Boleslavski, Richard

(1889-1937)

   Born Boleslaw Ryszart Srzednicki in Warsaw, Poland, Boleslavski trained at the Moscow Art Theatre and worked with Konstantin Stanislavski there. He came to the United States in 1920 and became an American citizen in 1928. Indeed, he might be credited with paving the way for acceptance of Stanislavki's approach to acting among American actors. With Maria Ouspensakya, Boleslavski founded the American Laboratory Theatre (1923-1930) to teach the system. The financial strain of running the company impelled him to direct commercial productions on Broadway, including Twelfth Night (1925), The Taming of the Shrew (1925), and Mr. Moneypenny (1928). In 1924, he assisted Max Reinhardt with the staging of The Miracle in New York, and subsequently directed it in Cleveland.