When August ends, it's not summer that turns into autumn. In Russia, everything, even the seasons, are significant and ambiguous. When August ends, life smoothly flows into the game. The sea recedes, warmth, carefree days and evenings, fun hikes and picnics, fragile holiday romances and beach flirtations. So little remains of what a person can live in peace, and even this little we know how to use to the end. When everything around us dies, we, unable to cope with the lack of life, begin to play it. Shakespeare's time is coming, when life is a theater, and people are actors in it. Most often not the strongest. And that is why riots, revolutions, putschs most often occur in the fall, political cataclysms become aggravated. Life ends and we start playing war. This terrible terminology is not accidental - the theater of military operations, the political arena, the behind-the-scenes political struggle. It's not the autumn wind blowing the leaves, it's the curtain moving apart.
"I don't like the theater because it cripples the souls of the actors." But in autumn the doors are opened, the curtains are raised and other theaters. Real. Real ones, because the feelings there are genuine, and the blood, weapons, death are props. Theaters where we come for warmth, for answers to questions, we come to feel, to talk with each other about the most important things.
"I love the theater for the opportunity to communicate." A real theater where there is salvation from the other - the theater of pain, loneliness, blood.
The harder life is, the stronger the desire to play. The earlier the season begins in the theater of life. Only August, and boots are already rattling and rati are being built. But the real theater is in a hurry. On August 29, as early as ever, the season will open at the Penza Drama Theater.
People are already sweeping tickets from the box office, workshops are open seven days a week, scenery is being built, costumes are being sewn and measured. And new heroes rehearse new scenes. All this gives hope. After all, thousands of wars and hundreds of revolutions have ended. And the theater continues.
The season will open with Shakespeare directed by Valery Belyakovich. This time we will be presented with The Taming of the Shrew. Many popular actors of the Penza drama will be involved in the performance - fortunately, the theater came to the new season almost without losses. The "tamer" will be Evgeny Bakalov, who received the title of Honored Artist of Russia this summer. Knowing the manner of V. Belyakovich's work, we can confidently assume that the process of taming will result in an exciting action. Well, the fact that everything will end with love is known to everyone more or less familiar with Shakespeare.
Another holiday of this season promises to be A. Nekhoroshikh's benefit performance. The Honored Artist of the Republic turns 50 in October. There are many other plans, but hardly anyone will dare to talk about them today. The theater does not know what other performance this other theater can put on. But still, as difficult as it is, we must hope for the best. Life is progressive. This means that the best, kindest performances have not yet been played in any of the theaters. They are just coming. And maybe we are destined to wait for the premiere.
Third call.
A curtain.
Have you ever wondered, after listening to the melodious trills of the bell before the start of the performance, how did the tradition come about in the theater to use such a means of notifying the beginning of the performance? We asked and found out this.
How did ancient Greek performances begin?
It is clear that in pre-theatrical times, no one with a bell ran in front of the participants in the ritual. No one wanted to be late for the distribution of blessings by the gods. Indeed, in ancient Greece, theatrical action came out of the sacred rite, being not paramount, but following the official part. After the procedure of making a sacrifice and thanking the gods and heroes, the “theater” itself in the usual sense of the word began with loud trumpets, the roar of which informed the entire policy that the entertainment had begun.
How was it during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance?
The action in the medieval ritual theater began with a prayer. In the late Middle Ages, when artists performed "between courses", the sounds of trumpets and drums announced the beginning of the feast. The symbol of the beginning and end of the action in Renaissance England, for example, was the flag raised / lowered especially for the townspeople. In Spain, the performance opened with the obligatory performance of a piece of music on the guitar, and ended with a general dance in masks with verses and jokes. There were no pauses in the play. During the moments of dressing up or scenery rearrangement, the viewer listened to a short musical miniature or ballet, "on the job."
When was the intermission?
Classicism and the Age of Enlightenment continued to tell the story without interruption. Only "romanticism" with many fantastic scenes and the reform of stage mechanics raised the issue of increasing the time for stage changes. Only in the second half of the 19th century did a special pause arise between acts, allowing the public to leave the hall and requiring notification of their return to the hall. The term "intermission" (fr. entre - between and acte - action) that came from the French language meant a short "retreat" from the action, for which ballets and interludes were written. But gradually the "intermission" ceased to play the role of a separate number, and offered to rest and the actors.
Why did you decide to call?
The bell, bell, bell, as an attribute of archaic folk culture, was used in rituals as a signal, warning instrument. Therefore, there were no questions about how to call the audience into the hall. Of course, ringing trills.
These magical sounds came to the theater thanks to two traditions. The first is the design of the costume of street performers of medieval farces, who attach bells ringing to scare away evil spirits on their headdress, shoes and dress. And the second - from imitation of ship life, where a ringing signal instrument began to be used from 1577. It first sounded in a theatrical performance at the turn of the 16th - 17th centuries during the performance by the troupe of William Shakespeare of the scene with the departure of the ship, when the sails "raised" as a decoration on the stage of the Globe and the bell rang.
Why exactly three times?
From the time of the ancient theater, the beginning of the action on the stage was announced by the triple sound of trumpets, drumming, and fanfare.
What service gave the theater the tradition of warning ringing?
The answer to this question is reminiscent of a dispute stretching over several centuries, who was the first - transport, postal or theatrical service? I will answer in the affirmative: the transport workers were the first to use the alarm bell. The foundry industry in Rus' began to develop along with transport communication at the turn of the 17th - 18th centuries. The bell was used to warn of accidents on poorly regulated roads in Russia.
The second and third decades of the 19th century pleased with the construction of a hard surface on the St. Petersburg - Moscow highway. In the middle of the century, a railway was laid not only between the two capitals, but also between Moscow - Kursk, Belgorod and the south. The route developed by postal transportation soon began to wither, causing the decline of the bell trade, which made it necessary to look for new markets. There was a need to attach products somewhere, which is why they decided to transfer them from a detail of the design of the urban environment, into a part of home and office utensils. Metal rattles were used in rich and poor interiors, in office, judicial and military institutions in Russia, including in the theater. As if in continuation of the tradition of the ritual of ancient Rome to call the servants with the sound of rattles, they began to make special bells - bedside, on ribbons, candlesticks, office, corridor, etc. The assortment began to be crushed. In response to the needs of the market and rapidly changing fashion, foundries have introduced differences in appearance, redesigning the handles, decorating the sides of the body and adding inscriptions. In the design of bells, the ancient traditions of using elements of floral ornament, images of animals, people, and fictional characters have revived again.
On the sacred power of the theatrical bell
The history of the “world under the stairs” shows that, while preserving the traditions of the “transition”, the theatrical bell today separates the world of everyday life from the world of theatrical performance, material nature from the phenomenon of beauty. As the ringing of bells symbolizes the heartbeat of the city, so the ringing trill before the performance invites you to tune in to the rhythm of the heartbeat of the theater itself.
With the help of the efficient answers of the Mayakovsky Theater to our stupid questions, we figured out how to go to the theater correctly.
When does theater season start?
The theatrical season in almost all theaters, with a few exceptions, begins in the last days of August and the first days of September. At the opening of the season, all theaters stage iconic, significant and favorite performances by the audience.
The Mayakovsky Theater opened its 94th theatrical season on August 30 with the performance Talents and Admirers staged by the artistic director of our theater Mindaugas Karbauskis. This performance is largely dedicated to the talents of Mayakovka itself, its brilliant troupe. On the first day of the theatrical season, the cast will be wonderful: Polina Lazareva, Svetlana Nemolyaeva, Igor Kostolevsky, Mikhail Filippov, Anna Ardova, Sergei Rubeko, Vitaly Grebennikov and many others.
How do you know if a performance is a premiere?
As a rule, at the opening of the troupe, artistic directors talk about the upcoming premieres of the new theatrical season, attacks, as there are cameras of television channels at the opening, and in the evening, news releases broadcast information throughout the country.
Theater news and announcements of premieres are necessarily published on the official website of the theater, on the websites of many theaters there are headings "Premiers", "Soon", "Preparing for staging", etc.
Sales agents, theaters form weekly newsletters to the audience base with announcements and press releases of premieres, often post photos of premiere rehearsals, photos of working moments and scenery of upcoming performances.
Every year in August, an issue of "Theatrical Poster" is published, where all theaters publish posters of the premieres of the theatrical season, in the magazine you can see the cast of the performance and a brief annotation.
If a spectator has come to the theatre, he can take leaflets, posters with acclaims and repertoire, and also buy a program, on the back of which theaters often publish a poster of the premiere.
And, of course, information about the premieres is available on the theatres' social media pages: Facebook, VK, Instagram and others.
Are the closest places to the stage always the most convenient for watching the performance?
As a rule, the closest parts of the stalls are the most expensive ones, the smallest nuances of the scenery, the facial expressions of the actors are visible from them. Spectators very often say that sitting on the front rows in the stalls, they themselves seem to be involved in the action, the impressions of the performance are more vivid, there is no conditional “wall” between the stage and the auditorium. There are densely populated performances where more than 20 actors play, there are performances with complex multi-level scenery, to see the whole picture, you need to take not rows 1 and 2, but away, for example, row 5 or 6. Many theatergoers know that it is very clearly visible in the first rows of any sector of the auditorium, this can be the first row of the amphitheater, and the first row of the mezzanine, and the first row of balconies.
I have never been to the theater, what productions should I start with?
Is there a specific dress code for the theatre?
I think it's relevant. It seems to me indecent to come to the theater in shorts and a stretched T-shirt. I am very pleased with the beautiful ladies who change their shoes in the theater when the street is muddy and slushy. I am very pleased with the men who, at the entrance to the theater, before reaching the wardrobe, take off their hats. Clothing creates a mood - when the viewer is beautifully dressed, he has a festive mood, he feels comfortable in the theater.
Is it necessary to read the play based on the performance before the performance?
If the theater gives a classic, as a rule, the viewer knows this work. Very often I hear: “After the performance, I wanted to read and re-read a play or a novel” - this means that the performance hooked, hit the heart and soul. It seems to me that it is not at all necessary to prepare for a trip to the theater like an exam - to read a play. It is enough to know what genre the performance is: if you are determined to laugh at a theater production, it is unnecessary to buy tickets for a tragedy or drama, vice versa, if you empathize, work with your soul, choose dramatic performances that you need to think about, reflect on, you should not buy tickets for a comedy and vaudeville.
Why should you buy the software?
The theater program that is sold in the theater always accurately indicates the characters and performers of today's performance, as well as the creators of the performance, the program contains complete information about the performance: genre, duration, sanction or without, etc. In theaters now, as a rule, double compositions, one and the same role played by several actors.
Often, when I’m not an employee in the theater, but as a spectator, I see how the spectators sitting nearby look into the program during the action to see the name of the performer they are interested in, discover new names for themselves in the theater.
And of course, the program is a memory, and if the program with the autograph of your favorite actor is a double memory. Decades will pass, such a program will become a rarity and will keep the memory of unforgettable moments of communication with your favorite actor and the impression of a performance.
Why exactly three calls?
Great question! It's like 3 color traffic lights. The first call is 15 minutes before the start of the performance, at which time the doors of the auditorium are opened and you can walk through and take your seats leisurely. The second call - 5 minutes before the start of the performance - reminds the audience that they need to hurry up so as not to be late for the start of the performance. The third call, the last one, notifies the viewer that the action begins, the doors of the auditorium are closing, you need to urgently take your seats.
And if you still came after the third call, is there a chance that they will let you in?
The rules for visiting all theaters state that the entrance to the auditorium after the third call is prohibited.
But… there is a chance if there are seats in the auditorium. As a rule, latecomers are escorted to empty seats on the mezzanine or on the balcony, so as not to disturb other spectators and actors. There they are forced to watch the first act, even if they have the most expensive ground tickets. And only one tract they will be able to take their seats according to the purchased tickets.
If there are no seats in the auditorium, the attack often happens, if at the performance a full house, students with admission tickets take empty seats in the hall, late spectators have to wait at the door of the auditorium for the intermission or stand in the last rows of the mezzanine and the balcony, which, of course, does not contribute to the perception of the performance.
Should the phone be turned off or is the silent mode enough?
The phone must be turned off. The silent mode or vibrating alert will still distract the audience sitting next to you from the perception of the performance and interfere with the actors. In the dark of the auditorium, the bright light of a mobile phone or any other gadget will disturb the atmosphere of the performance.
Can I go to the toilet outside of intermission?
If the spectator is not a child, it is impossible to leave the auditorium during the performance.
What is the intermission for?
An intermission is a break between the actions of the performance, a long pause that the audience needs to take a break and visit the buffet and the toilet, and the stage workers to change the scenery. If the performance is longer than 2 hours, an intermission is required.
What usually prevents the audience from enjoying the performance?
Reasons can be objective and subjective.
Objective reasons are disrespect for the viewer, disloyal and indifferent attitude of the theater staff to the viewer. The impression can be spoiled by replacing, for quite objective reasons, for example, the illness of an actor, one production for another.
Subjective reasons may be late performance, poor visibility from distant places, bad mood, feeling unwell, etc.
Nome it seems that if the viewer wants to enjoy watching the performance, no one can interfere with him - no other form of art attracts to itself as well as theater. If you once fell into its orbit, you fell ill with the theater forever. Gogol called the theater the department of goodness. The whole world, the whole universe can be seen in the theater, but most importantly, it seems to me, in it you can see the mirror of your soul.
Our questions were kindly answered by Inessa Viktorovna Zhuravleva, deputy director of the organization of the spectator.
First, let's talk about appearance. No one forces you to buy expensive jewelry, evening dresses, make an appointment with a hairdresser before visiting the theater, as was the case in the nineteenth century. It is enough that the clothes on you will be clean and tidy. However, it is best to exclude jeans and sportswear from your theatrical wardrobe. For men, regular trousers, a shirt with a sweater or a jacket are quite suitable. Women can wear suits, discreet dresses, skirts and blouses. In winter, spring and autumn, it is recommended to take a change of shoes with you.
A visit to institutions such as opera or ballet, however, provides for a strict style in clothes - dresses, jackets (tuxedos) and jewelry.
Being late is not recommended. If you know in advance that your route passes through traffic jams, then you need to guess the time. Often, the theater, late viewers may not be allowed to attend. In extreme cases, they will offer seats at the entrance to the hall.
They start running into the hall after the first call, which is given fifteen minutes before the start of the action. If your seats are in the middle, it's best to go ahead so as not to disturb people sitting closer to the aisles.
Before the start of the performance, turn off your mobile, the voice of the announcer will remind you of this in a short address to the audience before the performance. If you are afraid of missing something important or a call, then leave the device on silent mode.
Do not bring food or carbonated drinks with you. Like the sound of a mobile phone, any extraneous sounds will annoy the audience, as well as interfere with the work of the actors. A small bottle of still water is allowed.
Intermission
The beginning of the second action will be notified by the same three calls as before the first. Take your seat in the hall and make sure you're away on your mobile device.
End of the show
After the performance is over, they bow. If the production caused you a storm of delight, then it is customary to express it with exclamations of “Bravo!”, You can express the highest appreciation by getting up from your seat and accompanying the bow of the actors while standing.
During the bow of the actors, it is not customary to shout “well done”, as well as photograph the participants in the performance.
Each theater has a guest book, which, as a rule, is either at the entrance or by the ticket collectors. In it you can leave any thoughts about what you saw. Be calm, look into it from time to time.
Leave the auditorium after the curtain has already closed. Getting up and leaving on a bow is considered bad form and disrespect for theater workers, behavior is unacceptable.
It so happened that theatrical etiquette largely repeats the etiquette of official celebrations and receptions, so it has many conventions and restrictions. AiF.ru recalls the basic principles of behavior in the theatre.
1. Going to the theater, take care of your wardrobe. In the 21st century, women no longer need to wear an evening dress to a performance, and men a tuxedo, unless a special dress code requires it. However, it is recommended to come to the theater dressed more festively than usual. Men can wear a dark suit, light-colored shirt and tie, and women can transform their outfit by accessorizing it. However, one should not be zealous - it is better to dress modestly than to look ridiculous.
Ladies should remember that it is bad form to freshen up your perfume just before the performance. Eau de toilette, even the most expensive, should be used in moderation. Dozens of aromas will mix in the hall, which can cause dizziness or even an allergic reaction in some viewers.
2. The rules of good manners allow a woman to invite a companion to the theater, but in any case, tickets must be presented to the controller by a man. He, at the entrance to the theater, opens the door for the woman.
According to the rules of etiquette, you need to come to the performance in advance. Twenty minutes will be enough to unhurriedly hand over outerwear to the wardrobe and purchase a program that will acquaint you with the line-up of performers.
3. As you know, the theater begins with a hanger. In the wardrobe, a man should help his companion take off her coat and only then undress himself. Having handed over outerwear, the man keeps the numbers with him, and he does not wear them on his finger, like a ring, but immediately puts them in his pocket.
Remember that looking at yourself in mirrors while walking around the theater lobby during the intermission and before the performance is tactless. If you need to fix something, put yourself in order in the toilet room.
4. The man enters the auditorium first, he also shows the lady the way to the place, if this is not done by the theater employee.
You should go to your seat facing those sitting and apologize for the disturbance in a quiet voice or a nod of your head (if the aisle between the rows is wide enough, then the person sitting is not required to get up; if the aisle is narrow, then you need to stand up and let the passer by). The first between the rows is always a man, followed by his companion. Having reached his chairs, the man stops near them and waits for the lady to sit down, and then he sits down himself.
5. Take your seats in the hall no later than the third bell. If they are in the middle of the row, then you should sit on them in advance, so that later you do not disturb those already sitting at the edges from you. If your seats are not located in the middle of the row, then you can afford to linger a little, so that later you do not get up many times, skipping the spectators sitting in the middle.
6. If you find that your seats are occupied, present your tickets to those sitting on them and politely ask them to leave. If an error occurred and several tickets were issued for one seat at once, then contact the theater employees, they are obliged to solve the problem.
Remember that it is indecent to occupy other people's places. Firstly, you are causing anxiety to those people who will have to prove that this is their place. And, secondly, it will be embarrassing for you yourself when you will be “driven away” in front of the whole hall.
7. It is indecent to be late for the theater (you can only enter the box after the lights have been turned off in the hall). In other cases, theater employees have the right not to let you into the hall until intermission. But if you are allowed to enter, then do it as quietly as possible and sit in the first free seat. It is unacceptable to sneak into your seats in the middle of the action - during the intermission you will be able to take those indicated on the ticket.
8. Having taken seats in the auditorium, you should not put your hands on both armrests - this may cause inconvenience to your neighbor. You should not sit very close, clinging to each other, as those sitting in the back may not see the stage behind you.
Crossing your legs, spreading your legs wide, sitting on the edge of a chair, leaning on the back of the front seat and resting your feet on it is also indecent.
9 . Even if it seems to you that it has become stuffy in the auditorium, do not use the program as a fan. And remember that you can not look at the theater binoculars people in the hall. It is intended solely for watching the action on stage.
10. The main rule in the theater is the observance of complete silence. Before the start of the performance, turn off mobile phones, they interfere not only with the audience, but also with the artists. Do not discuss the performance of the actors during the action, as well as the inappropriate behavior of other spectators. It is acceptable to make a quiet remark to the audience who violate the order, but remember that this is the duty of the theater employees.
If you have a cold, then you better miss the spectacle: nothing disturbs the audience and artists more than coughing and sneezing in the hall. And, of course, during the performance it is unacceptable to eat, rustle with bags, packages, tap your feet.
11. During the intermission, you can stay seated in the hall, visit the buffet or take a walk in the lobby. The same rules of behavior are observed here as on the street. Having met acquaintances, you can exchange impressions, but quietly. If a woman wants to stay in place during the intermission, the companion stays with her. And if he needs to go out, he apologizes and leaves her for a while.
12. Leaving the hall during the action is a clear indicator of the viewer's low culture. Even if you are disappointed with the performance, wait for the intermission and only then leave the theater. Of course, it is unacceptable to fall asleep during the performance, even if you had a hard day and the production turned out to be boring.
Showing excessive pleasure from what is happening on stage during the action is also considered bad form. Applause should be organic: separate claps sounded in complete silence can bring down the actors. But after the end of the performance, you can not hide your positive emotions. Applause is an expression of gratitude from the audience, but whistling, shouting, stamping your feet in the theater are unacceptable.
13. If you want to give flowers to an actor you especially like, then do it at the very end of the performance, while not going up to the stage. Wait for the final bows, when all the participants of the performance line up on the proscenium, and hand over the flowers, standing in the aisle between the stage and the first row of the stalls. You can also transfer the bouquet to the artist through an employee of the theater.
14. At the end of the performance, do not immediately run to the wardrobe to get your clothes. Artists often take their bows more than once, so wait until the curtain closes. Only then can you slowly leave the auditorium.
If, due to some circumstances, the viewer needs to leave the theater earlier, then according to the unspoken rules, he watches the last act on the balcony, then, without disturbing anyone, leaves.
15. In order not to waste time standing in the wardrobe queue, you can wait it out by walking in the lobby and discussing the performance you have seen.
In the wardrobe, a man must first put on a coat or cloak himself, and then give outerwear to his companion.
