Roman Viktyuk. Theater of the New Age

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Probably, there is no such person, and even more so a theatergoer, who would not know the name of Roman Viktyuk. The theater he created attracts with its extremism, a completely new look at human relations and, it seems, has its own philosophy. But first things first…

History of the theater

The idea of creating a theater arose in 1991, and its author was undoubtedly Roman Viktyuk himself. The theater arose from an enterprise. Her first production was the outrageous performance “M. Butterfly, by D. G. Juan.

At that time, the theater included many actors with whom Roman Viktyuk was previously familiar. The theater was named state theater five years after its first premiere, in 1996. At that time, many stars of the first magnitude repeatedly took part in the performances.

Now the theater occupies the building on Strominka, which he received along with the title of the state theater. The design of the building itself is quite interesting. The auditorium occupies 70% of its area. In addition, the space can be changed with "hanging balconies" and additional partitions.

Roman Viktyuk Theatre. Repertoire

As the artistic director of the theatre, Roman Viktyuk staged about 200 different performances. Quite often, they are focused on the stars themselves and placed specifically for them.

The repertoire of the theater is quite difficult to describe, given the huge number of plays that have been staged here throughout its existence. The brightest of them:

• "Servants";
• "Salome";
• "Towards the Stars";
• "Incomparable!";
• "The Master and Margarita";
• "R&J (Romeo and Juliet)";
• "Shadow of LIR";
• "At the beginning and the end of time";
• "Smell of a light tan";
• "Little Marriage Games";
• Ferdinando.

Roman Viktyuk Theatre. "Servants"

Among all the performances named by Roman Viktyuk, many have already become legendary. Probably, every theatergoer can name his own, which has become his favorite. For some, this is Our Decameron, others are crazy about Music Lessons, others still remember Madama Butterfly. However, The Handmaids is something else. Some call them decadent, others a little vicious, but at the same time there is a lot of humor in the play, which is more like banter.

For the first time, the audience saw this performance in 1988, and it became an epoch-making theatrical event. Critics have repeatedly called him the manifesto of a new theatricality. However, on the first edition of the production, her story did not end, she continued to “blow up” both the audience and the theater itself. Roman Viktyuk returned to her two more times: immediatelyafter founding his own theater in 1991 and 2006.

There is an opinion that all the performances staged by Roman Viktyuk are about love. However, the production of The Servant proves otherwise. It is about a life in which there is no love, about emptiness and hopelessness. "The Handmaids" reveals to us the world of slavery, in which even love is forbidden. But the idea runs through the whole performance that people choose their own slavery, regardless of whether it manifests itself in work, love, or family.

The actors who had the opportunity to play in this brilliant production are Dmitry Bozin (Solange), Alexander Soldatkin (Claire), Alexei Nesterenko (Madame), Ivan Nikulcha (Monsieur). As you can see, all roles, including women's, are performed by men. Maybe that's what makes the show so special. In the mouths of women, the remarks of the maids would look grotesque and ridiculous. Men, on the other hand, convey the idea that was laid down by the author of the play, Jean Genet. Undoubtedly, Roman Viktyuk was able to fully develop it and convey it to the viewer. The theater, which became his brainchild, and the plays that he staged, in particular The Maids, seem to be balancing on the verge of a foul. But that doesn't stop viewers. The performance has been running successfully for many years.

Viewer impressions after viewing

Given the specifics that the Roman Viktyuk Theater has, the reviews of the audience are always ambiguous. Some consider him a genius, others cannot understand the complex direction and decisions of the artistic director. But still the first, those who look forward tothe premiere of a new production, much more.

Many viewers note that after watching many of his productions, they want to see them again, come back and relive the emotions that the acting caused, but which ones, everyone decides for himself. One thing remains unchanged - fantasy, drive and a huge talent that Roman Viktyuk possesses. The theater he founded will amaze the audience with its outrageous productions for a long time to come.