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by Nikolai Evreinov (Author)
A visionary collection that redefines theater as a mirror of the soul, society, and the eternal human struggle.
Theater as Life: Five Modern Plays brings together five seminal works by Nikolai Evreinov, a towering figure of post-Revolutionary Russian theater. Known for his radical ideas about theatricality and illusion, Evreinov believed that life itself is a performance-and that theater is the most honest expression of human nature.
This anthology includes his best-known play, The Main Thing, famously staged by Pirandello's company and later on Broadway with Edward G. Robinson and Lee Strasberg, alongside A Merry Death, The Ship of the Righteous, The Theater of the Soul, and The Theater of the Eternal War.
With complex plots, plays-within-plays, disguises, music, and dance, Evreinov's work explores the boundaries between reality and illusion, individual and collective identity, and the psychological depths of performance.
The volume features an extensive introduction by Christopher Collins, rare illustrations, and production photographs from Paris, Milan, Warsaw, and New York, offering a rich historical and artistic context for these groundbreaking plays.
Author Biography
Nikolai Evreinov (1879-1953) was a Russian playwright, director, and producer associated with the Russian symbolists. Christopher Collins studied Evreinov's work as a Fulbright fellow in Paris. His translations and articles have appeared in the "Russian Literature Triquarterly" and "Slavic and East European Journal."
