Blue Blouse
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Blue Blouse () was an influential
agitprop Agitprop (; from , portmanteau of ''agitatsiya'', "agitation" and ''propaganda'', "propaganda") refers to an intentional, vigorous promulgation of ideas. The term originated in the Soviet Union where it referred to popular media, such as literatu ...
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
collective A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest or work together to achieve a common objective. Collectives can differ from cooperatives in that they are not necessarily focused upon an e ...
in the early
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. Boris Yuzhanin created the first Blue Blouse troupe under the auspices of the Moscow Institute of Journalism in 1923. Their example encouraged similar workers' theatre companies across the country and worldwide; by 1927 there were more than 5,000 Blue Blouse troupes in the Soviet Union with more than 100,000 members. In the autumn of that year, the original troupe began a tour in
Erwin Piscator Erwin Friedrich Maximilian Piscator (17 December 1893 – 30 March 1966) was a German theatre director and Theatrical producer, producer. Along with Bertolt Brecht, he was the foremost exponent of epic theatre, a form that emphasizes the socio- ...
's theatre in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
that provoked a rapid growth of agitprop troupes across
Weimar Germany The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...
. The blue workers'
uniforms A uniform is a variety of costume worn by members of an organization while usually participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency ser ...
, in which the actors performed, gave the troupe its name, under which they also published a magazine, which contained scripts and detailed descriptions of staging, costumes, and the troupe's other theatrical techniques, along with news reports and current affairs. Its variety style made many demands on its performers, requiring "a young deft man trained in
physical culture Physical culture, also known as body culture, is a health and strength training movement that originated during the 19th century in Germany, the UK and the US. Origins The physical culture movement in the United States during the 19th century ...
, trained in the striking word, in the cheerful, bold and hard-hitting song and couplet, in the contemporary rhythm of the grotesque and simplistic," its magazine explained. The rehearsal process was extremely rigorous, requiring actors to stay physically and mentally alert through a strict exercise program and by keeping up with the political topics of the day. The year 1927 marked the end of the Blue Blouse organisation, when it was forced to merge with the more orthodox
Workers' Youth Theatre Workers' Youth Theatre, also known as TRAM (the Russian acronym for "Teatr RAbochey Molodyozhi") was a Soviet proletarian youth theatre of the late 1920s and early 1930s. It was established by Mikhail Sokolovsky in a converted cinema on Liteiny Pr ...
(TRAM).


Characteristics of performances

Blue Blouse theatre combined many stylistic elements and art forms and imbued them with socio-political meaning with the intent of reaching the Soviet people. In the early years of the Soviet Union, multiple small form amateur theatre groups arose. Blue Blouse became one of the most popular because of its dynamic performances that were able to use entertainment and comedy to connect with the people on a personal level about daily life and news. Each performance, though enjoyable, had a political message, which expressed the opinions of the Soviet regime to the common people, targeting the
working class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...
. Blue Blouse theatre had specific requirements when it came to basic features of performance, such as outfits, props, and setting. They even published a
manifesto A manifesto is a written declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party, or government. A manifesto can accept a previously published opinion or public consensus, but many prominent ...
with details on the specific characteristics of what to wear, how to act, and what music to use. The most basic component of their outfit, and where they got their name, was the blue workers shirt as well as black trousers or a skirt. The actors used workers garments to help connect to the populace. Other clothing also made it easy to switch characters. The clothing was often embellished with props to distinguish the role of the performer, a
capitalist Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...
often being defined by a
top hat A top hat (also called a high hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditionally made of black silk or ...
or a bureaucrat by a red pencil. The only time the actors did not wear workers clothing was during acrobatic or gymnastic performances. The performances were meant to be practical and accessible as well as enjoyable. The performances took place in clubs, cafeterias, factory floors, and outside. Tables and stools were sometimes used as props if they served a purpose but were otherwise thought to "slow down the tempo of movement and obstruct access to the stage." The Blue Blouse collective wrote a document where they state that they "are against bright beauty and realistic sets and decoration." Blue Blouse was very particular about all aspects of performance having a specific purpose to convey a specific message. Blue Blouse theatre incorporated a myriad of different artistic mediums of performance as well as talents such as dancing and singing to create dynamic performances with identifiable acts. Blue Blouse continued with the tradition of
living newspaper Living Newspaper is a theatrical form presenting factual information on current events to a popular audience. Historically, Living Newspapers have also urged social action (both implicitly and explicitly) and reacted against naturalistic and r ...
, which involved presenting the important news stories of the day to the people. This originally stemmed from high illiteracy rates, so somebody would read the newspaper out loud. This practice evolved to the paper being acted out with visual assistance, providing an effective way to get news across and speak to the workers. Blue Blouse used the living newspaper technique through "satirical songs, lively posters, dances, and pantomime." The performances were made to be interesting for the audience and used a variety of techniques. One technique was dramatic form, which included monologue, dialogue, and singing. Other forms were those derived from dance and gymnastics, such as acrobatics. Blue Blouse made use of posters, as well as musical numbers, and even some film. There was an incredible amount of variety. Due to all the different techniques used the actors needed to be versatile and have the ability to sing, be athletic, and "transform," meaning to be able to easily adjust from act to act. Actors were also not supposed to show any emotion. The performance would begin with a parade of headliners and continue with 8-10 vignettes on topics ranging from international affairs to local ones. The performance would end with a parade as well as a recap of the performance, with special attention on the political message. Though the performances were meant to be fun, they were also meant to help the Soviet regime. Blue Blouse drew on folk theatre as well as urban culture to help appeal to the populace. The people were familiar with folk theatre so aspects were intertwined with Blue Blouse, such as a "rupor" whose role was to present the scene and tie skits together. As urban culture grew it was also incorporated, Blue Blouse theatre trying to stay in touch with their audience. As for the actual dialogue of Blue Blouse performances, it was supposed to be taken from the Blue Blouse newspaper that was published and tied in with local themes, using materials from papers and magazines. Information was to be kept relevant to the lives of those watching the performances.


Blue Blouse as political propaganda

The history behind Blue Blouse serves as an explanation for how the theatre group emerged as a means of political
propaganda in the Soviet Union Propaganda in the Soviet Union was the practice of state-directed communication aimed at promoting class conflict, proletarian internationalism, the goals of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and the party itself. The main Soviet cens ...
. Shortly after the beginning of the Soviet Union, the government put the
New Economic Policy The New Economic Policy (NEP) () was an economic policy of the Soviet Union proposed by Vladimir Lenin in 1921 as a temporary expedient. Lenin characterized the NEP in 1922 as an economic system that would include "a free market and capitalism, ...
into action, which helped stabilize the country economically. Funds were still tight but the Soviet regime saw the benefit of beginning a cultural campaign to turn the populace to the communist way of life. Theatre revival had already begun after the revolution and so the Soviets wanted to use this as a means to reach the people, and one that proved to be effective. Blue Blouse in particular became very popular along with other small forms because of their lack of funds and resources and their intimacy with the audience. The Soviet regime saw that they could use theatre as a means of speaking to and manipulating the population. Though Blue Blouse was very entertaining, it had political content and a specific agenda to get across. By the summer of 1924 all living newspapers gained backing as a "method of agitation and propaganda serving the political, productive, and domestic tasks of the
proletariat The proletariat (; ) is the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work). A member of such a class is a proletarian or a . Marxist ph ...
." Those who were enemies of the Soviets were satirized, and those who were heroes were put on a pedestal. Blue Blouse was used to "impart lessons on how Soviet citizens should live, what books they should read, what their hygienic habits should be, and how they should relate to the Soviet regime." Whatever topics were relevant to the politics of the time were incorporated into Blue Blouse theatre. Common characters that emerged in Blue Blouse for political commentary were capitalist, banker, premier,
NEPman The New Economic Policy (NEP) () was an economic policy of the Soviet Union proposed by Vladimir Lenin in 1921 as a temporary expedient. Lenin characterized the NEP in 1922 as an economic system that would include "a free market and capitalism, ...
,
Kulak Kulak ( ; rus, кула́к, r=kulák, p=kʊˈɫak, a=Ru-кулак.ogg; plural: кулаки́, ''kulakí'', 'fist' or 'tight-fisted'), also kurkul () or golchomag (, plural: ), was the term which was used to describe peasants who owned over ...
,
Menshevik The Mensheviks ('the Minority') were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with Vladimir Lenin's Bolshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903. Mensheviks held more moderate and reformist ...
, Social Revolutionary, General, Lady, Female Worker, Female
Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, usually known as Komsomol, was a political youth organization in the Soviet Union. It is sometimes described as the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), although it w ...
,
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
Man, the Peasant, and the Worker. All of these characters were extremely pertinent at the time and carried strong political messages. In a time of industrialization the worker was a very relevant character and one that was targeted in the performances. The
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...
had happened recently in 1917 and was still fresh in everyone’s minds. The NEP was currently underway as Blue Blouse prospered, making it a very pertinent topic, especially since it involved restricted capitalism and the revolution was against this. Blue Blouse frequently used these characters, and always to the advantage and opinions of the regime. Asides from characters, Blue Blouse included important political topics such as industrialization. There was one skit done called "Industrialization" which involved the actors wearing symbols which made clear they were supposed to be factories and other items relevant to industrialization. They ended by standing on each other’s backs to represent the finished system. It was very abstract and humorous yet imbued with meaning. Blue Blouse was an important theatre movement and political tool in the Soviet Union. Critics of Blue Blouse thought it was theatre for the workers but not by the workers or wasn’t educational because it was so entertaining. Overall though, it was influential and received a positive response, becoming extremely popular, very fast, due to its relevancy and ability to be entertaining. Due to Blue Blouse serving as political propaganda for the Soviet Union, it serves as a way of looking at the Soviet agenda and influence through theatre. The Blue Blouse was like a live-action newspaper at a time with much illiteracy.


See also

* Left Column theater troupe


Further reading

* * * *


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * {{refend Modernist theatre Propaganda in the Soviet Union Culture of the Soviet Union Theatre in the Soviet Union