How theater developed in the 19th century. Russian theater of the late XIX, early XX centuries

Essay

in the subject "Art"

On the topic: “Dramaturgy and theater in Russia in the 19th century.”

I. Introduction…………………………………………………………….3

II. Main part………………………….

XIXcenturies…………………………5

2. Amateur puppet theater dramaXIXcenturies…………….7

3. Maly Moscow TheaterXIXcentury……………………………..11

4. St. Petersburg TheaterXIXcentury…………………………16

III. Conclusion……………………………………………………18

IV. List of references………………………..21

V. Review……………………………………………………….22

Introduction

The topic of my essay: “Dramaturgy and theater in RussiaXIXcentury."

this work is dedicated to the study of Russian drama and theater in Russia in the 19th century.

Russian professional literary dramaturgy developed at the end of the 17th–18th centuries, but it was preceded by a centuries-old period of folk, mostly oral and partly handwritten folk drama. At first, archaic ritual actions, then round dances and buffoon games contained elements characteristic of as a form of art: dialogicity, dramatization of action, acting it out in person, depiction of this or that character (massing). These elements were consolidated and developed in folklore drama.

The relevance of the chosen topic lies in the fact that theater, having originated in ancient times, had a great influence on the development of culture as a whole.

And currently continues to play an important role in the life of society.

From the end of the 18th century. theater in Russia, as in others European countries, is entering a new era of its development. A rapid increase in the number of theaters in the province began, often due to the transition of landowner serf theaters to a commercial basis. Large theatrical enterprises, uniting drama, opera and ballet troupes, are created in cities such as St. Petersburg and Moscow. In 1824, an independent drama troupe of the Maly Theater was formed in Moscow. In St. Petersburg, in 1832, the dramatic Alexandrinsky Theater appeared.

The progressive direction of the Russian theater asserted itself in a constant struggle against reactionary tendencies in the repertoire and in the entire organization of theatrical affairs generated by government policy in the field of art.

The monopoly of the imperial theaters that existed in St. Petersburg and Moscow limited the possibilities of innovative endeavors and made playwrights and actors dependent on the requirements of the management and the entire bureaucratic regime imposed in the theaters. In difficult conditions, the theater developed in the provinces, where the commercial initiative of entrepreneurs flourished and where, mainly, only by the strength of the acting talents, the theater was kept at the level of artistic requirements. Huge support for the development of progressive trends in Russian performing arts provided advanced democratic criticism, which defended ideological foundations theater, its social content, loyalty to the principles of life's truth. The ideological struggle runs through the entire development of the Russian theater of the 19th century. The leading role in it is won by the progressive direction, based on the process of formation of a national democratic culture that was widely developing in this era in Russia and on the growing opportunities for vivid expression in drama and theater of critical, anti-serfdom tendencies. On this basis, stage realism achieves particular success, and at the same time, the direction of progressive romanticism is established. In the period from Fonvizin to Ostrovsky, the main traditions of Russian theatrical culture, the features of its artistic originality are determined.

The purpose of this work is to:

1) Consider the development of theatrical and dramatic art in Russia.

2) Find out the main directions and styles in drama and theaterXIXcentury.

1. Styles in drama and theaterXIXcentury.

At the end XVIII - beginning XIX century in Russian theater leading value acquires educational sentimentalism. The Enlightenment idea of the innate equality of all people, the idea of “natural man”, which was used in the works of a number of playwrights and actors to reveal the contradictions of the serfdom system, helped to reveal the social and moral unacceptability of slavery. The attention of playwrights was attracted by the inner world of man, his spiritual conflicts (dramas by N. I. Ilyin, F. F. Ivanov, tragedies by V. A. Ozerov, etc.). On the other hand, in those sentimental dramas that were imbued with protective tendencies, there was a desire to smooth out life’s contradictions, traits of sugary idealization, and melodrama (works by V. M. Fedorov, S. N. Glinka, etc.).

Increased “sensitivity”, sincerity of stage experience, often enriched with elements of social and everyday truth in the depiction of the character, distinguished the play of Ya. E. Shusherin (1753-1813), A. D. Karatygina (1777-1859) and other actors of that time. Sentimentalism liberated the acting from the power of the rationalistic principles of classicism and contributed to the destruction of the epigonic traditions of this system and the development of romantic and realistic tendencies in the performing arts.

The development of romanticism in Russian theater at the beginning of the 19th century. is associated with the growth in drama and acting of motives of dissatisfaction with the existing reality, individualistic protest, and violent experiences of a freedom-loving personality. These romantic features are characteristic of the art of the outstanding Russian actor A. S. Yakovlev (1773-1817).

The aesthetic views of the Decembrist writers had a significant impact on the development of the theater. The themes of the struggle against national and political oppression are developed, images of strong, freedom-loving heroes are created, seized by a thirst for patriotic feat (“Martha the Posadnitsa, or the Conquest of Novagorod” by F. F. Ivanov, “Velzen, or Liberated Holland” by F. N. Glinka, “Andromache” "P. A. Katenina, "The Argives" by V. K. Kuchelbecker, etc.). The performing style was determined by a combination of great emotionality, sincerity and naturalness in the expression of feelings with the heroic scale of the characters and the plastic rigor of the external design of the image. This style found its highest and most complete expression in the work of the greatest tragic actress of that era, E. S. Semenova (1786-1849).

At the same time, the development of realistic tendencies in comedy and drama continued, limited, however, by the narrow possibilities of vaudeville (A. A. Shakhovskaya, N. I. Khmelnitsky, A. I. Pisarev) and family play, conservative in spirit (M. N. Zagoskin). The actors’ desire for truth in life was based both on sincerity of experience, simplicity, naturalness (young M. S. Shchepkin), and on the art of external transformation, copying individual bright types (I. I. Sosnitsky, E. I. Guseva, etc.) .

2.Amateur dramaturgy of the 19th century puppet theater

The puppet theater was amazingly diverse in Russia XIX century. At this time, the life of the nativity scene continues, Russian folk puppet comedy develops, and in the performances of numerous European puppeteers, the paths of various Western European puppet shows intersect with the traditions of Russian folk puppet shows. The art of puppet theater is actively penetrating into the family environment.

Traditions of home and folk theater puppets in Russia of that century became so strong that almost none of the famous playwrights, writers, poets, scientists, artists who later glorified their names in childhood or youth avoided meeting with the puppet theater. Among them: A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky, A. Herzen, D. Grigorovich, N. Polevoy, A. I. Panaev A. Benois, S. Aksakov, M. Lermontov, V. Sollogub, L. Tolstoy, F. Dostoevsky, K. Stanislavsky, N. Gumilev, A. Blok, A. Tolstoy, A. Remizov, K. Balmont, A. Bely and many others.

The art of playing dolls actively makes itself known at Russian fairs and festivities. The puppeteers themselves were a multinational, multilingual, diverse community, with different levels of culture and education, repertoire, and performing skills. In the repertoire of puppet shows of the 19th century. there are plays created on the basis of dramatizations of European novels, free adaptations of traditional European puppet plays: “The Devil’s Well, or the Old Man Everywhere and Nowhere”, “Pimperle’s Wedding after Death”, “The Magic Palace, or the Hunting Adventure”, “The Magnanimous Sultan, or Naval Battle on the Black Sea", "Marianne, or the Robber Woman", "Atheist Punished by Thunder", "Robber Knight" and many others. Drama theater plays adapted for puppets often appeared in the repertoire.

In the posters of puppet shows - “Princess Cacambo” by A. Kotzebue, “Escape to Turkey, or the Involuntary Captive” by I. G. Eberle, “Faust” and “Don Juan”, “Ataman of the Venetian Robbers, or Fire in Venice”, “Magic zither, or the Witches' Festival on the Dragon Rock", "Rudolph, the Son of Hell, or the Terrible Punishment", "Happiness after Sorrow, or Love Comforts" and many others.

In imitation of these plays, close to the aesthetics of “free English-German comedies”, but also with a clearly manifested romantic tendency, the first experiments in Russian author’s dramaturgy for the puppet theater appeared. Among them was the five-act play “The Enchanted Forest” by A. A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky, which has not reached us. In his memoirs “The Childhood and Youth of A. A. Bestuzhev,” his brother Mikhail wrote that “The Enchanted Forest” was the second literary work A. Bestuzhev. It was a large play, in five acts, written for puppet theater. For the first performance, Alexander Bestuzhev limited himself to dolls of the main characters; the rest were cut out of cardboard and painted by his own hand. Most of the scenery was made with the help of students of the Academy of Arts, who mercilessly corrected errors and errors in perspective and taste in his album. The author of the memoirs remembers well how one of the characters in the play, a cowardly dainty squire in an enchanted forest, seduced by an apple, despite the ban, wanted to pick it, but when he approached the tree, the wire setting the puppet’s hands in motion broke. But young A. Bestuzhev not at a loss, he brought the jester onto the stage and began an improvisation, which he so cleverly connected with the course of the play that the effect was almost better.

Amateur puppet shows were also organized in the houses of L. Tolstoy, S. Aksakov, A. Herzen, V. Sollogub, V. Serov, V. Polenov, who composed plays for them. This contributed to the formation and development of professional Russian drama.

The puppet theater was one of M. Yu. Lermontov’s favorite childhood pastimes. The future poet sculpted the heads of puppet dolls from red wax. Among them was his favorite Berquin doll, which depicted the famous French writer, playwright, and author of children's stories. Bärken performed “the most fantastic roles” in plays written by the young Lermontov.

The first Russian plays for the puppet theater, not yet classified as literary form, without the names of authors and stagers, appeared in doll sets for children's games and helped not only in raising children, but also in their creative - literary and artistic development.

Dolls, including theatrical ones, were sold in entire sets, boxes with plays and decorations, in shops and stores, and were brought from abroad. “In each such box,” wrote A. Benois, recalling his childhood, “there was also a brochure with the text of this play, from which the roles of the characters performing were to be read, but I preferred not to use these librettos, but to impromptu compose my own text, dotted with pathetic interjections ... Relatives, knowing my passion, one after another brought more and more boxes in which the portal, and curtains, and entire productions, and a troupe of actors cut out of paper were placed. In the box with the play “The Little Humpbacked Horse,” such characters included a fairy-tale mare and her horse, the same horse with Ivan the Fool sitting on it, Miracle Yudo - a whale fish, a ruff and other sea inhabitants. There were also theaters that you had to make yourself.

All the necessary elements were purchased, from the curtain to the last extra, printed on sheets of paper and painted; they were glued onto cardboard and carefully cut out. In addition to flat paper dolls, I also had puppets that my grandmother brought me from Venice. These were “just like real” gentlemen in felt hats and in caftans with gold tinsel, a gendarme in a cocked hat with a saber in his hand, a Harlequin with his batte, a Polichinelle with a tiny lantern. Columbine with a fan"...

3. Maly Moscow Theater XIXcentury.

At the beginning of the emperor's reign , along with the general rise of social life, revived and completely fell during theatrical art. During these years the troupe was replenished with actors . In 1805 the building burned down. However, already in the next year, 1806, the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters was formed in Moscow, where the artists of the former Petrovsky Theater entered. In 1806, the theater acquired state status, joining the system of imperial theaters. Thus, actors who joined the troupe from serf theaters were immediately freed from serfdom, such as S. Mochalov, the father of the famous tragedian, P. Mochalov.The troupe did not have its own premises for a long time. The political situation in the country itself was not conducive to this. The country was rocked by instability and military conflicts (with Sweden, Turkey). In 1812 there was a war with . A few more years passed when the architect was invited to construction in Moscow theater building. Back in 1803, the troupes were divided into opera and drama. Played a huge role in this division , who essentially became the founder of Russian opera. However, in fact, opera and drama coexisted for a long time. Until 1824, the ballet, opera and drama troupes of the Imperial Moscow Theater were a single whole: a single directorate, the same performers, but for a long time after that the theaters were even connected by an underground passage, there were common costume rooms, etc.

In 1824, according to the design of Beauvais, the architect rebuilt a merchant's mansion for the theater , this building on Petrovskaya (now ) square and gradually began to be called the Maly Theater, and still bears this name. Initially, the building was narrower due to the excessive width of Neglinny Passage. In 1838-1840, after the adjacent plots were purchased, the architect completed the building to its current volume and completely changed the internal layout.

The opening day of the Maly Theater can be considered : they gave a new overture .

“Moskovskie Vedomosti published an announcement about the first performance in Maly: “The Directorate of the Imperial Moscow Theater hereby announces that next Tuesday, October 14 of this year, it will be given at the new Maly Theater, in Vargin’s house, on Petrovskaya Square, to open it performance 1 th, namely: new overture composition A. N. Verstovsky, subsequently for the second time: Lily of Narbonne, or the Vow of a Knight, a new dramatic knightly performance-ballet...” (quoted from: ).

The theatrical art immediately began to rise. In addition to the previous, already known theater masters, new talented artists have appeared.

One of important periods in the history of the development of the Maly Theater is associated with the name . This great tragedian became an exponent of the time of hopes and disappointments of Russian society of 1820-1840, the controversial era of Emperor Alexander I. “P. S. Mochalov, a “plebeian actor,” in the words of the critic who praised him , managed to overcome the canons of the previous style, expressed by the aesthetics of classicism. Instead of recitation and solemn poses, the actor brought to the stage bubbling lava of hot passion and gestures that amaze with suffering and pain. Mochalov’s romantic loners protested and fought with the entire evil world hostile to them, despairing, and often lost heart” (quoted from: ). Among the roles of P. S. Mochalov: , Richard III, (in the tragedies of the same name ), , Ferdinand (“Cunning and Love” ).

In 1822, a former serf actor already well known from provincial enterprises joined the troupe. . “He was the first to create truth on the Russian stage, he was the first to become non-theatrical in the theater,” he said about Shchepkin .

was extensive: from classical dramas to light vaudevilles.“Even during the life of A. S. Pushkin, Maly created stage versions of three of the poet’s works: “Ruslan and Lyudmila” (1825), “ Bakhchisarai fountain“ (1827) and “Gypsy” (1832). From foreign dramaturgy the theater gave preference to the works of Shakespeare and Schiller" (quoted from: ). On the stage of the Maly Theater on November 27 for the first time in Moscow a comedy was shown in its entirety . Before this, censorship allowed only individual scenes to be presented; only in January 1831 was the play able to be staged in its entirety in St. Petersburg; in Moscow, “Woe from Wit” was played in its entirety for the first time on the stage of the Maly Theater: played the role of Famusov and - Chatsky. This production turned out to be a significant stage in the history of the theater - it became a mouthpiece for new social ideas. May 25 shown here (the first production of The Inspector General took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg a little earlier - on April 19 of the same 1836). After some time (in 1842), the Maly Theater created a dramatization and put And (first production) . The premiere of both performances at the Maly Theater (“Marriage” was previously staged in St. Petersburg in ) took place simultaneously - February 5, 1843.“The premiere of “The Players” took place in Moscow on February 5, 1843 (on the same evening as “Marriage”), at a benefit performance for Shchepkin, who played the Consoler. Prov Sadovsky performed successfully in the role of Zamukhryshkin. According to S. Aksakov, the performance aroused the approval of the “ordinary” audience. A favorable review of the performance appeared in Moskovskie Vedomosti (dated February 11, 1843), where it was noted that the intrigue was “conducted with amazing naturalness,” and that the depiction of the characters testified to Gogol’s “powerful talent.” (quoted from: ).

Other actors from this period include: (1795-1875), (1809-1867), (1807-1874), (1817-1872), (1821−1889), (1823-1865), (1817-1885), (1820-1878).

They wrote for the Maly Theater , , many other authors. But of particular importance for the Maly Theater was . His plays brought the Maly Theater the unofficial name “Ostrovsky House”. Ostrovsky's new reformist theatrical positions - everyday life writing, a departure from pathos, the importance of the entire ensemble of actors, and not a single main character, etc. - led to conflicts with adherents of previous traditions. But these innovative ideas of Ostrovsky for that time were already demanded by time. All of his 48 plays were staged at the Maly Theater and were always included in his repertoire over the years. He himself repeatedly participated in rehearsals, was friends with the actors, and some of his plays were composed specifically for certain performers of the Maly Theater, at their requests, for their benefit performances. For benefit performances two plays by Ostrovsky were staged for the first time - “ » - , « » - . Play was delivered V , and at the benefit performance of his wife, actress , On October 14, 1863, the play was staged for the first time at the Maly Theater . Premiere of the play "took place on the stage of the Maly Theater to the benefit .

took place for the first time on November 10, 1878 at the actor’s benefit performance . In the play , 1884, the role of Neznamov was written by Ostrovsky especially for the artist of the Maly Theater . In 1929, a monument to Ostrovsky was erected at the doors of the Maly Theater. The playwright's plays do not leave the stage of the Maly Theater to this day.

From a triumphant debut in the role of Emilia ( , "Emilia Galotti") January 30, 1870 began theatrical career great Russian tragic actress , who then shone in the roles of: Laurencia - “The Sheep Spring” , Maria Stuart - “Mary Stuart” by F. Schiller; Joan of Arc - “The Maid of Orleans” by the same author; Katerina in , Negina in , Kruchinina in and many others. This time fell during the heyday of democratic movements in Russia, to which the Maly Theater did not remain indifferent. More than once, at performances with the participation of M. N. Ermolova, political manifestations of students and democratic intelligentsia took place. Those who have now become legendary worked in the theater at that time. , , , , , , , And , , .

4. theaterXIX century.

Alexandrinsky Theater(akaRussian state academic theater dramas named after A. S. Pushkin) - theater, one of the oldest drama theaters in Russia that has survived to this day

Since 1832, the theater began to be called Alexandrinsky. The name was given in honor of the emperor's wife .

Throughout the 19th century, the theater was the flagship of the theatrical life of the capital; the history of Russian theatrical culture was born within the walls of this theater.

At the beginning of the century, the entire Russian theater was guided by European models, gradually developing its own, original school.

In the first half of the century, after the victory in , light genres enjoyed increased popularity - And . The theater featured plays by such authors as , I. I. Sosnitsky . Immersion in vaudeville led to the improvement of the actors' skills in plastic, external technique, and a combination of movement and singing. This change in the theater school became the reason for the opposition between the St. Petersburg and Moscow schools.

…In general, in terms of stage performance, St. Petersburg differs from Moscow in its greater ability to, if not be, then appear satisfactory in appearance and form. In short, the scene in St. Petersburg more art, in Moscow she is a talent.

-

Throughout pre-revolutionary history, it was the subject of special attention of emperors and the management of imperial theaters, especially under , .

Conclusion.

In conclusion of my essay, we can say thatIn the 19th century, a new era begins in the history of Russian theater. For example, Ostrovsky's dramaturgy is the whole theater, and in this theater a galaxy of talented actors grew up who glorified Russian theatrical art.

In addition to Ostrovsky's plays, plays by A.V. appear in Russian drama of the 19th century.-Kobylin, M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, A.K. Tolstoy, L.N. Tolstoy. The theater also follows the path of affirming truth and realism.

In the second half of the 19th century. interest in Russian is growing significantly modern drama. Revolutionary-democratic criticism, led by Chernyshevsky and Dobrolyubov, supports Ostrovsky’s dramaturgy, exposing the dark kingdom of merchants - tyrants, the corruption and hypocrisy of the bureaucratic machine of the Russian autocracy.

After the first production of the comedy “Don’t Get in Your Own Sleigh,” which took place on January 14, 1853 on the stage of the small theater. Ostrovsky gives all his plays to the stage of the Maly Theater. Having become close to many talented artists, the playwright himself takes part in the production of his works. His plays are a whole era, new stage VRussian performing arts. It was in Ostrovsky's plays that the talent of the largest actor of the Maly Theater, Prov Mikhailovich Sadovsky (1818-1872), was revealed. The artist’s performance of the role of Lyubim Tortsov in the play “Poverty is not a vice” became one of the artist’s highest achievements. Sadovsky played 30 roles in Ostrovsky's repertoire. His heroes seemed to come onto the stage from life itself, the viewer recognized them asfamiliar people. Sadovsky, with his work, continued the principles of the great realist actor Shchepkin.

Together with Sadovsky, the outstanding Russian tragic actress Lyubov Pavlovna Nikulina - Kositskaya (1827-1868) played on the stage of the Maly Theater. She was the first and one of the most remarkable performers of Katerina in Ostrovsky's "The Thunderstorm". Her talent combined the features of romantic elation and deep realistic truth in the image human feelings and experiences. Polina Antipyevna Strepetova (1850-1903), the largest provincial tragic actress, will forever remember her performance on stage. The meeting with Nikulina-Kositskaya helped Strepetova become a great actress. The traditions of Nikulina-Kositskaya’s art were also reflected in the work of the great tragic actress of the Maly Theater M. N. Ermolova.

The progressive, democratic aspirations of the most talented actors of the Maly Theater constantly provoked fierce resistance from the theater authorities and censorship. Many of Ostrovsky's plays, despite their success with audiences, were often withdrawn from performance. And yet, Ostrovsky’s plays are increasingly becoming part of the theater’s repertoire, influencing other playwrights.

In the 80-90s of the XIX century. After the assassination of Alexander II by the Narodnaya Volya, the offensive of the reaction intensified. Censorship oppression had a particularly hard impact on the theater's repertoire. The Maly Theater is going through one of the most difficult and controversial periods in its history. The basis of the work of the largest actors of the Maly Theater was the classics.

Productions of dramas by Schiller, Shakespeare, Lope de Vega, Hugo with the participation of the greatest tragic actress Maria Nikolaevna Ermolova became events in the theatrical life of Moscow. In these performances, the viewer saw the affirmation of heroic ideas, the glorification of civil feats, and a call to fight against tyranny and violence.

The Maly Theater troupe at the end of the 19th century. was unusually rich in talented actors. They were wonderful successors of the glorious traditions of the Maly Theater, its art of deep life truth, guardians of the behests of Shchepkin, Mochalov, Sadovsky.

When writing my essay, I used many sources and found out that the Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg in the first decades of the second half of the 19th century V. was going through the most difficult period of its history. Also, its proximity to royal court. The management of the imperial theaters treated the Russian drama troupe with undisguised disdain. Clear preference was given to foreign actors and ballet. The art of the actors of the Alexandria Theater developed mainly in the direction of improving external methods of expression. The greatest master of transformation, masterfully mastered the technique acting art, there was Vasily Vasilyevich Samoilov (1813-1887), who created life-like, stage-effective images.

Thus, we can conclude that the culture of Russia in the 19th century was unusually diverse and vibrant. New names of playwrights and actors appeared in drama and theater, who became famous not only in the history of Russia, but throughout the world.

The buffoons entertained the people with songs and dances, and also acted out funny scenes. At fairs, stallholders invited people. And in the squares, traveling artists sang, danced and recited, entertaining the public.

Two branches of art

Theater in Russia in the 18th century developed in two directions. Folk art continued the traditions of buffoons. Performances were held in the open air or in a special room - a booth.

Performances of the court theater were first documented during the reign of Mikhail Romanov, the founder of this dynasty on the Russian throne. The initiator of the new entertainment was the boyar Artamon Matveev. This man did a lot for Russian statehood. He was the head of the Ambassadorial Prikaz - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of that time. Artamon Matveev often traveled abroad. He was deeply passionate about the culture of many countries and tried to instill in Russia some European traditions. Artamon Matveev is considered the first Westerner.

Founder of dramaturgy and directing

Theater in Russia in the 18th century would not have existed without this multifaceted man. On his behalf, a professional troupe was organized. And the first play shown in Russia was biblical story about Artaxerxes. A separate room was built for the royal entertainment. The Emperor liked the performance, and its author was generously rewarded. So who was the first Russian playwright and director? History has preserved his name. This is a German, Johann Gregory, who lived in Moscow.

The new entertainment caught on very quickly. In many rich houses of that time they worked like free people, and serfs.

Great era

Theater in Russia in the 18th century is associated with the name of Peter the Great. During his reign, art flourished. Peter often invited foreign touring troupes to Russia. They not only showed new performances, but also carried progressive ideas, inspiring Russian authors. Peter built a theater on Red Square. It was later destroyed.

Theater in Russia in the 18th century developed not only in Moscow, but also in St. Petersburg. An establishment with Russian actors opened at the court of Anna Ioannovna. Wrote plays for him famous playwright Alexander Sumarokov.

Further development

Under Elizabeth Petrovna, the so-called imperial theaters appeared. These government institutions existed at the expense of the treasury. The director of the imperial island was Sumarokov.

The 18th century theater in Russia continued its development during the reign of Catherine II. Several professional troupes worked at her court. Italians occupied a special position opera singers. A Russian drama troupe also worked. During this period, the theater ceased to be a purely palace entertainment. Public entertainment establishments opened in the city, in which both Russian and foreign artists worked.

Works of Ivan Dmitrevsky

The theater of the 18th century in Russia knows the names of famous entrepreneurs: Titov, Belmonti, Medox. At this time, landowner troupes continue to exist in the provinces, where serf artists perform. Ivan Dmitrevsky was a wonderful actor. He has had a distinguished career. In Volkov's first professional Russian troupe, young Dmitrevsky played female roles. Later he became the main actor of the Imperial Theater on Vasilyevsky Island. To improve his skills, Catherine the Second sent Dmitrevsky abroad. In Paris, he studied the play of the famous tragedian Lequesne, and in London he watched performances with the participation of the great Garrick. Returning to St. Petersburg, Dmitrevsky opened a theater school. He later became the chief inspector of imperial entertainment establishments.

Main development trends

Theater in the 18th century in Russia can be briefly described as classicist. This direction dominated in Europe in the 17th century. In the subsequent period, classicism was replaced by the more democratic creativity of the Enlightenment. Russian art The 18th century gravitated towards rationality, genre hierarchy and strict canons. Theater plays strictly divided into tragedies and comedies. Mixing them was not allowed.

Theater and music of the 18th century in Russia were inextricably linked. Opera has become perhaps the most popular form of entertainment. appeared at the court of Anna Ioannovna. The first libretto in Russian was written by Alexander Sumarokov. Classicist opera, like drama, gravitated towards a strict division of genres. Tragic works were composed in Italian traditions and were distinguished by sublime music. Comedies, considered a minor genre, were associated with the Russian traditions of fairground booths. Distinctive features such funny operas - spoken dialogues and songs musical numbers. Composers Sokolovsky, Pashkevich, Bortnyansky wrote works for the theater. The operas were performed in French and Russian.

New trends

Theater of the 18th-19th centuries in Russia developed along the lines of In 1782, Denis Fonvizin’s comedy “The Minor” saw the stage. Satire on the modern Russian society for the first time was shown so talentedly by the author. Fonvizin described the types of the upper class of that time with amazing accuracy. The evil Prostakova, her stupid husband and son Mitrofanushka brought fame to the author during his lifetime. Starodum’s wise reasoning about honor and dignity still excites viewers today. Despite the conventionality of the characters, there is sincerity and expressiveness in them. read Pushkin, Gogol and other writers. She is admired by many generations of viewers. “Nedorosl” still occupies an honorable place in the repertoire of the country’s leading theaters. This work is inscribed in golden letters in

Russian life at the beginning of the 19th century, under the influence of pan-European romantic trends, gradually began to acquire a certain festive character, which was very different from real everyday behavior. The French language, dancing, and the system of “decent gesture” were so removed from everyday practical realities that mastering them required classes with special teachers. It was probably this desire for life “for show” that gave rise, somewhat later, to the opposite demand for “loyalty to oneself,” vitality and verisimilitude, which would become the ideological basis for the emergence of Russian realistic art.

Until 1803, the dramatic and musical troupes were a single team

An interesting indicator of theatricality Everyday life the beginning of the 19th century is that amateur performances and home productions, widespread in noble life (heirs of the serf theater of the last century), were perceived as a departure from the world of the conventional and insincere life of court society, “light,” into the space of genuine feelings and sincerity. It was this movement from normative behavior to the recreation of Rousseau’s “natural man” that became the main ideological trend of the era. The sentimental hero, clothed in the image of a virtuous savage, becomes a victim of social or religious prejudice, or is transformed into the image of a girl whose natural feelings of love and freedom are violated by hypocritical morality and despotism.

From the point of view of a special understanding of theatricality, at the beginning of the 19th century it is logical to have a special passion for such public events as masquerades, balls, and puppet shows. Russian empire actively participates in European interstate conflicts, because military career determined the biographies of an entire generation of young people (a circumstance that significantly influenced the emergence of the Decembrists). A type of personality is being formed that, under the influence of “chance,” a sign of fate, can bypass the middle steps of the social hierarchy, jumping directly from the bottom to the top. Confidence in such a development of events was associated with seeing firsthand the biography of Napoleon, who managed to orchestrate a certain life scenario and effectively follow it, making the whole world tremble. In the minds of the officers, the image of Bonaparte near Toulon or on the Arcole Bridge was firmly associated with the opportunity to become heroically famous: many, like Prince Andrei in War and Peace, were looking for “their Toulon.” If in the past XVIII century impulses historical development was given by ambitious adventurers, now an extraordinary personality seeks to leave his mark in the annals of history.

Theater carpenters and low-level employees were subjected to corporal punishment

During the period at the turn of the XVIII-XIX centuries. Ekov quickly changes the whole picture of theatrical life. The number of theater troupes is sharply increasing, and the cast of actors is expanding. The network of theater enterprises in the province is rapidly growing - not only thanks to the organization of theaters with public funds, but also due to growing private initiative. In provincial cities, theaters were created on a share basis, enterprises emerged, and many serf theaters, which previously existed as home troupes of landowner theater troupes, switched to commercial footing. Most theaters move from place to place in search of fees, capturing an ever wider territory and circle of spectators in their wanderings.

The professional stage is beginning to urgently need trained actors, so it is looking for young talents from amateur theater troupes, absorbing entire serf groups, which opens the door for individual talented self-taught people. This is how the capital's imperial troupes were formed in Moscow and St. Petersburg, on the basis of which the Maly was created in 1824, and in 1832 - Alexandrinsky theaters- the largest dramatic groups, the troupe of which included the most significant acting talents.

In the early years XIX century theater attracts public attention to a much greater extent than 10-20 years ago. The fate of Russian performing arts, its current state and its future are becoming a constant topic of conversation in literary circles and in educated society, where a keen interest in the successes of national culture is awakening. Most magazines published in the 1800s contained articles on their pages reflecting the state of modern Russian theater. In St. Petersburg in 1808, the first Russian theater magazine in Russian began to be published - “Dramatic Herald”, and within a few years the number of publications devoted to the problems of the stage numbered several dozen.

The actor's salary was small, so the artists often held benefit performances

Speaking about the theatrical spirit of the era, one cannot fail to note the presence of stage showmanship in public speeches Russian Emperor Nicholas I. French writer Astolphe de Custine, who visited Russia in 1839, noted that “the emperor is always posing and therefore is never natural, even when he seems sincere... He has many masks, but there is no living face, and when you look for a person under them, you always you only find the emperor.” In this description of the Russian monarch, much is taken from typical romantic characteristics when real historical character in the subjective perception of his contemporaries, he could turn out to be both Hoffmann’s Sandman and a grotesque Gogol official.

The officially proclaimed state ideology - practically the Hegelian triad of autocracy-Orthodoxy-nationality - at the practical level of real embodiment turned into a magnificent theatrical scenery with its own actors and standards of behavior. Such massive entertainment activities like balls and masquerades. Often the main trend of such court events was the element of dressing up in stylized Russian clothes. folk costumes. For example, Nicholas issued an order for Polish aristocrats to appear before the Empress in Russian sundresses. Of course, there was no talk here of any semblance of historicism or verisimilitude: history has firmly entered the body of state ideology. Rare costume elements, buttons or buckles, borrowed from museums, served rather as a luxurious accessory, successfully complementing a spectacular public image.

The main element of the ball as a social and cultural entertainment of the era was dancing. The entire composition of the evening was based on the alternation different types dances, setting the tone of the conversation and giving rise to superficial small talk, when, according to Pushkin’s apt remark, “or rather there is no place for confessions.” Dancing became an integral element of the education of noble children, who began to attend dance evenings already from 5-6 years old. The ball as a whole was a kind of festive whole, subordinated to the movement from the strict form of ceremonial ballet to various types of choreographic play.

A magazine about the theater was published in 1808, a couple of years later there were dozens of publications

The desire to dress up, characteristic of masquerades, from an ethical and religious point of view was by no means a pastime approved by the norms of high morality. Masquerade, like the carnival “material-bodily bottom” that underlies this public performance, traditional dressing up has acquired a closed, even forbidden character of entertainment for the privileged strata of society. era palace coups The 18th century gave birth to a unique type of historical travesty hero, when a contender for the throne, carrying out a coup d'etat, dressed in a male guards uniform and sat on a horse like a man. Here, dressing up took on a symbolic character: a representative of the fairer sex turned into an emperor (for example, some used naming either masculine or feminine in relation to Elizabeth Petrovna in different situations).

The final touch in the theatrical ceremonial spirit of Russian reality at the beginning of the 19th century is the circumstances of the death of Emperor Nicholas I: there were rumors that he had poisoned himself. Thus, a peculiar mystical tradition associated with the death of the ruler continued: the murder of Paul I, the elder Fyodor Kuzmich as Alexander I, who had renounced the world. Despite the official denial, the sudden death of Nicholas caused a whole wave of assumptions and mystical guesses. Someone believed that he committed suicide due to failure Crimean War, others were sure that the emperor was poisoned by his personal doctor Mandt, who, being already in Russia, invented a special method of treatment, which he called atomistic. The miraculous technique was not recognized by official science and only created for its inventor the reputation of a charlatan. The myth of the insidious poisoning of Nicholas was picked up by Herzen’s authoritative publication “The Bell”. In general, the emperor remained faithful to his role until his death. He died on a simple soldier's mattress on an iron bed under an old military cloak. Saying goodbye to the empress, he asked to be dressed in a military uniform, and allegedly said to his grandson: “Learn to die!”

From the end of the 18th century. theater in Russia, as in other European countries, is entering a new era of its development. A rapid increase in the number of theaters in the province began, often due to the transition of landowner serf theaters to a commercial basis. Large theatrical enterprises, uniting drama, opera and ballet troupes, are being created in St. Petersburg and Moscow. In 1824, an independent drama troupe of the Maly Theater was formed in Moscow. In St. Petersburg in 1832, the dramatic Alexandrinsky Theater appeared.

The progressive direction of the Russian theater asserted itself in a constant struggle against reactionary tendencies in the repertoire and in the entire organization of theatrical affairs generated by government policy in the field of art.

The monopoly of the imperial theaters that existed in St. Petersburg and Moscow limited the possibilities of innovative endeavors and made playwrights and actors dependent on the requirements of the management and the entire bureaucratic regime imposed in the theaters. In difficult conditions, the theater developed in the provinces, where the commercial initiative of entrepreneurs flourished and where, mainly only by the strength of the acting talents, the theater was kept at the level of artistic requirements. Enormous support for the development of the progressive trend in Russian performing arts was provided by advanced democratic criticism, which defended the ideological foundations of the theater, its social content, and loyalty to the principles of life's truth. The ideological struggle runs through the entire development of Russian theater in the 19th century. The leading role in it is taken by the progressive direction, based on the process of formation of a national democratic culture, which is widely developing in Russia in this era, and on the growing opportunities for vivid expression in drama and theater of critical, anti-serfdom tendencies. On this basis, stage realism achieves particular success, and at the same time, the direction of progressive romanticism is established. In the period from Fonvizin to Ostrovsky, the main traditions of Russian theatrical culture were formed, and the features of its artistic originality were determined.

IN late XVIII-early 19th century In Russian theater, educational sentimentalism takes on leading importance. The Enlightenment idea of the innate equality of all people, the idea of “natural man”, which was used in the works of a number of playwrights and actors to reveal the contradictions of the serfdom system, helped to reveal the social and moral unacceptability of slavery. The attention of playwrights was attracted by the inner world of man, his spiritual conflicts (dramas by N. I. Ilyin, F. F. Ivanov, tragedies by V. A. Ozerov, etc.). On the other hand, in those sentimental dramas that were imbued with protective tendencies, there was a desire to smooth out life’s contradictions, traits of sugary idealization, and melodrama (works by V. M. Fedorov, S. N. Glinka, etc.).

The development of romanticism in Russian theater at the beginning of the 19th century. is associated with the growth in drama and acting of motives of dissatisfaction with the existing reality, individualistic protest, and violent experiences of a freedom-loving personality. These romantic features are characteristic of the art of the outstanding Russian actor A. S. Yakovlev (1773-1817).

The theater of the 19th century was characterized by loud, full of passion monologues, spectacular positions preparing theatrical exits, that is, having effectively completed his scene, the actor emphatically theatrically walked away, causing applause from the audience. Complex life experiences and thoughts disappeared behind the theatrical feelings. Instead of complex realistic characters, stereotyped ones accumulated stage roles. The officials running the “imperial” theaters persistently sought to turn them into places of light entertainment.

Two great events in theatrical life mark the end of the 19th century - the birth of the dramaturgy of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov and the creation of the Art Theater. In Chekhov's first play "Ivanov" new features were revealed: the absence of division of characters into heroes and villains, the unhurried rhythm of action with a huge internal tension. In 1895, Chekhov wrote a major play, The Seagull. However, the performance staged by the Alexandria Theater based on this play failed. Dramaturgy required new stage principles: Chekhov could not perform on stage without direction. The innovative work was appreciated by the playwright, theater teacher Nemirovich-Danchenko. Who, together with the actor and director Stanislavsky, created a new Art Theater. The true birth of the Art Theater took place in October 1898 during the production of Chekhov's Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich. On the stage they saw not actors playing at the “audience”, but genuine living people speaking to each other in the most ordinary, not elevated tone, as if at home. People moving freely and even turning their backs to the viewer (which seemed especially daring). The sincerity and simplicity of the playing, the naturalness of halftones and pauses touched everyone with truthfulness. Moreover, even those who played weekend and wordless roles were not mannequins, but created their own small artistic image. The members of the team that created the performance, guided by the director's will, were imbued with and welded together by a single task. And this created an ensemble unprecedented in the Russian theater until then, striking in its overall consistency. In December, the premiere of “The Seagull” took place, which has since been the emblem of the theater. The performance was entirely built on mood, on spiritual movements barely noticeable in external expression, unusual images, which could not be shown, depicted, one had to merge with them, they had to be lived. The production of “The Seagull” contributed to the birth of the famous formula: “not to act, but to live on stage.” For the play, Stanislavsky came up with mise-en-scène that had never existed in the theater. Thus, together with Chekhov, that diversity was created, which largely determined further paths theater development. This required a new acting technique. After all, living on stage is many times more difficult than performing. And Stanislavsky creates his own system of psychological realism, aimed at reproducing the “life of the human spirit.” And Nemirovich-Danchenko develops the doctrine of the “second plan” when behind what is said much is unspoken.
In 1902, with funds from the largest Russian philanthropist S. T. Morozov built the famous Moscow Art Theater building. Stanislavsky admitted that “the main initiator and creator of the socio-political life” of their theater was Maxim Gorky. The performances of his plays “Three”, “Bourgeois”, “At the Bottom” showed the difficult lot of workers and the “lower classes of society”, their rights, and a call for revolutionary restructuring. The performances took place in crowded halls.
Further contribution to the stage production of Gorky’s drama is associated with the name of Vera Fedorovna Komissarzhevskaya, who was close to revolutionary circles. Sick of the bureaucracy that was strangling the imperial stage, she left it and created her own theater in St. Petersburg. In 1904, the premiere of “Dachniki” took place here. Gorky's plays became the leading ones in the repertoire of the Komissarzhevskaya Theater.

At the beginning of the 20th century a new theatrical genre. In 1908, in St. Petersburg, V. A. Kazansky opened the first theater of one-act plays in Russia. The Liteiny Theater was the third theater of the entrepreneur (after the Nevsky Farce and Modern). The theater's poster was full of scary titles: “Death in the Arms,” “On the Gravestone,” and so on. Critics wrote that the theater was doing anti-artistic, irritable things. Spectators poured in. The Foundry Theater had a predecessor - the Parisian theater " strong sensations", headed by the creator and author of the plays, Andre de Lorde. The Russian theater imitated him from the repertoire to the specific means of influencing the public. But the spirit of Russian life did not resemble the atmosphere of Parisian inhabitants. The attraction to the terrible, the repulsive captured various layers of the Russian public. After two months, interest in the theater faded. The main reason is that the horror theater could not compete with the horrors of Russian modernity. The theater's programs changed greatly, and three years later the theater received the genre designation "Theater of Miniatures." The number of miniature theaters increased markedly after 1910. Actors, for the sake of profit, move from drama to miniature theaters, many drama theaters somehow made ends meet, and miniature theaters grew like mushrooms after rain. Despite the different names and genre designations of the newly emerged theaters, the nature of their performances was the same. The programs were built from one-act comedies, operas, operettas, ballets.

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, the passion for luxurious productions, completely devoid of artistic ideas characteristic of the style of the pre-revolutionary Bolshoi and Mariinsky theaters. The ensembles of a number of opera houses, first-class in their artistic composition, only won their positions through a complex and intense struggle. creative achievements. One of the founders of the World of Art association, S.P. Diaghilev, organized the Russian Seasons in Paris - performances by Russian ballet dancers in 1909-1911. The troupe included M. M. Fokin, A. P. Pavlova, V. F. Nezhensky and others. Fokine was choreographer and artistic director. The performances were designed by famous artists A. Benois and N. Roerich. Performances of La Sylphide were shown ( Chopin music), Polovtsian dances from the opera “Prince Igor” by Borodin, “The Firebird” and “Petrushka” (music by Stravinsky) and so on. The performances were a triumph for the Russian choreographic art. The artists proved that classical ballet can be modern and excite the viewer. Fokine’s best productions were “Petrushka”, “The Firebird”, “Scheherazade”, “The Dying Swan”, in which music, painting and choreography were united.