The influence of Meyerhold's biomechanics on 20th century theatre: The principle of equivalence

Abstract

Meyerhold's biomechanics (Mejerhol'd E. V.), as an acting technique in preparation for a role and performance in front of the audience, originated in the 1920s. It represents a genuine way of work, as it derived from Meyerhold's authentic personality. The need to research the importance and influence of Meyerhold's biomechanics on the 20th century theatre stems from the importance of the opus that Vsevolod Emilevich Meyerhold produced, as well as from the assumption that the output of the 20th century directors Jerzy Grotowski, Eugenio Barba and Peter Brook was largely founded on the principles of biomechanics, which Meyerhold had based his work on with theatrical actors for years. The principle of equivalence is one of the principles in the book A Dictionary of Theatre Anthropology: The Secret Art of the Performer by Eugenio Barba and Nicola Savarese. It provides help with the interpretation of the influence that Meyerhold's biomechanics had on the 20th century theatre and the authors such as Grotowski, Barba and Brook.