The American Career of Maria Ouspenskaya (1887-1949): Actress and Teacher
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1999 The American Career of Maria Ouspenskaya (1887-1949): Actress and Teacher. Pamela Sue Heilman Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Heilman, Pamela Sue, "The American Career of Maria Ouspenskaya (1887-1949): Actress and Teacher." (1999). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 6890. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/6890 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. 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THE AMERICAN CAREER OF MARIA OUSPENSKAYA (1887-1949) ACTRESS AND TEACHER A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Theatre by Pamela Sue Heilman B.A., Rocky Mountain College, 1980 M.A., The Ohio State University, Columbus, 1989 May 1999 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9925531 UMI Microform 9925531 Copyright 1999, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my parents, Glenn and Mary Helen Heilman, in appreciation of their constant love and support. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many persons deserve acknowledgment for their assistance with this study. Many thanks to my committee members, Les Wade, Femi Euba, and Bill Demastes, who have always supported my theatre studies. Thanks also to Dale Moffitt, Ron Willis, and Nellie McCaslin, who assisted with my research. I am especially indebted to Gresdna Doty and Bill Harbin, who both had a hand in directing this dissertation. Dr. Doty guided me through the early phases of this project, assisting me with research and the early stages of writing. Dr. Harbin kindly agreed to handle the arduous task of editing my document when I started to write again after a long delay. His steady encouragement and insightful comments were deeply appreciated. To both Dr. Harbin and Dr. Doty, I offer my heartfelt gratitude. I feel lucky to have worked with you. I would also like to thank the many friends and family members who have given their support during this long writing process. They include Maxie, Mary C., Mary B., M. K., Cindy, Lori, Steve, Shawn, Ashley, the Reddochs, and the members of University Presbyterian. I am most indebted to my parents, Glenn and Mary Helen Heilman. Even when times got tough, they continued to offer their love and encouragement. I feel blessed to have them as my parents. Thank you, Mom and Dad. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTHSTS DEDICATION............................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................... iii ABSTRACT .......................... V CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ................................... 1 2 THE RUSSIAN BEGINNINGS ........................ 12 3 THE HISTORY AND PRACTICES OF THE MAT AND THE FIRST STUDIO ............... 34 4 COMING TO AMERICA: THE MAT TOURS AND EARLY YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES .......... 74 5 THE TWENTIES: THE AMERICAN LABORATORY THEATRE AND ACTING IN NEW Y O R K ............... 101 6 THE THIRTIES: THE MARIA OUSPENSKAYA SCHOOL OF DRAMATIC ARTS, BROADWAY ACHIEVEMENTS, AND EARLY FILM WORK ..........................151 7 THE FORTIES: THE HOLLYWOOD SCHOOL AND THE MOVIES .............................. 190 8 CONCLUSION .................................. 250 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................ 257 APPENDIX ............................................. 262 VITA .................................................264 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT This study examines the career of Maria Ouspenskaya (1887-1949) in American theatre from 1923-1949, and it assesses her significance in American theatre history. The primary sources for this study were newspapers, the Maria Ouspenskaya Collection in the University Library at UCLA, and the Ouspenskaya clipping file in the Billy Rose Collection at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Prior to moving to the United States, Ouspenskaya acted and taught at the Moscow Art Theatre, where she studied with Konstantin Stanislavsky, who had developed a new form of actor training known as the "System." In America, Ouspenskaya first taught System techniques to students at the American Laboratory Theatre in New York, working with Richard Boleslavsky. She later taught at the Neighborhood Playhouse and her own schools in New York and Hollywood. She also acted in six Broadway plays and twenty movies. Admired as a character actress, she received two Academy Award nominations. The findings of this study reveal that Ouspenskaya was a highly respected and influential theatre artist during her years in America. Her acting consistently received praise from both critics and colleagues, and her stage and film roles provided a rare opportunity for the general public to view performance by a former student v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. of Stanislavsky. More important, Ouspenskaya taught the System to hundreds of students, who, in turn, carried the new technique to the stage, film, radio, and television. Former Lab students Stella Adler, Harold Clurman, and Lee Strasberg brought their new knowledge to Broadway via the Group Theatre in the 1930's. Strasberg later taught his own version of Ouspenskaya's teachings, the controversial "Method," at the Actor's Studio in the 1950's and 1960's, thereby introducing Stanislavsky's System to a new generation of actors. Ouspenskaya' s work as both an actress and a teacher significantly influenced and reformed American acting technique. She deserves recognition in theatre history for her important contributions to performance and actor training in the United States. vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION In 1941, Hollywood gossip columnist Jimmie Fidler quipped, "Suggested word hurdle for the climax of any spelling bee: Ouspenskaya*'*1 Pronounced "Oos-pen-sky-ya," with the accent on the third syllable in American usage, the word is the surname of Maria Ouspenskaya, a respected actress and acting teacher of Fidler's day. Almost forgotten now, Maria Ouspenskaya (1887-1949) figured prominently in American theatre and film history for almost three decades, from the 1920's through the 1940's. Through her acting and her teaching, she introduced American actors and audiences to a style of performing derived from Konstantin Stanislavsky's "System," a process of developing a role designed to produce consistent and truthful characterizations. Despite her influence as a teacher and her popularity as an actress, Ouspenskaya has never been the subject of a full-length biography, and existing historical accounts of her work are brief and incomplete. This study attempts to correct those oversights. It examines her life and career, particularly during her years in