Theatrical art of the 19th century. Theatrical culture of Russia in the 19th century

In the nineteenth century, Russian theater continues, on the one hand, to react sharply to political and social change in the country, and on the other hand, to correspond to literary changes.

Almost the entire century in Russian literature passes under the sign of realism, which replaces both outdated classicism and romanticism. The nineteenth century gives the domestic theater the names of playwrights who, in fact, clean slate will create a theatrical repertoire that is still in demand today.

In the first half of the century, N.V. became such a person. Gogol. Not being a playwright himself, he managed to create real masterpieces of world drama - the plays “The Inspector General” and “Marriage”, which presented the viewer with a large-scale picture of the life of the then Russian society and sharply criticized it.

It was at the premiere of The Inspector General that Emperor Nicholas I said legendary phrase“Everyone got it, and I got it more than anyone!”, realizing who is depicted under the mask of the Mayor.

At this time, the theater can no longer be satisfied with the old repertoire; it strives to show a modern person, keenly aware of the times. The playwright who created literary basis modern Russian theater, and became A.N. Ostrovsky.

A lawyer by training who served in court, Ostrovsky gained an excellent understanding of the environment that he would later describe in his immortal plays. Describing in detail and realistically the customs of the merchant environment, he creates, first of all, a psychological theater that tries to look inside a person.

Ostrovsky subtly senses the impending social changes and depicts the collapse of established merchant traditions, the impoverishment and moral decline of the nobility, and the increasing role of money in human relations. He vividly and accurately describes the new heroes of life, enterprising, quite cynical and dexterous: Glumov (“Simplicity is enough for every wise man”), Lipochka (“Bankrupt”), Paratov (“Dowry”).

Almost all of Ostrovsky's works were successfully staged at the Moscow Maly Theater, which in this century became the best theater in the empire.

The nineteenth century gave the Russian theater a whole galaxy of outstanding stage masters, whose names forever became legends. One of the founders of the Russian acting school is M. Shchepkin.

The history of M. Shchepkin’s creative path is the history of the Russian theater of the first half of the nineteenth century. Being a serf and starting his career with the consent of his master, Count Wolkenstein, Shchepkin becomes an actor at the Maly Theater and plays a huge comic repertoire.

His success in comedies was largely determined by the actor’s external characteristics (a tendency to be overweight and short in stature). But at the same time, Shchepkin also had an amazing talent, which allowed him to cope well with a variety of roles.

It was Shchepkin who sought to bring acting out of the framework of stereotypes; each character in his performance had many striking details of behavior and appearance. In addition, Mikhail Semyonovich carefully developed the character’s line of behavior, basing the role on a sharp change in the character’s behavior.

Without a doubt, the heyday of Shchepkin’s career coincided with the appearance immortal works Russian drama. Shchepkin understood the imperfection of the plays of the early 19th century and enthusiastically accepted the emerging dramatic works of A. Griboyedov, N. Gogol, A. Sukhovo-Kobylin, A. Ostrovsky, that is, the material that every actor dreams of playing today. Thus, M. Shchepkin played Famusov in “Woe from Wit”, Mayor in “The Inspector General”, Kochkarev in “Marriage”.

The history of Russian theater of the second half of the 19th century is inextricably linked with the name of M. Ermolova. During her career, this outstanding actress created on the stage of the Maly Theater a whole gallery of female images of classical drama. Ermolova’s repertoire included high tragedy (“The Maid of Orleans” by Schiller, “Macbeth” by Shakespeare, “The Sheep Spring” by Lope de Vega) and everyday drama (plays by V. Alexandrov and V. Dyachenko).

P. Sadovsky contributed to the emergence of realism on the Russian stage. His best works are roles in plays by A.N. Ostrovsky and N.V. Gogol. Sadovsky became famous as a versatile, character actor, whose mere appearance attracted the attention of the audience.

The theorist of the aesthetics of Russian sentimentalism in the theater was N.M. Karamzin, who criticized classicism and promoted the work of W. Shakespeare. The Moscow Journal (publisher Karamzin) constantly published reviews of performances, Special attention was devoted to the art of the actor. The theater department of this magazine had a great influence on the development of Russian theater criticism. At the beginning of the 19th century. Interest in theater from Russian society increased. The Decembrists had a great influence on the development of Russian romantic drama, revealing in a new way the problems of classicist and romantic aesthetics. During the 19th century. the first large magazines dedicated to theatrical art appeared: “Repertoire of the Russian Theater” (1839-41), “Pantheon of Russian and All European Theaters” (1840-41), “Repertoire and Pantheon” (1844-45), “Repertoire and Pantheon” theaters" (1847), "Pantheon" (1852-56), etc.

A great contribution to the history and theory of theater of the 19th century and to the formation of theater was made by Russian writers and playwrights who were closely associated with the life of contemporary theater and affirmed its high social role and significance: V.A. Zhukovsky, A.S. Pushkin, A.S. Griboyedov, N.V. Gogol, S.T. Aksakov, L.I. Herzen, I.S. Turgenev, N.A. Nekrasov, I.A. Goncharov, A.K. Tolstoy, F.M. Dostoevsky, A.N. Ostrovsky, M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin and others. Of particular importance in the development of Russian theatrical thought, in the formation of realistic aesthetics of the 19th century. had articles and statements about the theater of revolutionary democrats, and above all V.G. Belinsky. His articles on the work of major actors, analysis of the situation of Russian theater as a whole, development of problems in the theory of drama and acting creativity became fundamental in the study of the history of theater of the 19th century. In the 2nd half of the 19th century. There were two main directions in theatrical criticism related to the ideological, socio-political trends of that time.

Of great importance for the establishment of truth on the Russian stage, for the further development of Russian realistic art had theoretical works and articles by N.G. Chernyshevsky, N.A. Dobrolyubov, Herzen, Nekrasov, Saltykov-Shchedrin. Representatives of another direction related to the Slavophile movement are A.A. Grigoriev, D.V. Averkiev, L.N. Antropov and others. New works on the history of Russian theater appeared: “Dramatic Album”, published by P.N. Arapov and A. Rappolt (1850), “Chronicle of the Russian Theater” by Arapov (1861), “Russian Theater, its fate and its origins” by F.A. Koni (1864), “Chronicle of St. Petersburg theaters from the end of 1826 to the beginning of 1881” (parts 1-3, 1877-84), etc. Studies were published on Western European theatrical art, on the works of Shakespeare, Moliere, V. Hugo. In the last decades of the 19th century. Theater problems were developed mainly by literary scholars and philologists. However, their work for the most part dedicated to the history of drama. In 1888, “Essays on the History of Russian Drama of the 17th - 18th Centuries” was published by P.O. Morozov and a number of serious scientific works by N.S. Tikhonravova. P.A. Kulisha, V.I. Shenrok about the work of Gogol: E.N. Sverchevsky in A.M. Skabichevsky about Griboyedov; Al.N. Veselovsky about D.I. Fonvizin, as well as research on Russian actors Ya.E. Shusherine, P.S. Mochalove and others. Most of the works in general are characterized by some empirical nature, the absence of broad generalizations and conclusions.

At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. Marxist criticism appears. The largest representatives of this trend, who wrote on issues of art and theater, were G.V. Plekhanov, A.V. Lunacharsky and V.V. Vorovsky. With the development of theatrical art, interest in theater and directing skills increased, which gradually became the subject of in-depth study; works were published exploring its history in connection with the social conditions of a particular era. Books on the history of theater are being published - “History of the Russian Theater” by B.V. Warnecke. “History of the Russian Theater”, edited by V.V. Kallash and N.E. Efros (both in 1914). A great contribution to the development of theater was made by books and articles by directors: V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko. V.E. Meyerhold, F.F. Komissarzhevsky. N.N. Evreinova. V.G. Sakhnovsky. Works on the theater of the first decades of the 20th century. associated with various tendencies manifested in the art of this time, reflect the general crisis of the theater of the pre-revolutionary era (“Theater as such” by Evreinov, “Denial of the Theater” by Yu.I. Aikhenvald, both in 1912, etc.).

After the victory of the Great October Socialist Revolution, the science of theater entered a new phase of development. It was associated with the gradual and increasingly consistent and in-depth study of Marxist-Leninist methodology by historians, theorists, and theater critics, with the creation of favorable organizational conditions, determined by the place of honor that was given to performing arts in the Soviet state as an integral part of the socialist movement under construction. artistic culture. In the Theater Department of the People's Commissariat of Education (TEO), which emerged in 1918, a special historical and theatrical section was organized. Scientific work on theater problems developed on a national scale. Theater departments were created in Moscow in State Academy artistic sciences(GAHN) and at the Russian Institute of Art History in Petrograd. IN theater museums, libraries, and archives, the art of theater was also studied. The very concept of “T.” was born precisely at this time, because only after October revolution The study of theatrical art became an independent scientific discipline.

Soviet theater science has come a long and difficult path associated with overcoming formalistic and vulgar sociological tendencies, manifestations of dogmatism and revisionist influences. It developed on the basis of the principles of Marxist-Leninist aesthetics, inheriting the achievements of advanced aesthetic thought of the past, primarily the principles of Russian revolutionary democratic critics - Belinsky, Chernyshevsky, Dobrolyubov, the ideas of the great Russian writers - Pushkin, Gogol, Ostrovsky, etc.

Russian theater Gogol Ostrovsky

PENZA STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY NAMED AFTER V. G. BELISKY

Historical Department national history and Faculty of History Teaching Methods

Thesis on the topic

Theater culture Russia in the 19th century

Student Omarova K.T.

Scientific supervisor T.N. Kuzmina

Head Department Kondrashin V.V.

Penza - 2011

Introduction

Chapter I. Russian theater of the first half of the 19th century

§ 3. Transition of the serf theater to a commercial basis. Viceroyal and gubernatorial theaters

§ 4. Theater in Nikolaev Russia: artistic culture in conditions of political reaction

§ 5. Theatrical life of the province

§ 6. Performing arts and ideological quests of society in 1850 - 1860: establishment of the principles of critical realism

Chapter II. Russian theater of the second half of the 19th century

§ 1. Russian theater in the era of “Great Reforms”

§ 2. Private and club theaters of the capitals, provincial theater of the 1860s - 1870s of the 19th century

§ 3. Capital and provincial theaters in 1880-1890

§ 4. Abolition of the monopoly of the imperial theaters. First private theater in Moscow

Conclusion

List of sources and literature used

Introduction

The topic of this thesis is “Theatrical culture of Russia in the 19th century.” This problem is the most important component of Russian culture and its history.

Relevance of the research topic. The art of theater was born in ancient times. The creators and masters of Russian stage folk art were parsleys, bahari, storytellers, guslars, buffoons, who amused honest people on holidays. At different times, stage performance was called upon to entertain, educate and preach morally significant truths.

The greatest power of influence, diverse possibilities - this is why kings and princes, emperors and ministers, revolutionaries and conservatives put theatrical art into their service.

In the Middle Ages, the stage space was thought of as a model of the universe, where the mystery of creation should be acted out and repeated.

During the Renaissance, the theater was most often tasked with correcting vices.

And in the era of enlightenment, theatrical art was highly valued “as purifying morals” and encouraging virtue. (These ideas were later developed by the Russian writer and playwright N.V. Gogol). For him, the stage is “a pulpit from which you can say a lot of good to the world.”

The aesthetic thesis “theater is a university of folk culture” remains relevant today. After all, by comprehending the meaning of the performance, the viewer also comprehends the meaning of life.

The object of study is Russian culture of the 19th century in the process of its development. The subject is the process of formation and development of Russian theater in the conditions of the evolution of the political regime in Russia in the 19th century.

The purpose of this thesis is to study Russian theater in the 19th century and reveal its features.

Based on the goal, the main objectives of the study are set:

- identify factors influencing the development of theatrical art in the 19th century;

- trace the influence of Decembrist ideology on Russian theater;

- characterize the state of performing arts in the conditions of the crisis of classicism;

Analyze the ideological foundations and trends in the development of theatrical art;

Show theatrical life Russia in the 19th century;

Identify the features of the theatrical life of the province.

The chronological scope of the study covers the 19th century. IN early XIX century, the role of theater in social and cultural life has grown. The theatrical repertoire is becoming the subject of discussion in the press, persistent desires were expressed to create a national drama that would reflect Russian folk life and history. Already by the end of the first quarter of the 19th century, Russian drama and Russian stage art were rising to classical heights: in tragedy - Pushkin’s “Boris Godunov” and the art of actress E. S. Semyonova, in comedy - Griboyedov’s “Woe from Wit” and the work of actor M. S. Shchepkina. Following this, Gogol’s “natural school” brings to life the humanistic art of the St. Petersburg stage artist A. E. Martynov, and the brilliant actor P. S. Mochalov shocks his contemporaries by revealing the tragedy of his time in Shakespeare’s tragedy. Already in the middle of the century, the unprecedentedly intensive development of dramatic literature and stage art led to the creation by the writer A. N. Ostrovsky of a new type of drama (“play of life”) and to the creation of a powerful national school of realistic acting. This prepared the ground for the revolution in art, which was carried out by such writers as A. P. Chekhov and A. M. Gorky, stage directors K. S. Stanislavsky and V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, a revolution that had a huge impact impact on the entire course of world artistic culture of the 20th century.

Historiography of the work. The first attempts to write the history of Russian theater date back to the end of the 18th century. Already in 1779, the work of academician Jacob Shtelin “Brief news about theatrical performances in Russia from their beginning to 1768” appeared, and in 1790 “notes belonging to the history of the Russian theater” by archaeographer and translator A. F. Malinovsky were published 1 History of Russian Drama Theater //In 7 volumes - Vol.1. - P.6.. An extensive work on the history of Russian theater was undertaken by one of F. G. Volkov’s associates, the outstanding Russian actor I. A. Dmitrevsky, but his work was not published, and the manuscript was lost. S. P. Zhikharev, S. T. Aksakov, A. A. Shakhovsky refer to information gleaned from this manuscript in their theatrical memoirs. In 1864, playwright, critic and publisher of the theater magazine F. A. Koni published an article “Russian Theater, Its Fates and Fans,” which, according to him, was written based on the manuscript of I. A. Dmitrevsky. In 1883, the Chronicle of the Russian Theater was published, also with references to this manuscript, compiled by retired actor, later assistant director and librarian Ivan Nosov.

Among the early attempts to write the history of the Russian theater, the “Chronicle of the Russian Theater”, written by the playwright and theater official P. N. Arapov, should be noted. “The Chronicle of the Russian Theater” covers the history of the theater from 1673 to 1825 and contains a lot of factual material, however, researchers of theatrical art believed that it cannot be called authentic scientific work Right there. P. 6.. The author, obviously, did not check the facts presented, especially those relating to the initial period of the theater’s formation, and made serious mistakes; the last section of the “Chronicle” represents the author’s personal memories, hence the subjectivity of assessments, the lack of information about many primary phenomena, mentions of unimportant events Vsevolodsky-Gengross V.N. History of the Russian theater // In 2 vols. - L. - M., 1929. - P. 9..

Great interest in studying the history of Russian theater has been shown since the second half of the 19th century centuries, the largest Russian historians and philologists - P. P. Pekarsky, I. E. Zabelin, N. S. Tikhonravov, A. N. Veselovsky, I. A. Shlyapkin, S. K. Bogoyavlensky, V. N. Peretz and others . However, in the works of historians, theater was considered mainly from an ethnographic point of view, as one of the forms of everyday life; philologists have focused their interests not so much on the theatrical art itself, but on dramatic literature; the limitations of the comparative methodology of scientists of the comparative historical school did not allow revealing the original national character Russian theatrical art. At the same time, the attention of researchers is drawn almost exclusively to the early period of the formation of theater in Russia.

The only attempt in pre-revolutionary Russian theater studies to give a general description of the entire theatrical process, including art XIX and the beginning of the 20th century, “The History of the Russian Theater” appeared by B.V. Warneke Questions of the history of Russian culture in domestic and foreign literature. - M.. 1986. - P. 53.. This book contains a huge amount of factual material. According to a number of theatrical art researchers, the author failed to reveal the driving springs theatrical history, limiting himself to an empirical presentation of facts and abandoning them social analysis, from comprehension ideological issues dramaturgy and acting.

It can be said without exaggeration that theater studies as a special branch of social sciences was formed only in the post-revolutionary years. IN pre-revolutionary Russia there was not a single scientific institution dealing with the history and theory of theatrical art, not a single educational institution training theater experts. From the first years of its existence, the young Soviet state devoted great attention theater science organizations. Already in 1918, the Historical and Theater Section of the People's Commissariat for Education was established, in 1920 the Theater Section of the State Academy of Arts was created in Moscow, and in Petrograd in the same year the so-called “Theatrical category” of the Russian Institute of Art History was organized. A whole network of higher theater educational institutions is being formed in the country, headed by the State Institute of Theater Arts named after A.V. Lunacharsky in Moscow; in most of them, theater studies faculties are created, where extensive research work on the history and theory of theater is carried out. In 1944, the Institute of Art History was organized in Moscow, which became one of the centers for the study of the history and theory of theater.

The first attempt to cover the entire history of the Russian theater, from its origins to the first years of the Soviet theater, was made by V. N. Vsevolodsky-Gengross in 1929 in his two-volume “History of the Russian Theater” Questions of the history of Russian culture in domestic and foreign literature. P. 54.. This work convincingly showed the advantage of the sociological method of studying theater over the empirical one characteristic of pre-revolutionary theater studies.

In 1939, a new, revised edition of “The History of the Russian Theater” by B.V. Warneke was published. Ibid. P. 55. . This book, approved as a manual for theater educational institutions, the history of the theater was considered in it, as before, outside the general historical process, outside of public life.

In the post-war years, the study of Russian theater expanded significantly. Valuable collections of materials and documents dedicated to the creativity and theatrical views of outstanding Russian playwrights, actors and directors have been published. Monographic studies on the life and work of the largest artists of the Russian stage of the 19th century have been published. The processes of formation and development of Russian theatrical art of the 19th century are studied in such general works as “Russian theatrical art at the beginning of the 19th century” by T. M. Rodina, “Russian drama theater of the first half of the 19th century” by S. S. Danilov, “Russian drama theater the second half of the 19th century" by S. S. Danilov and M. G. Portugalova, "Maly Theater of the second half of the 19th century" and "Maly Theater in the late 19th and early 20th centuries" and in a number of other works.

The methodological basis of the work is the principle of historicism. The work examines the process of development of Russian theater in close connection with the key problems of the life of Russian society. A consistent historical approach allows us to reveal the internal patterns and contradictions of the development of theatrical art; show its place in the artistic and - more broadly - spiritual life of society in each given period; discover its diverse and changing relationships from stage to stage with other arts and with other forms of social consciousness. The work makes an attempt to reveal the dynamics of formation, struggle, mutual influence and change of various creative methods and stylistic directions - from educational classicism and sentimentalism, through theatrical forms romantic type, to the gradual approval and development of critical realism. At the same time, special attention is paid to crisis, turning points, when new trends begin to mature within existing artistic systems, which are associated with the establishment of new aesthetic principles and stylistics in the theater.

Practical significance thesis is that the work materials can be used by students to write reports and prepare for seminars on this topic, as Toolkit for organization extracurricular activities in history clubs and in history lessons at school.

Chapter 1. Russian theater of the first half of the 19th century

§ 1. Performing arts in the context of the crisis of classicism

The socio-political life of Europe at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries was characterized by an unusually turbulent character. French bourgeois revolution, its political echoes in different countries, Napoleonic wars, national liberation and anti-feudal movements - all this gave the era a very special look. Although the shocks that many European states experienced during this period did not always end with the fall of feudal-despotic regimes, the flow of philosophical ideas and artistic images coming from the progressive literature XVIII century, continued to revolutionize public consciousness at the beginning of the next century. Art, in particular drama and theater, were active conductors and transformers of these ideas in various national conditions. But it sought to develop its own holistic ideas about reality, relying on the rich and varied experience of the surrounding life in its new forms and trends. Here art inevitably came into conflict with certain aspects of the Enlightenment tradition and sought to rework it and rise above it.

Both processes found their expression in the development of Russian social and artistic thought at the beginning of the 19th century.

Speaking about the factors that influenced the development of theatrical art in the first decade of the 19th century, it is necessary to take into account some foreign policy circumstances. From 1804 to 1807, Russia was at war with France, acting on the side of the Austro-Prussian coalition. Semi-feudal states, such as Austria and Prussia at that time, could not resist the united onslaught of Napoleonic army and its victorious spirit. Military-political coalition was defeated. The patriotic feelings of Russian society were heightened and wounded at the same time. The Tilsit peace, experienced as shameful, aroused the need for revenge. Historically, the dual figure of Napoleon in some circles of society caused condemnation of the Great French Revolution, which gave birth to him, while for others this figure personified tyranny, encroaching on the national independence of European peoples, betrayal of the principles of freedom and equality proclaimed by the Enlightenment.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the French Revolution gave impetus to thinking about further paths development of Russia. No one among the noble intelligentsia of this period wants its implementation in Russia, in the only nationally possible form of a mass peasant revolution. But at the same time, it would be wrong to downplay the significance of the French Revolution of 1789 - 1794 for Russian social thought and Russian culture - it was no less than for other European countries.

No matter how palpably the limitations of the noble love of freedom make themselves felt in drama and criticism, it is impossible not to notice the obvious strengthening of democratic tendencies, which affected the entire state of theatrical art.

The speed with which the Russian theater is saturated with the principles of social, historical, psychological truth is largely explained by the fact that the conflicts typical of Russian feudal-serfdom, for all their national character, no longer appear in the light of the experience of the bourgeois era, although learned and experienced, reflected.

For the theater, the period that ended with the Patriotic War of 1812 was in many respects transitional. Artistic traditions of the 18th century in new ones social conditions gradually disintegrated, pouring into new forms, although not as decisively as it would be in the pre-Pushkin and Pushkin times. It is also important that some tendencies contained in these traditions, but then seemed to be squeezed, crushed by the course of social process and which broke through only occasionally beyond the possibility of their full flowering, now appeared as part of other, just emerging genres and trends.

The theater’s connections with the public environment are also becoming freer and more direct, the theater responds to modern life more vividly than before; his cultural role increases. The nature of the era is such that the very concept of the social environment is expanding, influencing the development of theatre, drama, acting, and the criteria of theater criticism. Both in socio-political and artistic terms, theater is under the influence of heterogeneous and multidirectional factors.

In the theater of the beginning of the century, the traditions of classicism and sentimentalism continue to operate - artistic systems that formed in Russian art in the middle and second half of the 18th century. These traditions carried with them not only formal stylistic skills, not only asserted the authority in a certain way formed taste - they were associated with a stable range of problems, general ideas, conflicts, with a special understanding of the goals of theatrical art and its place in public life.

The tradition of Russian classicist drama and classicist theater as a whole as a world phenomenon also had such mobility, although we sometimes, contrary to artistic practice, underestimate this mobility. The classicist tradition was polymorphous, like any other tradition generated by a complex artistic system. However, quite often the theoretical prejudice against classicism as a rational and normative art leads us to exaggerate the stability of its forms, methods and content itself. The tradition of classicism at the beginning of the 19th century is manifested not only in the repetition of conceptual and stylistic features established by theory and the most “pure” examples of creative practice. She lives (which is much more important) in attempts to solve similar artistic problems on material that is similar in theme, but with different historical prerequisites. Style repetitions that inevitably and naturally arise in similar cases, will testify both to the tension of the artistic process, constrained by the given “conditions of the game,” and to the fact that the forces needed to rebuild these conditions are accumulated by a whole generation of artists.

Speaking about the traditions of classicism in theatre, drama and acting at the beginning of the 19th century, it is necessary to take into account that Russian classicism was a late and in many ways a unique branch of the great pan-European artistic system. Let us touch upon the issues of the general methodology of classicism only to the extent that they are related to the theatrical processes of the early 19th century and help to understand their essential aspects.

After all, one of the main and socially significant genres of theater of this time - tragedy - grew entirely out of this unique classicist tradition.

Classical theater clearly sought to limit and curb the beginnings of human character by means of normative poetics (Renaissance, Shakespearean), and yet it could not fully cope with this task. He made the impetuous, changeable element of feelings the subject of rationalistic analysis, placing the human mind above his own emotions, so that, if not to keep the hero from harmful actions, then, in any case, to immerse him in an understanding of the full extent of his guilt and responsibility.

The crisis of classicism was also reflected in conservative-protective dramaturgy, for which it became more and more difficult to defend the monarchy and challenge the rights of individual self-awareness from the standpoint of reason and social necessity. For all its orientation towards tradition, conservative drama is, in essence, unable to follow it. It moves away from the cardinal classicist problematics and increasingly loses the characteristic features of the style, replacing the analytical basis of the action with its inevitable sequence, arbitrary plot invention, complicated intrigue, striving for entertainment and effects. Both in tragedy and comedy these tendencies reveal themselves quite clearly.

The artistic processes of the period under study cannot be clearly understood without taking into account everything that activity contributed to them largest representative Russian sentimentalism, champion of sentimentalist theater - N. M. Karamzin.

Karamzin spoke a lot as an art theorist, and at the beginning of his literary activity- and as a theater critic. He was the first to regularly publish reviews of Moscow performances, as well as some plays performed on the Parisian stage, in the “Moscow Journal” he published in 1791-1792. This convergence of Moscow and Paris productions had its own symbolic meaning, who expressed Karamzin’s firm conviction in the need to consider Russian theater in line with European cultural life as an integral and important part.

Sentimentalism, the role of which in Russian theater at the turn of two centuries was extremely large, was not, however, the main direction that determined the development of Russian stage art. It would be more accurate to admit that his own development was influenced by an even more powerful force - realistic tendencies.

These trends, which go back in their origins to the aesthetics of Novikov and the work of Fonvizin, were defended with the greatest energy and brilliance at the turn of the century by the playwright and critic, later the famous fabulist Ivan Andreevich Krylov.

The Enlighteners, and, above all, Novikov and Fonvizin, taught him to judge the phenomena of life, applying to them the assessments of high intelligence. For Krylov, first of all, it is important: “What was the author’s subject?”, “What did he want to ridicule?” The concept of truth, the principle of “following nature,” which Krylov defended at this time along with many other writers, for him is firmly united with the requirement of a critical attitude to reality. This is the most significant feature of Krylov’s theatrical aesthetics, one of the most prominent representatives of Russian educational realism of the 18th century.

In his articles, speaking about the theater, Krylov puts in the first place the accusatory direction of the Russian drama Vsevolodsky-Gengross V.N. History of the Russian Theater // In 2 volumes - P. 266.. Krylov sees the purpose of the theater in the fight against prejudices, in visual exposing the truth and educating public opinion. The primary force of influence on the viewer for him is not moralization (he, like Karamzin, sharply rebels against the teachings that overload his contemporary plays), but the truth of the depiction of life itself. In everything that Krylov writes about the theater, the democratic nature of his beliefs is clearly felt.

The work of A. N. Radishchev had a huge impact on the development of progressive Russian theater at the beginning of the 19th century. Ibid. P. 271.. Radishchev’s traditions turned the artist, first of all, to real contradictions social life, to the problem of serfdom, requiring him to renounce the hope of correcting the serfdom and tyrant by force verbal persuasion And moral example, that is, demanding a rejection of educational illusions that had developed in the West even before the French Revolution, and in Russia - before the peasant war and government reaction. Radishchev rethought the educational program in the light of the experience of the class struggle that unfolded in Western Europe and Russia in the 1870s - 1890s. He alone among the major literary figures of the late 18th century drew consistently revolutionary conclusions from contemporary social experience.

At the beginning of the 19th century, one of the most important artistic ideas era, namely, the idea of ​​​​the nationality of any truly nationally original art. Of course, the advanced criticism of that time, relying on some traditions of the previous development of art, in particular, on the theoretical statements of Novikov and Krylov, took only the first steps towards putting the problem of nationality on a truly democratic basis. Especially great place will take up a discussion of this problem in Decembrist criticism, moving from there to the 1830s - to Belinsky and Gogol Vsevolodsky-Gengross V.N. History of the Russian Theater // In 2 vols. - P. 273..

Despite all the limiting aspects, the idea of ​​folk art will become an active force in the development of drama and theater already in the pre-Pushkin period. But even at the beginning of the century, contrary to the conservative-noble interpretation of nationality as “common people,” there was a desire to put forward this problem as a central one, to connect with it the successes and tasks of modern Russian drama. It is extremely important in this regard that Russian drama, even in the years preceding the Patriotic War of 1812, was taking practical steps towards becoming national drama, folk in its very content. At the same time, she has to regain the ideological positions that were largely lost with the crisis of classicism. And she succeeds in this to the extent that she becomes a conductor of historically progressive and generally significant trends of her time.

The rise of patriotism during the years of Russia's participation in the wars against Napoleonic France is clearly reflected in the Russian theater, in the developed themes and genres of Russian drama. The theater turns to the subjects of Russian history, to the themes of the heroic past of the Russian people. Western European history and the struggle of other peoples for their national independence also attracted Russian playwrights during these years.

The movement of ideas and artistic trends acts as the main point that determines the development of drama genres, their mutual connection and preferential development in the range of one or another issue. The main pattern in this regard is the process of displacement of the classicist tradition of the 18th century by sentimental drama, and then the flourishing of the tragic genre in the second half of the decade and the connection with the arrival of a new tragic theme in the theater. The conflict between a humanistically interpreted personality and the real world, based on the power of unjust, unnatural orders, comes to the fore more and more acutely. Having stepped over the stage at which the moral and emotional equalization of slave and master seemed to be a fairly convincing argument in favor of social equality, the theater puts forward a hero who no longer accepts this kind of resolution of contradictions. The principle of emotional interpretation of the image, affirmed by the aesthetics of sentimentalism, naturally turned under such conditions into a source of pre-romantic and at the same time social-oppositional tendencies in the theater.

Already on the eve of the Patriotic War of 1812, ideological processes were taking place preparing the Decembrist movement. The influence of these processes is noticeably felt in literature and theater at the end of the first decade of the 19th century. The drama of F. N. Glinka, L. N. Nevakhovich, F. F. Ivanov and some other writers of a progressive direction contrasts Ozerov’s hero, prone to melancholy and lyrical isolation, with a hero capable of active social struggle and heroic dedication in the name of a high ideal. Democratic ideology, love of freedom, civic pathos connect this drama with the Radishchev tradition, as well as interest in the individual, reliance on his moral intransigence to social evil.

However, even in the works of these writers, tragedy is not freed from stylistic eclecticism, which comes from its insufficiently formalized ideological and artistic structure at the new stage of development of the genre, its attachment to the sentimentalist tradition - in substantiating the inner truth of the hero, and to the classicist - in characterizing his relationship with society, its ideological and political position.

Thus, one should conclude: if during the war between Russia and France patriotic motives in their progressive, democratic interpretation were widely included in drama and theater, then at the same time monarchical, conservative-protective tendencies in drama, criticism, and features of official pomp intensified in the style and character of the performance. In the press there are often sharp attacks on the traditions of educational art, on Russian satirical comedy XVIII century, on the works of such foreign playwrights as Mercier, Beaumarchais, Schiller. But, on the other hand, it was during these years that the significance of the work of Fonvizin and Kapnist was realized, latest comedies Krylov, a voice is raised in defense of progressive Western European drama. The repertoire of the Russian theater includes works by Schiller and Shakespeare, and a struggle is unfolding for the ideological and creative rethinking of the dramaturgy of Moliere, Racine, and Voltaire. New, deeply fruitful trends are being revealed in the field of acting. History of Russian Art / Ed. M. Rakova, I. Ryazantsev. - M., 1991. - P. 29..

§ 2. Theatrical life of Russia in the era of liberal reforms of Alexander I

Development in major cities at the end of the 18th century, interest in the theater not only from the nobility, but also from part of the merchant class is confirmed by more than one given fact. The magazine “Urania”, published at that time in Kaluga, testifies that with the appearance of the theater in the city, Kaluga residents, and especially merchants, became significantly enlightened, whereas “until now it was considered a miracle” to see young merchants in some cultural public meetings Karskaya T. Ya. Great traditions of Russian classical theater. - L., 1955. - P. 48..

The period that began with the Patriotic War of 1812 and ended with the uprising on Senate Square on December 14, 1825, gave a lot of new things both in public and cultural development countries. At that time big picture The artistic life of Russia is changing noticeably. The balance of forces fighting and interacting in art becomes different than in the previous decade. The trends caused by the spread of liberating democratic ideas in Russian society come to the fore.

The circle of future Decembrists and a significant layer of the intelligentsia adjacent to them are the environment where the formation of new views on art, in particular on theater, takes place first. And just as the social aspirations of the Decembrists grew out of the urgent needs of the country’s development, so their aesthetic views and their artistic innovation had a real basis.

The revival of public life after the victory over Napoleonic France took place not only in St. Petersburg and Moscow, but also in many cities of the province, where the fighting Russian officers returned, having seen a lot and changed their minds. Liberation ideas are gradually penetrating into very remote corners Russian Empire, exerting their influence on the stage.

At the same time as the political ideas of Decembrism took shape, the freedom-loving ideals of Griboyedov and Pushkin were formed, the love of freedom of Shchepkin, Semyonova, Mochalov, Kulikov K. F. The first actors of the Russian theater also matured. - M., 1991. - P. 133. Coming from a serf environment, from the “lower classes” of society, the largest Russian actors perceive the liberal trends of the times through the prism of their own social experience. It is in the theater that the spontaneous democracy of the people's intelligentsia merges with the democracy of advanced Russian literature that has grown on pan-European soil. This is the internal strength of the theater, the reason for its rapid creative growth, its ever-increasing importance in national culture.

One of the most important phenomena, characterizing artistic life period - the formation of Russian romanticism, which widely influenced theatrical practice.

Theorists and propagandists of Russian romanticism are, first of all, Decembrist writers. They give this trend a politically progressive content and connect it with the struggle for the national identity of Russian art, for the development of the principles of nationality and historical specificity in it.

The contradictions in the political ideology of the Decembrists are also manifested in their theatrical aesthetics. However, her positive influence for the theater is huge. The theater is entering a period when the protection of individual rights becomes on stage the ideological basis of civic valor and heroism. Moreover, this heroism itself ceases to be a simple expression of an abstract ideal, increasingly finding motivation in political and moral necessity. On this basis, the beginnings of historicism developed in the romantic drama of the Decembrist movement, and the entire system of its artistic expression was rebuilt (despite the force of resistance of traditional creative skills that hampered this restructuring).

“The main task of the romantic theater reform was to replace the story, that is, description, with a show, that is, action,” B. Reizov rightly noted B. V. French historical novel in the era of romanticism. - M., 1958. - P. 401. The interaction of heroes with the environment developed. People came onto the stage. Instead of a conventional place of action, a historical era appeared on the stage. From the truth of feelings to social and psychological truth in the depiction of the environment and characters, from the conceptual and speculative construction of a political conflict to the disclosure of socio-historical necessity - this is the most important direction in the development of Russian theater and drama in the period 1813 - 1825.

The composition of the theatrical repertoire is changing significantly and becoming more complex. The new spirit of the times, which largely determined the theater's repertoire, was translated melodrama, which rushed to the Russian stage in a wide stream. The interest in her was natural. The most popular genre of Western European romantic theater, melodrama was close to the Russian audience for its democratic, humanistic, socially critical tendencies. However, the limited horizons, which determined its artistic inferiority, put melodrama under fire from criticism.

At the beginning of the 1820s, realistic trends in Russian theater were already very significant. Griboyedov and Pushkin create their plays, being in the very center of the theatrical interests of the time, being closely connected with the theatrical environment, acting world, participating in disputes around the phenomena of theatrical life Reader on the history of Russian theater of the 18th - 19th centuries. - L., 1940. - P. 230..

The Decembrists wanted to see in the actor a progressively thinking artist, capable of influencing the minds and feelings of his contemporaries, awakening in them a consciousness of moral and civic responsibility. This understanding of the purpose of an actor will be deeply assimilated by Shchepkin and will form the social and ethical basis of his school. A similar point of view would be further developed by Belinsky and Gogol, helping to strengthen one of the main traditions of the national theatrical culture.

In the conditions of political reaction, with the dominance of obscurantists in the government, the persecution of everything that could be seen as oppositional sentiments, an insult to religion and religious morality intensified. In 1819, theatrical censorship, together with the Ministry of Police, was transferred to the Ministry of the Interior and came under the jurisdiction of its “special office”.

“Woe from Wit,” created during the rise of the Decembrist movement, was completed by Griboyedov in 1824. Comedy was strictly prohibited for the theater. Griboyedov died without ever seeing her on the professional stage. On the eve of the Decembrist uprising, the autocratic-serf state, with the help of the censorship system, tried in every possible way to block the path of progressive social thought and the liberation movement History of Russian Drama Theater. In 7 volumes - M., 1977. - T.3. - P. 224.. The ban was lifted only by the censorship charter approved on April 22, 1828. Morov A.G. Three centuries of the Russian stage. - M., 1978. - P. 74..

A special mission in subordinating theaters to the ideological tasks of the government was assigned to censorship. In 1826, a new censorship statute was introduced, which received the apt definition of “cast iron” from the writers. True, two years later it was replaced by another, but this one turned out to be no less difficult. Plays, even those passed by the general censorship for publication, if there was a desire to stage them, were submitted for new consideration to the III Department. And this last, while banning the play, did not even explain the reasons for the ban. Often the tsar directly intervened in matters of dramatic censorship. Nikolai could not indifferently hear about any manifestation of public initiative. The depiction of any kind of popular unrest on stage was prohibited. Censorship did not allow the production of Pushkin's Boris Godunov and Pogodin's Marfa the Posadnitsa, in particular because they depicted people raising their voices.

Censorship categorically forbade bringing the clergy on stage or subjecting the military, high-ranking officials, or police to any criticism. Having learned from his own experience what censorship was, Gogol wrote on May 15, 1836 to Pogodin: “To say about a rogue that he is a rogue is considered to be undermining the state machine; to say just one living and true line means, in translation, to disgrace the entire class and arm others or his subordinates against it.” Quote from the book. Drizen N.V. Dramatic censorship of two eras (1825 - 1881). - M., 1905. - P. 33. .

Anything that was reminiscent of the French Revolution was immediately subject to a censorship veto. The censor, having read N. A. Polev’s translation of the innocent French comedy “Lunch at Barras,” wrote in horror in his report: “When I saw this play, my hair stood on end. Is it possible that a Russian writer will choose a play for translation, where in the title we find the name of one of the monsters of the French revolution, namely Barras, the regicide, who cast his vote for the death of Louis XVI: what could this serve to introduce our good Russian people to revolutionary expressions : equality and freedom?...” Quote from the book. Drizen N.V. Dramatic censorship of two eras (1825-1881).. - P. 35..

The chief of staff of the gendarme corps, Dubelt, to whom the censorship department was subordinate, said: “Dramatic art, like the entire branch of literature, should have a beneficent goal: while instructing people, together to amuse them, and this will be achieved incomparably with pictures of the lofty rather than with descriptions of baseness and depravity.” Herzen A.I. Complete works In 30 volumes - M., 1954-1960. - T. 8. - P. 121. .

The situation of the people in Nikolaev Russia was difficult, entire provinces were starving, and outright administrative arbitrariness reigned. But the ruling circles demanded that the theater give life to “Ennobled”, create the impression of the prosperity of Russia, the happiness of everyone living in it, and the loyalty of the people to the throne. As for even the slightest manifestations of criticism, they were met with hostility.

Over the years, this monarchical, protective tendency has been widely represented in the repertoire. But of course, it was not she who determined the main direction in Russian theatrical art. It was defined by artists who sought to express in their work the pressing problems of the era and who were looking for new forms in art for this.

It should also be noted that at the time under review, professional theater criticism was establishing itself, exerting an increasing impact on the theater. True, among the newspapers, only “Northern Bee” had the right to give reports on performances, and then each time in agreement with the III department. But then, it seems, there was not a single literary and artistic magazine that did not publish reviews, overviews, and theoretical articles devoted to theatrical art. In 1839, the theater magazine “Repertoire of the Russian Theater” began to be published, and since 1840 the magazine “Pantheon of Russian and All European Theaters” began to be published. In 1842, both magazines merged under the name “Russian Repertoire and Pantheon of All European Theaters.”

Beginning in 1831, V. G. Belinsky constantly turned to the theater, writing up to one hundred and eighty articles and notes on various theatrical topics. Of course, throughout critical activity Belinsky's views changed; starting with a passionate defense of revolutionary romanticism, he later became a theorist and leader of the “natural school.” Belinsky defends the high social purpose of the theater, fighting against its reduction to empty entertainment. He consistently opposes the protective ideas of the official nationality, for the true democracy of theatrical art, for the triumph of life's truth on the stage. Arguing that the repertoire, first of all, determines the ideological orientation of the theater, he at the same time considers actors as independent creators, full co-authors of the playwright. Belinsky was one of the first to talk about directing, about the ensemble as an urgent need for contemporary theater.

S. T. Aksakov acts as a theater critic. Despite the well-known conservatism of his worldview, Aksakov, in his journal articles (“Bulletin of Europe”, “Moscow Bulletin”, “Athenaeus”, “Galatea” and others) consistently defends the realistic principles of art, combining spiritual truth and depth of feelings.

In the Moscow Telegraph magazine, the theater department is headed by V. A. Ushakov, who defends romantic positions close to the magazine’s publisher, N. A. Polevoy.

Since the 1840s, N. A. Nekrasov, I. I. Panaev, F. A. Koni and other writers of the democratic trend often turned to theatrical criticism.

On the other hand, reactionary journalists are no less active in the field of theatrical criticism. The newspaper "Northern Bee" preaches autocracy, Orthodoxy and nationality, trying to introduce this formula in the theater.

Thus, there are ideological and aesthetic disputes around theatres, certain performances, and the performances of actors. Theater at this time is in the center of attention of the thinking society.

§ 3. Transition of the serf theater to a commercial basis. Viceroyal and gubernatorial theaters in the provinces

The theatrical life of the late 18th - early 19th centuries was permeated with an acute struggle, which under the conditions of serfdom took unusually dramatic forms. Serfdom, the reactionary policies of the autocratic government, bureaucratic arbitrariness and the legal dependence of actors delay the natural process of artistic development of the performing arts. The government establishes police and censorship control over theaters, seeks to centralize their management in the capitals and in the provinces, and make the theater a conductor of autocratic-serfdom ideology. These efforts have been manifested consistently since the very moment of the emergence of professional public theaters, penetrating into all spheres of their organizational and creative life, are carried out through the entire theater management system.

In the narrow forms of the government theater system, constrained by direct manifestations of feudal violence (as was the case in the serf theater), democratic principles are revealed in the work of stage artists - playwrights and actors - despite these unfavorable circumstances, in a constant and intense struggle with them.

At the beginning of the 19th century, in essence, there was not a single theatrical initiative in the provinces, the origins of which did not go back to those phenomena that arose and took shape in the previous century. Both the serf and “free” theaters of the early 19th century were the result of the development and crisis of the large-estate serf, noble and viceroy theater that functioned in parallel with it.

After the establishment of the court theater in St. Petersburg provincial nobility begins to show interest in the city's theatrical "ventures". There are vague mentions that in 1764 - 1765 an “opera house” was created in Omsk, which was intended mainly for “polishing” noble youth. In 1765, the Novgorod governor Yakov Efimovich Sivers, at a dinner with the heir Paul, said “that he had a masquerade in Novgorod and that a theater was being started there.” In 1770, the Elizavetgrad Theater staged the comedy “Coffee House,” written by V. A. Chertkov. However, until the mid-70s of the 18th century, these undertakings were of a random nature, having neither support among the urban population, nor any consistent support in the ruling circles.

In 1793, with the sanction of the governor, the theater of “noble amateurs” opened in the city of Penza. A special building for one hundred people was built for the theater in the city center. The theater existed until 1797 - as long as the famous theatergoer, playwright, and amateur actor I. M. Dolgorukov remained the Penza vice-governor. Little information has been preserved about the governor's theater in Voronezh. We only know that the theater was “noble - amateur”, that its initiator was the Voronezh governor V. A. Chertkov. The Pantheon magazine reports that “entrance to the theater was... free,” and “the best audience was invited to each performance with tickets, and the paradise was filled with people of the lower classes.” After Chertkov’s death, the “noble” theater closed in 1793. Levanidov, who took the viceroyal post in 1796, tried to revive the stalled theater, but with the abolition of the post of governor-general, the “noble” performances finally ceased.

Similar processes occurred in a city as remote from central Russia as Irkutsk. The population of this city consisted mainly of merchants and philistines. But the circle of the city nobility, for all its small number, was distinguished by its cohesion and influence; it was formed almost exclusively from high-ranking officials who made up the retinue of the Irkutsk governor. To satisfy the theatrical needs of precisely this extremely narrow circle of nobles, two theatrical undertakings were undertaken in Irkutsk, with the obvious patronage of the governor. The first is a “noble” amateur theater that has been giving performances since 1787; its organizer was the wife of a local official. The second undertaking is associated with the opening of the Noble Assembly in Irkutsk in 1799. Until 1803, theatrical performances were given here. They were also designed for an extremely narrow audience: only members of the assembly had the right to attend the performances, and only the most eminent and wealthy citizens who paid an entrance fee of twenty rubles, a very significant amount at that time, could attend the performances.

The beginning of the process, which received its true development only in the 19th century, is indicated by two viceroyal theaters: Kaluga and Kharkov. The first was created by General-in-Chief M.P. Krechetnikov, after, by decree of August 24, 1776, the Kaluga province was transformed into a governorship, which included the cities of Kaluga and Tula. Kaluga was an uncultured but rich merchant city with a large number of Old Believers. Krechetnikov’s goal is to turn this city into a stronghold of the local nobility, scattered across various, sometimes very remote, districts. He celebrates the beginning of his reign with balls, fireworks, and masquerades, to which all local nobles are invited from their estates. In addition, Krechetnikov is planning to create a viceroyal theater, which would be under his personal control.

This theater was still very far from fulfilling the functions of a truly urban theater, that is, a theater designed to serve a wide range of citizens. Being under the personal subordination of the governor, he was used mainly to attract the district landed nobility. This is evidenced not only by the above excerpt from the “Notes” of A. T. Bolotov, but also by another piece of his evidence: the memoirist reports that when Krechetnikov moved from Kaluga to Tula, the theater followed him.

Another provincial theater about which we have some information - the Kharkov theater - was also created in connection with the establishment of the governorship. On this occasion, on September 29, 1780, there was a celebration on the University Hill, fireworks and a theatrical performance. In 1781, the first regularly operating theater appeared in Kharkov. Little information about him has been preserved, but it is undeniable, and he was under the full authority of the governor.

In the 80s of the 18th century, the government did not in any way interfere with the initiative of the local nobility to organize theaters in provincial cities. The decree of Catherine II to Olsufiev dated June 12, 1783, speaks, among other things, about the royal permission “for anyone to engage in decent entertainment for the public, adhering only to state laws and regulations in the Police Charter...” A textbook on the history of Russian theater of the 18th - 19th centuries. - C 241.. It is interesting to compare this decree with the document that followed it in 1785, signed by Catherine - the “Charter Granted to Cities” - which contributed to the development of local administrative and cultural centers. Catherine's decree strengthened the importance of the city, gave it a coat of arms, certain rights, encouraged the development of schools, theaters, etc. Rybakov Yu. S. Epochs and people of the Russian stage. 1823 - 1917. - M., 1989. - P. 118.. Along with the main ruling class of nobles in cities, the concept of “urban inhabitant” was officially introduced, which included its entire non-noble, but “free” population, which was given some rights.

The development of theater in the province during the period under review was characterized by the expansion of the theater network. Interest in theater in the provinces was also revived by the fact that, with the approval and sometimes on the initiative of the central and provincial authorities, in 1813 - 1814 a wave of charitable amateur performances swept through literally all Russian cities. The participants in these performances were nobles, officials and landowners. Almost all such performances glorified the recent victory of Russian weapons. All proceeds usually went to the families of fallen soldiers or to the families devastated by the war.

The current situation in the country required, however, not only a quantitative increase in theaters and performances. It also demanded new forms of organizing the theater business, more flexible, more capable of expressing the demands of the time than the old serf type of theater could do.

The revitalization of city life and the growth of entrepreneurship prompted some actors to think about creating more or less independent profitable commercial theaters, free from direct subordination to a landowner or city official. This does not mean that already in the initial period of its existence, the new type of theater immediately and completely replaced the old, serf theater. During the period under review, in various cities of the province, in addition to numerous small traveling troupes, there were at least fifteen larger or at least partially stationary theaters. Of these, six were serf theaters (sometimes with civilian actors) and nine were civilian theaters (some of the actors in which were quit-rent serfs).

It was the young free theatre, which at times experienced dire need, that was destined to play a significant role in the spread of theatrical culture throughout the gigantic territory of Russia. It was he who contributed to the rooting of the urgent need for theater among wide circles of the population. At the same time, it is significant that the decomposition of serfdom relations also affects the fate of the serf theater. Its ties with private estate life are weakening more and more, performances are increasingly becoming public and paid for. The maintenance of a serf troupe or the exploitation of the talents of individual serf actors often acquires a commercial character.

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During the first quarter of the 19th century. In the Russian national theater, the struggle for the creation of a new, nationally original theater is unfolding. This task was accomplished by the creation of a truly national, original comedy by A. Griboedov “Woe from Wit.” A work of innovative significance was Pushkin’s historical drama “Boris Godunov,” the author of which grew out of the forms of the court tragedy of classicism and the romantic drama of Byron. However, the production of these works was held back for some time by censorship. The dramaturgy of M. Yu. Lermontov, imbued with freedom-loving ideas, also remains outside the theater: his drama “Masquerade” in 1835 - 1836. prohibited three times by censorship (excerpts from the play were first staged thanks to the persistence of the actors in 1852, and it was performed in full only in 1864).

The stage of the Russian theater of the 30s and 40s was mainly occupied by vaudeville, pursuing mainly entertainment purposes (plays by P. A. Karatygin, P. I. Grigoriev, P. S. Fedorov, V. A. Sollogub, N. A. Nekrasov , F.A. Koni, etc.) “At this time, the skill of talented Russian actors M.S. Shchepkin and A.E. Martynov grew, who knew how to reveal comic situations contradictions of true life, to give created images true drama.

The plays of A. N. Ostrovsky, which appeared in the 50s and raised Russian drama to a very high level, played a huge role in the development of Russian theater.

The Russian theater in the nineteenth century was distinguished by a certain two-facedness - on the one hand, it continued to react just as sharply to various social and political changes in the state structure, and on the other, it improved under the influence of literary innovations.

The Birth of Great Masters

At the beginning of the 19th century, in Russian performing arts, romanticism and classicism were replaced by realism, which brought many fresh ideas to the theater. During this period, many changes occur, a new stage repertoire is formed, which is popular and in demand in modern drama. The nineteenth century becomes a good platform for the emergence and development of many talented playwrights, who with their creativity make a huge contribution to the development of theatrical art. The most prominent person in dramaturgy of the first half of the century is N.V. Gogol. In fact, he was not a playwright in the classical sense of the word, but, despite this, he managed to create masterpieces that instantly gained worldwide fame and popularity. Such works can be called “The Inspector General” and “Marriage”. These plays very clearly depict the complete picture of social life in Russia. Moreover, Gogol did not glorify it, but, on the contrary, sharply criticized it.

"The Inspector" N.V. Gogol

At this stage of development and full formation, the Russian theater can no longer remain satisfied with the previous repertoire. Therefore, the old will soon be replaced by a new one. Its concept is to depict a modern person with a keen and clear sense of time. A.N. is considered to be the founder of modern Russian drama. Ostrovsky. In his creations, he very truthfully and realistically described the merchant environment and their customs. This awareness is due to a long period of living in such an environment. Ostrovsky, being a lawyer by training, served in court and saw everything from the inside. With his works, the talented playwright created a psychological theater that sought to look into and reveal as much as possible the inner state of a person.

"Thunderstorm" A.N. Ostrovsky

In addition to A.N Ostrovsky, in theatrical art XIX century Other outstanding masters of the pen and stage also made a great contribution, whose works and skills are the standard and indicator of the pinnacle of mastery. One of these individuals is M. Shchepkin. This talented artist has performed a huge number of roles, mostly comedic. Shchepkin contributed to the exit acting beyond the existing patterns at that time. Each of his characters had their own individual character traits and appearance. Each hero was a personality.

Our country is famous for its theater school. We have the opportunity to see the actors who stood at the origins of the Russian theater and cinema!! I really wanted to see them young...

Lenin, Michael Frantsevich- Wikipedia

Photo from the beginning of the twentieth century.

If I tell you that the photograph posted a little higher is Lenin, then I think most of you will have the first reaction of “not similar.” Still, we are more accustomed to seeing photographs of the leader of the world proletariat, Vladimir Ilyich Lenia.
Not everyone knows that in the first half of the twentieth century another Lenin was popular - actor Mikhail Frantsevich Lenin.
Naturally, the coincidence of pseudonyms led to some interesting moments. Here are some of them.
in 1905, Mikhail Frantsevich addressed the public from the pages of the Moskovskie Vedomosti newspaper with an urgent request: “I, artist of the Imperial Maly Theater Mikhail Lenin, ask not to confuse me with this political adventurer Vladimir Lenin.”

Gradually, the fame of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin grew and in the April 1917 issue of the magazine “Ramp and Life” it had to be explained again: on the first cover a photograph of the actor was printed with the caption “Please do not mix.”
Some legends about the two Lenins are also interesting. According to one of them, one day a messenger ran into K. S. Stanislavsky’s office and shouted: “Konstantin Sergeevich, misfortune: Lenin has died!” “A-ah, Mikhail Frantsevich!” - Stanislavsky threw up his hands. “No - Vladimir Ilyich!” “Pah-pah-pah,” Stanislavsky knocked on the wood, “pah-pah-pah!..”
Another funny rumor is that J.V. Stalin said: “I cannot give Lenin the Order of Lenin... The people will not understand this!”
Surprisingly, after all this, Mikhail Frantsevich Lenin was awarded the Order of Lenin on October 26, 1949!
Mikhail Frantsevich Lenin ( real name Ignatyuk, 1880 - 1951) - Russian dramatic actor, one of the luminaries of the Maly Theater. People's Artist of the RSFSR (1937).

Alexandra Aleksandrovna Yablochkina (1866-1964), outstanding Russian and Soviet theater actress, People's Artist of the USSR (1937), laureate Stalin Prize(1943), three times holder of the Order of Lenin.

Photo from the beginning of the twentieth century.

Maria Nikolaevna Ermolova (1853-1928), outstanding Russian actress. Honored Artist of the Imperial Theaters, People's Artist of the Republic (1920). Hero of Labor (1924).

Stanislavsky, Konstantin Sergeevich — Wikipedia

Photo from the beginning of the twentieth century.

Konstantin Sergeevich Stanislavsky (real name Alekseev; 1863-1938), an outstanding Russian theater director, actor and teacher. People's Artist of the USSR (1936).

Photo from the beginning of the twentieth century.

Vasily Ivanovich Kachalov (real name Shverubovich, 1875 - 1948), an outstanding Russian and Soviet theater actor; People's Artist of the USSR (1936), laureate of the Stalin Prize, first degree (1943); awarded two Orders of Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.

Gzovskaya, Olga Vladimirovna — Wikipedia

Photo from the beginning of the twentieth century.

Olga Vladimirovna Gzovskaya (1883 - 1962), an outstanding theater and film actress.

Roshchina-Insarova, Catherine Nikolaevna - Wikipedia

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Ekaterina Nikolaevna Roshchina-Insarova (nee Pashennaya) (1883-1970), Russian dramatic actress.
Daughter of actor N.P. Roshchin-Insarov, sister of People's Artist of the USSR V.N. Pashennaya.

Roshchina-Insarova first appeared on stage in 1897. In 1899, Roshchina-Insarova was invited by N.N. Sinelnikov to his Kyiv troupe, and played a lot in the provinces (in theaters in Astrakhan, Penza, Rostov-on-Don, Samara and other cities .) and in the Moscow Theater of F. A. Korsh. 1905-1909 Roshchina-Insarova performed on the stage of the Theater of the Literary and Artistic Society in St. Petersburg. In 1909-1911 - at the K. Nezlobin Theater in Moscow. In 1911-1913 Roshchina-Insarova worked at the Maly Theater, in 1913-1919 in St. Petersburg, at the Alexandrinsky Theater.

Roshchina-Insarova’s playing was distinguished by its grace and depth of emotion.
In 1918, N.P. Roshchina-Insarova left Moscow with her husband, Count S. Ignatiev, to the south, and in 1919 she emigrated from Russia.
N.P. Roshchina-Insarova’s first performance in Paris took place at an evening in memory of L.N. Tolstoy on January 5, 1921.
In 1922, N.P. Roshchina-Insarova took part in the performance of the Russian Theater Agency "Jealousy" by M.P. Artsybashev.

N.P. Roshchina-Insarova organized her own troupe and opened the Russian Chamber theater and a studio in Riga, which lasted two seasons. In 1925, Roshchina-Insarova returned to Paris, where she gave performances at the Albert Theater.
In 1926, when the 25th anniversary of N.P. Roshchina-Insarova’s stage activity was celebrated, she was greeted by many outstanding people, including: A. Kuprin, I. Bunin, K. Balmont, N. Teffi, B. Zaitsev, Vas. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko.
In subsequent years, Roshchina-Insarova participated in literary and artistic evenings, concerts, group performances, and gave lessons acting, played in the theater of Georges and Lyudmila Pitoev, was a director and performer in plays by Nemirovich-Danchenko, N. Teffi, Ostrovsky and others.

The last time Roshchina-Insarova performed was in 1957 at an evening in memory of N. Teffi. In the same year, she moved to Cormeil-en-Parisy (a suburb of Paris) to a Russian nursing home. Roshchina-Insarova died in Paris on March 28, 1970.

I would like to finish the story about this actress with the words of Merezhkovsky, who called her “one of our most subtle and captivating artists.”

Vera Fedorovna Komissarzhevskaya (1864-1910), an outstanding Russian dramatic and tragic actress and director, nicknamed the “Russian Duse”.

Vera Komissarzhevskaya was born on October 27 (November 8), 1864 in St. Petersburg. Daughter famous singer, she sang and subsequently played in amateur performances by K.S. Stanislavsky.
From 1896 to 1902, Vera Komissarzhevskaya was a member of the troupe of the Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.
In 1902, Vera Komissarzhevskaya went on tour to the USA.
In 1904, Vera Komissarzhevskaya opened her own theater in St. Petersburg - the Komissarzhevskaya Theater.

Vera Komissarzhevskaya played about a thousand roles in classical and modern plays, including the role of Nina in the first production of The Seagull by A.P. Chekhov. Among Komissarzhevskaya’s friends were the writers M. Gorky and L.N. Andreev.
Komissarzhevskaya died of smallpox, having become infected during a tour in Tashkent on February 10 (23), 1910.

Photo from the beginning of the twentieth century.

Alexander Leonidovich Vishnevsky (real name Vishnevetsky, 1863-1943), outstanding Russian actor, Hero of Labor, Honored Artist of the Republic.

As you know, the Moscow Art Theater (MAT) opened on October 14 (26), 1898 with the premiere of “Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich” by A. Tolstoy. Boris Godunov in this performance was played by Alexander Leonidovich Vishnevsky. To the Moscow Art Theater troupe A.L. Vishnevsky was invited on the recommendation of the great Russian actress Glikeria Nikolaevna Fedotova.

Alexander Leonidovich Vishnevsky was the first performer of the title role in the Moscow Art Theater play "Uncle Vanya". In general, Vishnevsky played Chekhov a lot. His favorite role was Dr. Dorn, he played him in the first production of "The Seagull" on stage Art Theater. He was also the first performer of the role of Kulagin in Three Sisters. During his long theatrical life, A.L. Vishnevsky played many wonderful roles in the plays “At the Depths”, “Woe from Wit”, “Hamlet”, “Julius Caesar”, “Autumn Violins”, “Sellers of Glory”, “The Snow Maiden”, etc.

A.L. Vishnevsky was the first artist to be awarded the title of Hero of Labor.

When the Great Patriotic War began, A.L. Vishnevsky, together with the Moscow Art Theater elders, was evacuated to Tbilisi. Fear of a German offensive forced the Vishnevskys to move to Tashkent. There Alexander Leonidovich Vishnevsky died in 1943.

Photo from the beginning of the twentieth century.

Olga Leonardovna Knipper-Chekhova (1868 - 1959), outstanding Russian actress; People's Artist of the USSR (1937), wife of A.P. Chekhov.

Cold, Faith Vasilevna - Wikipedia

Pavlova

Vera Lyadova was the first prima donna of Russian operetta, and it was she who became the reason for the unprecedented success of this musical genre on the Alexandrinsky stage in the late 1860s. As noted in the sources, in addition to her magnificent stage appearance, innate musicality, beautiful voice and excellent choreography, she had humor and “the special chic of a cascade operetta actress.” She performed equally successfully in operetta, ballet, and drama.

The viewer went to the Alexandrinsky Theater “to see Lyadova.” Her name on the poster ensured not just a full gathering, but every time a celebration, a triumph for the “queen of the cancan.” Tickets for the performance were obtained miraculously - only by appointment, and people were willing to pay two, three, five times their actual price for them. According to M. O. Yankovsky, after the production of “The Beautiful Helen”, the St. Petersburg imperial drama turned into real theater operettas from the point of view of repertoire saturation.

5 facts about Vera Lyadova

• Vera Lyadova's salary in ballet troupe Petersburg Imperial Theaters amounted to 600 silver rubles per year.
• Jacques Offenbach's play “The Beautiful Helen” with Vera Lyadova had forty-two performances at the Alexandrinsky Theater in its first season.
• Having married choreographer Lev Ivanov, Vera Lyadova added her husband’s surname to her surname, becoming Lyadova-Ivanova. This surname is also carved on the actress’s tombstone.
• Lyadova, who did not leave the ballet stage for more than ten years, became a mother three times during this time. Of the three sons she had, the first died in infancy, and two survived, but the youngest of them was deaf and mute.
• The funeral of Vera Lyadova became her last triumph. The crowd blocked all the streets along which the funeral procession passed. The coffin was carried in the hands of artists of the imperial theaters all the way to the Smolensk cemetery, where so many people gathered that many climbed onto trees, partitions and even awnings on the graves.

Materials about Vera Lyadova