ABSTRACT
In November 1907, Meyerhold saw the Sicilian actor Giovanni Grasso (1873–1930) and his company in Saint Petersburg, during a famous European tour. From that moment, Grasso’s acting technique became a model that nourished Meyerhold’s thoughts and practices throughout his life, as showed by the several references to Grasso that Meyerhold made in the theoretical texts on Biomechanics. However, the influence might be deeper and wider than we might expect, being not a mere assimilation of some aesthetic elements but rather one that operates at least at three levels at least. The first is scenic and shows how some of the Sicilian performer’s acting patterns were translated by Meyerhold into études and biomechanical exercises. The second is theoretical and focuses on the way Grasso’s performances might have affected the epistemology of theatrical Biomechanics. The third is biographical and shows how, a few years after the Grasso’s death, the collective memory of this actor obtained a certain relevance during a crucial moment of Meyerhold’s life. The essay intends to tackle in detail these three levels of influence as well as their mutual interdependency.
