Education and Art in Soviet Russia/Document 27

DOCUMENT NO. 27

The Repertoire Committee of the Art-Educational Section

The object of the Repertoire Committee is first, the drawing up of a repertoire for district theatres, and secondly, the preparation of a list of plays for workmen's theatres.

In the opinion of the Committee the following principles must underlie the preparation of the repertoire: 1) plays on the repertoire list must be artistic creations and adapted to the needs of the theatrical art; 2) they should heighten and strengthen the revolutionary spirit of the masses; 3) they should be optimistic in spirit.

Owing to the insistent and continual requests from localities a preliminary list has been prepared including the following Russian and foreign dramatists.

Russian—Gogol, Griboyedov, Shackovsky, Ostrovsky, Leo Tolstoi, Turgenov, Tchechov, Suchovo-Kobulin, Shchedrin, Gorky, A. Tolstoi.

Foreign—Calderon, Lope de Vega, Cervantes, Shakespeare, Beaumarchais, Moliere, Schiller, Blanche, Ibsen, Shaw, Romain Rolland, Verhaeren, Delle-Grazie, Mirbeau, Hauptmann.

The plays approved by the Committee will contain short reviews, written by the members of the Committee containing: a) plot and central idea of the play, 2) characterization of the stage personages, 3) possible cuts and change of scenes, 4) illustrative points on scenery and costumes (preferably accompanied by outline drawings). These reviews will be later published by the Committee as separate leaflets.

Besides, the Committee is preparing for publication a number of books on the theatre. The subjects of these books are: 1) stage-craft, 2) scenic decorations, 3) the art of make-up, 4) costumes, 5) rhythm gymnastics, 6) drama and opera, 7) studio work, 8) working over of assigned parts.