Focal Press Russians in Britain: British Theatre and the Russian Tradition of Actor Training

Russians in Britain from Focal Press is the first work of its type to identify a relationship between the theatrical traditions of Russia and Britain as continuous as it is complex. From Komisarjevsky in the 1920s, to Cheek by Jowl's Russian 'sister company' almost a century later, Russian actor training has had a unique influence on modern British theatre.

Edited by Jonathan Pitches, Russians in Britain features nine famed essays and presents a compelling alternative history of theatrical practice in the UK. The book highlights Komisarjevsky and the British theatre establishment, Stanislavsky in the British conservatoire, Meyerhold in the academy, Michael Chekhov in the private studio, Littlewood's Theatre Workshop and the Northern Stage Ensemble, Katie Mitchell, Declan Donnellan, and Michael Boyd.

Editor Jonathan Pitches is Professor of Theatre and Performance as well as the Director of Research in the School of Performance and Cultural Industries at Leeds University. He is the author of two books on Russian actor training, Vsevolod Meyerhold and Science and the Stanislavsky Tradition of Acting. He has taught masterclasses on Russian actor training at the RSC and in Tokyo, Malta, and Shanghai and is the founding co-editor of the Routledge journal Theatre, Dance and Performance Training.