The Bolshoi Drama Theater was organized on the initiative of the writer Maxim Gorky, the actress and commissioner of theaters and spectacles Maria Andreeva and the poet Alexander Blok in 1918. The special aesthetics and style of the BDT were formed under the influence of architect Vladimir Shchuko and artists from the association "World of Art" Alexander Benois, Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, Boris Kustodiev - the theater's first set designers. The repertoire policy was determined by the first artistic director, Alexander Blok: “The Bolshoi Drama Theater is, by design, a theater of high drama: high tragedy and high comedy.” The ideas of the founders of the BDT were embodied in the works of Andrei Lavrentiev, Boris Babochkin, Grigory Kozintsev, Georgy Tovstonogov - outstanding directors who worked in the theater in different years. The BDT became the most famous stage of the USSR under the direction of Georgy Tovstonogov, who was the main director of the theater from 1956 to 1989.
In 2013 director Andrei Moguchiy, one of the leaders of the modern theatrical avant-garde, became the artistic director of the BDT. A new history began for the theater, filled not only with performances, but also with socially significant projects. Keeping its credo for a century, the Bolshoi Drama Theater conducts an open dialogue on topics of concern to modern society, raising the problems of a person of his time. Every season, BDT performances become laureates of the main theatrical awards of the country, including the national theater award "Golden Mask".
At the Bolshoi Drama Theater named after G.A. Tovstonogov three scenes. The main stage (750 seats) and the Small Stage (120 seats) are located in a historic building at 65, Fontanka Embankment. Every season at these three venues there are at least 5 premieres and more than 350 performances, social and educational projects are implemented, exhibitions, round tables, concerts and lectures by leading figures of contemporary art are held.

Which was one of the first founded after the October Revolution. In different years, famous directors and actors served and serve there. The BDT is considered one of the most beautiful theaters in the world.

The history of the birth of the theater

Bolshoy Drama Theatre. Tovstonogov was opened on February 15, 1919. Due to the lack of their own building, the troupe gave performances at the Conservatory. The room was not heated, it was very cold, but every evening the halls were full.

The idea to organize a theater belongs to M. Gorky. He was supported by the commissioner of theaters and spectacles. The artist A. Benois also belongs to the founders.

The Artistic Council, which was headed by M. Gorky, decided to invite A. Lavrentiev and N. Arbatov to the positions of directors. Actor N. Monakhov was appointed as a troupe and was engaged in the selection of artists. A. Gauk and Y. Shaporin became the musical directors of the theater. The troupe was assembled from outstanding artists who were leading actors of other theaters, and among them was Yury Yuryev, a movie star.

The BDT received its own building in 1920 and to this day does not change its location.

To Tovstonogov

Since the spring of 1919, A. Blok was the chairman of the theater's artistic council. Bolshoy Drama Theatre. Tovstonogov in the first years of its existence showed performances that corresponded to the plan of its creators, who wanted to see a revolutionary program in it - the repertoire was of a heroic and social nature. Performances based on the works of F. Schiller, V. Hugo, W. Shakespeare were staged, since Soviet dramaturgy had not yet received its development. In many ways, the face of the theater was determined by its artists. The famous actress N. Lejeune, who played in the theater at that time, claimed that props were not used on the stage, things were real: the furniture was borrowed from wealthy houses. Even the costumes were authentic. In 1925, the play "The Conspiracy of the Empress" was staged. The role of Vyrubova was played by N. Lejeune, and in the performance she wore a dress that really belonged to her heroine, who existed in reality. Great importance was attached to music, B. Asafiev, Yu. Shaporin, I. Vyshnegradsky collaborated with the theater.

From 1921 to 1923, great changes took place in the theater. Those who stood at its origins: M. Gorky and M. Andreeva - left Russia. A. Blok died. Some actors returned to the theaters where they served before being invited to the BDT. The chief director A. Lavrentiev left the post in 1921, but returned two years later and held this position until 1929. The artist A. Benois left the theater. In their place came other people who brought something new, expanded the repertoire with plays by domestic and foreign playwrights of that era.

From 1929 to 1935, K. Tverskoy, a student of V. Meyerhold, was the main director. Since then, the number of new productions based on the classics has declined. And for the entire period of leadership of K. Tversky, two new classical plays were staged. Preference was given to the works of contemporary authors: Yu. Olesha, N. Pogodin, A. Faiko, L. Slavin.

In 1932, the theater was named after one of its founders, it became known as "the name of Gorky". Then the repertoire included some of the writer's works.

Theater in 1935-1955

There was a time when the Bolshoi Drama Theater. Tovstonogov experienced a creative crisis. This period lasted 20 years - from 1935 to 1955. This time can be called a crisis of directing, as talented directors appeared and announced themselves with interesting productions, but did not stay long and left the theater (not always of their own free will). K. Tverskoy was expelled from the city in 1935, and was soon shot. A. Dikiy served in the theater for only a year, then he was arrested. All the directors who came after him stayed on average for 1-2 years. Due to the frequent change of leaders, the atmosphere in the team deteriorated, the quality of the productions decreased, the BDT lost popularity, there were sometimes fewer spectators than the actors on stage, the financial situation worsened, and there was a threat of closure.

In the era of Tovstonogov

In 1956, G. Tovstonogov was invited to the post of chief director of the BDT, who was given great powers. He began his service in the position by firing many actors. The new leader tried to attract the audience, for this reason comedies appeared in the repertoire. Already at the beginning of 1957, the Bolshoi Drama Theater. Tovstonogov returned to its former popularity, and performances began to take place with full houses. After 6 years of work, G. Tovstonogov won the fame of a talented and successful director. The theater went on tour in many countries of the world and gained popularity abroad. Georgy Alexandrovich served as the chief director of the BDT for three decades.

Late 20th - early 21st century

After G. Tovstonogov died, he was replaced by K. Lavrov, who was not a director, and therefore the theater was in constant search for directors. Lavrov gathered a staff that worked on a permanent basis. However, he often invited directors from other theaters to cooperate. In 1992, the BDT received its modern name. In 2004, he found the chief director, T. Chkheidze, who held this position until 2013.

Theater today

In March 2013, A. Moguchy became the artistic director of the BDT. From 2011 to 2014, the Fontanka Theater building was closed for restoration. On September 26, the renovated Bolshoi Drama Theater named after A.I. Tovstonogov. The photo below is an image of the BDT auditorium.

The theater has three venues: there are two halls in the building on the Fontanka Embankment, and one in the Kamennoostrovsky Theatre.

Famous actors of the theater and its repertoire

Over the years, such actors as T. Doronina, P. Luspekaev, O. Basilashvili, I. Smoktunovsky, A. Freindlikh, N. Usatova and others, glorified and continue to glorify the Bolshoi Drama Theater. Tovstonogov.

His repertoire is very wide and includes classical and contemporary plays.

How to get there

In the very center of the city, on the Fontanka Embankment, in the house number 65, there is the Bolshoi Drama Theater. Tovstonogov. The address of its second stage is the Krestovsky Ostrov metro station, Old Theater Square, building 13.

Dear viewers, please note:
The “About the Theater” section on the BDT website is currently being updated and supplemented.

History of the Bolshoi Drama Theater

The Bolshoi Drama Theater opened on February 15, 1919 with the tragedy Don Carlos by F. Schiller, starting its performances at the Opera Studio of the Conservatory.

In 1964 he was awarded the title of Academic, in 1970 the Small Stage was opened, since 1992 it has been named after G.A. Tovstonogov.

In the autumn of 1918, the theater commissioner M.F. Andreeva signed a decree on the creation of a Special Drama Troupe in Petrograd - that was the original name of the theater, now famous all over the world under the abbreviation BDT. Its formation was entrusted to the famous actor N.F. Monakhov, and two theatrical groups became the origins: the Tragedy Theater organized in 1918 under the direction of

Yu.M. Yuryev and the Theater of Artistic Drama, which was headed by A.N. Lavrentiev.

A.A. Blok, who essentially became the first artistic director of the BDT. The main ideological inspirer of the new theater was M. Gorky. He wrote at the time: "The audience needs to show the man he himself - and all of us - have long dreamed of, a man-hero, chivalrously selfless, passionately in love with his idea ... a man of honest deed, a great feat ..." Put forward Maxim Gorky the slogan "Heroic people - heroic theater!" was embodied in the BDT repertoire.

The heroes of W. Shakespeare, F. Schiller, V. Hugo appeared on the stage of the BDT. They asserted the ideas of nobility, opposing honor and dignity to the chaos and cruelty of the surrounding world. In the early years of the life of the BDT, artists played a significant role in determining its artistic appearance. Each of them: A.N. Benois and M.V. Dobuzhinsky, and monumental architect V.A. Shuko did it in their own way. But it was they who formed the solemn, truly magnificent style of the early BDT.

The advent of a new era coincided with difficult and sometimes tragic changes within the theater itself. In 1921 M.F. left Russia for several years. Andreev and M. Gorky, in the same year A.A. Blok, returned to the Yu.M. Yuryev, A.N. Benois, left the BDT and became the chief director A.N. Lavrentiev. New directors came to the theater: N.V. Petrov, K.P. Khokhlov, P.K. Weisbrem, K.K. Tverskaya; they brought new artists with them - Yu.P. Annenkova, M.Z. Levina, N.P. Akimova, V.M. Khodasevich, V.V. Dmitriev. Having accepted from A.A. Blok, a symbolic relay race, in 1923 the literary part was headed by A.I. Piotrovsky.

In the new search for the theater, the directing activity of V.E. Meyerhold K.K. Tverskoy (1929-1934). In the mid-twenties, the repertoire of the BDT was determined primarily by the plays of contemporary playwrights such as B.A. Lavrenev, A. Faiko, Yu.K. Olesha, N.N. Nikitin, N.A. Zarkhi, V.M. Kirshon, N.F. Pogodin. The troupe is also updated,

A.I. come to the BDT Larikov, V.P. Politseymako, N.P. Korn, L.A. Krovitsky; EAT. Granovskaya, O.G. Casico, V.T. Kibardina, E.V. Alexandrovskaya, A.B. Nikritina.

From the day the theater was founded, directors worked in the BDT: 1919-1921 and 1923-1929 - A.N. Lavrentiev; 1921-1922 - N.V. Petrov; 1929-1934 - K.K. Tverskaya; 1934-1936 - V.F. Fedorov; 1936-1937 - A.D. Wild; 1938-1940 - B.A. Babochkin; 1940-1946 -
L.S. Mine; 1946-1949 - N.S. Rashevskaya; 1950-1952 - I.S. Efremov; 1922-1923 and 1954-1955 - K.L. Khokhlov.

Thirty paces long. Twenty deep. Up - to the height of the curtain. The stage space is not that big. This space could accommodate a modern apartment - it will turn out not so unnaturally spacious. Here you can place a garden. Perhaps a corner of the garden, no more. Here you can create peace. The world of high human passions opposing baseness, the world of deeds and the world of doubts, the world of discoveries and a high system of feelings leading the auditorium.

From the book "Mirror of the Stage"

At the beginning of 1956, the Bolshoi Drama Theater was preparing to celebrate its thirty-seventh birthday.

On the very eve of the holiday, the troupe was presented with a new, eleventh in a row, chief director.

Thus, an era began in the BDT, whose name is Georgy Aleksandrovich Tovstonogov.

G.A. Tovstonogov created the theater, which for decades has always been the leader of the domestic theatrical process. The performances created by him: “The Fox and the Grapes” by G. Figueiredo, “The Idiot” by F.M. Dostoevsky, Five Evenings by A. Volodin, Barbarians by M. Gorky, Woe from Wit by A.S. Griboyedov, “Petty bourgeois” by M. Gorky, “Inspector General” by N.V. Gogol, "Three Sisters" by A.P. Chekhov, “Last Summer in Chulimsk” by A. Vampilov, “Energetic People” by V. Shukshin, “Three Bags of Weed Wheat” by V. Tendryakov, “History of a Horse” by L.N. Tolstoy, “There is Enough Simplicity in Every Wise Man” by A. Ostrovsky, “At the Bottom” by M. Gorky ... became events

in the theatrical life not only of Leningrad, but of the whole country, striking with the novelty of interpretation, the originality of the director's view.

Bit by bit, personality to personality, G.A. Tovstonogov assembled an ensemble of unique acting individuals who made up the country's best drama troupe. The roles played on the BDT stage brought fame to I.M. Smoktunovsky, O.I. Borisov, revealed the bright talents of T.V. Doronina, E.A. Lebedeva, S.Yu. Yursky, E.Z. Kopelyan, P.B. Luspekaeva, P.P. Pankova, E.A. Popova,

IN AND. Strzhelchik, V.P. Kovel, V.A. Medvedev, M.V. Danilova, Yu.A. Demich, I.Z. Zabludovsky, N.N. Trofimov, K.Yu. Lavrov,

A.Yu. Tolubeeva, L.I. Malevannaya. A.B. is still playing in the BDT. Freindlikh, O.V. Basilashvili, Z.M. Sharko, V.M. Ivchenko, N.N. Usatova, E.K. Popova, L.V. Nevedomsky, G.P. Bogachev, G.A. Calm.

On May 23, 1989, returning from the theater, Georgy Aleksandrovich Tovstonogov died suddenly at the wheel of his car.

In the days when the theater had not yet recovered from the shock, the People's Artist of the USSR, laureate of State Prizes K.Yu. Lavrov.

April 27, 2007 the theater said goodbye to K.Yu. Lavrov. In June, by unanimous decision of the troupe, the artistic director of the Bolshoi Drama Theater named after G.A. Tovstonogov, People's Artist of Russia and Georgia T.N. Chkheidze, who served in this post until March 2013.

In fact, these three milestones mark the most significant periods in the life of the theater, born of the revolution. Since 1920 he has occupied the building of the former Suvorin Theater on the Fontanka. Before the revolution, the St. Petersburg Maly Theater was located here, in which the troupe of the Literary and Artistic Society worked at the turn of the century. Since the main shareholder, unspoken artistic director, and also its ideologist was the publisher of the newspaper "New Time" A.S. Suvorin, Petersburgers called the theater Suvorin. From time to time, the life of the theater, not rich in artistic events, was illuminated by creative discoveries. So, for the first premiere of the theater was staged by E. Karpov The power of darkness LN Tolstoy, with P. Strepetova as Matryona. The performances with the participation of P. Orlenev, an actor who created a new role of "neurasthenic", became the same major phenomenon. M. Chekhov studied at the school at the theater, accepted after training at the Suvorin Theater and successfully worked in it until entering the Moscow Art Theater in 1912. After the death of K.Yu. G.A. Tovstonogov was appointed T.N. Chkheidze.

THEATER BORN BY THE REVOLUTION

Actually, the real history of the BDT begins after the October Revolution. The new theater opened on February 15, 1919 with a performance Don Carlos F. Schiller in the Great Hall of the Conservatory. The first theater of Soviet dramatic art was conceived as a theater of heroic repertoire, large-scale images, "great tears and great laughter" (Blok). Born of a heroic era, he had to convey its special greatness. It was to be a theater of "heroic tragedy, romantic drama and high comedy". The main ideological inspirer of the new theater was M. Gorky. In the early years, mainly classical plays were staged, in which tyrannical, freedom-loving motives were emphasized. The troupe received major actors N.F. Monakhov, V.V. Maksimov, for several years moved from the Petrograd State Drama Theater (Akdram) Yu.M. Yuryev, the main romantic premiere of the Alexandrinsky stage. The main director was A.M. Lavrentiev, who staged the following productions: Don Carlos (1919), Othello and King Lear W. Shakespeare (1920). Performances were also staged by N.V. Petrov ( twelfth Night Shakespeare, 1921; Ruy Blas V. Hugo, 1921), B.M. Sushkevich ( Rogues Schiller, 1919), A.M. Benois ( Servant of two masters C. Goldoni and Reluctant healer Moliere, 1921), R.V. Boleslavsky ( Ragged Cloak S. Benelli, 1919). Artists A.N. Benois, M.V. Dobuzhinsky, V.A. Shchuko and composers B.V. Asafiev, Yu.A. Shaporin, in close contact with the directors, strove to adhere to the traditions of scenic romanticism. In the early 1920s, German Expressionist dramas appeared in the repertoire of the BDT, which were embodied by K.P. Khokhlov in an urban spirit, in a constructivist design - Gas G. Kaiser (1922, artist Yu.P. Annenkov), Virgin forest E. Toller (1924, artist N.P. Akimov). Aesthetically, these performances adjoined the performance Machine Riot A.N. Tolstoy (reworking of the play by K. Chapek R.U.R.., 1924, artist Annenkov).

Of great importance for the fate of the theater was the involvement of the poet A.A. Blok to the post of chairman of the Directorate of the BDT.

But along with the heroic-romantic productions of Schiller, Shakespeare, as well as experimental works, the theater focused on box office performances, and often staged “lightened” historical melodramas. One of them - The conspiracy of the empress A.M. Tolstoy and P.E. Shchegolev (1925, director Lavrentiev, artist Shchuko) - enjoyed a resounding success.

THEATER IS APPROACHING TO MODERNITY

The most serious performances of that period are associated with the work of K.K. Tversky, who usually worked with the artist M.Z. Levin; among them, the productions of plays by modern authors became important - rebellion(1925) and Fault B.A. Lavreneva (1927), Man with a briefcase A.M. Faiko (1928), City of winds V.M. Kirshon (1929), My friend N.F. Pogodina (1932). From the mid-1920s, Soviet plays began to define the BDT's repertoire. Following the time, the theater for the first time tried to bring Romance closer to reality, to combine heroic pathos with a specific living environment. Strong acting personalities were formed in the theater troupe: O. G. Kaziko, V. T. Kibardina, A. I. Larikov, V. P. Polizeymako, K. V. Skorobogatov, V. Ya.

In the year of production fault, K.S. Stanislavsky during the Leningrad tour of the Moscow Art Theater wrote on a portrait donated by the BDT: “Your theater is one of those few that know that the revolution in art is not only in external form, but in its inner essence ...”.

For many actors, participation in Gorky's plays was a turning point. Gorky's plays had significant success Egor Bulychev and others(1932, directors K.K. Tverskoy and V.V. Lutse) and Dostigaev and other(1933, directed by Luce). The name of Gorky was given to the theater not by chance. Departure from the Gorky laws of dramaturgy, which always presupposed clarity of thought, clarity of ideological position, brightness of characters, irreconcilable conflict and special theatricality, almost every time led the theater to failure.

G. A. TOVSTONOGOV COMES TO THE THEATER

After the departure of Tversky, a difficult time came in the theater. Artistic directors often changed: 1934 - V.F. Fedorov, 1936-1937 - A.D. Dikiy, 1939-1940 - B.A. Babochkin, 1940-1944 - L.S. Rudnik. In an atmosphere of aesthetic unpretentiousness, multidirectional searches, only a few performances have become notable events in theatrical art: Philistines Gorky (1937, directed by Wild); summer residents Gorky (1939) and Tsar Potap A.A. Kopkova (1940 - both directed by Babochkin); King Lear Shakespeare (1941, directed by G.M. Kozintsev). In the first years of the Great Patriotic War, the theater worked in Kirov, in 1943 it returned to Leningrad and continued to work under the blockade, serving the troops of the Leningrad Front and hospitals.

The creative crisis of the BTC, which emerged as early as the mid-1930s, worsened in the post-war years. Artistic directors stayed in the theater only for a short time: 1946-1950 - N.S. Rashevskaya, 1951-1952 - I.S. Efremov, 1952-1954 - O.G. Kaziko, 1954-1955 - K.P. Khokhlov. The introduction into the repertoire of numerous thematically relevant, but handicraft, and sometimes frankly false plays, led to a decrease in the artistic level of performances, acting skills, and the loss of the audience. In 1956, G.A. Tovstonogov, who had 25 years of fruitful work experience in various theaters (Tbilisi, Moscow, Leningrad), became the chief director of the theater. His arrival coincided with the "thaw" - the revival of the country's public life after the XX Congress of the CPSU. In a short time, Tovstonogov brought the theater out of the crisis, turned the dysfunctional troupe into a close-knit team capable of successfully solving the most difficult creative tasks. Decisive in the theatrical policy of the chief director was the renewal of the troupe and the choice of repertoire. To restore the viewer's trust, Tovstonogov begins with unpretentious, but lively and recognizable plays ( Sixth floor A.Geri, When does the acacia bloom? N. Vinnikova). Talented young people are actively involved in these productions, which soon became the basis of the renewed team (K. Lavrov, L. Makarova, T. Doronina, Z. Sharko). They brought to the stage the living breath of truth, open lyrical hearts, genuinely sincere voices of our time. Liberated by the spiritual atmosphere of their time, the young actors, together with the director, approved a new hero - outwardly not at all heroic, but close to everyone in the hall, glowing with inner beauty and talent of humanity. Staging works of modern dramaturgy - five evenings(1959, in the center of which is an unusually delicate duet of E. Kopelyan and Z. Sharko), My elder sister(1961 with the brilliant T. Doronina and E. Lebedev) A. M. Volodin, and Irkutsk history A. N. Arbuzova (1960) - went in parallel with the careful work on Russian classics, in which the director heard, first of all, the nerve of today. Performances Idiot according to F.M. Dostoevsky (1957 and 1966), Barbarians Gorky (1959), Woe from Wit A.S. Griboedov (1962), Three sisters A.P. Chekhov (1965), Philistines Gorky (1966, State Prize of the USSR, 1970) became major events in the spiritual life of society and determined the leading position of the BDT in the domestic stage art. Of particular interest was the form of “performance-novel” that developed in the BDT, which is characterized by the thoroughness and subtlety of the psychological analysis of the behavior of the characters, the enlargement of the images, close attention to the inner life of all the characters.

Barbarians A.M. Gorky turned out to be the first performance that turned the recently heterogeneous troupe of the BDT into a powerful and rich sounding ensemble, where the director prepared and ensured the great acting victories of P. Luspekaev-Cherkun, V. Strzhelchik-Tsyganov, V. Polizeymako-Redozubov, O. Kaziko-Bogaevskaya, Z. Sharko-Katya, T. Doronina- Nadezhda, E. Lebedev-Monakhov, her husband.

An event in the theatrical life of the country was the production idiot with I. Smoktunovsky in the title role. A performance in which the director's innovative style was especially clearly manifested: elusive in its diversity on the one hand, and outward discreetness on the other. The director creates through the actor, together with the actor, and reveals their individuality often unexpectedly for them (O. Basilashvili, V. Strzhelchik, O. Borisov).

No idea exists for Tovstonogov outside the artist. But the director does not "die in the actor." Critic K. Rudnitsky wrote: "... the director comes to life in the actors, the art of each of the artists reveals one of the many facets of the art of the director himself ...". Therefore, the main work in the theater is working with the author and artist. The main result of the work is the creation of an ensemble of the highest culture, which can solve the most complex creative tasks, achieve stylistic integrity in any performance.

Contact with the audience in BDT performances is always heightened. But there were performances where this condition became paramount. This is how the show was staged. Woe from Wit(1964) with the tragic and at the same time eccentric Chatsky-S. Yursky, who was looking for associates in the hall, addressing the audience, with lively youthful spontaneity, hoping for understanding.

Each performance of Tovstonogov has its own way of communicating with the audience, whether horse history(1975) with E. Lebedev as Kholstomer, Chekhov, Gorky or Gogol ( Auditor, 1972), where the director poses the toughest questions to his characters, and therefore to the audience. At the same time, the novelty of reading arises from the depth of the read text, those layers of it that have not yet been seen and studied.

The revolutionary themes of performances are read and comprehended in a new way The death of the squadron A. Korneichuk, An optimistic tragedy V. Vishnevsky, staged repeatedly, at different times, as well as Rereading M. Shatrova (1980), where a simple person who finds himself in the face of History is examined intently, without false pathos.

The characteristic slow development of Tovstonogov's "performance-novels" ( Barbarians and Philistines; Upturned virgin soil according to M.A. Sholokhov, 1964, etc.) gradually brought actors and spectators to stormy, “explosive”, climaxes.

In the 1970s, the director continued his theatrical searches, staging an epic novel in the field of great prose. Quiet Don with O. Borisov in the role of Grigory - the central figure of the performance, eclipsing all other persons who have lost their scale in this system. The epic performance considered Gregory as a tragic hero who has no personal guilt before the fate of History. The "novel" productions of the director have always been accompanied by such a quality as polyphony.

But the BDT was not alien to a cheerful, mischievous comedy. Viewers of the 1970s will long remember the festive, light-winged Khanuma A. Tsagareli (1972), staged with special lyricism, grace and brilliant acting work by L. Makarova, V. Strzhelchik, N. Trofimov. The experience of a special "Vakhtangov" reading, with his open play in the theater, was successfully mastered by the director in Wolves and sheep A.N.Ostrovsky (1980), the opera-farce by A.N.Kolker sounded like a sharp tragicomic grotesque Death of Tarelkin according to A.V. Sukhovo-Kobylin (1982), which revealed the great potential of BDT actors in the field of open theatricality (acting works by E. Lebedev, V. Kovel, S. Kryuchkova, etc.). The comedic skills of the artists were honed both on the material of a modern play ( energetic people according to V. Shukshin, 1974), and in staging Pickwick Club according to Ch. Dickens, 1978).

In the troupe, in addition to the already mentioned artists, E.A. Popova, M.A. Prizvan-Sokolova, O.V. Volkova, L.I. Malevannaya, Yu.A. Demich, A.Yu. Tolubeev, S.N. .Kryuchkov. In 1983, the BDT troupe was replenished with another unique stage master - A.B. Freindlikh, who played and continues to play the most diverse roles - from three women who are opposite in comedy This passionate lover(N.Simon, 1983) to the tragic images of Lady Macbeth and Nastya ( At the bottom A.M. Gorky, 1987), etc.

THEATER NAMED AFTER G.A.TOVSTONOGOV

After the death of G.A. Tovstonogov in 1989, K.Yu. Lavrov became the artistic director of the BDT. In 1993, the theater was rightfully named after its former chief director, who became a whole theatrical era, not only for his theater, but also for his country.

A valuable contribution to the life of this theater was made by the productions of director T. Chkheidze, which largely coincided with Tovstonogov's requirements for the performance. The depth and scale of T. Chkheidze's director's intention were embodied by him through a carefully selected ensemble of actors. The most interesting of his performances: Deceit and love F. Schiller (1990), Macbeth At . Shakespeare, (1995), Antigone J. Anuya (1996), Boris Godunov A. Pushkin (1998).

In the modern BDT, many performances by G.A. Tovstonogov continue to go on, which are not just preserved, but live a full-blooded life.

In 2007, after the death of K. Lavrov, Temur Chkheidze was appointed artistic director, who had worked with the BDT since 1991, and in 2004 agreed to become the chief director. In February 2013, Chkheidze resigned and stepped down as artistic director.

Ekaterina Yudina

The famous building of the Bolshoi Drama Theater, which is located on the Fontanka, was erected in 1877. Its customer was Count Anton Apraksin. It was originally conceived as a theatrical venue, and was to become an auxiliary stage of the Alexandrinsky Theater. For a long time the building was rented by the Directorate of the Imperial Theatres. At the end of the 19th century, it came under the jurisdiction of the Literary and Artistic Society, founded by the playwright Alexei Suvorin. In 1917, the building was confiscated by the Soviet authorities, in 1920 the Bolshoi Drama Theater was founded here.

The architect Ludwig Fontana, who built the building on the order of Count Apraksin, chose an eclectic style. Its appearance combines the characteristic features of the Baroque and Renaissance. Already 10 years after its construction, the building underwent a number of minor changes, and at the beginning of the 20th century, a large-scale reconstruction was carried out, during which the stage space greatly increased. The concept of lighting the interiors of the building has completely changed. During the Soviet years, part of the audience lobby was converted into a small stage.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the question of a major overhaul of theater premises arose. The last reconstruction of the famous theater ended in 2014.

Troupe history

The founders of the Petrograd Bolshoi Drama Theater can be considered Maxim Gorky and one of the oldest Moscow Art Theater actresses Maria Andreeva, who held the position of commissar for entertainment institutions in the Soviet north. In 1918, she officially signs the decision to open the BDT. The troupe of the new theater group included the best actors of the Soviet era. Alexander Benois himself became the chief artist of the theatre.

Already in 1919 the theater played its first premiere. It was Schiller's play Don Carlos. The theater received a building on the Fontanka only in 1920, and before that, performances were held in the large hall of the Conservatory.

"The theater of great tears and great laughter" - this is how Alexander Blok defined the repertoire policy of the BDT. At the beginning of its journey, the theater, accepting the works of the best world and Russian playwrights for staging, carried to the public revolutionary ideas corresponding to the time. The main ideologist of the BDT during the first years was Maxim Gorky. Since 1932, the theater officially began to bear his name.

In the early 1930s, Konstantin Tverskoy, a student of Vsevolod Meyerhold, became the chief director of the theatre. Under him, the repertoire was supplemented with productions of modern dramaturgy. The plays of such authors as Yuri Olesha made the theater closer to the present.

In 1936, Tverskoy was arrested and later shot. After that, it was time for a constant change in the artistic leadership of the theater. Many of its creative leaders were repressed and replaced by others. This could not but affect the quality of productions and the state of the troupe. The BDT began to lose its popularity and status as the city's leading theater. During the Great Patriotic War, the troupe continued its activities in the evacuation, and after the blockade was broken, it returned to Leningrad, where it took up the provision of leisure time for hospitals.

The creative stagnation of the theater lasted until Georgy Tovstonogov took the post of artistic director in 1956. He completely reorganized the BDT, updated the troupe and attracted a new audience to the site. For thirty-three years of his leadership, the theater troupe was replenished with such stars as Zinaida Sharko, Tatiana Doronina, Natalya Tenyakova, Alisa Freindlich. Innokenty Smoktunovsky, Pavel Luspekaev, Sergey Yursky, Oleg Basilashvili shone on the stage of the BDT.

After the death of the great master, the star troupe changed its main directors several times, among which were Kirill Lavrov, Grigory Dityatkovsky, Temur Chkheidze.

In 2013, the BDT was headed by one of the brightest directors of the modern Russian theater - Andrey Moguchiy. His very first performance "Alice" based on the works of Lewis Carroll, with Alisa Freindlich in the title role, immediately won the most prestigious theater awards in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

In 2014, a large-scale reconstruction of the BDT building was completed - thus the theater was updated not only artistically, but also architecturally. Having retained its historical appearance, it has significantly modernized its technical base.

Currently, the theater has three operating sites - a large and a small stage in the main building on the Fontanka, as well as the Kamennoostrovsky Theater, known as the "second stage of the BDT".

During the last three-year reconstruction of the BDT inside the building, under several layers of plaster and paint, unique bas-reliefs, drawings and stucco moldings were discovered, the existence of which was previously unknown.

Having carried out a major overhaul of the building, the builders preserved intact such memorable objects as the office of Georgy Tovstonogov, as well as the interiors in the dressing room, where great theater figures of our time left their autographs on the walls and ceiling.

One of the most famous Russian drama theaters in 2015 was awarded the National Theater Award "Golden Mask" in the nomination "Puppet Theatre", since one of the latest premieres of the BDT was classified by experts not as a drama, but as a puppet genre. The play “When I Become Small Again” based on the works of Janusz Korchak was staged at the Bolshoi Theater by the outstanding Russian puppet director Yevgeny Ibragimov.