Communism -- Soviet Union; Goldman, Emma, 1869-1940; Soviet Union -- History -- Revolution, 1917-1921 -- Personal narratives, American
There are some other innovations, begun long before the advent of the
Bolsheviki and permitted by them to continue because they have no
bearing on the Russian actuality. The Kamerney Theatre registers its
revolt against the imposition of the play upon the acting, against the
limitation of expression involved in the orthodox interpretation of
dramatic art. It achieves noteworthy results by the new mode of acting,
complemented by original scenery and music, but mostly in plays of a
lighter genre.
Another unique attempt is essayed by the Semperante Theatre. It is based
on the conception that the written drama checks the growth and
diversity of the interpretive artist. Plays should therefore be
improvised, thereby affording greater scope to spontaneity, inspiration,
and mood of the artist. It is a novel experiment, but as the improvised
plays must also keep within the limits of the State censorship, the work
of the Semperantists suffers from a lack of ideas.
The most interesting cultural endeavour I met in Kiev was the work of
the Jewish _Kulturliga_. Its nucleus was organized in 1918 to minister
to the needs of pogrom victims. They had to be provided for, sheltered,
fed, and clothed. Young Jewish literary men and an able organizer
brought the _Kulturliga_ to life. They did not content themselves with
ministering only to the physical needs of the unfortunates. They
organized children’s homes, public schools, high schools, evening
classes; later a seminary and art school were added. When we visited
Kiev the _Kulturliga_ owned a printing plant and a studio, besides its
other educational institutions, and had succeeded in organizing 230
branches in the Ukraina. At a literary evening and a special performance
arranged in honour of the Expedition we were able to witness the
extraordinary achievements of the _Kulturliga_.
At the literary evening Perez’s poem “The Four Seasons” was rendered by
recitative group singing. The effect was striking. Nature at the birth
of spring, birds sending forth their joyous song of love, the mystery
and romance of mating, the ecstasy of renewing and becoming, the
rumbling of the approaching storm, the crash of the mighty giants struck
by lightning, rain softly falling, the leaves fluttering to earth, the
somberness and pathos of autumn, the last desperate resistance of Nature
against death, the trees shrouded in white--all were made vivid and
alive by the new form of collective recitative. Every nuance of Nature
was brought out by the group of artists on the improvised little stage
of the _Kulturliga_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account