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The Director's Prism: E. T. A. Hoffmann and the Russian Theatrical Avant-Garde

Dassia N. Posner 2016
The Director's Prism investigates how and why three of Russia's most innovative directors— Vsevolod Meyerhold, Alexander Tairov, and Sergei Eisenstein—used the fantastical tales of German Romantic writer E. T. A. Hoffmann to reinvent the rules of theatrical practice. Because the rise of the director and the Russian cult of Hoffmann closely coincided, Posner argues, many characteristics we associate with avant-garde theater—subjective perspective, breaking through the fourth wall, activating the spectator as a co-creator—become uniquely legible in the context of this engagement. Posner examines the artistic poetics of Meyerhold's grotesque, Tairov's mime-drama, and Eisenstein's theatrical attraction through production analyses, based on extensive archival research, that challenge the notion of theater as a mirror to life, instead viewing the director as a prism through whom life is refracted. A resource for scholars and practitioners alike, this groundbreaking study provides a fresh, provocative perspective on experimental theater, intercultural borrowings, and the nature of the creative process.
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  • 978-0-8101-3356-3 (hardcover)
  • 978-0-8101-3355-6 (paper)
  • 978-0-8101-3357-0 (e-book)
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  • Performing Arts
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In this costume design, Olimpia, the beautiful automaton in Tales of Hoffmann, is assembled from unnatural cubist shapes that together create a vague impression that she is on the verge of breaking, despite the cheerful look on her doll-like face.

Costume design for Olimpia in Tales of Hoffmann (Eisenstein)

From Chapter 3: Peregrinus Tyss Meets Pipifax: Eisenstein, the Grotesque, and the Attraction

Sergei Eisenstein, Costume design for Olimpia in Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann (1921). Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, f. 1923, op. 1, ed. khr. 735: 14.

In this scene design for Tales of Hoffmann, the black-and-white checkerboard floor and successive side wings (yellow wall sections with furniture and windows painted on them) together create an impression of sharply forced perspective.

Scene design for act 2 wings, Tales of Hoffmann (Eisenstein)

From Chapter 3: Peregrinus Tyss Meets Pipifax: Eisenstein, the Grotesque, and the Attraction

Sergei Eisenstein, scene design for act 2 of Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann (March 12, 1920). Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, f. 1923, op. 1, ed. khr. 735: 4.

In this scene design for Tales of Hoffmann, the black-and-white checkerboard floor remains, but the "wings," actually periaktoi––three-sided, reconfigurable scenic elements––are placed in new configurations that allow actors to interact with, hide behind, and even climb on them.

Scene design for act 2 periaktoi, Tales of Hoffmann (Eisenstein)

From Chapter 3: Peregrinus Tyss Meets Pipifax: Eisenstein, the Grotesque, and the Attraction

Sergei Eisenstein, periaktoi for act 2 of Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann (1920). Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, f. 1923, op. 1, ed. khr. 735: 5.

In this costume design for act 2 of Tales of Hoffmann, a female guest wears a purple and orange striped gown, the skirt of which curves out sharply then in again at the base, making her look like a vanka-vstanka (a doll with a rounded base that always returns to its upright position) or an enormous jug. The impression of the latter is strengthened by her vivid green headdress and hair, which together resemble a spout.

Female costume design for act 2 of Tales of Hoffmann (Eisenstein)

From Chapter 3: Peregrinus Tyss Meets Pipifax: Eisenstein, the Grotesque, and the Attraction

Sergei Eisenstein, costume design for act 2 of Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann (September 17, 1921). Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, f. 1923, op. 1, ed. khr. 735: 10.

In this costume design for act 2 of Tales of Hoffmann, a male guest appears to be part insect, part bird: while his enormous eyes are solid blue, his red on-end hair fans out like feathers. His blue jacket is a deep yellow underneath, and his green-clad calves trail away into nothingness.

Male costume design for act 2 of Tales of Hoffmann (Eisenstein)

From Chapter 3: Peregrinus Tyss Meets Pipifax: Eisenstein, the Grotesque, and the Attraction

Sergei Eisenstein, costume design for act 2 of Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann (1921). Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, f. 1923, op. 1, ed. khr. 735: 11.

In this costume design for The Golden Pot, the Old Parrot wears a purple tailcoat, navy-and-white checked trousers, and yellow shoes and gloves. He stands in profile to emphasize the hooked beak of his full-head parrot mask.

Costume design for the Old Parrot in The Golden Pot

From Chapter 3: Peregrinus Tyss Meets Pipifax: Eisenstein, the Grotesque, and the Attraction

Sergei Eisenstein, costume design for the Old Parrot in The Golden Pot, based on the tale by E. T. A. Hoffmann (December 21, 1920). Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, f. 1923, op. 2, ed. khr. 1611:1.

Costume sketch for Ma, a constructivist character in Columbine’s Garter who is half human, half restaurant. One of her thighs is marked roast (rôti) and the other soup (potage), while her left breast has three taps for dispensing drinks.

Costume sketch for Ma in Columbine’s Garter

From Chapter 3: Peregrinus Tyss Meets Pipifax: Eisenstein, the Grotesque, and the Attraction

Sergei Eisenstein, costume sketch for Ma in Columbine’s Garter, by Sergei Eisenstein and Sergei Yutkevich (1922). Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, f. 1923, op. 1, ed. khr. 817: 2.

Costume sketch for Pa, a constructivist character in Columbine’s Garter who is half human, half toilet. His body is assembled from human and mechanical parts. His top hat is capped with a toilet lid crammed with various newspapers. A toilet tank marked PA juts upward from his body. At the center of his body is the word "Pipifax"––Eisenstein and Yutkevich's joint alter ego.

Costume sketch for Pa in Columbine’s Garter

From Chapter 3: Peregrinus Tyss Meets Pipifax: Eisenstein, the Grotesque, and the Attraction

Sergei Eisenstein, costume sketch for Pa in Columbine’s Garter, by Sergei Eisenstein and Sergei Yutkevich (dated 1922, 1934). Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, f. 1923, op. 1, ed. khr. 817: 6.

Rough sketches for a female character in a bowler hat, most likely Columbine.

Costume sketch for Columbine in Columbine’s Garter

From Chapter 3: Peregrinus Tyss Meets Pipifax: Eisenstein, the Grotesque, and the Attraction

Sergei Eisenstein, costume sketch for Columbine in Columbine’s Garter, by Sergei Eisenstein and Sergei Yutkevich (1922). Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, f. 1923, op. 1, ed. khr. 817: 15.

Libretto page from Columbine’s Garter of scenes 4, 5, 6, and most of 7, focusing on “circus” attractions, ending just before Harlequin breaks the musicians’ instruments.

Libretto page from act 2 of Columbine’s Garter

From Chapter 3: Peregrinus Tyss Meets Pipifax: Eisenstein, the Grotesque, and the Attraction

Sergei Eisenstein and Sergei Yutkevich, page from act 2 of the pantomime libretto for Columbine’s Garter (1922). Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, f. 1923, op. 1, ed. khr. 816: 15.

Rough pencil sketch of vertical staging ideas for Wiseman, including a lyra (aerial hoop) and tightrope, both of which appeared in the final production. As was the case in many of Eisenstein theatrical sketches, various words –– in this case "Moscow Proletkult," "attraction," "training" ­­–– appear within the drawing itself.

Mise-en-scène sketch for Wiseman

From Chapter 3: Peregrinus Tyss Meets Pipifax: Eisenstein, the Grotesque, and the Attraction

Sergei Eisenstein, mise-en-scène sketch for Sergei Tretiakov’s Enough Stupidity in Every Wiseman, based on the play by Alexander Ostrovsky, directed by Sergei Eisenstein, Proletkult First Workers’ Theatre (premiere: April–May 1923). Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, f. 1923 op. 1 ed. khr. 801: 8 verso.

In this photograph, several characters cluster around Glumov, in clown white, who is holding a character in checked trousers (Mamaev) upside down by his feet. A sign in front of him reads "ARA" (American Relief Administration), while behind him is a structure with two ladders and a bar: an inner proscenium.

Photo of parodic action in Wiseman

From Chapter 3: Peregrinus Tyss Meets Pipifax: Eisenstein, the Grotesque, and the Attraction

Parodic action (satirizing Hoover's American Relief Administration) within and downstage of the inner proscenium in Enough Stupidity in Every Wiseman, based on the play by Alexander Ostrovsky, directed by Sergei Eisenstein, Proletkult First Workers’ Theatre (premiere: April–May 1923). Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, f. 1923, op. 1, ed. khr. 805: 16.

Photograph of Goluvtin crossing over the audience's heads on an inclined tightrope wearing a tuxedo, with bare feet, holding a parasol. Also visible is some of the detail on the walls and ceiling of this ornate room in the mansion that before the Revolution had belonged to the wealthy Morozov family.

Photo of tightrope act in Wiseman

From Chapter 3: Peregrinus Tyss Meets Pipifax: Eisenstein, the Grotesque, and the Attraction

Tightrope act in Sergei Tretiakov’s Enough Stupidity in Every Wiseman, based on the play by Alexander Ostrovsky, directed by Sergei Eisenstein, Proletkult First Workers’ Theatre (premiere: April–May 1923). Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, f. 1923 op. 1 ed. khr. 805: 14.

Film still taken mid-dissolve of the Owl—a spy in Strike—and the owl with which he is juxtaposed. Other spy/animal juxtapositions in the film are the Monkey, the Bulldog, and the Fox.

Film still of the Owl in Strike

From Chapter 3: Peregrinus Tyss Meets Pipifax: Eisenstein, the Grotesque, and the Attraction

Film still of the Owl, one of four spies juxtaposed with animals in Eisenstein’s Strike (released April 1925).

Two drawings for The Glass House, annotated in English, in which a transparent glass floor becomes a means for juxtaposing still images with rapidly moving ones: a stationary cat is positioned against "a whirling town," and feet stand on a "glass balcony above the moving street."

Static and moving image drawings for The Glass House

From Chapter 3: Peregrinus Tyss Meets Pipifax: Eisenstein, the Grotesque, and the Attraction

Sergei Eisenstein, static and moving image drawings for The Glass House (January 16, 1927–March 19, 1947). Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, f. 1923 op. 2 ed. khr. 162: 3.

List, handwritten in English, of several of Eisenstein's ideas for scenes in The Glass House that would focus on shifted perspective and juxtaposition.

List of episode ideas for The Glass House

From Chapter 3: Peregrinus Tyss Meets Pipifax: Eisenstein, the Grotesque, and the Attraction

Sergei Eisenstein, list of episode ideas for The Glass House (January 16, 1927–March 19, 1947). Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, f. 1923 op. 2 ed. khr. 162: 48.

Sergei Eisenstein, drawing (detail) of the sharp shift in perspective made possible by watching scenes from below through transparent floors.

Drawing of scenes viewed through transparent floors, The Glass House

From Chapter 3: Peregrinus Tyss Meets Pipifax: Eisenstein, the Grotesque, and the Attraction

Sergei Eisenstein, drawings of scenes viewed through transparent floors, The Glass House (January 16, 1927–March 19, 1947). Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, f. 1923 op. 2 ed. khr. 162: 50.

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