VSEVOLOD MEYERHOLD

In theatre, there have been many practitioners that have contributed greatly to the subject of drama such as Bertolt Brecht and Konstantin Stanislavsky. However, one of the most interesting but less known practitioner is a man named Vsevolod Meyerhold. He was born in Penza in the year 1874. He was the most wellknown Russian theatrical producer, producer and actor whose provocative experiments in non–realistic theatre made him one of the most influential forces in modern theatre. He became the founder of the theatre technique of biomechanics in theatre.

Unlike other practitioners such as Stanislavsky who felt that script and words were the most important part of a piece of drama, Vsevolod Meyerhold came up with biomechanics, relying more on movement and physicality rather than language and scripting. He believed that movement was just as, if not more important than the script as it allows the audience to have a better understanding of the characters thoughts and feelings. Due to this, most of the actors Meyerhold hired were acrobats and gymnasts which he believed made the best actors for his vision. His technique of biomechanics was the precursor of the style that we now call ‘Physical theatre’ which will is a very prominent style in the 20th century. As the actors are getting used to their characters, Meyerhold believed that the actors should create a physical and psychological bond between them and their character in order for the actor to fully grasp their character’s thoughts and feelings. As he became more well known in society he began to speak against the government at the time and this angered them and as a result of this he was prosecuted. He was sadly sentenced to death by firing squad on the 1st of February 1940. However, his legacy lived on and he will always be known as the practitioner who gave theatre the technique of biomechanics and started a style that has lived on till now.

BY HAMZAH MUGHAL