Carnegie Mellon and the Moscow Art Theatre interculturalize actor training
Last July, Carnegie Mellon University inaugurated a new, cross-cultural MFA program in acting in conjunction with the Moscow Art Theatre in Russia. Classes were given in three locales over the course of a year – first in Cambridge, Mass., then at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pa., and finishing up at the Moscow Art Theatre (known to the Russians as “MXAT”).
The Cambridge classes – taught by both Russian and American instructors – included movement, Michael Chekhov technique, scene study, voice and speech, and classical text work as well as intensive Russian language instruction. Lectures on Stanislavsky and the Moscow Art Theatre were given by Adolph Shapiro and Anatoly Smeliansky, the literary director of MXAT. Smeliansky spent the entire year with the students.
In Pittsburgh, work intensified, including an additional class in the history and culture of Russian, and rehearsals for two productions: The Grapes of Wrath and Three Sisters. Then, in January, the students packed their bags and headed for Moscow. What follows is a diary kept by one of the students, New York-based actor Anthony Newfield, during the Russian segment of the program.
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