Provoking Theater: Kama Ginkas Directs (Art of Theater Series.) - Softcover

Ginkas, Kama; Freedman, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1575253321 ISBN 13: 9781575253329

Publisher: Smith & Kraus Pub Inc, 2003

Synopsis

Provoking Theater: Kama Ginkas Directs explores the genius of Kama Ginkas, one of Russia's most acclaimed theater directors working today. Through co-authors John Freedman's format of "questions and monologues" Ginkas illuminates the dynamics of his creative process. He offers no simple formulas, yet his lively discussions reveal the secrets of a master creator. Theater professionals and students alike will gain invaluable insights as Ginkas explains how one must take risks and make demands in the theater. Steeped in the Stanislavsky system and inspired by the Russian avant-garde as developed by Vsevolod Meyerhold, Ginkas has developed a unique vision. His productions at Moscow's New Generation Theater are a must-see for those seeking the best in cutting edge theater. His challenging productions of K.I. from "Crime" by Dostoevsky, performed at Bard College's Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, and The Lady with the Lapdog at the American Repertory Theater, were major theater events in the United States in 2003.

About this title

About the Author

KAMA GINKAS is one of the most celebrated theater directors in Russia today. His Moscow productions of K.I. from "Crime," The Black Monk, The Lady with the Lapdog, The Happy Prince and many others have established a new aesthetic standard in his homeland and have toured the world to acclaim. The miraculous survivor of a Jewish Ghetto in Lithuania as a child during World War II, Ginkas nearly abandoned the theater in Leningrad in the 1970s--his challenging, independent style was such that he rarely could find work in the Soviet Union. But a move to Moscow in the 1980s, followed by perestroika and the changes it brought, signaled a drastic change in his fortunes and thrust him into the international spotlight. A professor of theater at the Moscow Art Theater School, he primarily works out of Moscow's Young Spectator, or New Generation, Theater (TYuZ). He made his American debut with multiple projects in 2003.

JOHN FREEDMAN has written or edited and translated nine books about Russian drama and theater, including Silence's Roar: The Life and Drama of Nikolai Erdman and Miscow Performances: The New Russian Theater 1991-1996. He has been the theater critic of The Moscow Times since 1992 and frequently contributes to the New York Times and other periodicals.

Edition details

• Publisher: Smith & Kraus Pub Inc
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1575253321
• ISBN 13: 9781575253329
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 340