THE CONCEPT OF THEATRE IN THE WORK OF VSEVOLOD MEYERHOLD

Halkawt M. Sidiq A. Khaliq Abdulkhaliq

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Siberian Art History Journal

Journals / Siberian Art History Journal / Volume 5 Issue 3 / THE CONCEPT OF THEATRE IN THE WORK OF VSEVOLOD MEYERHOLD

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THE CONCEPT OF THEATRE IN THE WORK OF VSEVOLOD MEYERHOLD

Published in Siberian Art History Journal · Volume 5, Issue 3, 2026 · Pages 35–48 · Rubric: Current research of Russian art

Received: 29.09.2026 Accepted: 30.09.2026 Published: 30.09.2026

Authors

Halkawt M. Sidiq A. Khaliq Abdulkhaliq

Siberian Federal University Russian Federation · Krasnoyarsk

ABSTRACT

The article examines the concept of theatre developed by Vsevolod Emilievich Meyerhold, one of the leading Russian directors of the late 19th – first half of the 20th century. The source material consists of a number of his articles, letters, speeches, conversations, directorial plans, and lectures from 1918–1919; an analysis of these sources made it possible to identify the key points that define the essence of V. E. Meyerhold’s theatre concept. Among them are the points concerning the nature of theatre, its key actors, and components. The author provides a detailed analysis of V. E. Meyerhold’s conceptual system of theatre and concludes that Meyerhold’s theatre concept represents an integral artistic and philosophical system based on the principle of theatricality, which ensures the unity of the structure of the stage interaction between the director, playwright, actor, and audience, along with specific expressive means of theatre, such as stage space, constructivist set design, the actor’s body, stage movement, rhythm, music, pantomime, mask, and grotesque.

KEYWORDS

director-creator, actor of the future, biomechanics, grotesque, movement and rhythm, music and performance, active spectator, space and time in performance, theatricality

1. Dunaeva E. A. (2021). History of World Theatre: Lectures for the Master’s Program. 2020–2021 Academic Year. Moscow: Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute at the Vakhtangov State Academic Theatre.

2. Meyerhold V. E. (1913). On Theatre. In Articles, Letters, Speeches. St. Petersburg: Prosveshchenie. URL: https://viewer.rusneb.ru/ru/000199_000009_003813173?page=1&rotate=0&theme=white

3. Meyerhold V. E. (1968). Articles, Letters, Speeches, Conversations. Parts 1–2. Moscow: Iskusstvo. URL: https://vk.com/doc51329153_589648732?hash=jqmm947oQ5CrWVi8JGxKjcOkGiTuCUuuz3ZQuaQX8o4&api=1&no_preview=1

4. Meyerhold V. E., Feldman O. M. (2001). Lectures: 1918–1919. Moscow: OGI. URL: https://imwerden.de/pdf/meyerhold_lektsii_shkoly_akterskogo_masterstva_1918-1919_2001__ocr.pdf

5. Rudnitsky K. L. (1969). Director Meyerhold. Moscow: Nauka, 527.

6. Titova G. V. (1995). Creative Theatre and Theatrical Constructivism. St. Petersburg: SPATI, 253.

7. Halkaut M. (2025). The Concept of Theatricality as a Mechanism for Constructing Meanings (Author’s Definition). Siberian Art History Journal, 4(4), 35–48.

JATS XML

Doctor of Cultural Studies, Docent

Julia Zamaraeva

rybka08@bk.ru

Candidate of Philosophical Sciences

Anastasia Kistova

Candidate of Cultural Studies, Docent

Maria Kolesnik

masha_kolesnik@mail.ru

Doctor of Philosophy, Professor

Natal'ya P. Kopceva