Maly Theatre, Veliky Novgorod: address, repertoire, reviews

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

You can get in touch with the exquisite theatrical life of Russia not only in Moscow and St. Petersburg, where the scenes of famous theaters of various directions are available to local residents. There is, for example, an outstanding cultural institution in the city of Veliky Novgorod - the Maly Theater. It works as an experimental theatrical platform, creating performances of various styles that are interesting to the modern generation.

About the theater

Established in 1990 as a theater for children and youth, today it actively participates in the projects of the Union of Cultural Figures of Russia and has already earned membership in the International Association. The director and director here is Nadezhda Alekseeva, who has participated in many international festivals (Switzerland, Canada, Germany, Finland, Spain, Latvia, Estonia, etc.) as a member of the jury.

The backbone of MT is made up of professional actors, graduates of theater schools in St. Petersburg, Kazan, as well as the acting department of the University. Ya. the Wise (V. Novgorod).

Tour life

The troupe of the Maly Theater of Veliky Novgorod has a fairly wide geography of travel with tours likewithin Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, Magnitogorsk, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Rostov and Novy Urengoy), and abroad. The performances of the group were able to see the public of most of Europe. South Korea and Japan also featured on the theatre's tour schedule.

International cooperation

Foreign projects of various kinds are often organized on the stage of the Maly Theater in Veliky Novgorod:

• theatrical performances by directors from France and Switzerland;
• feature and director's work within the "Latvian Line" (from 2010 to 2015);
• joint work "Three Sisters" - with director P. Barbuiani and the company "TeatroX" (Switzerland);
• Showcasing a range of projects highlighting different aspects of Swiss theatrical culture: drama theatre, contemporary dance, mime theatre, contemporary play.

Maly Theater (Veliky Novgorod): repertoire

The troupe's arsenal includes 44 productions, which are designed for three groups: for adults, teenagers and children.

The adult category includes 18 performances, including:

1. The works "Romeo and Juliet", "Shakespeare's Night", "Shakespeare DUO" and the poetic battle "Shakespeare Lives" are included in the festival program of the same name. They were created to draw attention to the work of the English poet and playwright and stimulate a dialogue about today's relevance of Shakespeare's legacy.
2. UFO - a theatrical play by I. Vyrypaev, which tells about the stories of people who had contactwith unidentified flying objects. But above all, it is the search for a person in himself and the knowledge of belonging to the Universe and determining his path in it.
3. "The Mysterious Night Murder of a Dog" - a detective play based on the bestseller of the same name by M. Haddon.
4. The gothic miniature "Outcast" based on the story of H. Lovecraft immerses the viewer into the world of fears and chimeras, waiting not only on the stage, but also in the auditorium, and even in the foyer of the theater.
5. The musical performance "Easier than Easy" is a great theatrical memory, woven from songs and music from different periods.
6. The performance “Shattered” by the Maly Theater of Veliky Novgorod is dedicated to the poets of the Silver Age: Marina Tsvetaeva, Osip Mandelstam, Nikolai Gumilyov, Daniil Kharms, Igor Severyanin and others. It was their poems that became "fragments" that scattered around the world and since then have been alluring, attracting, forcing us to perceive Russian poetry in a new way.
7. "Crusoe. The Return (based on D. Defoe) is a new drama, the action of which takes place on a concrete wall covering the horizon and telecommunications reefs. The main character, according to the director's idea, is moved to the present day, where he meets modern people who are real exiles, enclosed in the borders of the islands of their own souls.
8. "People" - small comedies created according to Chekhov's stories, showing the character of a person with his inherent stupidity, vulgarity and pettiness.
9. "Spam" is a play that has participated in many theater festivals and won several prize nominations. He is about information, flowswhich are growing every day, create a whole network of spam that has enveloped the world. But most of all - about finding yourself in this information.
10. The production "For the sake of running" was based on an article in the newspaper "Novgorod" about a local 78-year-old resident who, without the slightest financial support, became the European champion by winning a sports race in Budapest.
11. "Sky Bridge" - theatrical visualization of the novel in the letters of Marina Tsvetaeva and Rainer Maria Rilke. The performance received a jury prize at the International Theater Festival in Latvia (2008)

For teenagers

In this category, MT offers 3 productions for viewing:

• Chick. Goodbye, Berlin! (V. Herrndorf, R. Koal) - about the friendship and adventures of two 14-year-old teenagers Chick and Mike.
• "Swan Lake" is a lively and multifaceted performance to the famous music from the ballet by P. I. Tchaikovsky.
• "Tom Sawyer" - fascinating stories about the famous character in the works of Mark Twain.

In addition to performances, the theater offers acting master classes for schoolchildren, which allow them to see the "inner kitchen" of the theatrical process, develop communication skills, learn more about creativity and theatrical techniques. The trainings are led by Kristina Mashevskaya and Marina Vikhrova.

Kids category

For the youngest audience, the Maly Theater in Veliky Novgorod has prepared more than 20 performances:

• Tales "Three Bears", "Who said"Meow?", "Where does the wind live?", "Little feelings", "Humpty Dumpty", etc.
• "Lyolya and Minka" - amusing stories about brother and sister from M. Zoshchenko's stories.
• The Theater Walker is a magical tour for children and parents that helps them learn more about all stages of the theatrical process: from rehearsal to premiere.
• "Fox Mickey's Diary" (Sasha Cherny) - funny stories about the hard life of a dog.
• Fairy tale adventure "Matilda and the Magic Door" (E. Blackwood).

Maly Theater in Veliky Novgorod: reviews

This team is dearly loved by Novgorodians, they consider it the property of the city and a cultural outlet. Sharing their impressions of the performances, the audience notes the excellent level of acting, directing, lighting and sound production, costumes. They also speak positively about the wide repertoire of the troupe, in which the audience of any age group can choose a performance to their taste, and the youngest visitors are even treated to gingerbread after the performances.

Netizens say MT's productions will be understandable and entertaining even for international guests. If you want to be sure of the objectivity of the reviews, the address of the Maly Theater of Veliky Novgorod: 32a, Mira Ave.