Filshtinsky Veniamin

Filshtinsky Veniamin

Head of the Acting studio, Head of the Acting Chair

Veniamin Filshtinsky, born 1937. Professor, Head of Dept. of Acting at Russian State Institute of Performing Arts, Head of the Acting studio (BA), Head of Theatre Teachers Studio (MA), freelance stage director at theatre companies. Awarded title of Honored Arts Personality of Russia, and Stanislavsky Prize. 

Graduated from Russian State Institute of Performing Arts with degree of Stage Director.

Produced numerous plays at theatres in Saint Petersburg and abroad: Mumu by Turgenev and Broken Jar by Kleist at Maly Drama; Hamlet by Shakespeare, Mother by Capek, Lady of Camellias by Dumas, Two for a Seesaw by Gibson at Priyut Comedianta Theatre, Baptized by crosses (Bolshoi Drama Theatre) (all in Petersburg), also Uncle Vanya at Teatr Polski in Warsaw, Chekhov’s Jokes at Classic Theatre in Washington, D.C. etc. 

Filshtinsky started teaching at the Institute in 1973. He supervises Studio of Acting (part of School of Drama at the Institute) from 1989.  Teaching method is based on creative adaptation of Stanislavsky's "method of etudes" (improvisational approach to action from many perspectives).  Professor Filshtinsky uses Stanislavsky's ultimate theory of "the unity of physical and psychic life on stage" as well as trainings of spontaneity of creation by Stanislavsky's rival Nikolai Demidov etc.  Many disciples of Professor Fishtinsky became outstanding personalities on contemporary stage, they work in all major theatres in St.Petersburg and Moscow including Moscow Art Theatre, Maly Drama, many are awarded The Golden Mask National Theatre Prize, The Golden Soffit Prize etc., also prizes in Cinema (e.g. Golden Eagles National Cinema Prize in 2009 for best acting both male and female went just to Filshtinsky Studio disciples Konstantin Habensky and Ksenia Rappoport). Professor Filshtinsky’ last graduated acting studio became to be successful independent theatre company “Etude-theatre”.

Professor Filshtinsky offered his Master Classes at Tisch School of Arts of NYU, at ACT in San Francisco, at National Theatre Institute of Eugene O’Neill Center, at UNESCO chair school in Romania (4 years in run), in Poland, in Finland, in Israel, in Spain, in USA, in Scotland etc. 

Major ideas of Filstinsky’s teaching are presented in his book The Open Pedagogic published in 2006  (in Russian, second edition in 2014) and in several papers.