When did the first fortress theater appear. Life of wonderful names

Material from the Uncyclopedia

The serf theater arose in Russia in the second half of the 18th century, when the nobility received from Catherine II unlimited power over the peasants, lands, palaces, estates, thousands of serf souls.

Serf actors were not exempted from their usual duties: they worked in the field, in the kitchen, in the barnyard in the morning, and in the evening they had to "represent" at the theater. Guilty artists were severely punished. And despite all this, history has preserved for us the names of outstanding serf actors, true talents. Among them are T. V. Granatova (Shlykova), P. I. Zhemchugova (Kovaleva), musicians S. A. Degtyarev, G. Ya. Lomakin, instrumental master I. A. Batov and others.

As a thirteen-year-old girl, the young daughter of the blacksmith Parasha Kovalev played the role of Louise in the opera The Runaway Soldier, touching and captivating the audience of the Sheremetev Theater. She, the pearl of the Sheremetev troupe, was granted the pseudonym Zhemchugova. She had a wonderful voice (lyric soprano) and great dramatic talent. Among her best roles is Eliana in A. Gretry's opera Samnite Marriages. The serf Parasha Zhemchugova became Countess Sheremeteva. But soon she died of consumption.

The theater buildings in the Sheremetev estates Kuskovo and Ostankino near Moscow competed with the Hermitage Theater of Catherine II and the best theaters in Europe with marvelous decoration. Serfs from the Sheremetev troupe studied with the best actors of that time - I. A. Dmitrevsky, S. N. and E. S. Sandunov, P. A. Plavilytsikov.

Fortress theaters differed from each other both in the composition of the troupe and in the repertoire. If the Sheremetevs mainly gave operas, mainly Western European ones, then ballets were staged in the Yusupov theaters in Moscow and the Arkhangelsk estate and there was a strong ballet troupe trained by the famous Moscow dance master Yogel.

Dramatic performances were staged in the theaters of A. R. Vorontsov in Alabukha and Andreevsky near Moscow. A friend of A. N. Radishchev A. R. Vorontsov was an enlightened man of his time. Its serf artists received a salary, and it was the only theater in which the dignity of serfs was not humiliated, where corporal punishment was abolished. On the stage of the Vorontsov Theater there were "Dmitry the Pretender" by A.P. Sumarokov, "The Brigadier" and "The Undergrowth" by D.I. Fonvizin, Molière's comedies.

The tragic, disenfranchised fate of the serf artist worried the best Russian writers. M. S. Shchepkin, who began his career as a serf actor, suggested to A. I. Herzen the plot of the story “The Thieving Magpie”, which tells about the cruel morals of the Kamensky Theater in Orel, about the death of the talented actress Kuzmina, named Aneta in the story. N. S. Leskov described the sufferings and sorrows of the serf actress Lyuba and the theatrical hairdresser Arkady in the story “Dumb Artist” with amazing force.

Fortress theaters contributed to the formation of the provincial scene in Russia - in Nizhny Novgorod (now Gorky), Orel, Penza, Kazan, Kharkov and other cities, the widespread dissemination of theatrical art, the establishment of a realistic democratic direction in it.

In the retinue of the empress was a member of the French embassy, ​​Count Segur, who was rather skeptical about the Russian nobles and their holidays in honor of Catherine II: “These magnificent celebrations are always the same: boring balls, uninteresting spectacles, magnificent poems for the occasion, brilliant fireworks, after which only smoke remains, a lot of wasted time, money and effort ... If it was boring to participate in them, then it is even more boring to describe them ... However, I will not pass in silence on one given in honor of the Empress by Count Sheremetev.

Artist Ivan Argunov.

(presumably Anna Izumrudova-Buyanova).

The performance made a special impression on Segur: “I was surprised by the elegance of the melodies, the richness of the outfits, the dexterity and lightness of the dancers and dancers. But most of all, I was struck by the fact that the author of the words and music of the opera, the architect who built the theater, the painter who decorated it, the actors and actresses, dancers and dancers in the ballet, the musicians who make up the orchestra - all belonged to Count Sheremetev, who carefully tried to educate and teaching them."

The Kuskovsky theater was indeed the fruit of the creativity of His Excellency's “own” people, despite the fact that many opera claviers, sketches of scenery and costumes, projects of the theater and its machinery were sent by Ivar, Nikolai Petrovich’s Parisian correspondent. All this took shape thanks to architects Argunov and Mironov, decorators Funtusov and Kalinin, musicians Kalmykov and Smagin, singers Grigory Kokhanovsky and Stepan Degtyarev, actresses Praskovya Zhemchugova and Anna Izumrudova, dancers Alexei Vorobyov and Tatyana Shlykova.

Sketch of the hero's costume for the theater
Sheremetevs. 80s of the XVIII century.
Artist M. Kirzinger.

Sketch of the costume of the heroine for the theater
Sheremetevs in Kuskovo. 1780s.
Artist M. Kirzinger.

This discovery struck Segur because everywhere in Russia he saw traces of "real slavery", imposing on the serfs the stamp of hopeless downtroddenness and savagery. “The common people, immersed in slavery, are not familiar with moral well-being,” the Frenchman noted in his notes, comparing the Russians with the Scythians or barbarians of Roman times. And suddenly - such a level of artistic performance, such impeccable musicality and grace?! Yes, what about the foreigner Segur, when many of our compatriots shared his opinion. For example, a contemporary and close relative of the Sheremetevs, Prince Ivan Mikhailovich Dolgoruky (himself an amateur actor and playwright) had great doubts about the possibility of inspired creativity among serfs: to plant a chair one at a time? He believed that such an actor is only able to play “like an ox carrying a load when it is being driven with a rod”.

And indeed, Sheremetev could dispose of the serf "soul" that belonged to him at his own discretion and act with his "own" people, according to the concepts of that century, like a "father": for the slightest exit "from the will of the count" the owner chose a rod, a reduction in salary or another punishment. True, Sheremetev did not resort to them very often. Nikolai Petrovich would later write to his son Dmitry Nikolayevich in a "testamentary letter": "My parent's house was different from the others." And this difference manifested itself primarily in relation to the serfs, and especially theatrical ones.

His actors, singers, musicians, artists received an excellent education; they were given a fixed salary, which consisted of a monetary “dacha” and a “grain dacha”; they have never been used in any other work: neither in the field, nor in the house and in general, which is very common among other, even very wealthy owners of home theaters; the first performers ate from the count's table and used the services of the count's doctor. However, “laziness, negligence and inattention in teaching” were punished by the fact that the guilty were “put on their knees or put on bread and water” (educational measures that were quite widespread in the 18th century).

All the actors were entrusted with "strong watching" Vasily Voroblevsky, who was obliged to watch over them physically and morally. Compliance with morality was given special attention: on the Sheremetev stage in all the plays, love reigned with its temptations and appeals (in a newfangled and progressive spirit) to the free choice of one's beloved. But since the count created a theater for himself and those like him in position, all these appeals should not have had anything to do with his serfs. They tried to strictly protect stage servants outside the theater from the temptations of love and, most importantly, from its free choice. This was achieved by the absence of idleness and the impossibility of communicating with the opposite sex, for which the same Vasily Voroblevsky, slavishly devoted to the owner, was responsible.

The serf, i.e., private noble (domestic landowner) theater arose in Russia on a feudal-serf basis. Separate home performances by serf actors began to be staged as early as the end of the 17th century, but serf theaters became especially widespread in the second half of the 18th - early 19th centuries and existed until the abolition of serfdom (1861).

Home theaters, of which there were about two hundred during all this time, were distinguished by many significant nuances: in some, only the nobles themselves, often titled and high-ranking, played, or their children - these are usually called amateur nobles; in others, “brownies”, that is, serf actors, performed next to amateur nobles; in the third, “free” artists of the public imperial stage or private professional entreprise were invited to the main roles, and the rest of the troupe was from their “home-grown”; in the fourth - "free" celebrities, Russian and foreign, appeared only as orchestra leaders, choreographers and theater teachers, and the performers were mainly "own" actors; there were also landlord theaters, which turned into public ones, with an entrance fee.

Any such serf theater, intimate home or public, was created at the whim of the landowner, at his expense, thanks to the labor of his own serfs, used as either actors, or orchestra musicians, or attendants of the stage action, which most often took place in his own ( sometimes rented) house, where he was the absolute master on the stage, backstage and in the auditorium, i.e., he determined the artistic and aesthetic level of performances, formed the direction (dramatic or musical), chose the repertoire, distributed roles, etc., He placed the audience at his own discretion, and also determined the moral face of the theater.

The fortress theater was of two types - manor and city. The first was a well-organized premises with a large repertoire, a large troupe of artists trained from childhood for theatrical activities, an orchestra, ballet, choir and soloists. The so-called "booth theaters" also belong to this type, showing their performances at large fairs in county towns, in settlements at monasteries, etc. The second type includes manor theaters, which were of a closed nature - for the amusement of the gentlemen themselves and invited guests. Only at first glance, such fortress scenes existed in a closed way: their living connection with the social and cultural life of Russia is obvious.

Forced actors were trained by professional artists, composers, choreographers. Often, serf artists were brought up in state theater and ballet schools, and free artists played next to them on the serf stage. It happened that serfs, rented out by their owners, also appeared on the imperial stage (in such cases, in posters and programs, serfs were not called “master” or “lady”, but simply wrote their names). There are cases when serf artists were redeemed by the treasury for enrollment on the imperial stage - Stolypin serfs, together with the courtyard actors of the landowners P.M. Volkonsky and N.I. Demidov were included in the troupe of the state theater, which was formed in 1806, now known as the Maly Theater. From the serf artists came M.S. Shchepkin, S. Mochalov (father of the tragedian P.S. Mochalov), E. Semenov, according to A.S. Pushkin, "the sovereign queen of the tragic scene", and many others.

At first, serf theaters were set up in the city estates of both capitals, especially in Moscow, where more than twenty of them existed in the 1780s and 1790s alone. In winter, home theaters functioned in the city, and in the summer, together with their owners, they moved to country estates.

Widely known are such serf troupes as the theater of Count S.M. Kamensky in Orel. A special building had a stalls, mezzanine, boxes, a gallery. The chaplains were dressed in special livery tailcoats with multicolored collars. In the count's box, in front of his chair, there was a special book for recording the mistakes of artists and orchestra during the performance, and whips were hung on the wall behind the chair for punishment. Within six months in 1817, according to the "Friend of the Russians", in the theater of Count Kamensky "to the amusement of the public of the city of Orel, 82 plays were staged, of which there were 18 operas, 15 dramas, 41 comedies, 6 ballets and 2 tragedies." The count's estate has not been preserved, but in the Oryol Drama Theater. I.S. Turgenev, since the late 1980s, there has been a memorial “stage of Count Kamensky” with a reconstructed stage, a small hall, a curtain, a museum and a make-up room. Chamber performances are played here, and a portrait of the count and a rod for punishment hangs above the chair of the last row.

The theater of Prince Shakhovsky belonged to the same type of public fortress theaters, the permanent residence of which was in a specially equipped room in Nizhny Novgorod. Every year in July, the prince brought his theater to the Makariev Fair. The repertoire of the fortress theater included drama, opera and ballet performances. A similar type of theater is depicted in the story of Vl.A. Sologuba Pupil - manners and life of theatrical figures of the early 19th century. conveyed here with the same tragedy as in the story of A.I. Herzen Magpie-thief. There is enough accurate information about the repertoire of serf theaters in the 1790s, mainly the works of V. Levshin and I. Kartselli: comic operas The King on the Hunt, The Wedding of Mr.

One of the first and most outstanding was the theater of the Counts Sheremetevs. He began his activity in St. Petersburg in 1765 as an amateur nobleman and finally took shape by the end of the 1770s in Moscow (on Bolshaya Nikolskaya Street). From hundreds of thousands of their serfs, the Sheremetevs carefully selected and taught the crafts and art of the masters who took part in the creation of the theater (architects F. L. Argunov, A. F. Mironov, G. Dikushin; artists I. P. and N. I. Argunov, K. Funtusov, G. Mukhin, S. Kalinin, musicians P. Kalmykov, S. Degtyarev, G. Lomakin and others). They worked under the guidance of and next to renowned European and Russian masters.

In the Moscow estate of the Sheremetevs, Kuskovo, theaters were built: Bolshoi, Maly and "air" (in the open air). The troupe included serf actors, musicians, dancers, decorators (more than two hundred people), among them - an outstanding actress and singer Zhemchugova (P. I. Kovaleva). Artists were supposed to be paid money and food. The troupe was led and overseen by the serf "His Excellency's librarian" V. G. Voroblevsky, who was educated at the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy and visited abroad with N. P. Sheremetev in the early 1770s. Voroblevsky translated the plays, at the same time reworking them. The theater's repertoire included more than a hundred plays, mostly comic operas, but also comedies, operas and ballets.

The theater reached its peak in the mid-1780s, when N.P. Sheremetev, son, an enlightened nobleman, a talented musician and a selfless lover of theatrical art, who rebuilt a magnificent theater-palace in the village of Ostankino in the early 1790s, became its owner.

The heyday of the activity of the serf theater of Prince N. B. Yusupov dates back to the beginning of the 19th century (around 1818), but its prehistory goes back to the end of the 18th century. The scenery for this theater was painted by the famous P. Gonzago. Operas and magnificent ballet performances were given at the Yusupov Theater.

By the end of the 18th century, serf theaters began to appear in provincial cities and estates, sometimes very remote from the center, including in the Urals and Siberia. Their level was very different: from primitive home-grown performances on hastily put together stages with a painted sheet instead of a curtain (the theater of Prince G. A. Gruzinsky in the village of Lyskovo), to perfectly organized performances in specially built theaters with a well-equipped stage (the theater of Prince N. G Shakhovsky in the village of Yusupovo, and then in Nizhny Novgorod; the theater of P. P. Esipov in Kazan; S. M. Kamensky in Orel; S. G. Zorich in Shklov).

In the 1780s, the favorite of Catherine II, S. G. Zorich, in his estate Shklov, Mogilev province, staged a theater, which, according to contemporaries, was "enormous." The repertoire included dramas, comedies, comic operas and ballets. In addition to the serfs, cadets of the Shklov Cadet Corps (established by Zorich) and amateur nobles, among whom Prince P.V. Meshchersky was famous (M.S. Shchepkin highly appreciated his game), participated in dramatic performances. In the ballets, which "were very good," only serf dancers danced (in 1800, after Zorich's death, his ballet troupe was bought by the treasury for the St. Petersburg imperial stage).

Among the provincial theaters, the serf theater of Count A. R. Vorontsov also stood out, located in the village of Alabukhi, Tambov province, then in the village of Andreevskoye, Vladimir province. Vorontsov, one of the most educated people of his time, was an ardent opponent of the gallomania that spread among the Russian nobles in the 18th century. Therefore, the repertoire of his serf theater primarily included plays by Russian playwrights: A. P. Sumarokov, D. I. Fonvizin, P. A. Plavilytsikov, M. I. Verevkin, Ya. etc. Plays by Moliere, Beaumarchais, Voltaire and other European playwrights were also staged.

Serf theaters existed in conditions when their owners tried to make the most of the talent of the serfs, as a result, many of them died prematurely. The history of serf theaters in Russia is full of tragic destinies and dramatic conflicts of existence. However, in spite of everything, these theaters made a valuable contribution to the development of national theatrical art, contributed to its wide dissemination - many provincial theaters trace their history from serf household troupes.

It is difficult for our contemporaries who are fans of blockbusters and television series to imagine that the profession of artists was once hard, forced and unpaid work. About the age-old burden that fell on the shoulders of the most dependent profession, in the "home" theaters of serf Russia, and will be discussed further.

When did "fortified theaters" exist?

"Fortress", often called "home", the theater existed for almost a hundred and fifty years. The roots of the phenomenon go back to the time of Peter the Great, when new forms of entertainment for the nobility were actively inculcated. So, one of the Russian researchers of the topic, Tatyana Dynnik, calls the date of birth of the phenomenon - the wedding day of Queen Catherine II, when the actor became the "revision soul". And as proof, an excerpt from the memoirs of a contemporary describing the day of November 15, 1722 is given with a mention of the order of the Duchess of Mecklenburg to punish one of the guilty actors with two hundred blows of batags applied to serfs. The end of the era is evidenced by the document of 1844 on the meeting of the Committee for the arrangement of the "estate of courtyard people", at which Nicholas I expressed the opinion that the serfs "theatrical troupes, orchestras, etc., are now almost withdrawn or withdrawn everywhere. In St. Petersburg, as far as I know, only Yusupov and Sheremetev already have this; the latter, however, does not like it, but because he does not know where to go with these people.

Fortress theater in Kuskovo

What is this phenomenon?

The theater of serfs for eminent families was movable property, which they disposed of on the basis of property rights for the purposes of entertainment and commerce. The poster was filled with operas, ballets, comedies and dramas. And the idea itself turned out to be part of city life, not estate life. By the beginning of the 19th century in Russia, for 155 collectives, only 52 were located in estates, and 103 in city mansions: in Moscow - 53, St. Petersburg - 27, and in other cities - 23. The owners made considerable efforts to make their "homely joys" seem metropolitan".

It is worth noting separately that the subsidies to such teams were considered a luxury and meant significant expenses, which is why such pampering could only be afforded by owners of very large fortunes.

The Sheremetev Fortress Theater in the Fountain House

The most famous fortress theaters

* Prince G.A. Potemkin in the Tauride Palace (Shpalernaya st., house 47, St. Petersburg),
* in the Yusupov Palace on the Moika, house 94 (St. Petersburg),
* in the Naryshkin-Shuvalov Palace on the Fontanka, house 21 (St. Petersburg),
* heir to the throne, Pavel Petrovich (estate in the village of Pavlovskoye),
* Count B.P. Sheremetev in the Fountain House - 34 (St. Petersburg),
* Prince N. B. Yusupov (Arkhangelskoye village near Moscow),
* General S. S. Apraksin (Olgovo),
* Countess D. P. Saltykova (Marfino),
* "Napoleonic Theater" P. A. Poznyakov in the house on Nikitskaya (Moscow), etc.

Fortress theater Gonzago in the village of Arkhangelskoye

Who was selected as an artist?

Acting turned out to be forced labor, cane, often of a temporary nature. The staff of performers was recruited from the serfs according to the main criterion - the applicant must be “prominent”, in the sense, beautifully built, have a stately figure. According to Sheremetev's decree, the performers of home theatrical productions were taken from orphans aged 15-16, "they are not corrupted in face and body, and, moreover, they can read and write." However, only the first requirement was often observed, which is why most of the artists were poorly educated. So, in a letter to Sheremetev, one of the recitation teachers in the count's house, the famous actor Ivan Dmitrevsky, noted the students' incredibly low level of Russian language proficiency, without which "it is very difficult to be a good actor."

How were the rehearsals?

Given the fact that not everyone could afford literate serfs, the selected performers were tormented by learning roles “from the voice” and meaningless repetitions of rehearsals, even at night.

Fortress Theater of N. A. Durasov in Lyublino

What else was taught?

Acting skills, recitation, singing, music making, spelling, literary history, foreign languages, general course of natural sciences. For this, young people capable of learning were recruited into the troupe.

Where did the actors live?

The restless people of artists lived in isolation, in separate wings, somewhere in the backyards, "away from the eyes", but under the close eye of strict control and army discipline.

« Nothing to do, - says one owner of the serf theater at A. I. Herzen, - order in our business is half the success; loosen the reins a little - trouble: artists are restless people. You know, perhaps, what the French say: it is easier to manage an entire army than a troupe of actors.».

Fortress Theater of Count Sheremetev in Ostankino

How much did serf artists receive?

Considering that the “receiving” party took upon itself the “full subsidy”, i.e. the cost of accommodation, accommodation and food, the artist did not get his hands on anything. Only wealthy nobles received incentives and gifts, but this was considered a rarity.

A special case is the home theater of Count Sheremetev, where the actors were paid from 10 to 60 rubles a year. So much could receive an experienced valet or steward. The count for the whole servant set three levels of salaries: "grassroots", i.e. the subsidy corresponded to the lowest rate, then "cottage against lackeys", i.e. equal to the lackeys, and the "supreme dacha", which determined the privileged status of those involved in the theater.

Unknown fortress artist. Palace in Maryino. 1816

What penalties were applied?

Severe punishments for all sorts of violations and offenses were maintained by strict rules of discipline. Nikolai Leskov in the short story "The Dumb Artist" described several realistic examples of the count's tyranny of the owner of the serf theater in the Oryol province, Count Sergei Kamensky, who was incredibly cruel to the serfs. The count personally worked as a cashier and sold tickets. In addition to entertainment, guests received treats in the form of marshmallow slices, pickled apples and honey. The count wrote down all the remarks on the game and, right during the intermission, went backstage, where with specially prepared whips he carried out calculations with negligent performers so hard that their screams reached the refined ears of honored guests.

However, punishments in the form of corporal vices were more often applied only to men. Women had a different fate. So, for example, Count Sheremetev had a habit of forgetting a scarf while going around the actresses' bed, which he suddenly remembered at night, unexpectedly visiting girls' bedrooms, which is why he soon acquired a large number of illegitimate offspring.

At the same time, he himself severely punished for all sorts of violations of the “decent rules”. So, for example, a student of his home theater, Belyaeva, somehow went to study at the house of the actor Sandunov in the same britzka with his student Travin. The count brought down his passionate anger on the head of both, indignant at the fact that "the girl went with the bachelor", after which they were severely punished.

The serf of the landowner N.N. Demidov, the great Russian actor Stepan Mochalov (1775-1823)

What did the actors fear the most?

There were numerous legends about the horrific incidents that accompanied the punishment of artists for misconduct. So, for example, during one scene, a dog attacked an actor playing an imaginary monster, which tore the performer to pieces. The owner of the house forbade everyone to interfere, allowing "to finish the job", after which he ordered the dog to be hanged and the artist to be sent away.

As I. Arseniev describes, Count N. B. Yusupov had a strange habit, entertaining his Moscow guests after the end of the performance by going out in a light blue tailcoat with a powdered wig with a pigtail, and the corps de ballet appeared in its “natural form”. Another example of how often the "home theater" realized the owner's ideas about entertainment, which he lacked.

Fragment of the Last Judgment Icon

What encouraged true talent?

In addition to valuable gifts and cash prizes, a change of surname was considered a special grace. So, for example, after passing the recitation lessons of the famous actor Ivan Dmitrevsky, the young girls changed their last names: Kucheryavinkova became Izumrudova, Kovaleva - Zhemchugova, Buyanova - Granatova, Chechevitsina - Yakhontova. And the roughly named men received the names Kamenev, Mramornov, Serdolikov, etc.

The prima of the Sheremetyevo Theater Praskovya Zhemchugova (Kovalev) after a concert before Paul I in February 1797 was so impressed by the beauty and tenderness of the timbre of the lyric soprano that she received an "imperial gift" as a gift - a ring of a thousand rubles. And in 1801, the actress became the wife of Count Sheremetev. However, the secret marriage became known only in 1803, after the birth of the first-born Dmitry, who got untold wealth and one and a half hundred thousand serf souls. But twenty days later, the great actress suddenly died of consumption.

What additional benefits did the owner receive?

After the performance of the famous fortress theater in the Sheremetev estate near the village of Kuskovo, Catherine II expressed incredible surprise at the magnificent spectacle, “ pleasantly standing out from everything that was arranged for her". This allowed Count Nikolai Sheremetev to spend the last decade of the 18th century in St. Petersburg, in his Fountain House, where artists, orchestra members, artists and ballet dancers came with him.

How did "serfs" become "employees"?

In the 1820s, the serf theater groups were gradually disbanded. The ruin of many noble families allowed the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters to acquire several serf performers, musicians, barbers and seamstresses. But the situation did not change during the transition of the serf from the landowner to the professional collective. The law introduced on December 17, 1817 on the “exclusion of artists and other theatrical employees from the head salary”, thanks to which talents received freedom from “revision” dependence, did not change the position of dependent talents. The new leaders from the directorate also treated them as if they were things.

How much is the "serf" talent?

In 1828, the Directorate acquired a group of musicians from Prince Chernyshev for 54,000 rubles. Two thousand per soul. But it turned out that the orchestra performers either “did not play” or “played badly”, which is why some were given for retraining, some - to “Turkish music”, and the rest - to copyists of notes. They determined a salary of 250 to 500 rubles a year (despite the fact that the freemen were paid 1000), quartered in an annex to the Anichkov Palace, plus those married with children added half a hundred rubles. This deplorable state forced the serfs to even write a letter to the Minister of the Court Volkonsky with a request to "take under the protection of the unfortunate", but it had no power and did not bring changes in fate.

What did the "serf" do in the imperial theaters?

The daily routine of an employee of the imperial theater is traditional for today: morning rehearsals, afternoon classes on “improving oneself in art” and evening going out to the public. At the same time, an incredibly short rehearsal period with a large repertoire and no “hacks” or additional earnings.

Why many employees suffered from drunkenness. The case of December 1833 with the oboist Chernikov, who returned naked after a three-day absence, is indicative. In the explanatory note, the perpetrator said that he was drowning in a depraved and riotous life, who turned out to be a debtor in different places, which is why he left with the owners of taverns “a cloak with Karl Ivanovich, who lives near the Blue Bridge as an apprentice, a waistcoat, a shirt-front and a tie in the Tsaritsyno tavern, trousers - in the Ekateringof restaurant, and a state-owned theatrical oboe - in the Hotel du Nord tavern ... The instrument was pledged at Ivan's marker for 30 rubles, and the money was not more than 14 rubles, the rest is all interest.

Another musician was put in a prison cell at the Bolshoi Theater for drunkenness and given a punishment with lashes with a warning that if such a case occurs again, he will be fired and sent to the soldiers.

How did the tradition die out?

“Guests are listening to a gypsy choir” (engraving by L. Serebryakov based on a drawing by V. Schrader, 1871)

By the time of the abolition of serfdom in 1861, the serf theater was preserved only in the musical version of festive chants, when lackeys and girls who could sing performed. Their work became the source for the circulation of the "folk song", as well as the then incredibly popular sentimental romances. In the ceremony of walks or festivities on boats or outside the city, choirs were considered an obligatory attribute, as well as a group of choristers in the house churches of the nobility. In the case of a special extreme of prosperity, a “footman” was brought in, capable of managing “with a violin” during parties along a river or forest. Here is one typical advertisement from Vedomosti: “For sale is a man of 25 years old, of great stature, who can write and play the violinist and is fit for a lackey position. To see him and find out about the price at the Galley Yard, in the English tavern near the city of Favel. But this tradition was also put to an end by the Decree of Nicholas I in 1841 on the prohibition of the sale of serfs one by one.

What is the Gulag Fortress Theatre?

The term “serf theater” was also used in the 20th century, and denoted an example of the black humor of Soviet dissidence in relation to a phenomenon common in the Soviet repressive system. The unexpected return of the tradition of "serf artists" was formed in a series of mass arrests of the totalitarian regime of imprisoned professional actors, directors, musicians, dancers and other figures of theatrical professions. From the fruits of their labor, the administration of the zone came up with an incentive system, when for the “Stakhanovite” achievements in camp labor, the prisoner received additional benefits in the form of a club ticket with good seats to watch performances and literary evenings. "Fortified troupes of the Gulag" were also considered elements not only of entertainment, but also of prestige.

Fortress theaters - lordly whim or love of art? July 22nd, 2016

Fortress theaters are a primordially Russian invention. Nowhere else in the world have there been such cultural wonders. However, a special question is whether it is worth being proud of.

Let's start with the fact that the key word here is "serfs". This means that the entire theatre, including the actors, was the property of the landowner. The fortress theater arose at the whim of the landowner. The landowner was the sovereign master, both on stage and behind the scenes, and in the auditorium too. The owner chose the repertoire for his theater, assigned roles and even directed performances, although in those days the work of the director was not at all glorious and not honorable.

Thus, the fortress theater was a private theater of the nobility. This determined his purpose. It was done not so much for the purpose of earning money, but for the entertainment of oneself, friends and neighbors. Entertainment here should be understood in a very broad sense, which will be discussed below.

The uniqueness of the phenomenon of the serf theater was determined by the word "serf". In the middle of the 18th century, when such theaters began to emerge, of all European countries, serfdom (that is, speaking frankly, slavery) was only in the Russian Empire. Naturally, it was impossible to start serf theaters anywhere, except in Russia, due to the lack of serfs. Moreover, in some parts of the Russian Empire, where serfdom was abolished “in working order” (the Baltic states and Finland), or where it never existed (Pomorye, Siberia, Cossack regions), such, so to speak, “centers of culture” it was also impossible to start. But in other places there were serfs in sufficient numbers so that serf theaters could appear.

There are 3 types of fortress theaters. In theaters of the first type, the nobles themselves played, as well as their children. The serfs were busy with technical work: raise and lower the curtain, change the scenery. The orchestra, in which the serfs played, could accompany performances. In principle, it was not a serf, but an amateur noble theater. In theaters of the second type, along with amateur nobles, serf actors were released onto the stage, who played secondary roles. Finally, theaters of the third type could be called serf theaters without any discount. All roles, both major and minor, were performed by serf actors.

Usually in winter fortress theaters played in urban manor estates. In the summer, together with the owners, the theater moved to country estates.

Were there many fortress theaters? A fair amount. At the end of the 18th - the beginning of the 19th century, the theaters of S.S. Apraksin, G.I. Bibikov, N. A. and V. A. Vsevolozhsky I. A. Gagarin, P. B. and N P. Sheremetev, N. B. Yusupov in Moscow and many others.

Perhaps the most famous of the fortress theaters is the theater of the Sheremetevs. He began his activity in 1765 in St. Petersburg. At that time it was a noble amateur theater. By the end of the 1770s, the theater settled in the Moscow house of the Sheremetevs on Bolshaya Nikolskaya Street. In this area in the very center of Moscow, not far from the Kremlin, there was later the famous Slavyansky Bazaar restaurant, which burned down in 1993. For the summer, the theater moved to the Sheremetev estate Kuskovo near Moscow, and then moved to a building specially built for it in another estate, in Ostankino.

The Sheremetevs had tens of thousands of serfs. Therefore, it was from whom to choose actors, stage workers and attendants. Famous masters were invited to stage performances. The repertoire of the Sheremetev Theater included more than a hundred plays. These were mainly comic operas, vaudevilles and ballets. In the mid-1780s, under N.P. Sheremetev, the theater reached its peak. This was primarily due to the fact that Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetev (1751-1809) turned out to be a nobleman, an enlightened, talented musician and a great lover of theatrical art. The other side of N.P. Sheremetev’s activity, charity, is described in the article “How did the hospitable house on Bolshaya Sukharevskaya Square appear in Moscow?” dated 06/30/2016.

Another fortress theater known at the beginning of the 19th century was located in the estate of N. B. Yusupov "Arkhanglskoe". Lush opera and ballet performances were given here. There were serf theaters in the provinces: in Nizhny Novgorod, in Kazan, in Orel, and even in the city of Shklov, Mogilev province.

Was it joyful to be a serf actor? The answer here most of all depended on the character of the landowner and ... on the gender of the actor. The fact that many owners of serf theaters entertained themselves not only with spectacles but also with charming serf actresses is not an evil fiction, but a bitter truth. “Notes and Letters” by M. S. Shchepkin (who himself was a serf actor), the stories “Dumb Artist” by N. S. Leskov and “The Thieving Magpie” by A. I. Herzen. The fate of the serf actress Praskovya Zhemchugova, who became the wife of N.P. Sheremetev, is a rare exception.

If the master did not like the serf actor / actress for some reason, the list of punishments for them was as wide as for other serfs. In the best case, removal to some distant estate, in the worst case, corporal punishment and sale to another owner.

N. Leskov's story "Dumb Artist", although not written off from reality, has a very real basis. In Orel there was a fortress theater of Count Kamensky. Kamensky was distinguished by cruelty. Actors who made some mistake were personally punished with a whip. So the cries of the actors punished during the intermission reached the viewer. All the serf actresses formed a kind of harem for the count. But - art above all. The new favorite was always brought to Kamensky in the costume of Saint Cecilia. In general, the life of a serf actor was not honey, not honey at all!

Although Prince Pyotr Andreevich Vyazemsky, an educated and intelligent man, a friend and favorite interlocutor of A.S. Pushkin, found positive aspects even in serf theaters. In his opinion, such theaters instilled in the serfs the beginnings of enlightenment, literacy and familiarity with the arts. In addition, thanks to the theater, courtyard people became widely known, which ultimately contributed to their ransom to freedom. The famous Russian actors M.S. Shchepkin and P.S. Mochalov, having been born serfs, later became free.

According to P.A. Vyazemsky, theatrical and musical performances also had a beneficial effect on the landlords, distracting them from rough amusements: drinking parties, cards and dog hunting.

Useful links:

1. Fortress theater on Wikipedia


2. Creepy Theater on Wikipedia


3. Presentation