The embodiment of German Expressionism on the stage of the Bolshoi Drama Theater: K. P. Khokhlov’s production of “Gas” based on G. Kaiser’s play (1922)

The study aims to reveal the peculiarities of the perception of German Expressionist drama by the Soviet theater of the 1920s-1930s, using the example of K. P. Khokhlov’s production of “Gas”, staged in 1922 in Petrograd at the Bolshoi Drama Theater (BDT), based on Georg Kaiser’s play “Gas I”. The article examines the relevance of choosing this play to stage at the BDT, the dramatic features of G. Kaiser’s play, the specifics of the scenography, and the principles of action composition, the place and role of actors in the production. The scientific novelty lies in the comprehensive consideration of the main aspects associated with the perception of a work of German Expressionism, based on the reconstruction and analysis of the performance, taking into account its elements such as directorial interpretation, literary plot, genre, scenographic solution, action composition, the actor’s mode of existence, etc. As a result, the high relevance of staging G. Kaiser’s play “Gas I” in 1922 at the BDT was determined. The features of the dramaturgy of this work and their stage embodiment were revealed. The directorial interpretation was identified. The specifics of the scenography and the principles of action composition in the performance, as well as the place and role of actors in the production, were determined.