A group of students and faculty from the School of Drama departed for Russia on Jan. 6 in the first phase of an historic collaboration between the Yale school and the Saint Petersburg Academy of Dramatic Arts, widely regarded as the finest theater school in Russia.
The long-term goal of the project is to present a fully mounted production of Nikolai Gogol's "Revizor" -- "The Inspector General" -- strongly based upon the radical interpretation of the play presented in Moscow by Vsevolod Meyerhold in 1926, a production considered among the highest achievements in theater history, according to Drama School Dean Stan Wojewodski Jr.
During their five-week visit in Russia, the Yale entourage will begin holding workshops and rehearsals with students and faculty at the Saint Petersburg Academy of Dramatic Arts. In the next phase of the project, the Russian group will come to Yale in the fall of 1997 for a week of performances of "Revizor," followed by a week of performances in Saint Petersburg.
David Chambers, associate professor of acting and directing at the drama school, believes that "the 'Revizor' project affords extraordinary opportunities for our students and their Russian counterparts. This is an unprecedented artistic and educational co- venture between two of the foremost dramatic academies of their respective countries and the beginning of an ongoing dialogue among future artistic leaders of the United States and Russia."
Professor Chambers and Gennady Trostianetsky, a noted Russian director and teacher at the Saint Petersburg Academy, will co-direct the new production. Two versions of the play, one in Russian and one in English, will be performed by a combined ensemble of 32 student actors. In the Russian version, the Russian students will play the leading roles with the American students in smaller supporting roles; in the American version, the reverse will be true.
According to Earle Gister, associate dean and chair of the acting program, "This project will provide our actors with the unique opportunity to explore, through classes and rehearsal, the acting aesthetic of Meyerhold. Additionally, they will be able to experience the cultural richness of one of the world's great cities."
Likewise, The Saint Petersburg Academy has been "stimulated to work in the Meyerhold theater technique, which has not been fully explored in Russia since the 1920s," according to Nikolai Pesochinsky, a world-renowned Russian scholar and head of international relations at the Academy. "The Academy is grateful to the Yale team for the rare opportunity to undertake a project of this scope. We are most enthusiastic about this collaboration."
As part of the "Revizor" project, the School of Drama has also established partnerships with:
Other activities that may be held in conjunction with the project include lectures, films and exhibits about "Revizor" and its numerous related topics; a book combining archival material and project rehearsal accounts; and video documentation of all design elements, training and rehearsal sessions and final performances for archival distribution in both countries.