This article offers a chronological list of productions directed by Konstantin Stanislavski. It does not include theatrical productions in which
Stanislavski only acted.
Until he was thirty three, Stanislavski appeared only as an
amateur onstage and as a
director, as a result of his family's discouragement.[1] When he was twenty five, he helped to establish a Society of Art and Literature, which aimed to unite amateur and professional actors and artists.[2] His professional career began in 1896 when he co-founded the
Moscow Art Theatre (MAT) with
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko.[3] Later in his life, he created a series of studios whose aims were primarily
pedagogical but which also presented public performances.[4] This list of productions directed by Stanislavski includes amateur, professional, and studio productions.
When the sources disagree about the exact date of a production's
première, that given in the most recent biography of Stanislavski—Jean Benedetti's Stanislavski: His Life and Art (1988, revised and expanded 1999)—is listed here, with the alternative date detailed in the footnotes. Prior to 14 February 1918, the
Julian calendar was in use in Russia, after which the
Gregorian calendar was introduced.[5] The details of productions staged before that change are given in both
Old Style and New Style dates.
1891: Foma by
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, adapted by Stanislavski from The Village of Stepanchikovo. Opened on 26 November [
O.S. 14 November] at the German Club. Cast included Stanislavski as Colonel Rostanev and Maria Lilina as Nastenka.[9]
1894: The Governor by Victor Diachenko. Cast included Stanislavski as George Dorci. Opened on 19 February [
O.S. 7 February].[10]
1894: Light Without Heat by
Alexander Ostrovsky and N. Y. Solovyev. Opened on 27 December [
O.S. 15 December]. Cast included Stanislavski as Rabachev.[11]
1895: Men Above the Law by
Aleksey Pisemsky. Opened on 18 December [
O.S. 6 December] at the
Solodovnikov Theatre. Cast included Stanislavski as the elderly general, Prince Imshin.[13]
1898: The Sunken Bell by
Gerhart Hauptmann. Revival of Stanislavski's Society of Art and Literature production from January the same year.[28] Opened on 31 October [
O.S. 19 October]. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included Stanislavski as Heinrich. Just over one week and 17 performances later, protests from the
Russian Orthodox Church led to the production being banned on 8 November [
O.S. 27 October], despite the particular translation used having been passed by the
censor.[29]
1898: The Merchant of Venice by
William Shakespeare. The production was re-titled Shylock.[30] Opened on 2 November [
O.S. 21 October].[31] Scenic design by
Viktor Simov.[32] Cast included Yevsei Pavlovich Darski as
Shylock,
Alexander Vishnevsky as
Antonio, and
Vsevolod Meyerhold as the Prince of Aragon.[33] This production was the first in Russia to include the fifth act of the play, after the trial scene and humiliation of Shylock, when the intrigue of Portia's ring and cross-dressing is revealed and resolved.[30] The portrayal of Shylock prompted accusations in the press of
anti-Semitism because a Jewish accent was considered inappropriate for a
tragic role.[34] Though Stanislavski had planned to alternate the role with Darski, he decided against it for fear of exacerbating the hostility of the press.[35] It was played for only ten performances.[36]
1898: Men Above the Law by
Aleksey Pisemsky.[37] Opened on 16 November [
O.S. 4 November].[38] Scenic design by
Viktor Simov.[32] Cast included Stanislavski as Imshin. It played for only nine performances.[39]
1898: The Mistress of the Inn by
Carlo Goldoni. Opened on 14 December [
O.S. 2 December].[40] Scenic design by
Viktor Simov.[32] Cast included Stanislavski as Ripafratta,
Vsevolod Meyerhold as the Marquis of Forlipopoli, and Tarasov as Ripafratta's servant.[41] A special performance for factory workers on 22 January [
O.S. 10 January] 1899 provoked a summons by the Chief of Police,
Dmitri Trepov, for failing to seek the approval of the
censor who oversaw productions for working-class audiences; as a result, the company abandoned its original name as the "Moscow Public-Accessible Theatre" and its aim to provide an "open" theatre, settling instead on
Anton Chekhov's suggestion, the "
Moscow Art Theatre."[42]
1898: The Seagull by
Anton Chekhov. Opened on 29 December [
O.S. 17 December].[43] Directed by Stanislavski and
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko.[44] Cast included Stanislavski as Trigorin and
Vsevolod Meyerhold as Konstantin,
Olga Knipper as Arkadnia, Maria Lilina as Masha, Maria Roksanova as Nina, Yevgeniya Raevskaya as Polina,
Ioasaf Tikhomirov as Medvedenko, Vasily Luzhsky as Sorin, Alexander Vishnevsky as Dorn, and Alexander Artem as Shamrayev.[45] The production ran for 57 performances in the 1898—99 season, 13 in the next, and 9 in the 1900—01 season.[46] Chekhov disliked Roksanova's performance so intensely that he demanded that she should never be allowed to act in his plays again.[47] For more information on this production, see
the article on the MAT production of The Seagull.
1899: Hedda Gabler by
Henrik Ibsen. Opened on 3 March [
O.S. 19 February]. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included Stanislavski as Løvborg and
Maria Andreyeva as Hedda.[48] It played for only eleven performances.[49] Reflecting on the production years later, the critic Nikolai Efros regarded Stanislavski's performance as the best of an Ibsen character he had seen.[50]
1899: Lonely People by
Gerhart Hauptmann. Opened on 28 December [
O.S. 16 December]. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov.
Vsevolod Meyerhold played Johannes Vockerat until he left the company, after which
Vasily Kachalov took over the role. This production was the play's première in Russia.[58]
1900: Snow Maiden by
Alexander Ostrovsky. Opened on 7 October [
O.S. 24 September]. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included
Vasily Kachalov as Tsar Berendey (his first performance at the MAT), Ekaterina Munt as the Snow Maiden,
Olga Knipper,
Ivan Moskvin,
Alexander Vishnevsky, Maria Roksanova, Vladimir Gribunin, and Margarita Savitskaya. When the MAT production opened, four other productions of Ostrovsky's play also were playing in Moscow.[59]
1901: Three Sisters by
Anton Chekhov. Opened on 13 February [
O.S. 31 January]. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included Stanislavski as Vershinin,
Olga Knipper as Masha,
Vsevolod Meyerhold as Tusenback, and Alexander Vishnevsky as Kulygin. This became the most popular of the MAT's productions of Chekhov's plays, remaining part of the company's repetoire for the next 18 years.[61]
1901: The Wild Duck by
Henrik Ibsen. Opened on 2 October [
O.S. 19 September]. Directed by Stanislavski and Alexander Sanin. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. The production played for no more than 16 performances.[62]
1901: Michael Kramer by
Gerhart Hauptmann. Opened on 9 November [
O.S. 27 October]. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included
Maria Andreyeva as Michaelina Kramer, Stanislavski as Michael Kramer, and
Ivan Moskvin as his son, Arnold. It played for twenty-six performances.[63]
1902: The Philistines by
Maxim Gorky. Opened on 8 April [
O.S. 26 March] in St Petersburg, while the MAT were on tour. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included Nikolai Baranov as Teterev, Vasily Luzhsky as Bessemenov, and
Vsevolod Meyerhold as Peter (until he left the company after the St Petersburg performances). Its Moscow première inaugurated the MAT's new building (in the renovated Lianozov Theatre, also known as the Omon Theatre, on Chamberlain Lane,
Tverskoy District) on 6 November [
O.S. 25 October]. The production played for a total of twenty-seven performances.[65]
1902: The Power of Darkness by
Leo Tolstoy. Opened on 18 November [
O.S. 5 November]. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included Stanislavski as Mitrich, though he only appeared in three performances before passing on the role to another actor.[66]
1902: The Lower Depths by
Maxim Gorky. Opened on 31 December [
O.S. 18 December]. Directed by Stanislavski and
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included Georgy Burdzhalov as Kostyliov, Elena Muratova as Vassilissa,
Maria Andreyeva as Natasha, Vladimir Gribunin as Medvediev, Aleksei Kharlamov as Vassily Pepel, Alexander Zagarov as Kleshch, Margarita Savitskaya as Anna,
Olga Knipper as Nastya, Maria Samarova as Kvashnia, Vasily Luzhsky as Bubnov,
Vasili Kachalov as the Baron, Mikhail Gromov as the Actor,
Ivan Moskvin as Luka, Alexander Adashev as Alyoshka,
Alexander Vishnevsky as Tatar, and Nikolai Baranov as Krivoy Zob; Stanislavski played Satin for the first five performances, after which Serafin Sudbinin took over. Gorky saw the production nearly a year later, on 18 October [
O.S. 5 October] 1903.[67]
1904: The Cherry Orchard by
Anton Chekhov. Opened on 30 January [
O.S. 17 January]. Directed by Stanislavski and
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included
Olga Knipper as Madame Ranyevskaya, Maria Lilina as Anya,
Maria Andreyeva as Varya, Stanislavski as Gaev,
Leonid Leonidov as Lopakhin,
Vasili Kachalov as Trofimov, Elena Muratova as Charlotta,
Ivan Moskvin as Yepihodov, Sofia Khaliutina as Dunyasha, Alexander Artem as Firs, Nikolai Aleksandrov as Yasha, Mikhail Gromov as a passer-by, and Alexander Zagarov as the stationmaster. Chekhov's last appearance at the MAT, before his death on 15 July [
O.S. 2 July], was to see the first public performance of this production, which coincided with his birthday.[68]
1906: Woe from Wit by
Aleksandr Griboyedov. Opened on 9 October [
O.S. 26 September].[71] Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included Stanislavski as Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov,
Vasili Kachalov as Chatski, and
Alexander Vishnevsky as Count Tugoukhovsky. Both Stanislavski and Nemirovich directed; Benedetti suggests that "Stanislavski, however, would appear to have exerted the dominant influence" whereas Worrall claims that "most of the work was done by Nemirovich, Stanislavski merely introducing minor corrections and additions to Act Three."[72] Benedetti and Worrall also disagree as to whether the text was in
prose or
verse.[73] The MAT revived the production in 1914 and 1925.[74]
1907: The Drama of Life by
Knut Hamsun. Opened on 21 February [
O.S. 8 February]. Cast included Stanislavski as Kareno.[75] Directed by Stanislavski with the assistance of
Sulerzhitsky.[76] Music by Ilya Satz.[77]
1916: The Green Ring by
Zinaida Gippius, performed by the Second Studio. Directed by V. L. Mchedelov, with final rehearsals taken by Stanislavski. Opened on 7 December [
O.S. 24 November].[100]
1917—18: Twelfth Night by
William Shakespeare, in a translation by P. E. Wineberg, performed by the First Studio.[101] Directed by Boris Sushkevich, under the supervision of Stanislavski.[102] Opened on 7 January 1918 [
O.S. 25 December 1917].[103] Scenic design by
André Andrejew, with music by N. N. Rakhmanov.[104] After seeing a work-in-progress showing, Stanislavski took over the direction and "rebuilt the production stone by stone".[105] Recommending the production to
Vladimir Lenin,
Anatoly Lunacharsky praised it as the best in Moscow.[106]
1922: Eugene Onegin by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Opened on 15 June. Cast included Pavel Rumiantsev as Onegin.[121] Staged in the ballroom of Stanislavski's house on Leontievski Lane (which was known thereafter as the Onegin Room), with minimal set and no costumes or make-up. With a full orchestra the production transferred two years later to the Novi Teatr.[121]
1939: Tartuffe by
Molière, production completed by
Mikhail Kedrov. Opened on 4 December. Cast included Kedrov as Tartuffe and Vasily Toporkov as Orgon.[123]
^Benedetti (1999a, 21, 24) and Carnicke (2000, 11). The prospect of becoming a professional actor was
taboo for someone of Stanislavski's
social class; actors had an even lower social
status in Russia than in the rest of Europe, having only recently been
serfs and the
property of the
nobility.
^Benedetti (1999a, 38, 385), Magarshack (1950, 100) and Worrall (1996, 27). Benedetti gives its opening as 18 December [
O.S. 6 December], while Magarshack gives it as 29 October [
O.S. 17 October]. The title of
Pisemsky's play has also been translated as A Law unto Themselves and Despots.
^Benedetti (1999a, 52, 385), Magarshack (1950, 102, 107), and Worrall (1996, 29). Benedetti and Worrall give its opening as 31 January [
O.S. 19 January], while Magarshack gives it as 28 April [
O.S. 16 April].
^Benedetti (1999a, 385) and Magarshack (1950, 102).
^The Polish Jew (
French: Le Juif Polonais) by
Erckmann-Chatrian is better known in English-speaking countries under the title The Bells, a translation by
Leopold Lewis that brought
Henry Irving great success when he staged it in 1871; see Benedetti (1999a, 58).
^Worrall (1996, 90). While Worrall and Leach give
Vsevolod Meyerhold's role as Prince Vasili Shuyshy, Braun gives it as Prince Ivan Shuysky, with Worrall giving Vasily Luzhsky as the actor who played the latter role; see Braun (1995, 11), Leach (1989, 3), and Worrall (1996, 90).
^Benedetti (1999a, 95, 386), Braun (1982, 61) and (1995, 11), Magarshack (1950, 188—189), and Worrall (1996, 112). Benedetti gives the opening performance as 11 October [
O.S. 29 September], while Magarshack gives 10 November [
O.S. 29 October].
^Benedetti (1999a, 98, 386). Benedetti gives the opening performance as 15 October [
O.S. 3 October], while Worrall gives 24 October [
O.S. 12 October]; see Worrall (1996, 114).
^Benedetti (1991, 51) and (1999a, 98, 386), Braun (1982, 61), Magarshack (1950, 188), and Worrall (1996, 114). The play's title has also been translated as The Driver Henschel. Anna Alekseieva was Stanislavski's sister, who used the
stage name of Anna Schteker (although a footnote in Benedetti's The Moscow Art Theatre Letters appears to have reversed the names—
Alekseiev was Stanislavski's family name); see Benedetti (1991, 51).
^Benedetti (1999a, 94), Braun (1982, 61), Gottlieb (2005, lxxxi—lxxxv), Magarshack (1950, 190—192), and Worrall (1996, 115–116).
^Benedetti (1999a, 386), Braun (1995, 12), Gottlieb (2005, 245), and Worrall (1996, 126—127). The final performance of this production of Three Sisters took place on 4 May 1919.
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko directed a new production in 1940.
^Braun (1982, 61), Magarshack (1950, 230), and Worrall (1996, 128).
^Benedetti (1999a, 120—121, 126), Braun (1982, 61), (1988, xvi), and (1995, 13, 16), Marsh (1993, 14), Magarshack (1950, 230—231), Senelick (2013, 151, 186), and Worrall (1996, 72—78, 131). The title of The Philistines has also been translated as Small People, The Merchant Class, The Petty-Bourgeois, and The Artisans. It premièred in St Petersburg in early 1902 as part of the MAT's tour.
^Benedetti (1999a, 126–127, 386), Magarshack (1950, 233, 238–239), and Worrall (1996, 132—133). Benedetti and Worrall give the opening performance as 18 November [
O.S. 5 November], while Magarshack gives 2 December [
O.S. 19 November].
^Benedetti (1999a, 386), Gottlieb (2005, lxxxi—lxxxv, 247), and Worrall (1996, 152, 159, 212). Worrall describes the première as Chekhov's
name day, which in Russia is usually distinct from a birthday; he also lists Elena Muratova as "M. V. Muratova"; see Worrall (1996, 159—160).
^Benedetti (1999a, 171) and Worrall (1996, 170-171).
^Benedetti describes the excited response of Aleksandr Lensky,
Maria Yermolova and
Glikeriya Fedotova "when the inexorable flow of the verse was broken up by the use of pauses in Act Three", whereas Worrall describes
Vsevolod Meyerhold's sardonic response to
Nemirovich's choice of a
prose text; see Benedetti (1999a, 171) and Worrall (1996, 171).
Benedetti, Jean, ed. and trans. 1991. The Moscow Art Theatre Letters. London: Routledge.
ISBN0-878-30084-8.
Benedetti, Jean. 1999a. Stanislavski: His Life and Art. Revised edition. Original edition published in 1988. London: Methuen.
ISBN0-413-52520-1.
Benedetti, Jean. 1999b. "Stanislavsky and the Moscow Art Theatre, 1898-1938". In Leach and Borovsky (1999, 254-277).
Braun, Edward. 1982. The Director and the Stage: From Naturalism to Grotowski. London: Methuen.
ISBN0-413-46300-1.
Braun, Edward. 1988. Introduction. In Plays: 1. By
Maxim Gorky. Methuen World Classics ser. London: Methuen. xv-xxxii.
ISBN0-413-18110-3.
Braun, Edward. 1995. Meyerhold: A Revolution in Theatre. Rev. 2nd ed. London: Methuen.
ISBN0413727300.
Carnicke, Sharon M. 1998. Stanislavsky in Focus. Russian Theatre Archive Ser. London: Harwood Academic Publishers.
ISBN9-057-55070-9.
Gauss, Rebecca B. 1999. Lear's Daughters: The Studios of the Moscow Art Theatre 1905-1927. American University Studies ser. 26 Theatre Arts, vol. 29. New York: Peter Lang.
ISBN0-820-44155-4.
Gottlieb, Vera, ed. and trans. 2005. Anton Chekhov at the Moscow Art Theatre: Archive Illustrations of the Original Productions. London: Routledge.
ISBN0-415-34440-9. Reproduction of original journal ed. Nikolai Efros, published in Moscow, 1914.
Innes, Christopher, ed. 2000. A Sourcebook on Naturalist Theatre. London and New York: Routledge.
ISBN0-415-15229-1.
Leach, Robert. 1989. Vsevolod Meyerhold. Directors in Perspective ser. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
ISBN0-521-31843-2.
Leach, Robert. 2004. Makers of Modern Theatre: An Introduction. London: Routledge.
ISBN0-415-31241-8.
Leach, Robert, and Victor Borovsky, eds. 1999. A History of Russian Theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.
ISBN0-521-43220-0.
Marker, Frederick J., and Lise-Lone Marker. 1989. Ibsen's Lively Art: A Performance Study of the Major Plays. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.
ISBN0-521-61924-6.
Rudnitsky, Konstantin. 1988. Russian and Soviet Theatre: Tradition and the Avant-Garde. Trans. Roxane Permar. Ed. Lesley Milne. London: Thames and Hudson. Rpt. as Russian and Soviet Theater, 1905-1932. New York: Abrams.
ISBN0-500-28195-5.
Senelick, Laurence, ed. and trans. 2013. Stanislavsky—A Life in Letters: The Missionary in the Theatre. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
ISBN1-136-34341-5.
Solovyova, Inna. 1999. "The Theatre and Socialist Realism, 1929-1953." Trans. Jean Benedetti. In Leach and Borovsky (1999, 325-357).
Stanislavski, Constantin, and Pavel Rumyantsev. 1975. Stanislavski on Opera. Trans. Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood. London: Routledge, 1998.
ISBN0-878-30552-1.
Vakhtangov, Evgeny. 1982. Evgeny Vakhtangov. Compiled by Lyubov Vendrovskaya and Galina Kaptereva. Trans. Doris Bradbury. Moscow: Progress.
Worrall, Nick. 1996. The Moscow Art Theatre. Theatre Production Studies ser. London and NY: Routledge.
ISBN0-415-05598-9.
This article offers a chronological list of productions directed by Konstantin Stanislavski. It does not include theatrical productions in which
Stanislavski only acted.
Until he was thirty three, Stanislavski appeared only as an
amateur onstage and as a
director, as a result of his family's discouragement.[1] When he was twenty five, he helped to establish a Society of Art and Literature, which aimed to unite amateur and professional actors and artists.[2] His professional career began in 1896 when he co-founded the
Moscow Art Theatre (MAT) with
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko.[3] Later in his life, he created a series of studios whose aims were primarily
pedagogical but which also presented public performances.[4] This list of productions directed by Stanislavski includes amateur, professional, and studio productions.
When the sources disagree about the exact date of a production's
première, that given in the most recent biography of Stanislavski—Jean Benedetti's Stanislavski: His Life and Art (1988, revised and expanded 1999)—is listed here, with the alternative date detailed in the footnotes. Prior to 14 February 1918, the
Julian calendar was in use in Russia, after which the
Gregorian calendar was introduced.[5] The details of productions staged before that change are given in both
Old Style and New Style dates.
1891: Foma by
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, adapted by Stanislavski from The Village of Stepanchikovo. Opened on 26 November [
O.S. 14 November] at the German Club. Cast included Stanislavski as Colonel Rostanev and Maria Lilina as Nastenka.[9]
1894: The Governor by Victor Diachenko. Cast included Stanislavski as George Dorci. Opened on 19 February [
O.S. 7 February].[10]
1894: Light Without Heat by
Alexander Ostrovsky and N. Y. Solovyev. Opened on 27 December [
O.S. 15 December]. Cast included Stanislavski as Rabachev.[11]
1895: Men Above the Law by
Aleksey Pisemsky. Opened on 18 December [
O.S. 6 December] at the
Solodovnikov Theatre. Cast included Stanislavski as the elderly general, Prince Imshin.[13]
1898: The Sunken Bell by
Gerhart Hauptmann. Revival of Stanislavski's Society of Art and Literature production from January the same year.[28] Opened on 31 October [
O.S. 19 October]. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included Stanislavski as Heinrich. Just over one week and 17 performances later, protests from the
Russian Orthodox Church led to the production being banned on 8 November [
O.S. 27 October], despite the particular translation used having been passed by the
censor.[29]
1898: The Merchant of Venice by
William Shakespeare. The production was re-titled Shylock.[30] Opened on 2 November [
O.S. 21 October].[31] Scenic design by
Viktor Simov.[32] Cast included Yevsei Pavlovich Darski as
Shylock,
Alexander Vishnevsky as
Antonio, and
Vsevolod Meyerhold as the Prince of Aragon.[33] This production was the first in Russia to include the fifth act of the play, after the trial scene and humiliation of Shylock, when the intrigue of Portia's ring and cross-dressing is revealed and resolved.[30] The portrayal of Shylock prompted accusations in the press of
anti-Semitism because a Jewish accent was considered inappropriate for a
tragic role.[34] Though Stanislavski had planned to alternate the role with Darski, he decided against it for fear of exacerbating the hostility of the press.[35] It was played for only ten performances.[36]
1898: Men Above the Law by
Aleksey Pisemsky.[37] Opened on 16 November [
O.S. 4 November].[38] Scenic design by
Viktor Simov.[32] Cast included Stanislavski as Imshin. It played for only nine performances.[39]
1898: The Mistress of the Inn by
Carlo Goldoni. Opened on 14 December [
O.S. 2 December].[40] Scenic design by
Viktor Simov.[32] Cast included Stanislavski as Ripafratta,
Vsevolod Meyerhold as the Marquis of Forlipopoli, and Tarasov as Ripafratta's servant.[41] A special performance for factory workers on 22 January [
O.S. 10 January] 1899 provoked a summons by the Chief of Police,
Dmitri Trepov, for failing to seek the approval of the
censor who oversaw productions for working-class audiences; as a result, the company abandoned its original name as the "Moscow Public-Accessible Theatre" and its aim to provide an "open" theatre, settling instead on
Anton Chekhov's suggestion, the "
Moscow Art Theatre."[42]
1898: The Seagull by
Anton Chekhov. Opened on 29 December [
O.S. 17 December].[43] Directed by Stanislavski and
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko.[44] Cast included Stanislavski as Trigorin and
Vsevolod Meyerhold as Konstantin,
Olga Knipper as Arkadnia, Maria Lilina as Masha, Maria Roksanova as Nina, Yevgeniya Raevskaya as Polina,
Ioasaf Tikhomirov as Medvedenko, Vasily Luzhsky as Sorin, Alexander Vishnevsky as Dorn, and Alexander Artem as Shamrayev.[45] The production ran for 57 performances in the 1898—99 season, 13 in the next, and 9 in the 1900—01 season.[46] Chekhov disliked Roksanova's performance so intensely that he demanded that she should never be allowed to act in his plays again.[47] For more information on this production, see
the article on the MAT production of The Seagull.
1899: Hedda Gabler by
Henrik Ibsen. Opened on 3 March [
O.S. 19 February]. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included Stanislavski as Løvborg and
Maria Andreyeva as Hedda.[48] It played for only eleven performances.[49] Reflecting on the production years later, the critic Nikolai Efros regarded Stanislavski's performance as the best of an Ibsen character he had seen.[50]
1899: Lonely People by
Gerhart Hauptmann. Opened on 28 December [
O.S. 16 December]. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov.
Vsevolod Meyerhold played Johannes Vockerat until he left the company, after which
Vasily Kachalov took over the role. This production was the play's première in Russia.[58]
1900: Snow Maiden by
Alexander Ostrovsky. Opened on 7 October [
O.S. 24 September]. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included
Vasily Kachalov as Tsar Berendey (his first performance at the MAT), Ekaterina Munt as the Snow Maiden,
Olga Knipper,
Ivan Moskvin,
Alexander Vishnevsky, Maria Roksanova, Vladimir Gribunin, and Margarita Savitskaya. When the MAT production opened, four other productions of Ostrovsky's play also were playing in Moscow.[59]
1901: Three Sisters by
Anton Chekhov. Opened on 13 February [
O.S. 31 January]. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included Stanislavski as Vershinin,
Olga Knipper as Masha,
Vsevolod Meyerhold as Tusenback, and Alexander Vishnevsky as Kulygin. This became the most popular of the MAT's productions of Chekhov's plays, remaining part of the company's repetoire for the next 18 years.[61]
1901: The Wild Duck by
Henrik Ibsen. Opened on 2 October [
O.S. 19 September]. Directed by Stanislavski and Alexander Sanin. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. The production played for no more than 16 performances.[62]
1901: Michael Kramer by
Gerhart Hauptmann. Opened on 9 November [
O.S. 27 October]. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included
Maria Andreyeva as Michaelina Kramer, Stanislavski as Michael Kramer, and
Ivan Moskvin as his son, Arnold. It played for twenty-six performances.[63]
1902: The Philistines by
Maxim Gorky. Opened on 8 April [
O.S. 26 March] in St Petersburg, while the MAT were on tour. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included Nikolai Baranov as Teterev, Vasily Luzhsky as Bessemenov, and
Vsevolod Meyerhold as Peter (until he left the company after the St Petersburg performances). Its Moscow première inaugurated the MAT's new building (in the renovated Lianozov Theatre, also known as the Omon Theatre, on Chamberlain Lane,
Tverskoy District) on 6 November [
O.S. 25 October]. The production played for a total of twenty-seven performances.[65]
1902: The Power of Darkness by
Leo Tolstoy. Opened on 18 November [
O.S. 5 November]. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included Stanislavski as Mitrich, though he only appeared in three performances before passing on the role to another actor.[66]
1902: The Lower Depths by
Maxim Gorky. Opened on 31 December [
O.S. 18 December]. Directed by Stanislavski and
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included Georgy Burdzhalov as Kostyliov, Elena Muratova as Vassilissa,
Maria Andreyeva as Natasha, Vladimir Gribunin as Medvediev, Aleksei Kharlamov as Vassily Pepel, Alexander Zagarov as Kleshch, Margarita Savitskaya as Anna,
Olga Knipper as Nastya, Maria Samarova as Kvashnia, Vasily Luzhsky as Bubnov,
Vasili Kachalov as the Baron, Mikhail Gromov as the Actor,
Ivan Moskvin as Luka, Alexander Adashev as Alyoshka,
Alexander Vishnevsky as Tatar, and Nikolai Baranov as Krivoy Zob; Stanislavski played Satin for the first five performances, after which Serafin Sudbinin took over. Gorky saw the production nearly a year later, on 18 October [
O.S. 5 October] 1903.[67]
1904: The Cherry Orchard by
Anton Chekhov. Opened on 30 January [
O.S. 17 January]. Directed by Stanislavski and
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included
Olga Knipper as Madame Ranyevskaya, Maria Lilina as Anya,
Maria Andreyeva as Varya, Stanislavski as Gaev,
Leonid Leonidov as Lopakhin,
Vasili Kachalov as Trofimov, Elena Muratova as Charlotta,
Ivan Moskvin as Yepihodov, Sofia Khaliutina as Dunyasha, Alexander Artem as Firs, Nikolai Aleksandrov as Yasha, Mikhail Gromov as a passer-by, and Alexander Zagarov as the stationmaster. Chekhov's last appearance at the MAT, before his death on 15 July [
O.S. 2 July], was to see the first public performance of this production, which coincided with his birthday.[68]
1906: Woe from Wit by
Aleksandr Griboyedov. Opened on 9 October [
O.S. 26 September].[71] Scenic design by
Viktor Simov. Cast included Stanislavski as Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov,
Vasili Kachalov as Chatski, and
Alexander Vishnevsky as Count Tugoukhovsky. Both Stanislavski and Nemirovich directed; Benedetti suggests that "Stanislavski, however, would appear to have exerted the dominant influence" whereas Worrall claims that "most of the work was done by Nemirovich, Stanislavski merely introducing minor corrections and additions to Act Three."[72] Benedetti and Worrall also disagree as to whether the text was in
prose or
verse.[73] The MAT revived the production in 1914 and 1925.[74]
1907: The Drama of Life by
Knut Hamsun. Opened on 21 February [
O.S. 8 February]. Cast included Stanislavski as Kareno.[75] Directed by Stanislavski with the assistance of
Sulerzhitsky.[76] Music by Ilya Satz.[77]
1916: The Green Ring by
Zinaida Gippius, performed by the Second Studio. Directed by V. L. Mchedelov, with final rehearsals taken by Stanislavski. Opened on 7 December [
O.S. 24 November].[100]
1917—18: Twelfth Night by
William Shakespeare, in a translation by P. E. Wineberg, performed by the First Studio.[101] Directed by Boris Sushkevich, under the supervision of Stanislavski.[102] Opened on 7 January 1918 [
O.S. 25 December 1917].[103] Scenic design by
André Andrejew, with music by N. N. Rakhmanov.[104] After seeing a work-in-progress showing, Stanislavski took over the direction and "rebuilt the production stone by stone".[105] Recommending the production to
Vladimir Lenin,
Anatoly Lunacharsky praised it as the best in Moscow.[106]
1922: Eugene Onegin by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Opened on 15 June. Cast included Pavel Rumiantsev as Onegin.[121] Staged in the ballroom of Stanislavski's house on Leontievski Lane (which was known thereafter as the Onegin Room), with minimal set and no costumes or make-up. With a full orchestra the production transferred two years later to the Novi Teatr.[121]
1939: Tartuffe by
Molière, production completed by
Mikhail Kedrov. Opened on 4 December. Cast included Kedrov as Tartuffe and Vasily Toporkov as Orgon.[123]
^Benedetti (1999a, 21, 24) and Carnicke (2000, 11). The prospect of becoming a professional actor was
taboo for someone of Stanislavski's
social class; actors had an even lower social
status in Russia than in the rest of Europe, having only recently been
serfs and the
property of the
nobility.
^Benedetti (1999a, 38, 385), Magarshack (1950, 100) and Worrall (1996, 27). Benedetti gives its opening as 18 December [
O.S. 6 December], while Magarshack gives it as 29 October [
O.S. 17 October]. The title of
Pisemsky's play has also been translated as A Law unto Themselves and Despots.
^Benedetti (1999a, 52, 385), Magarshack (1950, 102, 107), and Worrall (1996, 29). Benedetti and Worrall give its opening as 31 January [
O.S. 19 January], while Magarshack gives it as 28 April [
O.S. 16 April].
^Benedetti (1999a, 385) and Magarshack (1950, 102).
^The Polish Jew (
French: Le Juif Polonais) by
Erckmann-Chatrian is better known in English-speaking countries under the title The Bells, a translation by
Leopold Lewis that brought
Henry Irving great success when he staged it in 1871; see Benedetti (1999a, 58).
^Worrall (1996, 90). While Worrall and Leach give
Vsevolod Meyerhold's role as Prince Vasili Shuyshy, Braun gives it as Prince Ivan Shuysky, with Worrall giving Vasily Luzhsky as the actor who played the latter role; see Braun (1995, 11), Leach (1989, 3), and Worrall (1996, 90).
^Benedetti (1999a, 95, 386), Braun (1982, 61) and (1995, 11), Magarshack (1950, 188—189), and Worrall (1996, 112). Benedetti gives the opening performance as 11 October [
O.S. 29 September], while Magarshack gives 10 November [
O.S. 29 October].
^Benedetti (1999a, 98, 386). Benedetti gives the opening performance as 15 October [
O.S. 3 October], while Worrall gives 24 October [
O.S. 12 October]; see Worrall (1996, 114).
^Benedetti (1991, 51) and (1999a, 98, 386), Braun (1982, 61), Magarshack (1950, 188), and Worrall (1996, 114). The play's title has also been translated as The Driver Henschel. Anna Alekseieva was Stanislavski's sister, who used the
stage name of Anna Schteker (although a footnote in Benedetti's The Moscow Art Theatre Letters appears to have reversed the names—
Alekseiev was Stanislavski's family name); see Benedetti (1991, 51).
^Benedetti (1999a, 94), Braun (1982, 61), Gottlieb (2005, lxxxi—lxxxv), Magarshack (1950, 190—192), and Worrall (1996, 115–116).
^Benedetti (1999a, 386), Braun (1995, 12), Gottlieb (2005, 245), and Worrall (1996, 126—127). The final performance of this production of Three Sisters took place on 4 May 1919.
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko directed a new production in 1940.
^Braun (1982, 61), Magarshack (1950, 230), and Worrall (1996, 128).
^Benedetti (1999a, 120—121, 126), Braun (1982, 61), (1988, xvi), and (1995, 13, 16), Marsh (1993, 14), Magarshack (1950, 230—231), Senelick (2013, 151, 186), and Worrall (1996, 72—78, 131). The title of The Philistines has also been translated as Small People, The Merchant Class, The Petty-Bourgeois, and The Artisans. It premièred in St Petersburg in early 1902 as part of the MAT's tour.
^Benedetti (1999a, 126–127, 386), Magarshack (1950, 233, 238–239), and Worrall (1996, 132—133). Benedetti and Worrall give the opening performance as 18 November [
O.S. 5 November], while Magarshack gives 2 December [
O.S. 19 November].
^Benedetti (1999a, 386), Gottlieb (2005, lxxxi—lxxxv, 247), and Worrall (1996, 152, 159, 212). Worrall describes the première as Chekhov's
name day, which in Russia is usually distinct from a birthday; he also lists Elena Muratova as "M. V. Muratova"; see Worrall (1996, 159—160).
^Benedetti (1999a, 171) and Worrall (1996, 170-171).
^Benedetti describes the excited response of Aleksandr Lensky,
Maria Yermolova and
Glikeriya Fedotova "when the inexorable flow of the verse was broken up by the use of pauses in Act Three", whereas Worrall describes
Vsevolod Meyerhold's sardonic response to
Nemirovich's choice of a
prose text; see Benedetti (1999a, 171) and Worrall (1996, 171).
Benedetti, Jean, ed. and trans. 1991. The Moscow Art Theatre Letters. London: Routledge.
ISBN0-878-30084-8.
Benedetti, Jean. 1999a. Stanislavski: His Life and Art. Revised edition. Original edition published in 1988. London: Methuen.
ISBN0-413-52520-1.
Benedetti, Jean. 1999b. "Stanislavsky and the Moscow Art Theatre, 1898-1938". In Leach and Borovsky (1999, 254-277).
Braun, Edward. 1982. The Director and the Stage: From Naturalism to Grotowski. London: Methuen.
ISBN0-413-46300-1.
Braun, Edward. 1988. Introduction. In Plays: 1. By
Maxim Gorky. Methuen World Classics ser. London: Methuen. xv-xxxii.
ISBN0-413-18110-3.
Braun, Edward. 1995. Meyerhold: A Revolution in Theatre. Rev. 2nd ed. London: Methuen.
ISBN0413727300.
Carnicke, Sharon M. 1998. Stanislavsky in Focus. Russian Theatre Archive Ser. London: Harwood Academic Publishers.
ISBN9-057-55070-9.
Gauss, Rebecca B. 1999. Lear's Daughters: The Studios of the Moscow Art Theatre 1905-1927. American University Studies ser. 26 Theatre Arts, vol. 29. New York: Peter Lang.
ISBN0-820-44155-4.
Gottlieb, Vera, ed. and trans. 2005. Anton Chekhov at the Moscow Art Theatre: Archive Illustrations of the Original Productions. London: Routledge.
ISBN0-415-34440-9. Reproduction of original journal ed. Nikolai Efros, published in Moscow, 1914.
Innes, Christopher, ed. 2000. A Sourcebook on Naturalist Theatre. London and New York: Routledge.
ISBN0-415-15229-1.
Leach, Robert. 1989. Vsevolod Meyerhold. Directors in Perspective ser. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
ISBN0-521-31843-2.
Leach, Robert. 2004. Makers of Modern Theatre: An Introduction. London: Routledge.
ISBN0-415-31241-8.
Leach, Robert, and Victor Borovsky, eds. 1999. A History of Russian Theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.
ISBN0-521-43220-0.
Marker, Frederick J., and Lise-Lone Marker. 1989. Ibsen's Lively Art: A Performance Study of the Major Plays. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.
ISBN0-521-61924-6.
Rudnitsky, Konstantin. 1988. Russian and Soviet Theatre: Tradition and the Avant-Garde. Trans. Roxane Permar. Ed. Lesley Milne. London: Thames and Hudson. Rpt. as Russian and Soviet Theater, 1905-1932. New York: Abrams.
ISBN0-500-28195-5.
Senelick, Laurence, ed. and trans. 2013. Stanislavsky—A Life in Letters: The Missionary in the Theatre. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
ISBN1-136-34341-5.
Solovyova, Inna. 1999. "The Theatre and Socialist Realism, 1929-1953." Trans. Jean Benedetti. In Leach and Borovsky (1999, 325-357).
Stanislavski, Constantin, and Pavel Rumyantsev. 1975. Stanislavski on Opera. Trans. Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood. London: Routledge, 1998.
ISBN0-878-30552-1.
Vakhtangov, Evgeny. 1982. Evgeny Vakhtangov. Compiled by Lyubov Vendrovskaya and Galina Kaptereva. Trans. Doris Bradbury. Moscow: Progress.
Worrall, Nick. 1996. The Moscow Art Theatre. Theatre Production Studies ser. London and NY: Routledge.
ISBN0-415-05598-9.