Meyerhold, Vsevolod Yemilyevich (1874-1940)

Russian actor and director. He developed a system of actor training known as biomechanics, which combined insights drawn from sport, the circus, and modern studies of time and motion. He produced the Russian poet Mayakovsky's futurist Mystery-Bouffe in 1918 and 1921, and his own The Bed Bug 1929.

A member of the Moscow Art Theatre, Meyerhold was briefly director of its Studio Theatre under Stanislavsky 1905. Before the revolution of 1917 he developed a strong interest in commedia dell'arte and stylized acting. He received state support from 1920, but was arrested 1938 and shot under the Stalinist regime.