Re: Meyerhold & CHAT

From: Judith Diamondstone (diamonju@rci.rutgers.edu)
Date: Sun Jan 07 2001 - 00:36:24 PST


Let me ask somewhat differently -- Nate ends the list of Vygotsky-related
texts on his website with a comment by Nikolai Veresov on Vygotsky's use of
the word "stage" in wh. Versov refers to Stanislavsky (& Eisenstein) as
acquaintances of Vygotsky (both of whom defined the term "category" in
dramatic terms as :
>"collision", "event", dramatic unit, and the unit of analysis of drama: it
might be a dialogue (mostly) or emotional explosion and so on.)

There's an anecdote about Meyerhold that goes something like this:
"Stanislavski, when he wants his actors to feel fear, tells them to imagine
a situation in which they felt frightened. When I want my actors to feel
fear, I tell them to run like hell."

In other words, the action leads to the idea/affect, not vice versa &( thus
affect can be actively shaped....)

Now apparently Bekhterev(sp?) knew Meyerhold... (but Vygotsky knew
Stanislavski?)

Clealy, materialist psychology had much in common with materialist theatre;
I am assuming that these commonalities were pursued by intellectuals of
Vy's era, and that they have been pursued by others in the CHAT tradition
since then.

Can anyone suggest specific references? Mike - is there an index of
articles in old MCA/LCHC issues?
Thanks...

Judy
 

V's comment on term "stage":
The task of Vygotsky in 1930-1931 was to create the psychology in terms of
drama. Thestage is the place the dramatic development takes place. The
stage (theatre) has two planes - social plane (dimension) and individual
plane. The planes only make sense relative to the stage and they are
connected as two projections of the stage where the child is not a
spectator, but participant.

     Category is the philosophical concept. How can one imagine that the
function exists as a category? Sounds strange, but according to
Stanislavsky (famous theatre director Vygotsky used to know) and Sergey
Eisenshtein (filmmaker and a friend of Vygotsky) "category" in the drama
means "collision", "event", dramatic unit, and the unit of analysis of
drama: it might be a dialogue (mostly) or emotional explosion and so on.
     Vygotsky is speaking about development as a process of events,
collisions and their reflections in both planes.

At 01:56 PM 1/5/01 -0500, you wrote:
>Have their been any LCHC or MCA articles that make reference to Meyerhold?
>
>Thanks,
>Judy
>
>



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