Stanislavsky and the Russian acting and directing tradition in twenty-first century Greece: the work of Stathis Livathinos

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn this article, the author explores the direct links of the Russian acting and directing tradition to the Greek field as they were introduced through the Experimental Stage of the National Theatre of Greece (2001–07) and the Acting and Directing Workshop of the National Theatre (2001–2004). Both endeavours were under the auspices of the National Theatre, and were inspired, structured, and managed by Stathis Livathinos, who had studied at GITIS and aspired to create an ensemble that worked and experimented together. In this framework, Livathinos gathered a group of approximately 24 actors and 14 actors who aspired to become directors and introduced to them anew Stanislavsky’s ideas and teaching as well as to the recent developments of the Russian directing and acting tradition. The Experimental Stage, during those 3 years, produced more than 10 productions, including a production of Medea in the theatre of Epidaurus. From the Workshop, which was, essentially, an MA educational programme, graduated around 15 actors and six directors – three of whom were women. This Workshop was the preamble of the National Theatre School of Directing established in 2018 by Livathinos, when he was General and Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Greece.KEYWORDS: StanislavskyGITISactor trainingdirector trainingproposed circumstancesetudespoetic/fantastic realismStathis Livathinos Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1. Livathinos, Τρεις Εποχές, 57.2. Ibid., 70–71 and 80–85.3. Sideris, «Θωμάς Οικονόμου», 595.4. For the impact Oikonomou’s specific choice had on the development of Greek acting, see Antoniou, Acting Tragedy, 40–41, with an extensive bibliography. Also see Gaitanidi, “Moments of Transitions,” 125–27. Stefan Aquilina, while investigating Stanislavsky’s reception in Malta, notes that Stanislavsky used this type of improvisations to approach a part in his early years but also during his maturity; see Aquilina, “An Amateur Processing of the System,” 115.5. For an overview of Oikonomou’s work at the Royal Theatre, see Antoniou, Acting Tragedy, 36–46.6. Antoniou, Acting Tragedy, 55–58, 78, 81, 85–86.7. Antoniou, “Performing Ancient Greek Tragedy,” 31–38.8. For the Kotopouli-Koun collaboration, see ibid., 105–18.9. Stanislavski, My life in Art, 163.10. Antoniou, Konstantin Stanislavski, 125–27; Koun, Κάνουμε θέατρο, 11–28.11. See Carnicke, “An Actor Prepares,” 481–94; Carnicke, Stanislavsky in Focus.12. Antoniou, Acting Tragedy, 205–09.13. Sideris, Ιστορία του Νέου Ελληνικού Θεάτρου, vol. 1, 188; Antoniou, Acting Tragedy, 23.14. Sideris, Ιστορία του Νεου Ελληνικού Θεάτρου, vol. 2, 106.15. For Livathinos’ full biography and his productions, see https://stathislivathinos.com/.16. Student of Nikolai Gorchakov, Head of the Mayakovsky Theatre (1967–87), Secretary of the Russian Theatre Union, and chairman of the Moscow Art Awards Committee. Livathinos describes him in his autobiography; see Livathinos, Τρεις Εποχές, 154–55, 159–62, 169–70.17. Livathinos, Interview with Michaela Antoniou.18. Shevtsova, Rediscovering Stanislavsky, 231.19. Shevtsova documents the “genealogical” link “Stanislavsky – Gorchakov–Fomenko – Zhenovach” (Rediscovering Stanislavsky, 230); Livathinos stated that his teacher Andrey Goncharov was a student of Gorchakov, thereof I detect this genealogical link: Stanislavsky – Gorchakov–Goncharov – Livathinos.20. Livathinos, Τρεις Εποχές, 224–26.21. For his directing work he received, in 2000, the Young Creators’ Theatre Critics Award for Toni Kushner’s The Illusion, in 2002, the “Fotos Politis” Award for David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross, in 2009, the International Theatre Repertoire Award for Shakespeare’s King Lear, and, in 2012, the “Karolos Koun” Award for Vincenco Kornaros’s Erotocritos. See https://stathislivathinos.com/biografia/ [accessed 24/6/2023].22. Livathinos, Τρεις Εποχές, 268–69.23. In his autobiography, Livathinos devotes a short chapter to each one. See Livathinos, Τρεις Εποχές, 163–68 and 175–77.24. «“Πειραματική Σκηνή” στο Εθνικό», newspaper Rizospastis.25. Livathinos, Interview with Michaela Antoniou; Livathinos, Τρεις Εποχές, 344–63, 371–73.26. Stanislavski, My Life in Art, 166; Shevtsova, Rediscovering Stanislavsky, 7–21; Brown, “The emergence of studiinost,” 49–60.27. The Royal Theatre was modelled on the German theatre of the late nineteenth century. Angelos Vlahos, Administrative Director of the Royal, had been ambassador to Berlin and was deeply influenced by the theatrical developments there, aware of the Meininger company and Oikonomou aimed at creating an ensemble theatre. Konstantinos Hristomanos, founder of the Nea Skene (1901–05) was deeply influenced by André Antoine’s Théâtre Libre. In the first decades of the twentieth century, as mentioned above, Greek actors travelled to Paris and were accustomed to the structure of the Comédie Française. Fotos Politis, the influential director, prominent member of the Greek intelligentsia, and the first director of the National Theatre (1930), had studied next to Reinhardt and acknowledged the importance of ensemble theatre. For an overview of the acting perspectives from the end of the nineteenth to the beginning of the twentieth century, see Antoniou, Acting Tragedy, 21–76.28. Koun, Κάνουμε θέατρο, 18–20.29. Shevtsova, Dodin and the Maly Drama Theatre, 16–20.30. Politis, Εθνικόν Θέατρο, 204–08; Koun, Κάνουμε θέατρο, 15.31. Livathinos recognizes that Kourkoulos protected the Experimental Stage and the ensemble by always financially supporting the endeavour, authorizing expenses, and supporting the large number of actors employed; Livathinos, Interview with Michaela Antoniou.32. This was the Kazakos Drama School. This class of actors presented, as a final performance, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.33. A scenic synthesis of Alexandros Papadiamantis’s short stories, adapted for the stage and directed by Livathinos, presented at the Technochoros Ypo Skian in the spring and fall of 2001.34. Livathinos, Τρεις Εποχές, 282.35. National Theatre’s Archive, http://www.nt-archive.gr/workDetails.aspx?workID=5447.36. Shevtsova, Rediscovering Stanislavsky, 129–79.37. Ibid., 229.38. Livathinos, Τρεις Εποχές, 282 (emphasis in the original).39. Shevtsova, Rediscovering Stanislavsky, 222.40. Shevtsova also translates to “I am” and not “I am being,” explaining that the Russian words are “Ya yesm.” She links this phrase to the Orthodox Church Service; ibid., 101. Livathinos also translates in Greek “I am.” However, whether he, as another Orthodox Christian, perceives a similar sacredness in this condition needs further investigation and is beyond the scope of this article.41. Livathinos, Τρεις Εποχές, 288 (emphasis in the original).42. Ibid., 298.43. Livathinos, Interview with Michaela Antoniou.44. Vasiliev and Shapiro are two directors who have often worked in the Greek theatre, conducting seminars and directing productions.45. National Theatre’s Archive, http://www.nt-archive.gr/playDetails.aspx?playID=10146. National Theatre’s Archive, http://www.nt-archive.gr/playDetails.aspx?playID=16847. National Theatre’s Archive, http://www.nt-archive.gr/playDetails.aspx?playID=33348. National Theatre’s Archive, http://www.nt-archive.gr/playDetails.aspx?playID=25249. National Theatre’s Archive, http://www.nt-archive.gr/playDetails.aspx?playID=60050. National Theatre’s Archive, http://www.nt-archive.gr/playDetails.aspx?playID=54451. Livathinos, Interview with Michaela Antoniou.52. Panourios, Interview with Michaela Antoniou.53. Boza, Interview with Michaela Antoniou; Troupakis, Interview with Michaela Antoniou.54. Livathinos, Interview with Michaela Antoniou.55. Ibid.56. Boza, Interview with Michaela Antoniou.57. Livathinos, Interview with Michaela Antoniou.58. Troupakis, Interview with Michaela Antoniou.59. Boza, Interview with Michaela Antoniou; Panourios, Interview with Michaela Antoniou; Troupakis, Interview with Michaela Antoniou.60. Troupakis, Interview with Michaela Antoniou.61. Shevtsova, Rediscovering Stanislavsky, 255.62. Panourios, Interview with Michaela Antoniou.63. Shevtsova, Rediscovering Stanislavsky, 10.64. Boza, Interview with Michaela Antoniou.65. See Antoniou, Acting Tragedy, 128–86 and 236–45 with numerous examples and further bibliography.66. Stanislavski, Rabota aktera, 61 (Stanislavsky, An Actor’s Work, 52.).67. Ibid.68. Knebel, Active Analysis, 36.69. Shevtsova, Rediscovering Stanislavsky, passim.70. Livathinos, Interview with Michaela Antoniou.71. Stanislavsky in Knebel, Active Analysis, 53.72. Livathinos, Interview with Michaela Antoniou. “Stanislavski wrote: … just to be able to walk onto the stage as a human-being, not an actor, you need to know: who you are, what has happened to you, what your life is like, what your days are like, where you have come from and many other given circumstances that influence what you do. In other words, just to make a proper entrance, you have to know the world and how you see it … ” Knebel, Active Analysis, 54.73. Knebel, Active Analysis, 44–47 and 113–16.74. Boza, Interview with Michaela Antoniou.75. Knebel, Active Analysis, 44; see also 40–47, 91–116.76. Boza, Interview with Michaela Antoniou.77. Livathinos, Interview with Michaela Antoniou; Boza, Interview with Michaela Antoniou; Panourios, Interview with Michaela Antoniou.78. In Malaev-Babel, The Vakhtangov Source Book, 152.79. Shevtsova, Rediscovering Stanislavsky, 121–24.80. Livathinos, «Είμαι σαν δοκιμαστής υπερηχητικού αεροπλάνου», 15.Additional informationNotes on contributorsMichaela AntoniouMichaela Antoniou is a practitioner-researcher of directing and actor training, author, and Laboratory Teaching Staff, on acting and directing – theory and praxis – at the Theatre Studies Department of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She has a PhD in Acting and Directing from Goldsmiths, University of London (Supervisor: Professor Maria Shevtsova). She has directed devised theatre pieces, contemporary plays, and dramatic syntheses and has collaborated with theatres and festivals in Greece and abroad. Antoniou has been writing for the stage since 2009 and she has published two novels. She is the artistic director of the Alavastron Action Group since 2021. She has published in academic books and journals. Her forthcoming book Centrifugal Narratives: Ancient Drama on the Greek Stage will be published in 2024 by Papazisis Editions. Antoniou is also the Associate Editor of the Stanislavsky Studies journal (Taylor & Francis).