The Kamennoostrovsky Theater, which since 2005 has been the second or small stage of the famous BDT, is the only wooden theater in Russia.
One of the oldest theaters in the Soviet Union, which opened in 1919 with the production of Don Carlos by Schiller, has long needed a second stage. But the gift turned out to be royal. Because, firstly, the theater was built at the direct direction of Nicholas I, and secondly, the Kamennoostrovsky theater became an architectural monument of Russian classicism, and its most beautiful example.
New scene
Work in such an ancient temple of art is worth a lot. In a word, the new stage fit into the stage complex of the Bolshoi Drama Theater, a theater known by this abbreviation throughout the world. But for theatergoers, the welcome visit to a new stage was postponed for 7 years. And only in 2012, the small stage of the Bolshoi Drama Theater opened with the famous play The Innkeeper Carlo Goldoni.
Soviet TV viewers were very familiar with this play with the participation of a wonderful theatrical couple O. Wikland and M. Nazvanova. On the second stage, the main performances were generally taking place, since the building on the Fontanka was closed for repairs.
Summer theater
What is the Kamennoostrovsky theater? The project of the summer theater for the aristocracy, who chose the island for suburban estates, arose in 1826. This was also facilitated by the fact that the main opera and ballet stage on Theater Square was closed for long repairs. A concrete decision to build a building on Kamenny Island by the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters was made in 1827. There are legends that the building was erected in 40 days. During this time, it was only assembled from previously prepared structures. The author of the project and the head of the work was architect Smaragd Shustov.
Theater architecture
The current small scene of the BDT was a beautiful elegant wooden building, decorated in stone. The Corinthian portico, traditional for theaters, had 8 white columns that supported a triangular pediment with a lyre. Impeccably calculated proportions of the hall allowed the audience located at any of its points to see and hear everything happening on the stage, which itself was unusually large, which made it possible to stage any performances on it. The hall was decorated in blue tones - velvet chairs for the stalls and the sides of the boxes, the benches of the third tier were upholstered with woolen fabric of the same color, and the upper - with canvas. The ceiling was decorated with flowers, lodges - with arabesques (painter A. Shiryaev). Separate words deserve the floor of the room, going downhill to the stage. But if necessary (meetings, balls, masquerades), it was leveled with lifting beams.
Features and further fate of the building
It should be noted that the backdrop of the stage moved apart, and the plays were performed against the backdrop of natural scenery. The Kamennoostrovsky Theater had a stalls, three tiers of lodges, a balcony and a gallery for public walks at intervals. The hall was designed for 800 seats. Initially, a beautiful park was laid out around the theater, which was a masterpiece of landscape gardening art (master D. Bush). In 1843, the architect A.K. Kavos, on behalf of Nicholas I, developed and rebuilt the dilapidated building - he completely dismantled the wooden structure, and then assembled it, strictly adhering to the original parameters.
After the reconstruction on the stage of the theater, in addition to operettas, which were incredibly popular (the performances were translated from Aleksandrinka), serious plays were also staged. In 1882, the theater, located at 10 Krestovka Embankment, was closed and turned into a scenery warehouse.
Guarded by fate
The revolution and the Civil War completely altered the appearance of the once aristocratic region - many buildings were destroyed, some were demolished by the new government. But the theater building survived. He was so good and so fit into the once luxurious park that the new reformers left the building, adapting it to the rides. The war also bypassed the theater. Subsequent reconstructions adapted the building to a cinema, or to the needs of television. After a certain time the building was owned by the State TV and Radio Company Petersburg - Channel Five, a club for sports and ballroom dances was located here.
Worthy gift
And in 2005, V.V. Putin transferred the ancient unique building of the BDT. The Kamennoostrovsky Theater becomes its small stage. His new life began with a fundamental reconstruction, which was so successful that at the specialized exhibition Denkmal-2010 she was awarded the Gold Medal "For Outstanding Merits in the Field of Restoration". The Tovstonogov Theater, of which Kamennoostrovsky has now become a part, is known, without exaggeration, throughout the world.
Always loved
It got its current name in 1997 in honor of the great G. A. Tovstonogov, who directed the theater from 1956 to 1989, the year of his death. “The era of Tovstonogov” brought the theater for many years to the top of the theater life of the country. The art director gathered one of the best troupes. Performances always took place with a full house, the prime ministers waited, they became an event in the cultural life of the country.
They always impressed with the freshness of the director's view and the originality of the interpretation. According to one of the following main directors that the Tovstonogovs are born extremely rarely, it can be judged that the theater does not reach the heights of that era. But BDT remains a favorite theater not only for residents of the Northern capital, and tickets for performances with Alice Freindlich are still not available. It has already been two years since the head of the BDT has been the new artistic director -
A. A. Moguchy.