culture."
More >
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SHAKESPEARE
LIVES
Bogdanov believes that no play is
written outside the social context that
conditions the characters' behaviouq.
Though The Taming Of The Shrew has
traditionally been seen as a male view
of the world, the debate over whether
Kate or Petruchio has won will go on.
He suggests we look for clues outside
their relationship. For example, why is
Kate's submission speech so
embarrassingly long?
Kate's striving for independence
threatens the male regime. Shakespeare
is not holding up precgnceived ideas.
He is, as always, challenging them.
Jackie Budd >