Vsevolod Meyerhold
The location in space and time, the binding to the behavior in space, the role through a system, rather than through a text, etc. Of course, the human mind should not follow the text, the text should follow the mind. The words must be expressed, not learned. Everything, from the movement to the emotional expression, must be built. Improvisation is a result of a systematic, not accidental development. Or perhaps, it could be said: the accidental is a result of the concrete.
Everything must come as a result of combining. Even when we are improvising, we combine the gained What is improvisation? The improvisation is the result of the natural, in this case, the gained type of behavior in all its forms. If the behavior is not based on a system, it is vulgar. And the biggest problem of those who don't develop and combine schemes is that they rely only on what appears to be natural for them. But that has a limited nature. It is not only necessary to make the schemes natural (it means, learn how to experience them), it's also necessary to learn how to combine them. Only then, we can call it a development instead of an expression of our own “self”.
The structure or the schema allows us to express and organize ourselves. Therefore, we need to learn how to express and not just replace ourselves. Theater is the great art of knowing man and this is its main idea. That's why, we should not only bow our heads and just repeat the name of the great teacher, but force ourselves to realize that Meyerhold's glory is that he taught man how to teach himself.
But we shouldn't reduce his role only to the theater. His approach, in fact, is a real school. It's what every boy and girl should know when they are ready not only to play some role but also express themselves. This is the second great construction of man after rhythm.
The most important and most challenging role in a person's life is his own role. But in order to understand this role we need a teacher. And the teacher is a timeless concept. In regard, Meyerhold cannot be considered only as a historical figure, which he is, in fact. Even nowadays he continues teaching us to teach ourselves or be better students. So, everyone should decide who this great man is for himself.
According to Meyerhold, man cannot be fragmentary because he considers man as a figure. This is very important because no matter what role we have, we always appear integral in it. And by the way, the act of integrity in the small things is the highest art. Indeed, the effectiveness is the ability to measure our words and deeds. How can we demand something from someone, if we do not know how to measure ourselves? We use a certain measure which gives us the ability to listen and express the effective.
The man's task is not to cause emotions in another person. It is to let him open his senses, free himself from short-term feelings and go into deep experiences. We should be able to experience every day of our life as a true act. With other words, there should be a figured completion, which will give us the possibility to create. Representing yourself is difficult enough so, first we need to express ourselves. This expression requires inner strength, without which we cannot build our space and also cannot represent it.
The ability to position yourself in life is a very important task as well. The act of incorporation of our internal space with the external one is real art. It's not important if we take, for example: the school, the theater, the family or the work. All this must be clear and teachable. This is the real Art of Teaching, which expresses the whole power of Meyerhold. It doesn't matter who, how and why understands him. This is exactly the way I understand him!
But it is important for man to understand that it is impossible for him to study something without the ability to study. Well, how is it possible to express yourself without having developed a sense of balance? Balance is the foothold for follow-up actions. It is the house where you can always come back in case of deviation in one direction or another. The most important task for a person is not to react but to express himself. Reacting to himself, he is developing a reaction to the others. Thus, he is not only moving away from himself, but is starting to interfere with the others.
Of course, it's very important to not only to break off the connection with yourself, but also to show it. Let's take three of the most important principles of Meyerhold: intention, implementation and reaction. They all present the same thing – the ability of a person to change his tension, tone, and excitement. The greatness of Meyerhold lies in these principles, which are the fundamental for the most important one – the ability to study.
The basic principle for a master or a teacher is never to block the Path of a student by claiming himself as the ultimate truth. If we think a little, we'll see that Meyerhold puts the state of experience above his own “self”, beauty, status and abilities.
In general, we should be able to use our lives, not disparage them. Consequently, we won't disparage other people's lives. The ability to admire other people is the ability to find something right for you. Your reactions and disparagements towards them are actually the cultivation of the same qualities in you.
According to Meyerhold the actor is a man who knows how to develop and place himself in space. Which by the way is one of the most important mental efforts in man's life.
In conclusion, I'd like to point out the most important ideas in the Art of Study, created by Meyerhold:
- If you start operating any part of the body, you must feel the whole body.
- Every action needs to be clear without blurs.
- It must be understood clearly what is an abstraction of mind and how to avoid it.
- Each conception has a method, which must be learnt.
- An ability to move from one task to another is required.
- It is important to understand the task, and even more importantly – the process of transition.
- When the intention does not go beyond equilibrium, results are achieved.
- All movements must be oriented.
- The ability not to lose yourself in the mass.
- Any movement, position, or sound must be organized.
- There shouldn't be any odds and ends in space, as well as in actions.
- The rhythm and the action must not violate the internal space, or a person will start to take from the outside.
- Any art must be organized.
- The physical condition must be controlled; otherwise it will create problems with the mental state.
- The physical state obeys the mental understanding of what it contains and how it should be built.
- Every movement and every action must be a condition of transition to another.
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