St. Petersburg can be safely called one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is a large open-air museum - no matter the building, the history of a great power. How many fateful events happened on the streets of this city! How many beautiful masterpieces of art have been created here!
Unique city
The majestic St. Petersburg - theaters, museums, monuments, historical buildings - everything will appear before your eyes. Here, any intellectual will find food for the mind, and the esthetes will be overwhelmed by feelings. Among all the entertainment that St. Petersburg offers, theaters are one of the most popular. There are a great many of them (over 100). Below is an excursion to the most famous strongholds of theatrical art.
Mariinskii Opera House
St. Petersburg can be represented not only by the Hermitage, the cruiser Aurora, but also by the most famous Russian theater - the Mariinsky. It can be safely called a symbol of Russian culture. It has been leading its history since 1783. The progenitor of the Mariinsky Theater was the Stone Theater, which was built on the orders of Empress Catherine II.
Antonio Rinaldi (Italian architect) created a real masterpiece adorning Horse Square. In this building, music performances and dramatic productions of not only Russian, but also Italian artists took place.
In 1802, the appearance of the theater underwent a change thanks to the architect Tom de Thomon. But on the fateful New Year's Eve of 1810, a fire broke out in the building, which destroyed all the magnificent interior decoration. Only seven years later, the renovated building again opened its doors to theatergoers.
Historical fact
The Bolshoi (Stone) Theater is indirectly related to the Mariinsky. The fact is that Bolshoi was at that time one of the most beautiful sights of the city. The nobility has a tradition of going to the theater. And the Mariinsky appeared only in 1859. The name of the theater was in honor of the wife of Tsar Alexander II - Empress Maria Alexandrovna. The building was erected by the architect Alberto Cavos opposite the Stone Theater. The amazing sound of the voice on the stage of this theater was created thanks to a thick layer of broken crystal lying under the floor of the main stage.
The Bolshoi Theatre
St. Petersburg is famous for another outstanding theater - the Bolshoi Drama named after G. A. Tovstonogov. It was created in 1919. Immediate inspirers were Blok, Gorky, Andreeva. This theater was conceived as something majestic and large-scale. No less magnificent plays should have been staged on its stage. Maxim Gorky became the main ideologist, and Alexander Blok became the chairman of the directory. Bolshoi settled in the building of the former Maly Theater, on the embankment of the Fontanka River, where it is to this day.
Step forward
The new era of the theater can be called the mid-fifties of the twentieth century (after the arrival of Tovstonogov). He picked up a troupe of talented actors. Many famous actors began on the stage of the Bolshoi , such as Smoktunovsky, Doronin, Jurassic, Basilashvili and many others. In 1964, the theater was granted academic status.
After the death of the main artistic director Georgy Alexandrovich Tovstonogov, K. Yu. Lavrov was appointed to this position. Performances based on the works of Russian and foreign classics are staged at the Bolshoi. This theater is very popular not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders. In such a magnificent city as St. Petersburg, theaters are the pearls of cultural heritage.
Addresses
Scene DK them. Maxim Gorky - pl. Stachek, d. 4. New scene of the Bolshoi Theater named after George Alexandrovich Tovstonogov (Kamennoostrovsky Theater) - the area of ​​the Old Theater, d. 13.
Maly Drama Theater
It was created in 1944. In those difficult times, all theaters were evacuated, but life went on, people wanted to somehow escape from the horrors of war. So, by the decision of the regional executive committee, a troupe was created, which gave performances in Leningrad and the surrounding villages. The actors did not have a permanent habitat or a specific repertoire, but the theater was a success. After the war, when the famous theaters returned home, they somehow forgot about the Dramatic Theater. And this continued until the beginning of the seventies. But in 1973, Yefim Padve, a student of G. Tovstonogov, was appointed the main director of the theater, who invited young directors and famous playwrights to work.
Gradually, the Maly Drama Theater (St. Petersburg) began to gain popularity among local residents. With each performance, there were more and more visitors, and the theater itself became a favorite place not only for the indigenous inhabitants of the city, but also for the guests of the capital. Soon they found out about him in Europe. One of the first performances under the new leadership was the production of the young, but very talented director Lev Dodin "The Robber" based on the play by K. Chapek. This work immediately attracted the attention of not only viewers, but also critics. Both those and others gave an extremely positive assessment. The unusual decision of the production and the originality of the stage language did not leave indifferent lovers of high art.
Then followed other, no less popular works of the director - “Live and Remember”, “Tattooed Rose”, “Appointment”. In 1980, the play “House” was presented to the public, based on the novel by F. Abramov. This production was a real event not only in the Maly Drama Theater, but also in the entire theatrical life of St. Petersburg. The play “Home” was staged on the stage of the theater for ten years, and only the death of the protagonist interrupted the life of this wonderful performance.
The theater’s repertoire has a lot of productions, and the troupe of actors is more than fifty people. The huge popularity and international recognition is evidenced by the fact that in 1998, by decision of the General Assembly of the Union of European Theaters, he was awarded the status of the Theater of Europe. It should be noted that only three theaters currently have such a title. To this day, Lev Dodin remains the main artistic director . In 1994, he was awarded the Order of Literature and the Art of Officer Dignity.
People from all over the world go to performances at the Maly Drama Theater with great pleasure. St. Petersburg once again confirms its status as a world cultural center. Theater address - st. Rubinstein, house 18.
Mikhailovsky Theater
Opera lovers should visit the musical theaters of St. Petersburg. And, perhaps, the most famous is Mikhailovsky, who received his name in honor of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich. It is rightfully considered the pearl of St. Petersburg and is one of the three imperial theaters (located in the very center of the city on Arts Square).
The building in which Mikhailovsky is located was designed by architect A. Bryullov, the brother of the famous painter. Interestingly, when the townspeople first saw the building, they were very disappointed. The facade looked very, very concise, if not poor. But this was the idea of ​​the author. He removed all the splendor inside the building. There, a surprised scene opened a beautiful scene. Inside, everything was upholstered in velvet, decorated with gilding and mirrors. Before the revolution, the theater did not have a permanent troupe. But now Mikhailovsky has the strongest cast who has adopted the experience of such celebrities as Nacho Duato, Farukh Razimatov, Vasily Bakhratov and Elena Obraztsova. Theater Address - Sq. Arts, d.1.
St. Petersburg State Puppet Theater of the fairy tale “At the Moscow Gate”
Children's theaters in St. Petersburg will appeal to small spectators, there are plenty of them in the city: Puppet Theater “We Play a Fairy Tale”, Puppet Theater “Stray Dog”, Children's Drama “Theater at the Narva Gate” and many others. You should definitely pay attention to the St. Petersburg State Puppet Theater of the fairy tale “At the Moscow Gate”. For over seventy years now he has been giving his little viewers real magic. The theater was formed at the worst time in the history of the city - in 1944. The blockade of Leningrad was only recently lifted. And the children who survived all this horror had to re-learn how to live and believe in miracles. Three wonderful women - Olga Lyandzberg, Elena Gilodi, Ekaterina Chernyak, having returned to the besieged city, decided at all costs to return the children a fairy tale, faith in a bright future and a happy life.
And now the kids and their parents have a wonderful puppet theater, simply adored by young art lovers. The theater presented its first performance to the court of young spectators on the eve of 1944. For a very long time, the institution did not have a permanent home, the troupe led a nomadic lifestyle, although perhaps this fact played a positive role. These "roaming artists" were known and loved throughout the Soviet Union. And only in 1986, the actors found a permanent haven.
Throughout its long history, the theater has performed a lot of wonderful performances, such as Dwarf Nose, Circus, Golden Mask, The Little Humpbacked Horse, and many others. And today, talented actors are involved in the productions, who every day give joy to their little fans. And on Saturdays in the theater for young spectators there are all kinds of master classes at which children learn to create various crafts. Well, on Sundays everyone can get theater lessons. Be sure to visit the Puppet Theater with your baby. St. Petersburg is a theater center not only for adults, but also for children. The address of the theater is Moskovsky Ave., 121.
Comedy Theater named after Akimov
And, of course, if you want to visit the Comedy Theater, St. Petersburg will provide you with such a wonderful opportunity. One of the most popular is named after Akimov. The history of this theater is very rich, as, indeed, of any other in St. Petersburg. In the distant pre-revolutionary years, many satirical theaters were located on the second floor, above the grocery stores of the merchant Eliseev. In 1929, these premises were transferred to the young Satire Theater, which was directed by director Gutman. But two years later, Satire was combined with the Comedy Theater, in which performances were directed only to actress Granovskaya.
In 1935, the theater was headed by a budding artist and director Akimov Nikolai Pavlovich. With the arrival of this man, the theater flourished, and such famous performances as “The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants”, “This Sweet Old House”, “Old New Year”, “There Will Be No Trojan War” and many others were staged on its stage. Theater address - 56 Nevsky Prospect.
Conclusion
Summing up, we can once again say that the cultural center of Russia is St. Petersburg. Theaters, museums, exhibition halls are proof of this. St. Petersburg can be called the center of cultural life in Russia. This city has everything in order to plunge into history and contemporary art. Satire Theater, Puppet, Drama Theater .... St. Petersburg - Mecca for lovers of the beautiful.