Amanda Rae Jones is a graduate of the “American Studio” acting program offered through the Moscow Art Theater (MXAT). The program remains prestigious even after almost a century of existence. The Theater itself was home to Konstantin Stanislavski, whose theories of acting, the first in their time to fully integrate psychology and social sciences into […]
The following is an excerpt from a longer thesis. To access the full thesis in PDF, click here. Chapter I presented a practical definition of Socialist Realism: a dramatic genre emphasizing Marxist historicism, realistic presentation, populism, and which supports the Communist Party in its goals. Defining Socialist Realism is difficult because the Soviet government never […]
It has been said that Gogol’s career was like that of a meteor. It appears suddenly, burns brightly, fades quickly, and with its impact, changes the surrounding landscape and environment forever.[1] It is interesting that Gogol’s greatest play, The Government Inspector, was described with a similar power-type metaphor. Nabokov wrote, “(it) begins with a blinding flash […]
In 1922, while in Chicago as a guest of the director of the local opera company, Nicholas Roerich created a series entitled “Sancta” consisting of six paintings: “And We Are Not Afraid,” “And We Labor,” “And We Continue to Fish,” “And We Open the Gates,” “And We Bring Light,” and “And We See.” It has […]
As I attended my 20th class at St. Petersburg State University, an old woman waltzed into the room speaking rapid-fire Russian, waving theater tickets and emphasizing the words Fyodor Dostoevsky with much grandeur. My curiosity was piqued. The tickets were handwritten, the location of the theater obscure. In bold on the front of the ticket […]
John Freedman first came to Moscow in 1988 to research his dissertation for a Ph.D in Russian Literature. He found out a lot. He also found a woman he loves and some incredible professional and personal opportunities. He is now an editor for Moscow’s largest English-language newspaper, a published author and translator, and has been […]
