Shchepkin House-Museum is a famous estate in Moscow, owned by a Russian actor, one of the founders of the national acting school. Today it is a monument of federal significance, open to visitors since 2009. It is an official branch of the Bakhrushin Theater Museum.
History
The Shchepkin House Museum is a wooden building built at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Both floors are available for visitors today. On the first floor there are rooms in which the famous actor lived - a dining room, an office, a sofa lounge, a small living room, the brother’s room of a popular actor. On the second floor there is the administration of the Shchepkin house-museum itself, as well as the halls in which exhibition displays regularly change. Finally, in the basement there is a ticket office, locker room and a hall for concerts and theatrical performances.
Besides the fact that one can enjoy an interesting exposition here, the museum regularly holds literary evenings, lectures are given, performances are shown, and joint screenings of films are organized.
It is in the Shchepkin house-museum that there is a unique exposition of truly rare materials that were brought here from the Bakhrushin Theater Museum. In particular, in these halls you can find out the history of the Maly Theater, on the stage of which Shchepkin himself served for forty years.
At the literary evenings that are regularly held here, the theater team often leads, led by Anatoly Vladimirovich Ledukhovsky. In the cinema you can see unique videos of the performances that were collected for the video library of the Bahrushin Theater Museum.
Shchepkin House Museum in Moscow received the status of a monument of architecture of federal significance in 1995. From that moment, its restoration began, which was completed in 2009. Then the museum was officially opened for restoration. Now there are regular tours.
Museum exposition
The descendants of M. S. Shchepkin handed over to the museum a large number of unique exhibits, including personal items, photographs, and household items used by the famous actor. Of particular value is the notebook, which was donated to Shchepkin by Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin.
Also in the exposition open for free visits are graphic materials on which you can study the history of the theater, posters for performances in which M. S. Shchepkin himself took part.
Excursions
Excursions are regularly held around the house-museum, to which everyone can get. The main of them is considered a sightseeing tour, which is dedicated to the works of Schepkin. He is considered one of the founders of the national acting school, as well as a reformer of the national acting scene.
The museum also hosts thematic tours. They are dedicated to the Maly Theater of the time when Shchepkin served in it, the work of himself and his colleagues, the repertoire of those years. Another thematic tour allows us to realize the significance of Shchepkin's figure in the context of national culture. Finally, a separate tour is dedicated to the play by Alexander Sergeyevich Griboedov "Woe from Wit," in which the actor played. He created a memorable image of Famusov. It is especially investigated how relevant it remains in our time.
How to get to the museum?
The museum is located at: Moscow city, Schepkina street, house 47, building 2. In the immediate vicinity there is the Prospekt Mira metro station. It is worth noting that on Monday and Tuesday the museum has a day off. On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, the cultural institution works from 13 to 21 hours, and on Fridays and Sundays - from 11 to 19. It is also worth remembering that the museum has a day off on the last Friday of the month, so you will not be able to visit various exhibitions at this time.
Ticket price is 300 rubles. The cost of a preferential ticket is 150 rubles. By visiting this museum, you can get acquainted with the attractions located near Shchepkina Street. This is the chapel of Siberian saints, the church of Metropolitan Philip, Moscow Cathedral Mosque, the Fire Protection Museum, the Armenian Museum of Moscow and the Culture of the Nation, the Imperial Russian Ballet.
Visitors reviews
According to reviews, the Shchepkin house-museum attracts visitors with its atmosphere and coziness, as well as with the genuine things of the owner, who are already many years old. Also in the evenings, students of the Shchepkinsky College regularly play performances here, they organize poetry evenings, amazing vocal concerts that regularly attract a large number of spectators. Often after the performance, tea parties are organized, making the atmosphere truly homely. It will be interesting to schoolchildren and adults, true theatergoers.
Mikhail Schepkin
Russian actor Mikhail Schepkin was born in 1788 in the territory of the Kursk province. Even while studying at the public school, he played his first role in life in Sumarokov’s comedy “Nonsense”. Later he got into the fortress theater at the Count of Volkenstein.
Then he continued his career as prompter at the Kursk city theater. Shchepkin first appeared on the professional stage in 1805, making his debut in Mercieron’s play “Zoa”. And everything happened by chance, he just replaced the washed down actor. Shchepkin knew the text of the role well, as he often rewrote scripts for participants in the plays. Everything went well, since then he began to play regularly in the Barsov brothers' theater.
Since 1822, Schepkin begins to play in the troupe of the Maly Theater. There he remains until the very end of his life, becoming a real star of the theater. He played many comic roles, but even in the most ironic way he sought out dramatic overtones.
Shchepkin died in 1863 at the age of 74.