(Thesis abstract in English)

The present thesis is exploring the commedia dell’arte’s critical and theatrical rediscovery in the first quarter of XXth century Russia. Since the turn of the XXth century in Europe, and particularly in Germany, an interest arose to stage plays based on principles of the old Italian theatrical genre: improvisation, stock characters, masks, lazzi, as a counter-balance to the theatre understood as a facsimile of real life. The theatrical and theoretical rediscovery of the Comedy by the representatives of the Russian intelligentsia falls into three major trends.

The first trend is the rediscovery of the commedia dell’arte of fin de siècle and of a decadent signature. This is paramount for the creative work of such artists as Nikolai Evreinov, Alexander Bloc, Vsevolod Meyerhold, Alexander Tairov, who filtered their experiments through the poetry of French poets-symbolists, Paul Verlaine and l’enfant terrible, Jules Laforgue, as well through the pantomimes of the Austrian dramatist, Arthur Schnitzler.

The second trend embraces the critical and the historical rediscovery of the commedia, filtered through field research and archaeological study. The most eminent representative of this trend is Konstantin Miklashevsky. In 1913 Meyerhold opens an experimental theatrical Studio and in 1914 starts to edit a Journal ’Love for three oranges’ which serves as a text and study book for his Drama School. Vladimir Solov’ev, Jurii Bondi, Sergei Radlov, Jakov Bloch write their own scenarios, translate plays, teach in the Studio and take active part in the process of the archaeological rediscovery of commedia genre.

The third trend is the implementation of the acquired through research knowledge on theatrical scene. A group of young and resourceful theatrical avant-gardists explored the Russian archives and came upon documents and full versions of old XVIIIth century scenarios left after the visits of Italian commedia dell’arte companies in Moscow and Sankt Peterbourg. Their findings, discoveries and experiments of the old art have found an artistic expression on the stage of many theatrical Studios and especially on the plateau of the Theatre of the Popular Comedy of Petrograd during the period 1920-1922. Solov’ev, Mic, Radlov, Jakov Bloch combined the high-brow style of 1733-35 commedia scenarios conceived to entertain the Russian nobility with the eccentrism and buffoonery of the low-brow style popular remakes of the same scenarios which aimed to reach out the broad masses. This unique blend led to the fine art of the modern circus.