Youth Theater on the Fontanka. History of creation

For many years, the Youth Theater on the Fontanka is very popular among residents and visitors of St. Petersburg. It attracts viewers to itself with some extraordinary energy, combining exquisite imagery, dynamics, incredible expressiveness, simplicity and at the same time the sharpness of the word. Creative life is constantly in full swing at the theater, “skits” are held here, new performances are rehearsed and presented to the audience, each of which is truly a masterpiece.

Creation of the Youth Theater on the Fontanka

The history of its occurrence is connected with the Izmailovsky Garden, where a small wooden stage was once equipped. It was on its stage that acting troupes and orchestras showed the audience their talent. Already at that time, eminent directors, actors and art directors worked in the Izmailovsky Garden, attracting the audience with bold theatrical experiments and unusual productions.

The first leader - V. Malyshitsky

In 1979, Vladimir Afanasevich took the post of chief director. It is believed that from that time the Youth Theater on the Fontanka began its history. A year later, the premiere of the play based on Goller’s play entitled “One Hundred Bestuzhev Brothers” is successfully held. We can say that this was a kind of studio for young actors and directors, whose main task was to search for a new word in theatrical art. At this time, Vasily Frolov, Nina Usatova, Alexander Mironchik, Oleg Popkov, Vladimir Khalif worked here.

The poster of the Youth Theater on Fontanka was represented by such works as “Sotnikov”, “And the Day Lasts More Than a Century”, “Vacation by Wound”. The first, rather bright, but short period of the institution’s life ended with the departure of its main creator - V. Malyshitsky.

The life of the theater under the guidance of E. Padwe

In 1983, the head director’s chair was occupied by a new mentor. The first play, which went on the stage under the guidance of E. Padve, was “Duck Hunt” by Vampilov. His performances: “Five Corners” by S. Kokovkin, “Evening” by A. Dudarev, “Player” by F. Dostoevsky - were awarded at various festivals and competitions. The performances of the Youth Theater troupe are known not only in our country, but also abroad. However, experiencing a creative and spiritual crisis, Efim Mikhailovich in 1989 resigned from the post of leader.

Theater today

Since 1989, the head of the institution is Semyon Spivak. Thanks to the lyrics he introduced, the Youth Theater on the Fontanka gained a new breath. The productions of this “magical” director can be considered publicly available in the full sense of the word. In his performances "Blow", "Dear Elena Sergeevna" and "Tango" to this day the best actors play. Valery Kukhareshin, Natalia Dmitrieva, Olga Lysenkova, Elena Solovyova, Tatyana Grigoryeva - these are the names of those honored artists, for which the viewer comes to the Youth Theater on Fontanka again and again. Over the years, the repertoire has been composed by such masterpieces as “Sunset”, “Screams from Odessa”, and relatively new productions (“Moon Wolves”, “Three Sisters”, “Five Evenings”) are held with a full house every time.