Volkovsky Theater is official.

The theater on the banks of the Volga owes its birth to the actor and director Fyodor Grigorievich Volkov, who was only 21 years old at that time. On June 29, 1750, near a large stone barn, where the merchant Polushkin had previously stored his leather goods, Polushkin’s stepson Fyodor Volkov and his comrades gave their first performance. The repertoire of Fyodor Volkov’s theater included plays by Dmitry Rostovsky, tragedies by Lomonosov and Sumarokov, as well as satirical productions by Volkov himself - “Shemyakin’s Court”, “The Amusement of Moscow Spectators about Maslenitsa”, “Every Eremey Understand to Yourself”. The theater's first tour was a trip to St. Petersburg at the invitation of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna.
Volkov created new theatrical forms, being the director of a “national spectacle”, the masquerade “Minerva Triumphant”, staged in Moscow in honor of the coronation of Catherine II. He established the performing arts as a school of civic feelings and connected it with the problems of the era. Volkov’s desire to democratize the theater and make it accessible to everyone was extremely important for the further development of the national stage.
Volkov's traditions were further developed by Ivan Dmitrevsky, Volkov's comrade-in-arms, who was destined to go from a scribe in the Yaroslavl provincial chancellery to an academician. Volkov’s work was continued by Dmitrevsky’s students, the great Russian tragedians Katerina Semenova and Alexey Yakovlev, followed by Pavel Mochalov and Mikhail Shchepkin, new generations of masters of the Russian theater.
In the first half of the 19th century, the best actors of the Volkovsky Theater troupe asserted a new stage truth; in their work, in contrast to the routine manner of acting, a bright realistic beginning was ripening.

A big event in the life of Yaroslavl was the tour of the largest Russian actors, masters of theatrical art V.P. Samoilov, V.I. Zhivokini - representatives of the Sadovsky dynasty. G. N. Fedotova, A. E. Martynov, F. P. Gorev, V. V. Charsky, K. N. Poltavtsev, P. M. Medvedev, N. H. Rybakov, toured on the stage of the Yaroslavl Theater at different times. the famous black tragedian Ira Aldridge, the Adelheim brothers, M. V. Dalsky, P. N. Orlenev, M. N. Ermolova, V. F. Komissarzhevskaya, K. A. Varlamov, V. N. Davydov, M. G. Savina , singers N.V. Plevitskaya, A.D. Vyaltseva, Varya Panina. In the 1890s, K. S. Stanislavsky performed here several times
The season of 1899–1900 was marked by preparations for the anniversary and celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Russian National Theater. The best forces of the imperial - St. Petersburg and Moscow Maly - theaters were invited to the Volkov anniversary celebrations in 1900. Celebrations in Yaroslavl in honor of the birth of the First Russian Theater became a holiday for all of Russia.
In 1909, a competition was announced for the best design for the building of a new city theater; the previous building fell into disrepair, and the Duma decided to build a new theater with a capacity of more than 1000 spectators. The first prize in this competition was awarded to the architect N. A. Spirin (1882 - 1938).
In 1911, the new theater building was inaugurated with a huge crowd of people.
At the opening of the theater, a welcoming telegram from K. S. Stanislavsky was read out: “Please accept my heartfelt gratitude for the invitation and memory... I sincerely wish that a nice young business will arise and flourish in the homeland of the founder of the Russian theater. Please accept congratulations and pass on the work to the participants. Stanislavsky."
In the same year, the theater was named after Fyodor Grigorievich Volkov.
For two years (1914 - 1916) the theater was run by a young but already well-known director in Russia, I. A. Rostovtsev, who assembled a very strong troupe and attracted audiences with talented productions of “The Bourgeois” by M. Gorky and “The Seagulls”
A.P. Chekhov, with attention to Russian classical drama.
In the first years of Soviet power, the Yaroslavl Theater received the name “Soviet Volkov Theater.”
In the second half of the 30s, the Volkovsky Theater troupe united into a wonderful, strict and harmonious ensemble of stage masters, who determined the creative face of the theater for many decades. These are S. Romodanov, A. Chudinova, A. Magnitskaya, V. Sokolov, S. Komissarov, V. Politimsky, G. Svobodin. The repertoire of the 30s is represented by Russian classics, primarily the dramaturgy of Ostrovsky (“The Thunderstorm”, “Dowry”, “Guilty Without Guilt”, “The Last Victim”).
During the Great Patriotic War, many Volkovites went to the front, taking up arms in their hands to defend their Motherland. Among them are actors Valerian Sokolov, Vladimir Mitrofanov, Dmitry Aborkin, Vladimir Mosyagin, decorator, and later actor Konstantin Lisitsyn, awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, actress who became a front-line intelligence officer, Sofya Avericheva, actress Maria Rypnevskaya, artistic director of the theater David Mansky. The young director Semyon Orshansky came to the theater in 1940. He made his debut with the play “Warm Heart”
A. N. Ostrovsky, managed to stage “The Guy from Our Town” and “The Gadfly”. In 1942 he died in the battles for Stalingrad.
Starting from the 50s, the theater entered a time of true prosperity. The best stage masters - People's Artists of the USSR and the RSFSR, State Prize laureates Grigory Belov, Valery Nelsky, Sergei Romodanov, Alexandra Chudinova, Klara Nezvanova - carry a considerable charge of the old Russian classical theatrical culture in their work. The performances of the Volkovsky Theater are marked by unity and integrity of style.
From 1960 to 1978, the theater was managed by the outstanding figure of Soviet theatrical art, People's Artist of the USSR, State Prize laureate Firs Shishigin. A significant stage in the history of the Volkovsky stage is associated with the name of Shishigin, who headed the theater for almost two decades.
In the early 60s, the energetic director Viktor Davydov, captivating with his performances, worked on the Volkovskaya stage.
Next to the elders of the Volkovo scene - G. Belov, V. Nelsky, A. Chudinova, G. Svobodin, K. Nezvanova, S. Romodanov, the talent and talents of the masters of the Volkovo scene of the new generation are most clearly manifested - Nikolai Kuzmin, Yuri Karaev, Vladimir Solopov, Natalia Terentyeva, Sergei Tikhonov, Felix Razdyakonov.
At the turn of the 70s and 80s, the traditions of the Russian stage school were continued by Vladimir Kuzmin, who headed the theater. “Barbarians” and “The Counterfeit Coin” by M. Gorky are solved in a cutting-edge and psychologically rich manner. “The Nightingale Night” by V. Yezhov was marked by romantic inspiration and excited lyricism; “The Mother’s Field” by Ch. Aitmatov conquered with its epic breadth.
From 1983 to 1987, the theater was led by director Gleb Drozdov.
For the first time, a theater director so openly declares his intention to reject previous traditions, justifying this by the need to liberate himself from “academicism” and conservative ways of stage existence. For the first time, theater is so sharply torn away from its origins, from its roots, from its core. Drozdov defends the theater of spectacle and performance, anticipating the coming element of the market and the commercialization of entertainment enterprises.
In the early 90s, the theater was headed by director Vladimir Vorontsov, who foresaw and reflected in his work the rhythms of a catastrophic time. His undoubted successes include the acutely psychological production of “Professor Storitsyn” by L. Andreev, the spectacular “Corsican Woman” by I. Gubach, and the poetic confession of “Vieux Carré” by T. Williams.
The social changes that led to the collapse of the USSR and subsequent events undoubtedly affected the drastic attempts to reform the theater personnel and the state of the team, which experienced many upheavals during this period.
Since 1996, the main director of the theater has been Vladimir Bogolepov, a thoughtful artist who in the past studied with the famous Volkov “old men”, who honors the historical traditions and artistic achievements of the theater. The theater is heading towards Russian and world classical drama.
In 1997, with the play “The Child Killer” by F. Gorenstein, the theater was invited to Prague, on the stage of the National Theater “Narodny Divadlo”. In May - June 1998, with the support of Russian cultural centers, the theater conducted a tour with the performances of Dostoevsky's "Foma" and Chekhov's "Platonov" in European cities - Paris, Prague, Budapest, Bratislava, Berlin. The tour had a great artistic resonance and contributed to the establishment of new creative connections for the theater. In 1999, the theater made a new tour of Northern Europe - the theater presented its art in Finland, Denmark and Norway.

Drama Theater named after. Fedora Volkova (Yaroslavl, Russia) - repertoire, ticket prices, address, phone numbers, official website.

• Tours for the New Year in Russia
• Last minute tours in Russia

Previous photo Next photo

There is reason to consider the Russian State Academic Drama Theater named after Fyodor Volkov as the country's first professional theater: it was founded in 1750 by the merchant son F. Volkov. At that time, the theater, however, was an amateur troupe that performed its performances in an old barn. Nevertheless, Volkov’s successes in creating a professional theater were so noticeable that Empress Elizabeth even invited him to St. Petersburg for similar work. Already in the 19th century. the theater in Yaroslavl became one of the best in the country.

Today the theater, which bears the unofficial name of the “First Russian”, occupies a building built in 1911 by the architect N. Spirin. This is the third building on Yaroslavl’s theater square, which was later renamed in honor of the theater’s founder. The façade, portico and walls of the building are decorated with sculptures, including figures from ancient mythology associated with art. In the interior of the auditorium you can admire the painting “The Triumph of Dionysus” on the frieze, made by N. Verkhoturov.

Nowadays, the theater hosts events on a federal and national scale - in particular, the International Volkov Festival, which is among the top 5 theater forums in Russia.

Nowadays, the theater stages classics and avant-garde, and hosts events on a federal and national scale - in particular, the International Volkov Festival, which is one of the top 5 theater forums in Russia. The youth festival “The Future of Theater Russia” is also held here.

The latest innovation in the Volkov Theater is a separate project, which is based on the chamber stage. Center named after K. Treplev is devoted mainly to modern and experimental dramaturgy.

Already in modern times, actors and performances have brought the theater a total of four Golden Mask awards.

In the 1930s A theater museum was opened. Its first exhibits were photographic materials, posters and programs. Subsequently, the city art gallery donated to the museum its entire collection of materials related to the theatrical history of Yaroslavl. Currently, the museum's collections contain about 15 thousand exhibits. The most valuable of them are photographs from the 1890s. and glass negatives from the 1930s-1950s. Also of interest are scenery sketches, play manuscripts, theatrical costumes, etc.

Practical information

Address: pl. Volkova, 1.

Entrance: tickets for an evening performance on the main stage cost 100-700 RUB.

Prices on the page are as of November 2019.

The Russian State Academic Drama Theater named after F. G. Volkov traces its history back to the first public professional theater in Russia, founded in Yaroslavl by Fyodor Volkov in 1750.

XVIII century. First Russian

According to legend, the glory of the Russian theater originates from an ancient tannery barn, in which the theater of “eager comedians” led by the merchant’s son Fyodor Grigorievich Volkov staged performances.

By 1750, in Yaroslavl there was no longer an amateur, but a professional theater with a permanent troupe, an extensive repertoire and a new building for the presentation of tragedies and comedies, which could accommodate up to 1000 spectators.

The first Yaroslavl comedians who formed the troupe of Fyodor Volkov were employees of the Yaroslavl Provincial Chancellery Ivan Dmitrevsky, Ivan Ikonnikov, Semyon Kuklin, Yakov Popov, Tveritskaya Sloboda townsman Semyon Skochkov, natives of Little Russia (Ukraine) Yakov Shumsky and Demyan Galik. The troupe also includes Fyodor Volkov's brothers - Grigory and Gabriel.

The repertoire of the Volkov troupe included spiritual dramas by Metropolitan Dimitry of Rostov, tragedies by Racine, Sumarokov, and comedies by Moliere. Fyodor Volkov and his Yaroslavl associates formed the core of the first state Russian professional national public theater.

In 1751, news about the Yaroslavl theater reached St. Petersburg. Senate executor Count Ignatiev, while in Yaroslavl by definition of the Senate to investigate abuses of wine farming, attended performances of the Volkov troupe in his free time, and upon his return, his enthusiastic reviews of the Yaroslavl theater reached Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. On January 5, 1752, the highest Decree was issued: “Bring Fyodor Grigoriev’s son Volkov, aka Polushkin, with his brothers Gavril and Grigory (who run a theater in Yaroslavl and play comedies) and whoever else they need for this purpose, to St. Petersburg... »

High professional skill and natural talent contributed to the recognition of Volkov’s talent and the establishment of the glory of the first actor of the Russian theater. The significance of Volkov's actions is enormous. He defended the national identity of Russian theater and laid the foundation for a school of Russian acting, illuminated by the light of noble and humanistic ideals. Volkov's theater was a civil, patriotic, tyrant-fighting theatre; it defended the motives of liberty, liberty, and human dignity.

Volkov created new theatrical forms, becoming the director of a “national spectacle”, the masquerade “Minerva Triumphant”, staged in Moscow in honor of the coronation of Catherine II. He established the performing arts as a school of civic feelings and connected it with the problems of the era. Volkov’s desire to democratize the theater and make it accessible to everyone was extremely important for the further development of the national stage.

Volkov's traditions were further developed by Ivan Dmitrevsky, Volkov's comrade-in-arms, who was destined to go from a scribe in the Yaroslavl provincial chancellery to an academician. Volkov’s work was continued by Dmitrevsky’s students, the great Russian tragedians Katerina Semenova and Alexey Yakovlev, followed by Pavel Mochalov and Mikhail Shchepkin, new generations of masters of the Russian theater.

With the departure of Volkov and his troupe to St. Petersburg, the theater ceased to exist for some time, but soon theatrical life in Yaroslavl was revived. Since 1777, the development of culture has been promoted by the enlightened governor A.P. Melgunov, patron of literature, theater and book publishing. The governor encourages the development of the theater; amateur performances are staged in his house. In 1786, the First Actor of the Russian Imperial Theater, Volkov's successor, Ivan Afanasyevich Dmitrevsky, gave his tour at the Melgunov Theater in Yaroslavl. He played Sinav in Sumarokov’s tragedy “Sinav and Truvor”.

XIX century. Becoming

Subsequently, theaters in Yaroslavl arose on private initiative: the theater was kept in his house by Governor M. N. Golitsyn, in a specially equipped building - by Prince D. M. Urusov (from the end of the 18th century to 1818).

The most important stage in the development of theater in Yaroslavl was the construction in 1819 of the first special theater building. It was built at his own expense and according to his own design by the provincial architect Pyotr Yakovlevich Pankov. The building in the classicist style was built on the site of a demolished rampart. Since then, for almost two hundred years, the Yaroslavl theater has been located in the very place that Pankov chose for it.

The owner of the theater building was the wife of Pyotr Yakovlevich, Elizaveta Andrianovna. She also took care of the affairs of the troupe. From 1824 Pankov began renting out the theater. The first tenant was V. S. Tikhmenev. Since 1826, the building was rented by the wealthy landowner of Lyubimsky district V. Obreskov, who had his own serf actors. Then D. M. Urusov’s troupe played for one year. He was replaced as an entrepreneur by actor Lisitsyn, “dismissed with a full pension from the management of the Imperial Moscow Theater.”

As Yaroslavl historian N.S. Zemlyanskaya found out, in the 1820s Pankov seriously rebuilt the building: according to the documents she found in the archives, it appears that by the end of the 1820s it was already made of stone.

And in 1834 it was acquired by actor Mikhail Yakovlevich Alekseev, who received a rich inheritance, and in 1841 he rebuilt the building again. With minor changes, it served for another forty years.

After Alekseev’s death in 1848, the building was inherited by his young daughter Fyokla (her mother managed the business), and in 1855, the former serf musician and then theater cashier Vasily Andreevich Smirnov, who married Fyokla, became the owner of the Yaroslavl theater. Smirnov cared little about maintaining it in decent condition. Having squeezed everything he could out of the enterprise, in 1880 he sold the theater to the merchant of the 1st guild Sergei Arefievich Chernogorov.

Soon after Chernogorov took over the theater, it became clear that the building did not meet fire safety requirements. The City Duma demanded that Chernogorov carry out a serious reconstruction of the premises, including the installation of fireproof stairs. Realizing what kind of collar he had put on his neck, Chernogorov chose to sell the theater building to the city government for 15,000 rubles - even cheaper than the same price (19,000 rubles) that he paid when buying it.

In 1882, the theater became, in modern terms, municipal property. Given its condition, the city, as its new owner, began serious reconstruction that same summer. In fact, a new building was built on the basis of the old volume. It is assumed that the author of the project could be a young talented architect Nikolai Ivanovich Pozdeev. However, no documentary evidence of this has been found. Pozdeev did participate in the reconstruction, but whether he was implementing his own project or someone else’s is not known for certain.

During the reconstruction, extensions were made along the front and side facades, giving the theater a completely different look: the public had the complete feeling that a new building had appeared in the city. The layout of the auditorium has also changed. After reconstruction, there were 677 seats in it: in the stalls - 195, in boxes - 215, in the galleries - 267.

Among the entrepreneurs who rented the theater from the city were Derkach, Danilov, Lebedeva, and Baron von Tyumen. There is no memory left of their theatrical activities in the city.

In 1887-1889, the enterprise was run by N. A. Borisovsky. He included in his repertoire plays by Fonvizin, Ostrovsky, Sukhovo-Kobylin, Turgenev, Moliere, Shakespeare and other serious authors. Under Borisovsky, A.P. Chekhov’s play “Ivanov” was staged in Yaroslavl even earlier than in St. Petersburg. He was the first to make a proposal to erect a monument to F.G. Volkov in the city.

After Borisovsky, the theater was rented by A.P. Nabalov from Vologda, who relied on an operetta and farce troupe. Once again, a serious repertoire returned to the Yaroslavl Theater in 1894-1897 during the period of the enterprise of the theater artist Korsh Z. A. Malinovskaya. She was replaced by A.M. Karalli-Tortsov, who focused on commercially successful repertoire at the expense of serious drama. Subsequently, he took on the enterprise twice more at the Yaroslavl Theater (1902−1904 and 1912−1914). His daughter Vera Caralli became a famous ballerina.

The Yaroslavl Theater nurtured major talents who later graced the capital's stages.

For three seasons (1844 - 1847) the talent of Lyubov Pavlovna Kositskaya (later Nikulina-Kositskaya) was formed on the Yaroslavl stage. Young Kositskaya, who had an attractive appearance and a good voice, quickly became the favorite of the Yaroslavl and Rybinsk public. She played in tragedies, comedies, dramas and vaudevilles, exciting the delight of the audience with the grace of her performance and sincerity of feeling. A younger contemporary of Mochalov and Shchepkin, Nikulina-Kositskaya became the predecessor of Ermolova, Strepetova, and Olga Sadovskaya on the Russian dramatic stage. She was destined to become the best performer of the role of Katerina in “The Thunderstorm” by A. N. Ostrovsky.

In the 1860s, an unknown young actress Pelageya Antipyevna Strepetova made her debut on the stage of the Rybinsk Theater. For two seasons - in 1865 - 1866, the actress served in Smirnov's enterprise on the stage of the Yaroslavl Theater.

A big event in the life of Yaroslavl was the tour of the great Russian actor Mikhail Semenovich Shchepkin on the stage of the city theater. He came to Yaroslavl twice: in the spring of 1856 and in May 1858. Shchepkin's first visit to Yaroslavl coincided with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Russian Theater in St. Petersburg. At a gala dinner given in honor of the actor by the provincial marshal of the nobility, Shchepkin called for a monument to be erected to the founder of the Russian Theater, Fyodor Grigorievich Volkov.

In the 1896-1897 season, Ivan Mikhailovich Moskvin began his stage activity in Yaroslavl. Here his first fame came, here his talent received public recognition and support. In the first season of the Moscow Art Theater, in 1898, Moskvin was entrusted with the role of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich.

At the Yaroslavl Theater, the young Yaroslavl resident Leonid Vitalievich Sobinov, the future great Russian singer, began his stage career as an inconspicuous extra. On August 9, 1898, the first concert of Sobinov, a tenor of the Imperial Theaters who had already won fame, took place in his hometown.

In the first half of the 19th century, the best actors of the Volkovsky Theater troupe asserted a new stage truth; in their work, in contrast to the routine manner of acting, a bright realistic beginning was ripening.

A big event in the life of Yaroslavl was the tour of the largest Russian actors, masters of theatrical art V.P. Samoilov, V.I. Zhivokini - representatives of the Sadovsky dynasty. G. N. Fedotova, A. E. Martynov, F. P. Gorev, V. V. Charsky, K. N. Poltavtsev, P. M. Medvedev, N. H. Rybakov, toured on the stage of the Yaroslavl Theater at different times. the famous black tragedian Ira Aldridge, the Adelheim brothers, M. V. Dalsky, P. N. Orlenev, M. N. Ermolova, V. F. Komissarzhevskaya, K. A. Varlamov, V. N. Davydov, M. G. Savina , singers N.V. Plevitskaya, A.D. Vyaltseva, Varya Panina. In the 1890s, K. S. Stanislavsky performed here several times.

XX century With the name Volkova

The season of 1899 - 1900 was marked by preparations for the anniversary and celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Russian national theater. The best forces of the imperial - St. Petersburg and Moscow Maly - theaters were invited to the Volkov anniversary celebrations in 1900. Celebrations in Yaroslavl in honor of the birth of the First Russian Theater became a holiday for all of Russia.

In 1906, it became clear that the theater building had fallen into disrepair. At first, the city authorities, having decided to build a new building, entrusted the preparation of the project and estimate to the city architect Alexander Nikiforov. He completed the assigned work, and his project was even approved by the City Duma. But the public in Yaroslavl criticized Nikiforov’s project and it was eventually rejected.

Meanwhile, the old building was dismantled in the summer of 1907, and construction of a new one did not begin.

In 1909, an all-Russian competition was finally announced for the best design for the building of a new city theater. The Duma decided to build a new theater with a capacity of at least 1000 spectators. The competition jury was headed by the chairman of the Moscow Architectural Society F. Shekhtel. A total of 66 projects were submitted to the competition. And the first prize was awarded to 27-year-old student of the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture Nikolai Spirin (1882 - 1938).

The building, designed by Spirin and under his supervision, was built in just a year and a half - a fantastically short period of time! On the facade of the theater and the side walls there are sculptural compositions, on the portico there is a sculptural group, in the center of which is the patron of the arts Apollo the Cyfared, on the left is the muse of tragedy Melpomene, on the right is the muse of comedy Thalia (or, according to another version, the muse of lyric poetry Euterpe). The side sculptural high reliefs (metopes) are dedicated to the motifs of ancient tragedy.

The auditorium is decorated with a picturesque frieze “The Triumph of Dionysus” by the famous “Silver Age” artist Nikolai Verkhoturov and his assistant Vera Saken. The decorator was the Yaroslavl artist Alexey Kornilov.

On September 28, 1911, the new theater building was inaugurated with a huge crowd of people. At the opening, a welcoming telegram from K. S. Stanislavsky was read out: “Please accept my heartfelt gratitude for the invitation and memory... I sincerely wish that a nice young business will arise and flourish in the homeland of the founder of the Russian theater. Please accept congratulations and pass on the work to the participants. Stanislavsky."

By decision of the City Duma, the new theater was named after Fyodor Grigorievich Volkov.

For two years (1914 - 1916) the theater was run by a young but already well-known director in Russia, I. A. Rostovtsev, who assembled a very strong troupe, attracting spectators with talented productions of “The Bourgeois” by M. Gorky, “The Seagull” by A. P. Chekhov, attention to Russian classical drama.

By decree of the Council of People's Commissars of November 9, 1917, all theaters in the country were transferred to the jurisdiction of the People's Commissariat of Education.

But only in August 1918 did the leadership of the Volkovsky Theater pass to the artistic section of the Department of Public Education of the Yaroslavl Provincial Executive Committee. Artist N. G. Kitaev was appointed administrator of the theater. The theater board was headed by doctor F. S. Troitsky. In October 1918, the theater was municipalized.

Opening of the first season of the Soviet Theater named after. Volkov took place on October 26, 1918. The head of the art section delivered a greeting at the opening. The theater season lasted 9 months, 233 performances were performed, and 100(!) plays were staged.

In the 20s and 30s, artistic directors B. E. Bertels, I. A. Rostovtsev, D. M. Mansky, artists A. I. Ippolitov, N. N. Medovshchikov, people of great creative courage, inner temperament, with great demands on themselves and others, with a desire to raise the level of theater to the true heights of art.

In the second half of the 30s, the Volkovsky Theater troupe united into a wonderful, strict and harmonious ensemble of stage masters, who determined the creative face of the theater for many decades. These are S. Romodanov, A. Chudinova, A. Magnitskaya, V. Sokolov, S. Komissarov, V. Politimsky, G. Svobodin.

The repertoire of the 30s is represented by Russian classics, primarily the dramaturgy of Ostrovsky ("The Thunderstorm", "Dowry", "Guilty Without Guilt", "The Last Victim"), where in the roles of Katerina, Larisa Ogudalova, Kruchinina, Yulia Tugina, the poetic- tragic talent of Alexandra Chudinova.

The theater’s ability to deeply, philosophically and psychologically reveal the “crisis” person of the Soviet era is becoming stronger. The breath of time burst onto the stage in “Bread” by V. Kirshon and “Distant” by A. Afinogenov, “Plato Krechet” by A. Korneichuk and “My Friend” by N. Pogodin.

In the plays “Three Sisters” by A. P. Chekhov, “Anna Karenina” (based on L. N. Tolstoy), “Romeo and Juliet” by W. Shakespeare, “Nora” by G. Ibsen, “Cunning and Love” by F. Schiller, Volk members affirm the desire for deeply psychological theater, for the revelation of spiritual truth.

Yaroslavl residents were the first to stage “Peter I” by Alexei Tolstoy on the provincial stage. The performance was born in close collaboration with the author of the play. Alexey Tolstoy was present at the premiere of the play on May 19, 1939, noting the excellent performance of the central roles by S. Romodanov and A. Chudinova. The Moscow tour in 1939 brought the group well-deserved recognition and fame.

Until December 1938, the theater was listed as a city theater, then it was renamed regional, and from 1943 it was called the Yaroslavl State Theater named after. F. G. Volkova.

During the Great Patriotic War, many Volkovites went to the front, taking up arms in their hands to defend their Motherland. Among them are actors Valerian Sokolov, Vladimir Mitrofanov, Dmitry Aborkin, Vladimir Mosyagin, decorator, and later actor Konstantin Lisitsyn, awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, actress who became a front-line intelligence officer, Sofya Avericheva, actress Maria Rypnevskaya, artistic director of the theater David Mansky. The young director Semyon Orshansky came to the theater in 1940. He made his debut with the play “Warm Heart” by A. N. Ostrovsky, and managed to stage “The Guy from Our Town” and “The Gadfly”. In 1942 he died in the battles for Stalingrad.

The enemy was near Moscow. We had debates in the theater about what is more important in difficult years for the Motherland: art that inspires people to fight, or direct participation in battle. There were different opinions. And when one day our actors V.G. Sokolov, A.P. Demin, S.P. Avericheva, V.I. Mitrofanov joined the troops leaving for the west - everyone envied them.

Severe, strict military drama has become leading in the theatrical repertoire from the very beginning of the war - “The Guy from Our City”, “Russian People” by K. Simonov, “Front” by A. Korneychuk, “Invasion” by L. Leonov, “The Boatwoman” by N. Pogodin , “General Brusilov” by I. Selvinsky, “Field Marshal Kutuzov” by V. Solovyov.

In 1943, the premiere of “The Old Man” by M. Gorky, directed by I. A. Rostovtsev, took place on the Volkovskaya stage, which became a notable phenomenon in the country’s theatrical life. The role of the Old Man became the zenith of the acting glory of the wonderful actor Pavel Gaideburov. The performance revealed the deep nature and bestial ideology of fascism. Gaideburov masterfully conveyed the voluptuous, predatory pleasure of the Old Man, burned by misanthropic bestial anger, the rapture of the very process of torture with fear, the opportunity to execute a person... At the same time, the play was shown on tour in the capital and was called “an outstanding event in the theatrical life of Moscow.”

In 1950, the 200th anniversary of the First Russian Theater was solemnly celebrated. On June 11, 1950, “for great achievements in the development of theatrical art, in connection with the 200th anniversary of its founding,” the theater was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.

Starting from the 50s, the theater entered a time of true prosperity. The best stage masters - People's Artists of the USSR and the RSFSR, State Prize laureates Grigory Belov, Valery Nelsky, Sergei Romodanov, Alexandra Chudinova, Klara Nezvanova - carry a considerable charge of the old Russian classical theatrical culture in their work. The performances of the Volkovsky Theater are marked by unity and integrity of style.

At the end of the 40s, a new artistic director, Pyotr Vasiliev, came to the theater - an artist of bright, powerful and temperamental talent, which was especially evident in the production of Gorky’s plays “Yegor Bulychov and Others”, “Somov and Others”.

In the mid-50s, the theater troupe was replenished with graduates of the capital's theater universities. Young actors Tamara Nikolskaya and Felix Mokeev (Larisa and Karandyshev in “The Dowry”, Nina Zarechnaya and Treplev in “The Seagull”, Lisa and Panshin in “The Noble Nest”), Natalia Terentyeva, Sergei Tikhonov, Felix Razdyakonov, are quickly becoming the favorites of the public in Yaroslavl. Igor Baranov, Lev Dubov, Yuri Karaev.

A diverse and generous acting palette allows director Tikhon Kondrashev to create the performances “Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich”, “The Seagull”, “The Noble Nest”, “Dowry”.

From 1960 to 1978, the theater was managed by an outstanding figure in Soviet theatrical art, People's Artist of the USSR, State Prize laureate Firs Shishigin. A significant stage in the history of the Volkovsky stage is associated with the name of Shishigin, who headed the theater for almost two decades.

This was the Russian character, sweeping, spontaneous, with enormous internal contradictions. Russian theater of the second half of the twentieth century can name few directors who worked so passionately, enthusiastically and temperamentally on the global and tragic problem of the Russian people and history. Shishigin's time in the theater is a time of creative passion and unprecedented unity of the troupe.

In different years (1960, 1963, 1975), trying to perpetuate the image of Fyodor Volkov, the theater turned to creating a play about the first Russian actor. The author of all stage versions was the Volkovets actor and playwright Nikolai Mikhailovich Sever. In 1960, a romantic drama appeared on stage (directed by R. Vartapetov). Then, in 1963, F. Shishigin staged a powerful folk performance, including Russian games, excerpts from the drama “Tsar Maximilian”, episodes from Sumarokov’s tragedies “Khorev”, “Sinav and Truvor”, and the masquerade “Minerva Triumphant”.

In the early 60s, the energetic director Viktor Davydov, captivating with his performances, worked on the Volkovskaya stage. Next to the elders of the Volkovo scene - G. Belov, V. Nelsky, A. Chudinova, G. Svobodin, K. Nezvanova, S. Romodanov, the talent and talents of the masters of the Volkovo scene of the new generation are most clearly manifested - Nikolai Kuzmin, Yuri Karaev, Vladimir Solopov, Natalia Terentyeva, Sergei Tikhonov, Felix Razdyakonov.

On April 29, 1966, “for outstanding services in the development of Soviet theatrical art,” the Ministry of Culture of the USSR awarded the Yaroslavl Order of the Red Banner of Labor to the theater named after. F. G. Volkov honorary title - academic.

On January 12, 1962, the board of the Ministry of Culture of the RSFSR adopted a resolution “On the work of the Yaroslavl Drama Theater named after. F.G. Volkov", which set the task of reconstructing the theater building. The design assignment, approved by the regional executive committee on May 9, provided for an increase in the volume of the building due to the superstructure and extension by 16.5 thousand cubic meters - from 38 to 54.5 thousand. At the same time, the number of places was reduced from 1,100 to 1,054. The estimated cost of reconstruction was determined at 628 thousand rubles, which approximately corresponded to the cost of building 125 two-room apartments. The stage box was built six meters high, and a three-story part 21 meters long was added at the back.

The architectural design of the facades of the attached and built-on parts was made in accordance with the character of the existing building while maintaining a single, holistic appearance. In the new part of the building the same divisions, rustics, cornices were continued, and the same types of windows were adopted. The reconstruction affected the main façade of the theater minimally.

As a result, the size of the theater's main stage increased significantly: with a width of 21 meters (this parameter has not changed), its depth was 20 meters, and the height from the tablet to the grate was 24 meters. According to these indicators, among the country's drama theaters, even today only the Russian Army Theater and the Moscow Art Theater, the Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, the theaters of Arkhangelsk and Yekaterinburg and... the Yaroslavl Youth Theater can compete with Volkovsky. And in 1967, in terms of stage parameters, Yaroslavl residents were surpassed only by the Soviet Army Theater, Leningradsky. Pushkin (Alexandrinka) and Arkhangelsky. The authors of the Volkovsky Theater reconstruction project were Yaroslavl architect Lyudmila Vasilyevna Shiryaeva (audience part) and Muscovite Elizaveta Natanovna Chechik (stage complex).

During the reconstruction period, the Palace of Culture of the Yaroslavl Motor Plant became the main stage for Volkovites. The stage of the recreation center was given to the Volkovites 15-17 days a month. On other days, the theater showed performances in clubs and cultural centers, including rural ones, and went on tour.

The grand opening of the theater after reconstruction took place on August 1, 1967. There were no distinguished guests from the capital at the event. Everything went quite like a family: the city leadership praised the builders, the builders wished success to the artists, the artists thanked the city leadership for their care. As the Northern Worker newspaper reported, “ The first secretary of the regional committee of the CPSU F.I. spoke at the evening. Loschenkov. On behalf of the regional and city party committees, the regional executive committee and the city executive committee, he cordially thanked the builders, architects, installers, designers, and all those who contributed their work to the reconstruction of the F. G. Volkov Theater building. The renovated theater building, he noted, is a wonderful gift to the workers of Yaroslavl for the 50th anniversary of the Great October Revolution. This is a big event in the cultural life of the city and region. Congratulating the theater staff on the opening of the 218th season, F. I. Loschenkov wished the actors, artists, directors to create bright performances that reveal the greatness of the deeds and achievements of the Soviet people in the construction of communism».

The gala evening ended with the performance “Fyodor Volkov”.

In 1969, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of V.I. Lenin, an Agreement on Socialist Commonwealth was concluded between the theater and the largest enterprise in the city - the Order of Lenin Tire Factory. The parties assumed mutual obligations.

The theater staff, in particular, pledged to “create highly artistic performances about our modernity, performances telling about the implementation of Lenin’s behests.” A program was developed for the aesthetic education of the enterprise's workers. Theater workers at the factory sites held conversations about the creative path of the team, about its masters, meetings of actors, directors, artists with workers, impromptu concerts, introduced tire workers to new performances, organized joint evenings, creative and technical workers of the theater provided assistance to factory amateur performances.

For its part, “the plant staff, using the theater’s assistance in the communist education of the working people, more successfully solves production problems and improves the production culture.”

Until 1970, the theater was subordinate to the Department of Culture of the Yaroslavl Regional Executive Committee. In the 1970s, it was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture of the RSFSR.

In 1975, in connection with the 225th anniversary, the Volkovsky Theater was awarded the Order of the October Revolution.

At the turn of the 70s and 80s, the traditions of the Russian stage school were continued by Vladimir Kuzmin, who headed the theater. “Barbarians” and “The Counterfeit Coin” by M. Gorky are solved in a cutting-edge and psychologically rich way. “Nightingale Night” by V. Yezhov is marked with romantic inspiration and excited lyricism, and “Mother’s Field” by Ch. Aitmatov conquered with its epic breadth.

One of the most notable productions of the 80s was the play “The Case” based on the play by A. V. Sukhovo-Kobylin (literary edition by Viktor Rozov, staged by Sergei Rozov). “The Case” on the Volkov stage is a play about how the human conscience little by little begins to give in and give in. A man of strict duty, dreams, Muromsky - V. Nelsky becomes a man who disobeyed his own voice. The theater tells not only about the collapse of the Tarelkins, about how the business did not work out, how the bribe failed, but also about the fall of man, about how his conscience was destroyed.

From 1983 to 1987, the theater was directed by director Gleb Drozdov. For the first time, a theater director so openly declares his intention to reject previous traditions, justifying this by the need to liberate himself from “academicism” and conservative ways of stage existence. For the first time, theater is so sharply torn away from its origins, from its roots, from its core. Drozdov defends the theater of spectacle and performance, anticipating the coming element of the market and the commercialization of entertainment enterprises.

In 1988, the play “Warm Heart” based on the play by A. N. Ostrovsky, directed by Sergei Yashin and Vladimir Bogolepov, arose as a long-awaited response to the renewal of society that began with perestroika. Isn’t it time today, crushing the former Kuroslepov and hail-fighters, to remember precisely the warm heart? - asked the theater. The performance became a kind of test of Volkov's creative vitality - for readiness, after a painfully sleepy depression, for theatrical transformation, for bright characteristics within a well-coordinated acting ensemble, for depicting “living life” through the poetics of the grotesque and carnival. The beauty of nature (artist Elena Kachelaeva) and the beauty of the soul, merging, led one, poetic and lyrical melody, and the whole performance was filled with the air of the native land.

In the early 90s, the theater was headed by director Vladimir Vorontsov, who foresaw and reflected in his work the rhythms of a catastrophic time. His undoubted successes include the acutely psychological production of “Professor Storitsyn” by L. Andreev, the spectacular “Corsican Woman” by I. Gubach, and the poetic confession of “Vieux Carré” by T. Williams.

The social changes that led to the collapse of the USSR and subsequent events undoubtedly affected the drastic attempts to reform the theater personnel and the state of the team, which experienced many upheavals during this period.

The image of the ancient Russian theater, a genuine theatrical brotherhood, arose in the romantic extravaganza “The Green Carriage” (1993), staged by Mikhail Mamedov based on the script by A. Gladkov.

The theater troupe in the 1990s was an ensemble that harmoniously combined the experience of the oldest masters - People's Artists of Russia Nikolai Kuzmin, Natalia Terentyeva, Vladimir Solopov, Felix Razdyakonov - and young actors. The “third” generation of Volkovites, students of the Volkovsky Theater (all of them graduated from the Yaroslavl Theater School at the F. G. Volkov Theater, and subsequently the Yaroslavl Theater Institute) declared themselves more and more clearly - V. Sergeev, T. Ivanova, T. Isaeva, G. Krylova, I. Cheltsova. The characters created by actors V. Astashin, S. Kutsenko, V. Romanov were awarded acting successes. Graduates of the 80s confidently “held” the repertoire - T. Gladenko, I. Sidorova, V. Balashov, V. Kirillov, T. Malkova, N. Kudymov, E. Mundum, I. Sidorenko, A. Zubkov.

Since 1996, the main director of the theater has been Vladimir Bogolepov, a thoughtful artist who in the past studied with the famous Volkov “old men”, who honors the historical traditions and artistic achievements of the theater. The theater is heading towards Russian and world classical drama.

The theater’s repertoire at the turn of the century included “Foma” by F. M. Dostoevsky, “The Caucasian Novel” (based on “The Cossacks” and “Hadji Murat” by L. N. Tolstoy), “Platonov” by A. P. Chekhov, “Without Guilt” guilty”, “Forest”, “Simplicity is enough for every wise man” by A. N. Ostrovsky, “The Inspector General” by N. V. Gogol. World classics were represented by “Hamlet” by W. Shakespeare, “The Decameron” by G. Boccaccio, “The Venetian Twins” by C. Goldoni, and the play “Before Sunset” by G. Hauptmann.

At this time, performances were staged by master directors of Russia, near and far abroad Boris Golubovsky, Stanislav Tayushev, Alexander Kuzin, artistic director of the Prague National Theater Ivan Raymont (Czech Republic), chief director of the Minsk Theater named after M. Gorky Boris Lutsenko (Belarus), Vladimir Krasovsky , Rostislav Goryaev. The creative groups included famous artists Dmitry Mokhov (Belarus), Anatoly Shubin, Elena Senatova, Joseph Ziller (Slovakia), composers Alexander Chevsky and Yuri Pryalkin.

The theater has carried out significant tours in Russia and abroad. From 1995 to 1998: Kyiv, Minsk, Riga, Nalchik, Novorossiysk, Krasnodar.

In 1997, with the play “The Child Killer” by F. Gorenstein, the theater was invited to Prague, on the stage of the National Theater “Narodny Divadlo”. In May - June 1998, with the support of Russian cultural centers, the theater conducted a tour with the performances of Dostoevsky's Thomas and Chekhov's Platonov in European cities - Paris, Prague, Budapest, Bratislava, Berlin. The tour had a great artistic resonance and contributed to the establishment of new creative connections for the theater. In 1999, the theater made a new tour of Northern Europe - the theater presented its art in Finland, Denmark and Norway.

XXI Century. At the beginning of the new millennium

The 250th anniversary season, the last theatrical season of the twentieth century, opened at the Fyodor Volkov Russian Academic Drama Theater unusually late - November 30, 1999. This happened because large-scale renovations, quite comparable to reconstruction, continued in the theater for seven whole months. The situation was complicated by the financial crisis of the late 90s, during which the money allocated by the Ministry of Culture for preparations for the anniversary partially lost its value.

During the renovation, which the director of the theater Valery Sergeev had to do, they not only painted the walls of the building, but also replaced about two hundred meters of reliefs on the facades, supplementing them with some reliefs based on the sketches of the architect Nikolai Spirin, which were not implemented in 1911. Extensive work was carried out to repair the foyer, dressing rooms and utility rooms, replace rafters, roofing and all networks - sewerage, water supply, electricity and ventilation, update and replace sound equipment. By the beginning of the season, the theater acquired a new curtain. Also, on the main façade the sculptural group of Apollo and theatrical muses was replaced. For more than eighty years, the sculptures were badly damaged by bad weather and could simply collapse down on the anniversary days. The new Apollo, an exact copy of the previous one, was sculpted by Yaroslavl sculptor Elena Paskhina.

While renovations were being completed at the theater, Volkovites went on tour to Kostroma and Vladimir, and showed their performances in Rybinsk, Lyubim, and Danilov.

On November 30, a gala evening dedicated to the opening of the 250th theater season was held. The first performance of the anniversary season was a play directed by Alexander Kuzin based on the play by Alexander Ostrovsky, “Simplicity is enough for every wise man,” which at the beginning of the summer the Volkovites showed on tour in Scandinavia - in Finland, Sweden and Denmark. The main roles in “The Sage” were played by Valery Kirillov, Natalia Terentyeva, Vladimir Solopov, Valery Sergeev, Vadim Romanov, Tatyana Ivanova, Tatyana Gladenko, Igor Sidorenko, Evgeny Mundum.

The main premiere of the season was Gogol's The Inspector General, directed by the theater's chief director Vladimir Bogolepov. The premiere took place on February 16, 2000. The season closed on April 9 with “The Inspector General.” Three days later, the theater presented the play “Simplicity is enough for every wise man” in Moscow on the stage of the Maly Theater - as part of the Ostrovsky festival. This was the first performance of the Volkovites in the capital after a many-year break - since the time of Firs Shishigin! From Moscow the theater went to St. Petersburg, where four performances were shown on the stage of the Alexandrinka (which came on tour to Yaroslavl at this time): “Simplicity is Enough for Every Wise Man,” “Platonov,” “The Inspector General” and “The Venetian Twins.”

From May 17 to 24, the first International Volkov Festival took place in Yaroslavl, the motto of which was the words of Mikhail Shchepkin “We owe everything to Volkov, Volkov, Volkov...” Both Moscow Art Theaters, the Maly Theater, Alexandrinka, the Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater, and academic theaters from Nizhny took part in it Novgorod, Minsk and Tver.

On May 25, a gala evening was held dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the first Russian professional theater. The newly elected second President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, took part in the official part. He congratulated the theater on its anniversary and presented state awards: the Order of Honor to Nikolai Kuzmin, the Order of Friendship to Felix Razdyakonov and Vladimir Solopov, the medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland to actors Larisa Golubeva, Viktor Kuryshev, Lyudmila Okhotnikova, and props manager Lydia Nesmelova. Certificates of laureates of honorary titles were given by Putin to: “Honored Artist” - chief artist Alexander Babaev and chief director Vladimir Bogolepov; “Honored Artist of Russia” - Tatyana Gladenko, Valery Kirillov, Tatyana Malkova and Valery Sokolov; “Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation” - prop master Olga Daricheva, head of the make-up department Tamara Klimova, head of the musical department Vladimir Selyutin, head of the troupe Elena Susanina. The theater was awarded the Volkov Prize, established by the Russian Government.

The 251st season of the Volkovites built a bridge from the second millennium to the third: it began in the 20th century and ended in the 21st.

Unfortunately, the upswing on which the theater was leading up to the anniversary was replaced by a decline after the holiday. At first they talked about it on the sidelines, then they began to write in the press. A significant blow to the repertoire was... the marriage of the Honored Artist of Russia Vadim Romanov to a graduate of the Yaroslavl Theater Institute Irina Goryacheva and the May tour of the Volkovites in St. Petersburg. On the Alexandrinka stage, the theater presented four performances, in three of which Vadim Romanov shone: “Simplicity is enough for every wise man” (Gorodulin), “Platonov” (the main role) and “The Venetian Twins” (two roles of the twins Zanetto and Tonino). Irina was his partner in “Sage”. They also played together in Hamlet: he played Hamlet, she played Ophelia.

After touring in St. Petersburg, Irina and Vadim received an invitation to try themselves at Alexandrinka. In June they got married and left for St. Petersburg.

Two of the best performances in the repertoire were immediately stuck at Volkovsky - “Hamlet” by Boris Lutsenko and “Platonov” by Ivan Raymont. In "The Sage" and "Twins" Romanov was replaced, but it was not possible to achieve the former charm of his heroes. Romanov, however, was ready to come to Yaroslavl to see Hamlet and Platonov, but theater director Valery Sergeev did not want to hear about it: Vadim became a cut-off piece for him.

The 251st season opened on October 25, 2000 with the premiere of King Lear, directed by Ivan Raymont and starring Felix Razdyakonov. The role of the jester, which Raymont planned to give to Vadim Romanov, was played by Vladimir Balashov.

Two days later, on October 27, director Vladimir Krasovsky released the premiere of the play “The Magnificent Cuckold,” in which the main role was played by YAGTI graduate Alexandra Chilin-Giri, who had just been accepted into the troupe. On December 6, the premiere of the play “Real Laughter” took place. And before the New Year - on December 19 - the long-awaited opening of the theater's chamber stage took place.

The first performance on the chamber stage was “Christmas Dreams” with Natalia Terentyeva in the title role. This performance by Vladimir Bogolepov was destined to have a long and happy life: it ran for ten seasons and was performed almost 150 times. The performance was awarded the regional award named after F.G. Volkova.

As if catching up with the “lag” of the anniversary season, before the summer the theater released two more premieres of “Fermoza” based on the novel by Feuchtwanger on February 28 and on May 31, addressed to both children and adults, “The Nightingale” by Andersen. The plays “Before Sunset,” “Guilty Without Guilt,” and “Honest Adventurer” completed their lives in the 251st season.

In April-May, the theater again went on a large foreign tour, visiting Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Germany.

The Volkovites opened the 252nd season with a tour in Moscow. On the stage of the Maly Theater, Yaroslavl residents presented the performances “King Lear”, “The Inspector General”, “Enough Simplicity for Every Wise Man”, “Corsican Woman”. On the same days, the Maly Theater held a full-fledged tour in Yaroslavl: on the stage of the Volkovsky Theater there were Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya", "Wolves and Sheep" and "Mad Money" by Ostrovsky, "Cunning and Love" by Schiller, "Secrets of the Madrid Court" by Scribe and Leguve and “The Businessman” by Balzac - a total of 16 performances took place from September 8 to 23!

On September 8, the theater celebrated the 75th anniversary of People's Artist of Russia Natalia Ivanovna Terentyeva. It is symbolic that on this day she played on the stage of the Maly Theater - in the play “Simplicity is enough for every wise man.”

The Moscow public received the artists of the first Russian professional theater very warmly. In general, the Moscow press assessed the performances of the Volkovites quite favorably. In only one review, published in Nezavisimaya Gazeta, the theater was subjected to devastating criticism. The premiere of the anniversary season, “The Inspector General,” got the most.

On October 16, the second International Volkov Festival opened. The first three Fyodor Volkov Prizes established by the Russian Government were awarded on the theater stage. The first, after the Volkovites, to receive the prize were the artistic director of the Krasnodar creative association “Premier” Leonard Gatov, the artistic director of the Chelyabinsk Academic Drama Theater Naum Orlov and Evgeny Panfilov, the artistic director of the Perm theater “Evgeniy Panfilov Ballet”. Since 2001, the Volkov Prizes have been awarded annually to three laureates.

After the festival closed, the Volkovites left for Kyiv, where, as part of the Dostoevsky Evenings in Kyiv festival, they showed the play “Foma” based on the story “The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants” with Vladimir Solopov in the title role. The play also featured Felix Razdyakonov, Natalia Terentyeva, Valery Sergeev, Tatyana Pozdnyakova, Andrey Zubkov and others.

In the 252nd season, two premieres were played on the big stage - on December 24, 2001 - “The Gambler” based on the novel by F. M. Dostoevsky, on March 27, 2002 - “Spirits” based on the play “The Fruits of Enlightenment” by L. N. Tolstoy. Both performances can be safely attributed to the successes of the theater, they were noted for brilliant acting work, but, unfortunately, did not stay in the repertoire: “The Player” ran for only two seasons (14 performances), “Spirits” - four seasons, but in three of them It was staged only three times (20 performances in total). In “The Player”, a notable debut on the Volkovo stage was made by YAGTI graduate Olga Stark, who was introduced to the role of Blanche after the unexpected departure of Zamira Kolkhieva from the theater.

Two performances have been added to the repertoire of the small stage - “Double Play” by William Congreve and “Tango” by Slavomir Mrozhek. The last performances this season were "The Liar", "Present Laughter", "Thomas", "The Child Killer" and "King Lear". The last three left the repertoire due to the illness of People's Artist of Russia Felix Innokentyevich Razdyakonov, who played the main roles in them.

On April 21, 2002, the season ended with the pre-premiere performance of the play “The Sixth Floor” based on the play by Albert Gery and directed by Stanislav Tayushev, after which the theater went on another foreign tour to Helsinki, Copenhagen and Berlin. This time the Volkovites showed Europe “The Corsican Woman” and “The Inspector General”.

In the meantime, while the first Russian professional theater was traveling around Europe, the second Festival of Russian Theater Schools was held in Yaroslavl, in which all the leading theater universities in the country took part.

The 253rd season of the Volkovsky Theater opened on September 5, 2002 with the premiere performance “The Sixth Floor”. After playing for a week in Yaroslavl, the theater went on tour to Novorossiysk and Krasnodar.

On September 19, the theater suffered a heavy loss - People's Artist of Russia Nikolai Vasilyevich Kuzmin died.

From October 11 to October 22, the third International Volkov Festival took place in Yaroslavl. It opened with the ballet “The Golden Age” by the Krasnodar association “Premier”. Its director, the outstanding choreographer Yuri Grigorovich, as well as the artistic director of the Chuvash Drama Theater, People's Artist of Russia Valery Yakovlev and the Voronezh Drama Theater named after A. Koltsov received the Fyodor Volkov Prize for 2002.

In the 253rd season, the theater produced four premieres on the big stage and two on the small stage. It was in this season that a shift was made towards comedies, which soon took the main place in the repertoire. But if “Wolves and Sheep” and “Kojin Skirmishes” were distinguished by at least good dramaturgy, then the comedies “What the Butler Saw” and “The Last Ardent Lover” did not bring honor to the theater or fame to the actors. They completed their lives on stage with “The Decameron”, “The Gambler” and “The Magnificent Cuckold”.

At the end of April, the Wolves showed “The Inspector General” on tour in Cairo. The Egyptian Ministry of Culture provided Russian artists with luxurious rooms in a 4-star hotel and organized trips to the pyramids and the best museums. In their free time from performances, Volkovites enjoyed trying on Eastern life: smoking hookah, riding camels, walking through markets.

The theater season in Yaroslavl ended with a tour of the Alexandrinsky Theater. These tours for Yaroslavl theatergoers were interesting, among other things, because they again - three years later - saw Vadim Romanov on the Volkovo stage. He was involved in two touring productions - “Vanity Fair” and “Trees Die While Standing.”

The new, 254th season at Volkovsky opened unusually early - on August 12, 2003. On August 21, Goldoni’s Kyojin Skirmishes were performed, directed by Ivan Raymont. The theater had serious plans for ““ with this performance,” but the Volkovites managed to make a significant appearance at the country’s main theater competition only five years later with “Woe from Wit.”

In September, the theater once again went on its already traditional tour to Novorossiysk. The IV International Volkov Festival took place from October 15 to 25. The winners of the Volkov Prize were the Norilsk Polar Drama Theater named after V. Mayakovsky, the Khakass Republican Puppet Theater “Fairy Tale” and the Molodezhny Theater (“Tilsit Theater”) from the city of Sovetsk, Kaliningrad Region. This theater was then headed by Volkovsky's future artistic director Evgeniy Marcelli. His performance “Othello” with Vitaly Kishchenko in the title role closed the festival and became its main event.

The first premiere of the season was the comedy “The Fool” by Lope de Vega in December. Then came the black comedy “The Birds” by Jean Anouilh and the comedy “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” by Shakespeare. Plans to stage the play “Biography” by the Swiss Max Frisch remained plans.

The theater took part in the “Actors of Russia - Shchepkin” festival in Belgorod (showing “Kojin Skirmishes”), toured Brazil, and at the beginning of summer the Volkovites toured the United States, visiting Washington and New York.

On May 6, 2004, People's Artist of Russia Felix Innokentievich Razdyakonov died.

Before the start of the 255th season, Volkovsky hosted a performance by... Sergei Yesenin: in the hall of the first Russian professional theater, the filming of the serial film “Yesenin” with Sergei Bezrukov in the title role took place. Many Yaroslavl residents also took part in the crowd.

Volkovsky in 2004 entered the top ten best theaters in Russia according to the official rating of the Ministry of Culture. One of the main indicators of the rating is attendance of 72-75 percent; in Russia this was then considered a very high level.

In September, the theater went on tour to Sevastopol, where it showed six performances. And from October 14 to 24, the fifth international Volkov Festival took place. The winners of the Russian Government Prize named after Fyodor Volkov for 2004 were the Moscow State Russian Ballet Theater under the direction of People's Artist of the USSR Vyacheslav Gordeev (since the status of the theater is regional, it is, paradoxically, considered provincial) and the Sverdlovsk State Academic Theater of Musical Comedy. The third laureate was the actor of the Samara Academic Drama Theater named after M. Gorky Alexander Amelin.

The Wolves started their season on August 5th. On August 17, the premiere of the melodrama “The Strange Mrs. Savage” based on the play by American playwright John Patrick and directed by Lyudmila Zotova took place. The role of Mrs. Savage was played by Honored Artist of Russia Tatyana Pozdnyakova. In early August, director Mikhail Mokeev began rehearsals for the Frenchman Georges Feydeau’s vaudeville show “The Ladies’ Tailor,” but Valery Kirillov had to finish the work. Therefore, the premiere took place only in March 2005, and in December 2004, “Savage” was shown, a lyrical comedy about love by the Spaniard Alejandro Casona, directed by Vladimir Bogolepov.

Immediately after the Volkov Festival, People's Artist of Russia Sergei Yashin began rehearsals for the comedy "Mad Money" by A. N. Ostrovsky - the premiere took place on April 4. Honored Artist of Russia, artistic director of the Sevastopol Academic Drama Theater Vladimir Magar brought his “Cyrano de Bergerac” to the Volkov stage (the premiere took place on July 10). In his own dramatization, Magar mixed fragments from three translations of the famous play - by Tatiana Shchepkina-Kupernik, Vladimir Solovyov and Yuri Aikhenvald, and also added a lot of his own. The result was a very strange hybrid, very far from the heroic comedy of Rostand. Surprisingly, some actors refused to participate in Magar’s production already during the work (although their names were even included in the program released for the premiere).

Three premieres took place during the season on the chamber stage: Chekhov’s “Two Funny Stories about Love” (based on the one-act plays “The Bear” and “The Proposal”), directed by Valery Kirillov (At first, even three “stories” were planned - the third was a fragment from “Fatherlessness” with Nikolai Schreiber in the role of Platonov. In 2007, “Two Stories” was transferred to the big stage.), the comedy “The Hunted Horse” by Francoise Sagan (directed by Anatoly Beirak) and the gloomy story based on the play by Vasily Sigarev “Ladybugs Return to Earth” staged by the well-deserved Russian artist Galina Krylova. Initially it was a graduation performance of Valery Kirillov's course at the Yaroslavl Theater Institute. Most of the graduates of this course joined the troupe of the Volkovsky Theater.

In the 255th season, Birds (only 13 performances were shown during the year), The Butler, The Sixth Floor and Spirits ended their lives on stage, as well as The Forest and The Groom in the Closet, which lasted ten seasons in the repertoire " and "The New Pygmalion". In some of them, the main roles were played by Honored Artist of Russia Vladimir Balashov, who died tragically on November 11, 2004: at night in the very center of Yaroslavl he was killed by some thugs.

The event of the season was the play “The Cherry Orchard” staged on the Volkovsky stage, directed by Eimuntas Nyakrosius with the stars of the Russian theater in the leading roles (Ranevskaya - Lyudmila Maksakova, Gaev - Vladimir Ilyin, Lopakhin - Evgeniy Mironov, Firs - Alexey Petrenko). “Northern Region” devoted as many as two reviews to this very controversial performance.

The season ended with a tour of the Volkovites in Denmark and Argentina, where the performance-concert “In the Forest at the Front”, staged for the 60th anniversary of the Victory by Valery Kirillov, was shown.

Opening the 256th season, the Volkovites, of course, could not know that it would be the last for the main director of the theater Vladimir Bogolepov.

The last week of August was devoted to rehearsals for two new performances: the chief director of the Kostroma Drama Theater, Sergei Morozov, took on Schiller’s “Cunning and Love,” and Vladimir Bogolepov began to realize his long-time dream - staging Chekhov’s “The Seagull.” On the small stage, Anatoly Beirak began work on Strindberg’s “Freken Julie.” Ivan Raymont promised to start work on a new play. But most of these plans were not destined to come true: rehearsals for Schiller’s play were stopped, work on “Frequin Julie” lasted for more than a year, Raymont did not come to Yaroslavl.

The Volkovites began the season with exchange tours: the theater went to Samara, where from September 16 it presented six performances on the big stage and three on the chamber stage. Then three international theater festivals took place one after another. First, the Yaroslavl residents with “Mad Money” went to Magnitogorsk; On October 20 in Belgorod they took part in the festival “Actors of Russia - Shchepkin”; On October 15, the season in Yaroslavl opened with the play “Cyrano de Bergerac,” and from October 25, the theater hosted guests of the sixth festival “We owe everything to Volkov, Volkov, Volkov.”

The Volkov Festival was opened by the Perm State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater under the direction of the laureate of the Government of the Russian Federation named after Fyodor Volkov, People's Artist of Russia Georgy Isaakyan. Yaroslavl spectators saw the ballet “Bestiary” based on the works of Gozzi, Andersen and Kafka. On October 26, another laureate of the festival, People’s Artist of Russia Nikolai Gorokhov, appeared on the Volkov stage in the play “Romeo and Juliet” at the Vladimir Drama Theater. The third laureate of 2005, the Novosibirsk youth theater Globus, closed the VI Volkov Festival with Krechinsky's Wedding based on the play by Alexander Sukhovo-Kobylin.

At the end of the year, at a press conference held in Moscow, the decision of the jury of the national theater award "" was announced to award the prize in the category "For Honor and Dignity" to the Volkovsky Theater actress, People's Artist of Russia Natalia Ivanovna Terentyeva. The award presentation took place on April 17, 2006 on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater.

The first premiere of the 256th season was the play “Rivals” based on Sheridan’s play and directed by Anatoly Beirak. On March 27, International Theater Day, the premiere of “The Seagull” by Vladimir Bogolepov took place.

They say that when starting work on this play, Bogolepov once said: “When I stage The Seagull, I might as well die.” His words became a tragic prophecy. As it turned out, with this performance Vladimir Georgievich summed up the results of his work in the theater. Subtle, built on nuances and halftones, the performance reflected not only Bogolepov’s understanding of Chekhov’s dramaturgy, but also his attitude to the role of theater in the life of society. Vladimir Georgievich Bogolepov died three weeks after the premiere.

The 246th season ended in June with the premiere of the play “The Threepenny Opera” by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, directed by the chief director of the Kaluga Drama Theater Alexander Pletnev.

After the closure of the 256th theater season of the Volkovsky Theater, the Ministry of Culture decided to announce a competition to fill the position of chief director.

In the new season, the theater intended to continue working on Chekhov. Valery Sergeev wanted to invite Vladimir Magar from Sevastopol, who staged Cyrano at Volkovsky a year ago, to stage the play “Uncle Vanya”. Sergeev himself hoped to play the role of Professor Voinitsev in the new production. The performance of the play “With You and Without You” by American playwright Ivon Menchall on the big stage was supposed to be entrusted to director Valery Grishko from St. Petersburg. (These plans were never realized.)

Director Anatoly Beirak worked actively at the theater throughout the entire season. In October, he produced on the chamber stage the performance “Fröken Julie” based on the play by August Strindberg, for the New Year - “Fairy Tales of Pushkin”, in April - for the upcoming anniversary of the People's Artist of Russia Natalia Ivanovna Terentyeva - “Solo for a striking clock” by Oswald Zahradnik. A little earlier - on February 25 - the premiere of the play “Boulevard of Fortune” took place, staged by film director Vadim Derbenev, well known to viewers from the films “The Woman in White”, “The Secret of the Blackbirds”, “Snake Catcher”, “Black Corridor” (this film with Innocent Smoktunovsky in the title role Vadim Klavdievich filmed in Yaroslavl) and many others. In April, the premiere of the play “Duck Hunt” based on the play by Alexander Vampilov took place. The performance was staged by director from Irkutsk Alexander Ishchenko.

Throughout the entire 257th season, work was underway at Volkovsky on the production of the musical Spinthe Musical by Canadian composer Douglas Pashley. The production group of Svenska Teatern, a Swedish theater from Helsinki, worked on this performance. Director Gunnar Helgasson began casting roles in July. The musical was a huge success in Helsinki. The Volkovites also counted on the public’s attention to this production, which in many ways was to become a milestone for the theater. The premiere took place at the end of the season - July 1, but the performance did not gain a foothold in the repertoire: it was shown only seven times on the Yaroslavl stage.

In August the theater toured in Sevastopol, in September and October - in Gomel and Vitebsk, and at the end of December the Volkovites went with The Inspector General to the Russian art festival in Japan.

The seventh Volkov Festival took place from December 1 to 10. The festival program was opened by the 2006 winner of the Russian Government Volkov Prize, the Bashkir State Opera and Ballet Theater (Ufa), who showed Leila Ismagilova’s ballet “Arkaim”. The prize winners were also the artistic director of the Volgograd New Experimental Theater Otar Dzhangisherashvili and the Irkutsk Drama Theater named after Okhlopkov, which closed the festival with the play “First Love” based on the works of Turgenev.

At the beginning of the summer, the Volkovites visited Prague, where they showed Goldoni’s “Kojin Skirmishes” and Chekhov’s “Two Funny Stories about Love.”

On August 9, the director of the theater, People's Artist of Russia Valery Sergeev, celebrated his 55th anniversary. In September the theater went on a traditional tour to Novorossiysk. And on September 20, a message came to Yaroslavl that during a tour Valery Valentinovich Sergeev died suddenly...

The Russian State Academic Drama Theater named after Fyodor Volkov entered its 258th season not only without a chief director, but also without a director. For more than a year, the duties of the director were performed by Alexey Nikolaevich Ivanov - a man who worked for many years as Valery Sergeev’s deputy, who knew the staff and the problems of the theater well, a strong business executive, but by the nature of his previous work, he was quite far from the creative process. And although the theater staff supported Ivanov’s candidacy, the decision on the future director was delayed.

During the season, the plans outlined by Valery Sergeev were implemented. From October 25 to November 5, the eighth International Volkov Festival was held. The winners of the Russian Government Prize named after Fyodor Volkov for 2007 were the Minusinsk Drama Theater, the Omsk Theater for Children and Youth (TYUZ) and the artist of the Krasnodar State Academic Drama Theater Stanislav Gronsky.

In December, the theater suffered another loss - actress Valentina Isidorovna Shpagina passed away.

The first premiere of the season was the play “Hunting is Worse than Bondage” based on Ostrovsky’s play “Slave Women” on the small stage. On New Year’s Eve, the premiere of “Khanuma” took place on the big stage. In April, director Denis Kozhevnikov released “Funeral Prayer” based on the play by Grigory Gorin. The season ended with the premiere of Charley's Aunt directed by Sergei Yashin. Gone from the repertoire are “The Corsican Woman,” “Enough Simplicity for Every Wise Man,” and “The Last Ardent Lover”—performances in which Valery Sergeev played the main roles. In November 2007, The Threepenny Opera was removed from the repertoire after only 10 performances. In May 2008, “The Inspector General,” “Wolves and Sheep,” and “Spin” were played for the last time.

At the end of May, the Volkovites twice showed the play “Solo for a striking clock” by Osvald Zahradnik as part of the famous all-Russian theater festivals - “The Oldest Theaters of Russia” in Kaluga and at a festival-competition in Tambov. The performance was noted by expert critics and the jury of both festivals. The real heroine was People's Artist of Russia Natalia Ivanovna Terentyeva, who performed the role of Pani Conti: she was awarded twice - an honorary diploma from the festival "Oldest Theaters of Russia" in the nomination "For the best performance of a female role" and an award named after the outstanding Russian actor Nikolai Khrisanfovich Rybakov in the category "Actress" Russia."

At the end of summer, the theater celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Firs Efimovich Shishigin.

New times of the First Russian

In the 259th season, a new stage in the life of the Volkovsky Theater began.

The Volkov Festival opened on September 25 with the presentation of the Russian Government Awards named after Fyodor Volkov. The 2008 laureates were the Saratov Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, the Orenburg Gorky Drama Theater and the artistic director of the Arkhangelsk Puppet Theater Dmitry Lokhov.

On the eve of the festival, Volkovsky's new director, Boris Mikhailovich Mezdrich, was introduced to the team.

At this time, rehearsals for the play “Three” based on a little-known story by Gorky were already completed. Vladimir Portnov worked on the play. The premiere took place on November 25, and was received coldly by the public. Time has shown that the choice of Gorky's story was unsuccessful (by the way, it was initially assumed that Portnov would stage Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra). The performance died in a “record” period of three months: it was last performed on February 28, 2009. A total of seven performances were given.

The first premiere, which was prepared entirely with the blessing of the new director, was the New Year's story “Merry Christmas, Uncle Scrooge!” The play based on Charles Dickens' story A Christmas Carol was written by playwright Olga Nikiforova, whom Boris Mezdrich invited to work at the theater as deputy director for creative activities. The performance, staged by Anatoly Beirak, was not at all similar to the well-known children's fairy tales that were previously staged for the New Year holidays, and became the first harbinger of changes that began in the oldest Russian professional theater.

On February 10, the first “adult premiere” took place under the new director: a play based on Alexander Volodin’s play “Don’t Part With Your Loved Ones” was staged by the famous actor and director, Honored Artist of Russia Sergei Puskepalis.

Immediately after his arrival in Yaroslavl, Boris Mezdrich said that the image of the theater is formed not only from the public’s impressions of its own productions, but also from the performances of guest performers. Therefore, Mezdrich promised, neither Kristina Orbakaite nor Valery Meladze will be seen in Volkovsky again. The stage will be provided only to well-known theater groups with a good repertoire. And the director kept his promise already in April, inviting the ballet troupe of the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theater, which he directed for several years, to Yaroslavl.

At the end of April, the Volkovsky Theater together with the Yaroslavl State Theater Institute organized the first festival “The Future of Theater Russia” (BTR) in Yaroslavl, which became the successor to the Festivals of Russian theater schools held at the turn of the century. 23 universities and theaters took part in the first BTR festival, showing 26 performances.

And even long-standing skeptics finally came to believe that new times had begun in earnest in Volkovsky after the premiere of the play “Woe from Wit,” which took place on June 8, 2009. Volkovsky closed the 259th season with this performance.

The performance was shown twice - on June 8 and 9. Only a lucky few were able to attend the premiere; the rest had to wait until the fall. Meanwhile, rumors about what was happening on stage instantly spread throughout the city. Some praised the performance to the skies as a kind of revelation, the likes of which had never happened on the Volkov stage. Others scolded him with equal conviction, finding many quotes and even borrowings from famous avant-garde performances of the 20s and 30s. The inexperienced public had difficulty finding the words to tell those who were not at the premiere about what they saw. Enthusiastic assessments of Mezdrich and the director of the play Igor Selin from St. Petersburg were interspersed with almost curses. It was a complete success, as they say.

At the end of June the troupe went on vacation. And before leaving, the new chief director was introduced to the team - Sergei Puskepalis. In a keynote speech to the troupe, Sergei Vytauto called Konstantin Sergeevich Stanislavsky his idol in theatrical art, and his teachings “the path of the theatrical ship.” At the Volkovsky Theater, Puskepalis said, he feels like a navigator of a ship on which there is a strong, confident captain - theater director Boris Mezdrich.

The troupe's gathering, which preceded the 260th season, took place in mid-August 2009. In the repertoire plans that chief director Sergei Puskepalis introduced the Volkovites to, they were impressed not only by the variety and novelty of titles, different, famous, rare, or not at all known to our public. The level of directing attracted attention: from the Honored Artist of Russia, professor of the Moscow Art Theater School Vladimir Petrov, Honored Artist of Russia Evgeniy Marcelli (both laureates of the national theater award “Golden Mask”) to the youngest in Russian directing - twenty-four-year-old Timofey Kulyabin from Novosibirsk.

At the beginning of September, Volkovites presented the play “Don’t Part With Your Loved Ones” at one of the most prestigious theater festivals - the All-Russian festival “Real Theater”, which is held annually in Yekaterinburg and is recognized as the third most important in Russia after the capital’s “Golden Mask” and St. Petersburg’s “Baltic House” " The Volkov theater season opened on September 12 with the play “Woe from Wit.” On October 24, the first premiere was the musical performance “Concert” directed by Andrei Rusinov from Yekaterinburg. The libretto based on famous songs of the 20th century (the history of the country in song from the Silver Age to the 70s) was created by Olga Nikiforova, the composer of the play is Igor Esipovich, the new head of the musical department of the theater.

In the fall, the first double issue of the Theater Circle magazine was published. Born, in the words of the magazine’s editor-in-chief Elena Medvedskaya, “in the heart of the Volkovsky Theater,” the magazine reflected in detail his life in the past season.

The Tenth International Wolf Festival was held from November 3 to 9. His core credo is “Russian drama in the languages ​​of the world.” The winners of the Fyodor Volkov Government Prize for 2009 were the Goncharov Drama Theater from Ulyanovsk and the Kolyada Theater from Yekaterinburg, as well as People's Artist of Russia, actress of the Voronezh Drama Theater named after A. Koltsov Lyudmila Zolotareva-Kravtsova.

On December 3, Yaroslavl residents saw “The Beautiful World” (“The Trick of the Great Deadviarch”) based on the play by Michel de Gelderod and directed by Vladimir Petrov. On December 17, YAGTI professor Alexander Kuzin released Volkovsky’s “Silva” by Imre Kalman with his course on the big stage. For the New Year, Sergei Puskepalis staged the play “Snowy Mess” based on the play by Olga Nikiforova.

On December 8, at a press conference held in Moscow at the Meyerhold Center, nominees for the 2009 Golden Mask national theater award were announced. The performance of the Academic Drama Theater named after Volkov “Woe from Wit” directed by Igor Selin was named a nominee for “Mask” in five categories at once! Director Igor Selin, artist Alexander Orlov, lighting designer Gleb Filshtinsky and actor, performer of the main role of Chatsky - Alexey Kuzmin are presented in the nominations: “Best work of a director”, “Best work of an artist in a dramatic theater”, “Best work of a lighting designer in a dramatic theatre”. theater”, “Best Actor”. The performance as a whole was a contender for the title of laureate in the “Best Performance in Drama/Large Form” category. The Volkovsky Theater was among three non-capital theaters in Russia included in the Golden Mask shortlist.

In January, Volkovsky’s big stage hosted... a theatrical presentation of the released “How I Spent This Summer,” in which he played the main role, which became a triumph at the 60th Berlin Film Festival. Puskepalis and his co-star Sergei Dobrygin were awarded the main prize for best acting. The film directed by Alexei Popogrebsky received the second “Silver Bear” in the category “For Outstanding Contribution to Art.” The winner of this award was cinematographer Pavel Kostomarov.

The premiere of the play “Carmen”, directed by Timofey Kulyabin, was scheduled for February 20. But... at the beginning of the month, fire inspectors came to the theater and stopped work for a whole 60 days! Nothing like this had ever happened before in the life of the theater.

On April 5, 2010, as part of the festival of performances nominated for the Golden Mask, the Volkovites showed “Woe from Wit” in Moscow on the stage of the Mossovet Theater. Unfortunately, the stage of this theater is smaller in size than Volkov's, so the Moscow public was not able to see the performance in all its glory. This time it was not possible to receive the “Mask”, but the very inclusion of the theater in the list of nominees became recognition of the creative achievements that the theater achieved in such a short time.

The premiere of Carmen took place on April 17. From April 19 to 25, the second festival “The Future of Theater Russia” was held. Then, before the end of the season, the performances “Ekaterina Ivanovna” based on Leonid Andreev, directed by Evgeniy Marcelli, and Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” directed by Sergei Puskepalis were released.

All three premieres of the Volkovites became events in the theatrical life not only of Yaroslavl: before the start of these performances, cars with Moscow license plates and license plates of neighboring regions began to park near the theater building. The assessments of the performances both in the press and among the audience were very different; many, having become unaccustomed to the “hurting theatre”, continued to wait for simple entertaining productions. But, despite the machinations of ill-wishers, Mezdrich did not deviate from his intended course. During the season, the repertoire was significantly “cleaned up”, and seven performances went into the archive at once: “The Venetian Twins”, “The Fool”, “The Savage”, “Mad Money”, “Cyrano de Bergerac”, “The Rivals” and “Funeral Prayer” . The changes have become irreversible.

Before the start of the new season, “Northern Region” conducted a long interview with theater director Boris Mezdrich, in which he assessed the past two seasons and talked about prospects for the future. Speaking about the upcoming work, Boris Mezdrich unequivocally stated: “There will be no more ‘Simple Theatre’...”

In September, three puppet theaters from Japan performed on the Volkovsky stage, and on September 30, the premiere of the play “The Devil's Dozen” took place. The play based on the stories of Arkady Averchenko was written by Olga Nikiforova, and the play was staged by Alexander Kuzin.

The XI International Volkov Festival took place from October 29 to November 7. The winners of the RF Government Prize named after Fyodor Volkov for 2010 were the Novosibirsk State Academic Drama Theater “Red Torch”, the Khakass National Puppet Theater “Skazka” (this was the second Volkov Prize received by the theater from Abakan, the first was awarded in 2003) and the art Director of the Kazan Academic Russian Bolshoi Drama Theater named after V.I. Kachalov Alexander Slavutsky.

In April, the third festival of theater schools “The Future of Theater Russia” took place in Yaroslavl, and the first events of the “Konstantin Treplev Center” were held on the chamber stage.

At the beginning of May, Volkovsky found a new director - he became Honored Worker of Culture of Russia, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Candidate of Economic Sciences, Professor Yuri Konstantinovich Itin.

The season ended on July 6 with the pre-premiere showing of the play Tartuffe directed by Alexander Kuzin.

After two previous turbulent seasons, characterized by active work on the main stage, the 262nd season became, at first glance, a time of calm. So, if in the 260th and 261st seasons twelve premieres were played on the main stage, then in the 262nd - only three, including the New Year's fairy tale. But on the chamber stage, where the Konstantin Treplev International Center began its work, creative life was literally in full swing.

The season opened on September 15, 2011 with Evgeniy Marcelli's play Zoyka's Apartment. At the end of September, it was one hundred years since the completion of construction and the opening of the Volkovsky Theater building - this anniversary was celebrated in an intimate setting. On October 6, the premiere of Tartuffe by Alexander Kuzin took place. This performance was prepared during the previous season and was staged at the beginning of July, but the public was only able to see it now. On October 18, the anniversary benefit performance of People's Artist of Russia Natalia Ivanovna Terentyeva was also brilliantly held on the big stage.

The twelfth Volkov Festival took place from November 3 to November 12. The winners of the Russian Government Prize for 2011 were the Omsk Academic Drama Theater, the Omnibus Theater from the city of Zlatoust and the Saratov Youth Theater named after Kiselev.

A unique event was the visit to Yaroslavl of the outstanding director Yuri Petrovich Lyubimov. He had not been to his homeland for several decades, so during this visit he not only got acquainted with Yaroslavl, but also visited Danilov, where his grandfather’s house was preserved. Yuri Petrovich watched some of the festival’s performances, and also took part in the opening of the chamber stage after renovation, where on November 2 a retrospective showing of animated films directed by Alexander Petrov took place.

On December 10, the premiere of the play “Untitled” based on the early play of the young Chekhov “Fatherlessness” (“Platonov”), directed by Evgeniy Marcelli, took place on the main stage of the theater. This work, along with “Ekaterina Ivanovna,” became the theater’s calling card for the two upcoming seasons and was nominated for the “Golden Mask” in three categories. For the New Year, Vladimir Meisinger, under the direction of Evgeniy Marcelli, staged Snow White, and in March the long-awaited premiere of Shakespeare's The Tempest took place.

The search for new forms continued actively on the chamber stage. In January, the premiere of “Nekrasov net” took place, in February - the play “Viy” (a play by Natalia Vorozhbit, directed by Semyon Serzin), then Evgeniy Marcelli produced the play “Two Poor Romanians Speaking Polish” based on the play by the Polish playwright Dorota Maslovskaya, in In April, “Theatrical Blues” was shown, directed by Igor Esipovich. In April, the theater together with YAGTI held the 4th festival “The Future of Theater Russia”. Both the premieres of the chamber stage and the festival performances were held to full houses, which became the answer to the question: does modern theater need “new forms”?

The theater's touring program was varied. In the first half of the season, the play “Ekaterina Ivanovna” was shown in Riga and St. Petersburg, “Three Sisters” - at the O. Yankovsky Festival in Saratov. At the end of the season, the theater toured Baku (“Ekaterina Ivanovna”, “Untitled”, “Concert”), then the play “Viy” was shown in St. Petersburg at the All-Russian festival-laboratory of young directing “On-theater”, and “Ekaterina Ivanovna " - at the III International Theater Festival "Academy" in Omsk.

For almost the entire year, Evgeniy Marcelli worked on the play “The House of Bernarda Alba”; in July it was shown privately, but the premiere took place only in the next, 263rd season.

The theater began its 263rd season with a trip to Taganrog, where Evgeniy Marcelli’s play Untitled opened the program of the IX International Festival “In Chekhov’s Homeland.” And in Yaroslavl the season began with performances of the thirteenth International Volkov Festival.

The 2012 laureates of the Government of the Russian Federation named after Fyodor Volkov were the Komi-Permyak Drama Theater named after M. Gorky from the city of Kudymkar, the chief director of the Perm theater “At the Bridge” Sergei Fedotov and the chief director of the Krasnoyarsk Drama Theater named after A. S. Pushkin Oleg Rybkin.

At the beginning of October, the theater went on tour to Vilnius, where Yaroslavl showed “Ekaterina Ivanovna” and “Theater Blues”. On November 8, as part of the II All-Russian Festival in memory of Oleg Yankovsky, the play “Untitled” was performed in Saratov. Then this performance was shown in Moscow at the VIII International Theater Festival “Stanislavsky's Season”.

On October 26, the premiere of Evgeniy Marcelli’s play “The House of Bernarda Alba” took place. On the small stage, Valery Kirillov released “Finest Hour in Local Time”, Olga Toropova staged a play based on Katya Rubina’s play “Babanya” with Tatyana Isaeva in the title role. For the New Year, Evgeniy Marcelli staged the fairy tale “Aladdin’s Magic Lamp”.

In the second half of the season, the main stage hosted the premieres of “Talents and Admirers” based on Ostrovsky, directed by Alexander Kuzin, and Juan José Alonso Milian’s black comedy “Potassium Cyanide... Do you want it with or without milk?”, directed by Evgeniy Marcelli. The chamber stage featured the performances “North” by Semyon Serzin based on the play by Vyacheslav Durnenkov, and the musical and poetic performance “Loving You...” directed by Sergei Karpov.

The play “Untitled” was performed on the stage of the capital’s Mossovet Theater as part of the Golden Mask festival, at which it was presented in three categories: “Best dramatic performance of a large form”, “Drama - the work of a director” - Evgeny Marcelli and “Best male role" - Vitaly Kishchenko.

And the loudest triumph of the Volkovsky Theater took place in April 2013 at the Golden Mask theater award ceremony. The main theater award in Russia went to Evgeniy Marcelli’s play “Untitled” in the category “Best Dramatic Performance of a Large Form” and actor Vitaly Kishchenko in the category “Best Actor”.