Theater circles and amateur theaters

Soldier's theaters

Soldiers' theaters existed in large garrisons. Appeared in the XVIII century. In the 18th century, performances were staged for officers, at the direction of their superiors.

In the 19th century, plays were staged "for one's own pleasure and for the amusement of common people". The performances of the soldiers' theaters were attended by the lower military ranks, the townspeople, poor merchants, commoners, and peasants.

The repertoire is traditional, folk. As a rule, three or four plays were staged. The most common comedies are "King Maximilian", "King Herod", "The Boat". The texts of the religious plays "King Maximilian" and "King Herod" "are preserved by tradition." The “Boat” poeticized free robbery life. Other performances: “Kedril the Glutton”, “The Amusing Guyar”, the opera “The Miller is a Sorcerer, a Deceiver and a Matchmaker”, etc.

Cantonists had their own theaters.

Private theaters

Along with the development of imperial theaters in the 19th century, private theaters became widespread. As a rule, they were directed by professional actors and directors who were educated in theater schools, included in the system of imperial theaters, but looking for their own way in art, gone from the official direction of the imperial theaters, in which for a long time no innovations were allowed, and the roles were transferred from some actors to coming young ones in exactly the same performance interpretations.

Private provincial enterprises

Provincial theatrical enterprises played a huge role in cultural life Russian province. In the 19th century, there were a huge number of them in Russia. These were at first touring troupes. Gradually, some of them acquired stationary premises (especially for the troupe of entrepreneur P. A. Sokolov, in 1843-1845 the first theater building in the Urals was built, in Yekaterinburg - the First City Theater (Yekaterinburg)). Traveling troupes are described in Sholom Aleichem's novel "The Wandering Stars" - the novel is dedicated to Jewish troupes, but any other troupes in a multinational country also existed in the same way. Unlike the capital's theaters, they also carried an educational function, and much more than their main purpose. high art. From them, in fact, theatrical culture began there. But at the same time, they showed the vicious policy of centralization inherent in Russia: the province seemed to be considered a second-class place. The very word "provinciality" in the Russian language acquired a contemptuous connotation, becoming a synonym for semi-educated, low cultural and spiritual level. The lower strata of the Russian provinces in XIX century were often generally illiterate even after the abolition of serfdom.

Outstanding actors worked in the provincial enterprises, such as, for example, Nikolai Khrisanfovich Rybakov, to whom Ostrovsky dedicated the role of Neschastlivtsev (the play The Forest); they served as a springboard for actors and directors, where they could practice before working in the "real" capital theaters (for example, the artist of the Maly Theater S. V. Shumsky in 1847 went to the provincial Odessa theater to practice playing leading roles and, having practiced and received certain experience, returned to Moscow); many figures of Russian culture, who later became famous, began their careers with them, who later went to the imperial stages - workers in provincial private theaters could not have the benefits that were due to artists of imperial theaters, in particular, state actors, leaving the stage in old age, were provided with life pension. Such a centralized system, divided into capitals and provinces, had a detrimental effect and continues to affect the entire history of the country's development, not only its culture.

The Snark is the hero of a Lewis Carroll poem. The mysterious creature that everyone is looking for and wants. According to Alesin, the theater is the same Snark. It can be anything, and this is its magic and attraction. Yuri is not afraid to put on performances on serious topics, because he is sure that even a math problem can be easily explained by theatrical means.

In less than two years, five performances appeared in his repertoire. The troupe employs five actors and four musicians, the wife actively helps the business. The project is not yet profitable, but Alesin hopes to eventually bring it to the international level.

Yuri ALESIN

Founder of the Snark Theater

How did you start

I studied at GITIS - first at the acting department, then at the directing department. Before starting his own business, he tried to realize himself in state theater, but there were difficulties: there are a lot of directors in Moscow, productions are scheduled for several years in advance. There is no clear and understandable system of employment for a theater director - this is a very slow and painful process. But what a GITIS graduate has no shortage of is connections. He knows theater producers, artists, people who are responsible for light and sound. This makes it much easier to create your own.

In 2009 I made the first theater project together with Oleg Klenin - the children's theater "Alarm clock", focused on a large hall. We staged the play "At the Ark at Eight". I was a director, and Oleg was a producer. We worked together until 2012, but then differences arose: I believed that an independent project could only survive if it was a chamber theater for an audience of 30-50 people.

We remade fairy tale "Ryaba Hen": the action took place in space laboratories where a chicken and a mouse - experimental objects, grandfather - scientist,
and the grandmother robot

Oleg was sure that it was necessary to break through to large areas for 100-150 people. So we parted ways. Now I work in the chamber theater segment, and that only performance of The Alarm Clock is on the big stage.

My brother lent me the money to start. At that time we all worked for the idea, and the funds were spent only on the purchase of materials. In the troupe, I took mostly actors with whom I studied at the university. It so happened that I have many musician friends in my life, so there were no problems with the orchestra either. The director was his wife Elena, who had previously worked in the cinema - she planned the shooting of soap operas. She is now studying marketing, management and finance at the Theater Leader School.

First performance

"Escape from Space" was fantastic. Fantasy is generally such a hole for the repertory map of the Russian theater, in Moscow you will not find anything like it. We remade the fairy tale "Ryaba the Hen": the action took place in a space laboratory, where the chicken and mouse are experimental objects, the grandfather is a scientist, and the grandmother is a robot. As a result of the experiment, the chicken laid an egg that could destroy the entire universe, the mouse is trying to save the world, and so on. The genre is fantasy comics.

Then we had big problems with technical execution. Much was tied to light, projection, music (each action was voiced in a certain way). And when there is no staff who will do all this professionally and efficiently, much does not work out. Now we create all miracles from paper, cardboard, rags. We switched to a certain primitivism, which gave a rich associative connection.

How it all works

Many theater groups believe that children are little monkeys who need to be made laugh and entertained. We think they are much smarter. Our philosophy is to treat the child as an equal. In addition, parents should not be bored either. I judge by myself: if a topic excites me, then it is suitable for staging. We try to take modern material. One of recent premieres- “Tili-tili-dough”, a play about love. I remember how I fell in love with kindergarten, and I realized that children are concerned about this topic. The troupe and I came up with stories related to children's love, found little fairy tales, songs, made such a performance-conversation. At the end, the children also come on stage and talk about who they fall in love with, how they make gifts, etc. We believe that dialogue is very important. This is just one of the formats not covered big theaters: there it is simply impossible.

We always look at the reaction and for each performance we determine the age category. Children are all different: at three years old, one thing is interesting, at five - another. But parents usually do not pay attention to our markings. “Ring”, for example, for children from six years old, and parents come and say: “Our child is so smart, he understands everything, we want to go to this one.” Of course, we do not refuse, but we must understand that it is generally difficult for children under six years old to watch something with words.

Scenery is always a set of some household elements. bird, for example we did from the dryer for linen

If we want to put new performance, then we start looking for sites that would be interested in it. We agree with some recreation center, we rehearse for a month for free, and then the proceeds from three performances we give it to him. This allows us to make a spectacle that will feed us throughout two to three years. And then we divide the income from ticket sales according to the standard scheme - 50 to 50. average price ticket - from 500 to 1,200 rubles.

The troupe consists of five actors and four musicians. The scripts are mostly written by my wife and I. If you take someone else's script, you have to pay royalties. And the traditional classic stories Many people use it, so we try to come up with our own. There are five performances in the repertoire so far, now the guest director Galina Zaltsman is staging the sixth.

Scenery is always a set of some everyday elements. If you use them correctly, you get something extraordinary. There is, for example, the play "Elephant Concert" - where the scenery consists of a hanger on which two inflatable circles and covers for costumes hang, and in the center there is a ventilation pipe. It all makes an elephant, and the artist who came up with it ends up with the most money. For example, we made a bird from a clothes dryer.

Money

We suffer mainly because of the lack of money. You constantly have to work on enthusiasm, and sooner or later it is exhausted. Therefore, in the beginning, when we tried to make big performances, we lost a lot in quality. We bet too lofty goals but not all good things can be done on the knee. Then they set some limits for themselves: they can no longer participate in the performance three actors, the budget cannot be more than 50,000 rubles.

Why did I decide to make a chamber theater, because it brings less profit? Such teams have many advantages. Performances are mobile, transportable and low-budget in terms of staff and scenery. You can go to any city or end of Moscow (if there are traffic jams, you can always get there by metro). Children's theater much more in demand than an adult. There is little variety in our segment, but there are many unrealized themes and forms.

For creative person the main thing is to realize your creative potential, business issues are in second place. He needs to find a partner who will engage in attracting money. But even those who decide to go into the theater business will not be able to do anything without a person from the field of art. My wife is actively helping me now, but still I hope to find a more aggressive person who will take this business to a new level.

Due to the fact that our performances are held every month, people come and recommend to others, and then we go to a private customer, from which we get the main profit. If we were called somewhere three times in a month, that's good. Sometimes it works out perfectly: during the day we play in the theater, and in the evening we leave for the customer. Usually visiting performance costs from 30,000 to 60,000 rubles. But there is no common market, so you can name any figure. Now we are trying to come to a common denominator with all children's theaters so that the mechanism is adjusted. Every month we receive 20,000-150,000 rubles from performances.

Plans

I would like to show performances in the Moscow region, and some (“Ding”, “Ship”) - to be taken abroad. You need to actively apply for international festivals, but for now we work only with Moscow.

We would also like to cooperate with schools. There is a specialty theater teacher. In addition to theatrical education, he is engaged in the transfer of any information artistic means. There are children who are difficult to captivate, and when you explain a math problem with the help of a theatrical sketch, it becomes interesting: information is absorbed better. We have, for example, a show-lecture about Pushkin "Slave of Honor". We took a biography, poems, reviews of contemporaries about the poet and made a lesson-performance out of this. They put it in several schools, but usually they are not very eager to cooperate.

Find a permanent composition. If there are no like-minded people, nothing will work.

Create something not only for monetary reasons, but also for creative ones.

Try to establish partnerships with government organizations - with the Department of Culture or Education. They have a huge market: schools, holidays, parks - and they all need content.

Rely on the ingenuity of execution, and not on the high cost of scenery and technology.

Open local
theater, focusing on the needs of local residents.

All photos provided by the hero

It is necessary to dwell on such a phenomenon in more detail, since private undertakings in St. Petersburg and Moscow differed and had a number of problems that colleagues in the provinces did not have.

Petersburg, the creation of private drama theaters in Russian capital turned out to be extremely difficult. Long years despite enough a large number of attempts in this area, private Theatre of Drama, capable of a long successful existence in the conditions of competition with the Imperial stage, remained an unrealizable dream for St. Petersburg.

In the first years after the abolition of the monopoly, several private drama theaters appeared in St. Petersburg at once. The Russian theater Korovyakov was the first to open in October 1881. His repertoire consisted mainly of classical foreign plays, modern Russian drama, famous comedies and vaudeville, but did not attract a wide audience.

Yes, and the financial resources that Korovyakov had were very limited, it was necessary to work without loss. The rent was high. All costs had to be covered by taxes. Tickets were therefore expensive, which naturally reduced the influx of potential spectators. I had to play almost daily, put on premieres in two days, of course, this lowered their artistic level. Two months later, Korovyakov had to close the case.

One more failed attempt organization of a private business in St. Petersburg was accepted by the entrepreneur A.S. Shustov. In fact, the matter came down to touring in several productions by the famous St. Petersburg actor A.A. Nilsky. This short-term undertaking would not be worth mentioning if it were not for one significant circumstance: a private theater that relies on famous artists, by the mid-80s, it will finally take shape and subsequently become a very common type of capital theater enterprise. As a rule, their life span was very short.

For example, A.S. Shustov, a number of other private theaters will soon follow, including the dramatic entreprise P.I. Kazantsev - a famous provincial actor and director. By the end of the 1884 season, the theater under the direction of Kazantsev was already quite well known and gained popularity among a certain part of the public. However, this also did not significantly affect financial position enterprises. The funds spent by Kazantsev on creating spectacular performances, renting premises, running costs, and especially on inviting eminent guest performers, turned out to be insufficient to continue the main activity, and the theater closed. Pilyugin A. Reforms in the Imperial Theaters. 1882. - M.: Gitis, 2003. - S. 101

It should be emphasized that P. Kazantsev's enterprise became the first private theater in St. Petersburg, which lasted a whole season, which is quite a lot compared to other enterprises in the Russian capital.

Another well-known St. Petersburg private theater stands apart - the entreprise G.A. Arbenin and the tour of the troupe of the famous Moscow entrepreneur, "magician and magician" M.V. Lentovsky in the season of 1884-1885, focused mainly on operetta, vaudeville and extravaganza.

Only in 1895, 13 years after the abolition of the monopoly, the foundation was laid for a stable non-state theater enterprise in St. Petersburg: the theater of the Literary and Artistic Circle, the club of literary and art workers, was opened. As you know, this theater was the longest-running private drama theater in the capital (it worked until 1917). Pilyugin A. Reforms in the Imperial Theaters. 1882. - M.: Gitis, 2003. - S. 102

In general, the creation of a network of artistically full-fledged stable private theaters of drama theaters in the Russian capital in the first years after the abolition of the monopoly turned out to be an intractable problem.

More successful in this regard were theaters that invited eminent Russian and foreign artists to participate in productions, and farce theaters, which make up a significant part of theater network Petersburg, as well as operetta. And, as history has shown, during the last decades of XIX century, in St. Petersburg, the activities of these two types of private theaters - a theater that relied on famous actors, as well as the theater of the light genre, turned out to be the most viable.

The conservatism of the majority of the audience, of course, was not the only reason why the formation of private drama theaters in St. Petersburg was so difficult. The problems faced by the entrepreneurs of St. Petersburg and Moscow during the last twenty years were largely very similar.

The first Moscow private theater, as is known, was the drama theater of the artist of the Imperial Maly Theater A.A. Brenco. It burned out almost immediately. And the reasons for the short existence of her undertakings should not be reduced solely to lavish spending or inept organization. The essence of the problem lies in a fundamentally different one: its theater was originally oriented towards competition with the Imperial Maly Theatre. This was manifested in the formation of the repertoire, and in an attempt to create an ensemble of actors similar in artistic merit, and thoroughness decoration. It is fundamentally important that Brenko sought to attract the same audience.

This is precisely the core of the problem of most private theaters founded in the capitals after the abolition of the monopoly, fading away as quickly as they emerged. Could these theaters count on a long existence, and not on a one-time success, if their activities were oriented or competed directly with the imperial stage? History has shown that the activity of such undertakings was short-lived. Pilyugin A. Reforms in the Imperial Theaters. 1882. - M.: Gitis, 2003. - S. 111

Other principles of organization creative process the well-known Russian entrepreneur F.A. was guided in the creation and life of his theater. Korsh. Korsh focused mainly not on the audience of the Imperial Maly Theatre, but consciously sought to attract other strata of the potential audience. V.A. Nelidov recalled that Korsh "instilled a taste for the theater in that part of the public that had either not attended the theater at all, or very rarely."

This theater was not the same as the state theater, and not the same as the provincial enterprises, and not at all the same as it would be from the day of the first performance of the Moscow Art Theater. And he was by no means typical - he was one of a kind. Orlov Yu.M. Organizational structures of Russian drama theaters. Moscow: Gitis. 1979 - S. 68

Korsh's "Russian Drama Theatre" proved to be the longest-lived among the private theaters that emerged after the abolition of the monopoly. This is despite the fact that, according to some sources, the Korsh Theater from the moment of its foundation existed only on income from fees. But the expenses of private theaters were enormous: it was necessary to pay taxes to the city authorities, to keep idle talk, service staff, the theater building, make decorations, pay royalties to the authors, and in the case of the Korsh Theater, also pay the director N.N. Sinelnikov, well-known throughout Russia.

A special place in the formation of a private theater in Moscow is occupied by M.V. Lentovsky - his theater "Skomorokh" became the exception when the enterprise lasted more than one season.

Considering the private drama theaters that emerged in the capitals after the abolition of the monopoly, it is necessary to turn to the principles of the creation and functioning of another type, another model of theater. This is the PARADISE Theater opened in 1882 by the entrepreneur Georg Paradis, which was able to bring a certain novelty to theater life Moscow, find your place in the theater market of the capital.

This theater worked on the principle of a theater-platform, where tours of famous foreign performers and Russian provincial artists, as well as troupes of eminent European theaters. His entreprise existed for nearly two decades. Pilyugin A. Reforms in the Imperial Theaters. 1882. - M.: Gitis, 2003. - S. 119

In those years, as today, anyone could formally become an entrepreneur, even a person without a secondary education, completely unfamiliar with theatrical business which, in fact, was not uncommon. In the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters, most of the employees, including the director, as a rule, had a higher education. military education, which included the study of domestic performing arts, painting, music and architecture. Sviridov V.A. Experience in training junior officers in pre-revolutionary Russia// Military thought. 2000. No. 5 - Page. 120

It is also important that only an extremely limited number of metropolitan entrepreneurs had their own building. During the period under review in Moscow, entrepreneurs built only two theater buildings: "Russian Drama Theater Korsh" and "International Theater" G.Paradiz.

And another significant problem of most private theaters in the first years of its existence is the payment for creative work. As a rule, entrepreneurs could not pay artists in the same way as the Imperial theatres. Those who tried to reduce this difference, or pay no less than in the imperial ones, like A. Brenko, faced inevitable bankruptcy. Pilyugin A. Reforms in the Imperial Theaters. 1882. - M.: Gitis, 2003. - S. 122

However, as history has shown, private drama theaters in the post-reform twenty years actually gave the capital's stages a lot, and most importantly - a colossal experience of self-development, coming primarily from public initiative and private enterprise. The rapidly emerging and just as quickly fading entreprises significantly contributed to the development of mechanisms and the establishment of the principle of self-organization in the art market of the capitals. Dadamyan G.G. The struggle of two principles in the organization of theatrical business in Russia // Sat. Scene life and the contract world. S. 27

However, not all theaters built their activities on the basis of entreprise. Many were looking for new organizational and legal forms for their business, they are usually called partnerships of a new type. These are theaters such as Moscow private opera S. I. Mamontov, Moscow Art Theater, theater named after A. S. Suvorin. The troupe in the latter was organized on a share basis by the main shareholder - the owner of the publishing enterprise Alexei Sergeevich Suvorin, as well as P.P. Gnedich, P.D. Lensky. Shabalina T. THEATER SUVORIN // Online Encyclopedia Around the world: [Electronic document].- (http://www.netoskop.ru/theme/2001/06/21/2662.html). And about the organizational and legal form of the Moscow Art Theater, it is necessary to tell in more detail, since it was unique in its kind.

The Moscow Art Theater - a theater known throughout the world and considered one of the best in the country - began ... in a cafe. Having met at a table in the Slaviansky Bazaar, the future creators of the Moscow Art Theater - Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko - discussed the state of affairs in dramaturgy for a long time, and ended the discussion, determined to create a new folk theater in Moscow.

Moscow Academic Art Theater named after Maxim Gorky (MKhAT)
Nervously played, comprehended by the mind

The theater, which now bears the name of Maxim Gorky, was founded, like the Moscow Art Theater named after A.P. Chekhov, in 1987. Then the artistic director of the theater was the artist Tatyana Doronina, who heads the troupe to this day.

One of the oldest theaters Moscow: its walls still remember Faina Ranevskaya and Lyubov Orlova. The theater has two stages: the main one - for classical productions, the stage "Under the Roof" - for new forms and creative experiments.

Theater named after Evg. Vakhtangov

Without a holiday, there is no performance. This motto guided the famous Moscow director Yevgeny Vakhtangov, creating a production that would later become a classic, real school acting art - "Princess Turandot" based on a fairy tale Carlo Gozzi. Vakhtangov did not change his precepts throughout creative career- just as festive and carnival as the legendary performance, his theater was and is to this day.

Theater "Lenkom"

"Lenkom" has always been distinguished by its special energy, which influenced the choice of performances, the way they were staged, and even the theater itself. acting game. Today, as at the dawn of its existence, the theater venue offers the audience a unique repertoire, consisting of the most spectacular classical and contemporary plays.

Moscow theater "Sovremennik" 12+

Over the years of its existence, the Sovremennik Theater has presented the world with many talented actors and has become one of the most significant in the history of the formation of national culture.

Theatre. M. N. Ermolova

Maria Nikolaevna Yermolova is a symbolic figure for theater figures around the world. Stanislavsky's favorite, best actress Maly Theatre, the oldest in Russia, she set the tone for the development of performing arts in the country. The name of the artist has become a guiding star for followers and colleagues.

Russian Academic Youth Theater (RAMT)

RAMT was created in the 20s of the XX century as one of the first children's theaters in the country. Today it is a theater of all generations, which is at the center of the modern theatrical process, experimenting with forms and genres. The theater speaks frankly with the young audience on the most exciting topics.

Theatre. Vl. Mayakovsky

Theater with rich history, one of the oldest and most honored in Moscow and Russia, operating since 1922.

Theater "Workshop of P. N. Fomenko"
One of the best theaters in Moscow with its own face and unique style

The performances are constantly sold out, for which it is difficult to buy tickets, since the productions are multiple winners of the most prestigious professional awards: “ Golden Mask”, “Seagull”, “Nail of the Season”, “Crystal Turandot”.

Moscow Drama Theater named after A. S. Pushkin

The theater, created on the ruins of the legendary Tairov Chamber Theater. The performances are on two stages. The repertoire includes both classics and plays by contemporary authors.

Theater "Satyricon"

A theater that has repeatedly been reborn in a new format, but invariably true to the ideas of its founder, the legendary Arkady Raikin.

Theater on Malaya Bronnaya

One of the best theaters Moscow was created in the year of Victory - in 1945. The theater has experienced ups and downs throughout its history. difficult situations, but has always remained one of the favorites of the public. Today the theater is directed by Sergei Golomazov.

Moscow theater of Oleg Tabakov

"Snuffbox", "Basement", "theatre-studio" Oleg Tabakov - one of the favorite theaters of Muscovites. Oleg Pavlovich himself described the concept and essence of his theater best of all: “In performances, we are looking for a unique form for the life of the human spirit on stage. Therefore, we choose such literature and dramaturgy, in which the main problem for me is considered - how a person can be a person.

Museum Theatre "Bulgakov House" 12+

"Bulgakov's house" - unique Cultural Center, founded on the initiative and with the active participation of admirers of the famous Russian writer. This is a whole complex with wide technical and intellectual capabilities for fruitful work.

Theater "Et Cetera" under the direction of Alexander Kalyagin

The Moscow theater under the direction of Alexander Kalyagin was born in 1993, survived the wanderings through the basements and recreation centers, in 2006 it moved to a building specially built for it, and today it has become one of the five most visited theaters in the capital.

Theater of Nations 12+

A unique theater without its own troupe, a prominent participant in the modern world theatrical process. Here they boldly and relevantly interpret the classics, put on author's readings, experiment with the audience's perceptions and turn to the most burning topics.

Theater "Practice" 12+

A team that makes a modern production theater.

"Gogol Center"

"Gogol Center" is one of the most high-profile, unusual and impressive projects dedicated to the integrated development contemporary art. It is a theater within a city and a city within a theater.

Moscow Theater for Young Spectators (MTYuZ) 0+

The theater, whose history began in the distant 1920, today offers a very diverse repertoire, and performances for an adult audience dominate in it. But children's performances are invariably of high quality, bright and highly artistic. Today's MTYuZ is a theater of two directors, Henrietta Yanovskaya and Kama Ginkas.

Central Academic Theater of the Russian Army

The Departmental Theater of the Armed Forces: many actors liable for military service served on its stage. Today, the theater's repertoire includes three dozen performances, and a galaxy of well-known artists plays in the troupe.

Hi all!

Instead of an intro.

Ever since the distant Soviet times, our society has developed the concept of the eternally poor, low-paid work of a creative worker. And this myth successfully keeps pace with the 21st century. I repeat - with the 21st century! And nothing changes, and cannot change, because of the convenience of coexistence of the creative worker with the theatrical system.

Even from the student's bench, the actor is being prepared for the fact that life in the theater is not sugar: salaries are below average, constant intrigues, acting and directing wars ... You can only earn money in films, on television and, of course, loitering around all sorts of "hacks". But these warnings not only do not stop young people on the path to great art, but also spur them on incredible strength! Huge Contests on theater faculty at the Academy, passions, tears, successes, disappointments.

And now the four years of the “theatre” are over, and ahead is the theater, cinema, TV, filming, concerts, performances, tours, festivals and ... distribution. Not everyone stays in the capital, many leave to work in regional theaters, and immediately encounter a world so different from the usual student world that they blink their burning eyes in the new space around them.

A year later, the provincial actors begin to understand the situation, the hostages of which they were. As a rule, in the Belarusian hinterland there is a standard of two theaters: an adult - drama and a children's - puppet theater. This is the first ambush for the actor! If you have not taken root in one theater, it is not possible to move to another one due to the lack of one. This position is well used by employers. provincial theaters for total control and influence on your personality.

Further, in the theater, as in any structure, there is contract system, by signing which, you shoulder a pile of obligations, the failure to fulfill which leads to the fact that the employer simply does not renew it upon expiration of the contract. And that's it! Go wherever you want, dear comrade! You can go to the capital, but remember that there the provincial actor, which you are now, is not very welcome.

And to terminate the contract ahead of schedule at the will of the employer, if suddenly you didn’t suit him as a professional or didn’t like him as a person, it’s easier than a “steam turnip”. One has only to carefully read your work duties, and you will understand that it is much easier to part with you at will than to take you to work.

They don’t shoot movies here, and if they come to “shoot” a couple of scenes, then leading role won't take. Extras or at best an episode awaits you. Local television will take part-time for a penny, radio - the same. There is an opportunity to lead a drama club at some school, or teach at a college. And, of course, the good old "hacks" for weddings, anniversaries and corporate parties. That's the whole range of your services. They did it thirty years ago, and they still do it today. Very soon, earnings will become your main type of creativity, and the theater will fade into the background. This is the inevitability of the actors of any theater. With one difference: in the capital they earn extra money by profession, in the provinces - as they have to. All these ordeals lead only to the end creative growth and often to leave the profession.

IN Lately I began to notice an amazing pattern - very few actors of the "inpatient" come to work in regional theaters. More often, guys from the street come who work and study at this theater, and receive education in the process in absentia. Hence the incomplete comprehension of the profession, and the "parochial" level of culture.

And not every repertory theater can boast of tours in Europe and the countries of the former CIS. Lack of funds, the problem of leaving, and simply the leadership's unwillingness to tear their fifth point from their familiar chair. But the plan for servicing the villager is being fulfilled one hundred percent! There is no other way - a plan is a plan. It is not always possible to show and develop oneself in the repertory theater, with its specific concept. creative plan. Many are quite satisfied with this situation, but there are people for whom it is not enough, and the potential has not yet dried up.

Here I am, passing copper pipes provincial creative reality, decided on the most ridiculous adventure in his life - he created a private theater, which he called beautiful word"Province".

Why do I need it?

Firstly, there is still "gunpowder in the flasks", I was not disappointed, I was not tired. Secondly, I do not want to leave the profession, not to stop, but to develop. And thirdly, I want to leave behind at least something, albeit not so great in significance, but great in spirit. Some twist their fingers at the temple, others simply do not believe, others laugh and do not see the point in it. There are fearful and lazy, stupid and envious, and sometimes there are even aggressive personalities.

I often get asked the same question: how? This is impossible! You can not do it this way! Belarus has a tough attitude towards private business, and in creative environment attitude towards those who want, maybe even worse. I will try to answer all these questions in my article.

Where to begin?

First you need to decide on your task. Why do you want to organize a theater? What functions will it carry in the future? And most importantly, how much time will you take for the life of your offspring.

Eat great option for earnings - entreprise. Well-known artists quickly make a performance and travel with it to all regional centers. But in the provinces, this option will not work, especially in Belarus. Firstly, there are no well-known artists here for the audience to come to them, and secondly, it is pointless to go with an enterprise from region to region, it is stupid to go to the capital.

Therefore, the only way for a provincial to earn money is to travel to schools and kindergartens with children's performances. But here you can easily run into trouble from the state repertory theaters, since these theaters earn the same money. And intrusion into foreign territory can lead to undesirable consequence. Do not forget, they will have more power. In the end, this will lead to inevitable conflicts and constant persecution of your private project. His life will not be long.

I will not focus on this type of creative income, but will move on to the idea of ​​​​creating my own theater, a rather complex and lengthy idea.

A striking example of a successful, in my opinion, private project in Belarus is the Minsk Modern Art Theater (SHT) directed by Vladimir Ushakov. You can read about him and his leader both in the media and on the Internet. But the capital is not a province. In our case, the conditions are much more complicated. Needed here unique project, claiming to be a long-liver.

Step one. Choice of the type, genre and direction of the project.

So, you've made up your mind. Well, let's try to create a unique theater, your theater, the way you want and dreamed about all your life.

The first thing to do is to decide on the type or genre of your work. Of course, you can say: I decided a long time ago whether I like this or that and so on, but think about whether your project will be interesting to the viewer? If so, which one? Will he be able to participate in festivals, compete with other projects, occupy his real niche and earn money? You need to clearly define a perspective for yourself, to see your offspring in the future. Who will it become, how long will it take to develop, etc.

Personally, I have spent a lot of effort to choose the right kind of my theater. I rushed from child to adult, from drama to choreography, from stage to STEM, but only missed precious time until fate brought me to an amazing and sought-after production director. Together we made right choice: puppet theater for children and adults. A genre in which you can develop endlessly.

Favorable conditions for our choice are:

1. mobility.

Limited number of actors (up to 4 people),

Small in size and easily transportable decorations,

The ability to perform on any venues (stages, foyers, restaurants and even outdoors),

2. viewing time.

Minimum – 35 min

Maximum - 1:15 min

3. demand.

A genre that will have its audience always and everywhere.

Step two. Perspective.

You have thought well what you are going to do, have decided and already see your victory, a huge number of viewers and an incredibly high rating of your project. Do not hurry. You need to be realistic about the future.

And the most important thing in further development- earn a name for yourself. This process can take three to five years. I'll explain why. It’s quite difficult to get into the festival: no one knows you, the word “private” initially acts skeptically on the organizers. Your application will not even be considered, and without participating in festivals you will not declare yourself.

What to do? Look for funds! Borrowing, borrowing, seeking help, living modestly is impossible. Ask why? I will answer: to pay the fee to the director, artist, composer. This is inevitable if you really want to develop your project. Your application is more likely to be accepted if they see your name in it famous person. And the audience will first of all come not to you, but to the name of a sought-after director who, for some reason, took up your project, or an artist who designed your performance.