Background
KURBAS, Aleksandr was born on September 12, 1887 in Staryy Skalat, now Ternopol’ Oblast. Son of an actor whose stage name was Yanovich.
KURBAS, Aleksandr was born on September 12, 1887 in Staryy Skalat, now Ternopol’ Oblast. Son of an actor whose stage name was Yanovich.
1909 graduate Faculty of History' and Philology, Vienna University.
1909 began acting career at Khotkevich Gutsul Theater. 1910 worked at L’vov Theater of the ’’Russian Conversation” Association. 1915 with ’’Ternopol’ Theatrical Evenings” company.
1916 at Sadovskiy Theater in Kiev. 1916 founded theater studio which developed into the "Young Theater” (1918-1919). At this theater Kurbas produced Sophocles’ ’’Oedipus Rex,” Grillparzer’s ”Weh’ dem, der liigt,” Olesya’s ’’Etudes,” et cetera
Acted at theaters in Belaya Tserkov’ and Uman’. 1922 helped found ’’BereziF” Theater (from 1934 Khar'kov Shevchenko Theater), which he directed until 1933. Early plays were remarkable mainly for experimental stage effects.
Criticized for ”Berezil’”Theatcr productions which specialized in intricatecontradictions and because he opposed not only the stereotypes and cliches of the pre-revol Ukraine theater but also its best realistic traditions. Kurbas sought reflection of current events in so-called ’’scenic compositions” and in unique dramatization as in Haydamaki (The Haydamaks), Ivan Gus after Shevchenko, ’’Macbeth” after Shakespeare, ”Gas” after Kaiser, "Jimmy Higgins” after Sinclair, et cetera Completely revised all these plays.
At the same time the critics recognized him as a talented producer whose plays were notable for their originality although the search for melodramatic effects and the stream of the producer’s imagination often became an end in themselves and obscured the message of the play. Paid much attention to casting. Assembled such brilliant Ukraine actors around him in the ’’BereziF” Theater as: A. Buchma, North. Uzhviy, I. March’yanenko, V. Vasil’ko, Mr.
Krushel’nitskiy, A. Serdyuk, Doctorate. Antonovich, V. Chistyakova, V. Tyagno, L. Gakkebush, South. Fedortseva, L. Dubovik, V. Sklyarcnko, et cetera Scripted and produced films: “Vendetta,” Makdonal’d (MacDonald), Arsenal’tsy (The Arsenal Guards) and Shvedskaya sfzichka (The Swedish Match). Late 1933 dismissed as director of ’’Bcrczil’” Theater and accused of nationalism.
1937 arrested by State Security organs. Roles: Gnat in Karpcnko-Karyy’s Bestalannaya (The Luckless Woman). Gurman in Franko’s Ukradennoye schast’ye (Stolen Happiness).
Astrov in Dyadya Vanya (Uncle Vanya). Khlcstakov; Oedipus in Sophocles’ ’’Oedipus Rex”.