Anatoly Vasilievich Efros (russian: Анатолий Васильевич Эфрос; July 3, 1925, Kharkiv — January 13, 1987,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

) was a Soviet theatre and film director. He was a leading interpreter of Russian classics during the

Era of Stagnation The "Era of Stagnation" (russian: Пери́од засто́я, Períod zastóya, or ) is a term coined by Mikhail Gorbachev in order to describe the negative way in which he viewed the economic, political, and social policies of the Soviet Uni ...

and "received numerous awards for creative excellence". His writings on theatre were published in English under the titles ''The Joy of Rehearsal: Reflections on Interpretation and Practice'' () and ''The Craft of Rehearsal: Further Reflections on Interpretation and Practice'' ().

Children's Theatre and the Lenkom

Efros was born in Kharkiv. In 1954, he was appointed to run the Central Theatre for Children in

and managed to transform it from a conservative backwater into one of the most fashionable Soviet theatres. At that early period, he staged many plays by Victor Rozov, including ''Searching for Happiness'' (1957), ''Unequal Battle'' (1960), ''Before Supper'' (1962). In 1963, Efros moved to the

Lenkom Theatre Lenkom Theatre, formerly known as Lenin’s Komsomol Moscow Theatre or Moscow Leninist Komsomol Theatre is the official name of what was once known as the Moscow State Theatre named after Komsomol, a Communist youth league set up by Vladimir Leni ...

and worked there for three years. It was there that he staged another of Rozov's plays, ''On the Wedding Day'' (1964). Viña Delmar's ''Make Way for Tomorrow'' was produced by him in the

Mossovet Theatre Mossovet State Academic Theatre (Государственный академический театр имени Театр Моссовета) is one of the oldest theatres of Moscow, opened in 1923 and based at Bolshaya Sadovaya, 16. History Mos ...

(1966), with Faina Ranevskaya and Rostislav Plyatt in leading roles.

Malaya Bronnaya Theatre

The most fruitful period of Efros's career is associated with his work in the Malaya Bronnaya Theatre (1967–84). While working in that theatre, he attracted the crowds of Moscow intelligentsia to his impeccably acted productions of Chekhov's ''Three Sisters'' (1967), Moliere's ''Don Juan'' (1974), and Gogol's ''The Marriage'' (1974). The Communist authorities did not fail to detect a note of discontent in his interpretations of classics and moved to shut them down. Olga Yakovleva and

Lev Durov Lev Konstantinovich Durov ( rus, Лев Константинович Дуров, p=ˈlʲef kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvʲɪdʑ ˈdurəf; 23 December 1931 – 20 August 2015) was a Soviet and Russian theatre and film actor who appeared in more than 200 ...

were the actors he most frequently worked with. In 1978, he filmed his fifth and final movie, ''On Thursday, and Never Again''. This psychologically poignant drama, set in the taut atmosphere of

Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

's plays, featured an impressive cast of actors, led by

Innokenty Smoktunovsky Innokenty Mikhailovich Smoktunovsky (russian: Иннокентий Михайлович Смоктуновский; born ''Smoktunovich'', 28 March 19253 August 1994) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. He was named a People's Artist ...

Taganka Theatre

In the 1970s, Efros collaborated with the stage director

Yury Lyubimov Yuri Petrovich Lyubimov (russian: Ю́рий Петро́вич Люби́мов; 5 October 2014) was a Soviet and Russian stage actor and director associated with the internationally renowned Taganka Theatre, which he founded in 1964. He was one ...

on several projects. In 1973, for instance, he directed a TV adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov's play ''The Cabal of Hypocrites'', with Lyubimov in the title role of

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and worl ...

. Two years later, Lyubimov invited Efros into his own

Taganka Theatre Taganka Theatre (russian: link=no, Театр на Таганке, Театр драмы и комедии на Таганке, "Таганка") is a theater located in the Art Nouveau building on Taganka Square in Moscow. History The Drama an ...

to stage '' The Cherry Orchard''. Both directors were drawn to the traditions of

Vsevolod Meyerhold Vsevolod Emilyevich Meyerhold (russian: Всеволод Эмильевич Мейерхольд, translit=Vsévolod Èmíl'evič Mejerchól'd; born german: Karl Kasimir Theodor Meyerhold; 2 February 1940) was a Russian and Soviet theatre ...

and

Yevgeny Vakhtangov Yevgeny Bagrationovich Vakhtangov (also spelled Evgeny or Eugene; russian: Евге́ний Багратио́нович Вахта́нгов; 13 February 1883 – 29 May 1922) was a Russian-Armenian actor and theatre director who founded the ...

. In 1984, after Lyubimov left the

for the West, Efros accepted an offer to run that theatre. Most of the actors, however, treated him as an enemy and sometimes flatly refused to cooperate with him. It is thought that the conflict with the Taganka actors contributed to Efros's premature death.

References

External links

Website dedicated to Anatoly Efros
{{DEFAULTSORT:Efros 1925 births 1987 deaths Burials at Kuntsevo Cemetery High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors faculty Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples Russian Academy of Theatre Arts alumni Soviet theatre directors Soviet film directors Soviet Jews