Gorky Drama Theater in Astana: history and repertoire

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

When in Astana, one of the most beautiful cities in Kazakhstan, be sure to visit the Gorky Drama Theater. Astana has old theatrical traditions, and there is something to please picky fans of this art.

History of the theater

The State Academic Russian Drama Theater named after Maxim Gorky in Astana is the oldest in Kazakhstan. It was created back in 1899 in the city of Akmolinsk (now Astana). For its foundation, the city government allocated 100 rubles. The same amount was given by the merchant-philanthropist Kubrin. This money was enough to lay the foundation.

Being quite small, the theater is on a par with the leading theaters in Kazakhstan. In 1957, the play "Abyss" based on the play by Ostrovsky was presented at the all-Union review "Theatrical Spring", where it was highly appreciated. In 1959, the theater began to bear the name of Gorky. In 1961, he acquired the status of a regional. In 2007, the Gorky Theater (Astana) joined the Association of Russian Theaters.

Theater building

Initially, the building, which was built at the end of the 19th century, was planned to be used as a gymnasium. Actually, for this it iswas designed. But it was bought for the theater, which from that moment received its official status. At first it was a two-story brick building with interesting architecture.

Already in the 20th century, the mansion was rebuilt several times. During one of the reconstructions, a third floor and an extension from the courtyard were added to the building. At the same time, the original architecture, inherent in the previous versions of the facade, was preserved. In this form, the building looked more elegant. The building has become one of the examples of typical Russian classical architecture of the 19th century.

Now the Gorky Theater is one of the most important historical values of Astana, the number of which is decreasing in rapidly growing modern cities. Therefore, one of the attractions that you need to see in Kazakhstan, of course, is the Gorky Theater (Astana). Its address: Zheltoksan street, house 13.

Gorky Theater (Astana): repertoire

The first performance, staged in the building acquired for the theater, was called "Flash at the Hearth". It was a vaudeville in one act by the writer Fedorov. In this theater, Saken Seifullin staged his dramatic works. He attracted Kazakh youth to participate in TV performances.

After the Great Patriotic War, in addition to the Soviet dramaturgy familiar to the audience, the theater's repertoire is replenished with works of Kazakh literature - "Kozy-Korpesh and Bayan-Sulu" and "Aldar-Kose". The 60s were marked by the staging of the play "Saken Seifullin" based on Mukanov's play in Russian. The production waspresented at the republican review, where she was awarded a diploma of the 1st degree. Today the theater's repertoire includes more than 30 performances. Artists delight their fans with performances such as:

• "Everyone is here" based on Gogol's play "The Government Inspector";
• Master and Margarita by Bulgakov;
• A Streetcar Named Desire by Williams;
• Mixed Feelings by Baer;
• Romeo and Juliet and Shakespeare's Hamlet.

The collective's repertoire includes N. Ptushkina, N. Sadur, I. Vyrypaev, A. Orazbekov, A. Yablonskaya. In addition, the theater does not forget about children. His repertoire today includes 12 musical fairy tales for young viewers.

Russian Drama Theater in Astana and modernity

In 2007, the theater was headed by the Honored Worker of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerkin Tleugazinovich Kasenov. Under his leadership, recognition came from both viewers in Russia and the CIS countries, and viewers from many countries in Europe and Asia. In the same year, the team of the Gorky Theater (Astana) received the title of laureate of the International Theater Festival, which was held in Granada.

Four times he presented his productions at the International Festival of Russian Theaters in St. Petersburg. Often the team also puts works by Russian authors on its stage, promoting Russian culture in Kazakhstan. For this, in 2007, People's Artist of Kyrgyzstan S. Matveev, Honored Artist of Kazakhstan N. Kosenko, and L. Abasova were awarded the "Compatriot" prize established by the government.

In 2008, the III International Theater Season was held in Beijing,dedicated to the work of William Shakespeare, where the drama theater from Kazakhstan became the only representative of the CIS. Now his team takes part in festivals every year, where they receive diplomas and awards. 2012 was a significant year in the history of the theater. The efforts of Yerkin Kasenov to develop and popularize it outside of Kazakhstan were duly appreciated. The theater received the title of "Academic".

Faces of the theater

A lot of talented artists work in the Russian Drama Theater in Astana. I would like to mention some of them.

• Natalya Kosenko is an Honored Artist of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Bright stage appearance, outstanding talent and extensive experience allow her to create the most diverse images. She has been working in theater since 1977. On his stage, she played more than two hundred roles. Among the most famous are the role of Ranevskaya in Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, the Snow Queen in the play of the same name by Schwartz and others.
• Vladimir Ivanenko - he played more than three hundred roles in almost all theater performances. The artist came here in 1963. He creates unforgettable images both in adult and children's productions. Among his roles are such bright ones as Sorin in Chekhov's The Seagull, Lorenzo in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and others.
• Nina Drobotova - joined the troupe of the Gorky Theater in 1983. Her work is characterized by subtle psychologism and deep inner development of the image. Among her most striking roles are Gertrude in Shakespeare's Hamlet, Matchmaker in Gogol's The Marriage and others.

Gorky Theater (Astana): reviews

Grateful spectators leave a lot of rave reviews after the performances. The great art of the theater, which the artists bring to their audience, is worthy of respect and gratitude. In their reviews, visitors note individual performances. Fans of theatrical art express their admiration for the production of J. Cocteau's The Human Voice. Many did not even want to leave such a performance.

No one was left indifferent by the performance of the actors in the production of "Farewell, the ravine". The spectators thank the team for the pleasure and wish him creative success. Fans said about the play "A Streetcar Named Desire" that the performance is amazing, and the work of the actors makes the soul feel light.