Vsevolod Meyerhold considers the life and work of the extraordinary twentieth-century director and theatre-maker.

Jonathan Pitches is Professor of Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds in the School of Performance and Cultural Industries. He is founding co-editor of the journal Theatre, Dance and Performance Training.

A LIFE OF CONTRADICTIONS Apprenticeship (1874-1905) St Petersburg (1906-17) Meyerhold and the Revolution (1917-22) The Meyerhold Theatre (1922-31) The death of Meyerhold and his theatre (1932-40) Meyerhold today MEYERHOLD'S KEY WRITINGS Don't (always) believe what you read! The key theoretical principles Naturalism Stylisation Rhythm and music The mask The grotesque Biomechanics and the actor of the future Chaplin and Eisenstein: a theory of montage CONTENTS MEYERHOLD'S KEY PRODUCTION: THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR Gogol's challenge Meyerhold's response Nikolai Gogol: the comet Gogol's Government Inspector Meyerhold's Government Inspector PRACTICAL EXERCISES Practice: the living link with Meyerhold So what are the basic skills of a biomechanical actor? The exercises Skills-based exercises Back to the basic skills Improvisation exercises Work on text Conclusions Bibliography Books and articles Films and videos