St. Petersburg, theaters: overview, reviews and history. The best theaters in St. Petersburg

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

St. Petersburg can definitely be called one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is a large open-air museum - every building is 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

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 aesthete will be overwhelmed with feelings. Among all the entertainment that St. Petersburg offers, theaters are among the most popular. There are a great many of them (more than 100). Below is a tour of the most famous strongholds of theatrical art.

Mariinsky Theater

St. Petersburg can be represented not only by the Hermitage, the cruiser "Aurora", but also by the most famous theater in Russia - 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 by order of Empress Catherine II.

Antonio Rinaldi (Italian architect) created a real masterpiece that adorned the Horse Square. This building hosted musical performances and dramatic performances not only by Russian, but also by Italian artists.

In 1802, the appearance of the theater was changed 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 lovers of theatrical art.

Historical fact

The Bolshoi (Stone) Theater is indirectly related to the Mariinsky. The fact is that the Bolshoi was at that time one of the most beautiful sights of the city. The nobility had a tradition of going to the theatre. 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 Theatre. The amazing sound of the voice on the stage of this theater was created thanks to a thick layer of broken crystal that lay under the floor of the main stage.

Bolshoi Theater

St. Petersburg is famous for another outstanding theater - the Bolshoi Drama Theater named after G. A. Tovstonogov. It was created in 1919. The immediate inspirers were Blok, Gorky, Andreeva. This theater was conceived as something majestic and large-scale. No less majestic plays were to be staged on its stage. Maxim Gorky became the main ideologist, and Alexander Blok became the chairman of the directory. The Bolshoi settled in the building of the former Maly Theater, on the embankment of the Fontanka River, where it remains to this day.

Step forward

The new era of the theater can be called the middle of the fifties of the twentieth century (after the arrival of Tovstonogov). He picked up a troupe of talented actors. Many famous actors, such as Smoktunovsky, Doronina, Yursky, Basilashvili and many others, started on the stage of the Bolshoi. In 1964, the theater was given the status of an academic theater.

After the death of the chief 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 on the stage of the Bolshoi. This theater is very popular not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders. In a city as magnificent as St. Petersburg, theaters are gems of cultural heritage.

Addresses

Scene DK im. Maxim Gorky - pl. Stachek, d. 4. New stage of the BDT im. Georgy Aleksandrovich Tovstonogov (Kamennoostrovsky Theatre) - Old Theater Square, 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 decision of the regional executive committee, a troupe was created, which gave performances in Leningrad and the surrounding villages. NeitherThe actors did not have a permanent place of residence, no definite repertoire, but the theater was a success. After the end of the war, when the famous theaters returned home, the Maly Drama Theater was somehow forgotten. And this continued until the early seventies. But in 1973, Yefim Padve, a student of G. Tovstonogov, was appointed the chief 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 local residents of the city, but also for guests of the capital. Soon they learned 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's "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 by other, no less popular works of the director - "Live and Remember", "Tattooed Rose", "Appointment". In 1980, the performance "The House" based on the novel by F. Abramov was presented to the attention of the public. This production was a real event not only in the Maly Drama Theater, but throughout the 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 thiswonderful performance.

There are a lot of productions in the repertoire of the theater, and the troupe of actors is more than fifty people. The huge popularity and worldwide recognition is evidenced by the fact that in 1998, by the decision of the General Assembly of the Union of European Theaters, it was given 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 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, which received its name in honor of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich. It is rightfully considered the pearl of St. Petersburg and 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 built according to the project of the architect Bryullov A. P., the brother of the famous painter. Interestingly, when the townspeople first saw the building, they were very disappointed. The facade looked very, very laconic, if not poor. But that was the intention of the author. He removed all the splendor inside the building. There surprisedThe audience was presented with a wonderful 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, having adopted the experience of such celebrities as Nacho Duato, Farukh Razimatov, Vasily Bahratov and Elena Obraztsova. Theater address - pl. Arts, d.1.

St. Petersburg State Puppet Theater of the fairy tale "At the Moscow Gates"

Children's theaters in St. Petersburg will appeal to young viewers, since there are plenty of them in the city: the Puppet Theater "Playing a Fairy Tale", the Puppet Theater "Stray Dog", the Children's Drama Theater "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 Gates". For more than seventy years now, he has been giving his little viewers the most real magic. The theater was formed in the most terrible 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, returning to the besieged city, decided at all costs to return the fairy tale to the children, faith in a brighter future and a happy life.

And now the kids and their parents have a wonderful puppet theater, just adored by young art lovers. The theater presented its first performance to the judgment of young spectators on the eve of 1944. For a very long time the institution was notpermanent home, the troupe led a nomadic lifestyle, although this fact may have played a positive role. These "wandering artists" were known and loved throughout the Soviet Union. And only in 1986, the actors found a permanent home.

Throughout its long history, the theater has staged a lot of wonderful performances, such as "Dwarf Nose", "Circus", "Golden Mask", "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, all kinds of master classes are held in the theater for young spectators, where children learn how to create various crafts. Well, on Sundays, everyone can get lessons in theatrical art. 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 121 Moskovsky Ave.

Akimov Comedy Theater

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 bears the name of 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 Theater of Satire, which was directed by director Gutman. But two years later, Satire was merged with the Comedy Theater, which staged performances focused only onactress Granovskaya.

In 1935, the theater was headed by a novice artist and director Akimov Nikolai Pavlovich. With the advent of this man, the real heyday of the theater began, such famous performances as “The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants”, “This Dear Old House”, “Old New Year”, “There will be no Trojan War” and many others were staged on its stage. The address of the theater is Nevsky Prospekt, 56.

Conclusion

Summing up, once again we can 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 the cultural life of Russia. This city has everything to plunge into both history and contemporary art. Satire Theatre, Puppet, Drama Theatre…. St. Petersburg is a Mecca for admirers of beauty.