Legendary director of Sovremennik Leonid Erman dies

Avant-garde Leontiev: “Unsilver, he saved every penny of the state budget.”

On the first day of Christmas in the 96th year, Leonid Erman, whom all theatrical Moscow knew and respected, passed away. He is from that galaxy of directors who, being in the shadow of artists, always provided them with a strong rear and without whom it is impossible to imagine the history of the Soviet and Russian theater. Just as the name of Dupak is associated with Taganka and Lyubimov, Ekimyan with Lenkom and Zakharov, and Tartakovsky with Vakhtangovsky and Simonov, so without Leonid Erman it is difficult to imagine Efremov, Volchek, Tabakov, and the entire 62-year history of Sovremennik.

Needless to say, he was considered a pillar of the director’s corps of the Moscow theater. It was him, a graduate of the production department of the Moscow Art Theater School, back in 1956, Oleg Efremov invited him to build a new theater called the Sovremennik Studio. First, as a deputy post, and then, having assessed the professional qualities and responsibility of Leonid Erman, he offered him to become the director of a young team.

But Erman himself dreamed of being an artist, from childhood he raved about the theater, but the war began. At the age of 19, the young man went to the front, where, after a severe concussion, he partially lost his hearing and had to forget the dream of acting forever. But not about the theater – he did not see another place for himself on this earth. And now he is already a student not of the acting, but of the production department of the Moscow Art Theater School. And who knows, we would ever know the name of the artist Erman, but the director Erman quickly appreciated everything. For his dedication to the theater, love for artists, for professionalism and perfectionism in his work.

He was the first to come to the theater on Chistye Prudy and the last to leave. They called him a bore behind his back, they were angry with him, and he demanded from each worker just the perfect performance of work. Because he himself, being an idealist and naively believing that everyone, like him, is wholeheartedly ready to serve him in the 7 to 24 regime, he could not and did not know how otherwise.

Leonid Erman released with Efremov, and then with Volchek, their brightest premieres, which will later be included in textbooks on the history of the national theater. Prepared and conducted theater tours in Israel, Italy, Great Britain, the USA, Switzerland and other countries. He treated the theatrical space as if it were a house where not only the artist was an important, almost the main figure, but also His Majesty the viewer of Sovremennik, who, according to the director, deserved only the best. old-timers tell how before and after the performance he always strictly accepted the audience and the stage.

– I will say this, Leonid Iosifovich is a silver man, – says the famous artist Avangard Leontiev, – He, remaining the main person in housekeeping and finance in Sovremennik, and then in the Moscow Art Theater, stood guard over state money, strictly saved the state penny. It was absolutely impossible to dilute him for unnecessary expenses. He didn’t gain anything by unrighteous means. He combined the idealism of a wonderful love for the theater with outstanding organizational skills. He saw and knew everything, foresaw everything, saved the theater from many, and saved many. He was easy to help anyone who needed it. Ideal director. No, the perfect knight of the theater, I would say so

There was a moment in his biography that he left Sovremennik for 13 years, because he considered it impossible to leave one without the help of Oleg Efremov, who in the mid-70s headed the Art Theater. He helped, and then nevertheless returned back to Chistye Prudy and continued to work with Galina Volchek. In recent years, fate again returned him to the Moscow Art Theater, where, after the death of Efremov, Oleg Tabakov came and who needed the knowledge of Leonid Iosifovich, and he helped Tabakov while he could work.

Fate gave him a long and bright life. He worked as much as he could, and only when he was over 90 did he gradually begin to retire. Last year he turned 95, and there was no theater in Moscow who would not remember Leonid Erman. Even those who did not study with him, but knew his students, congratulated him. Leonid Iosifovich did not leave the theater, and the theater did not leave him: he kept in touch with the theatrical world, its people and was a faithful reader of MK, considering our newspaper the source of the most reliable and extended information in all areas, especially of interest to him – theatrical. Six months ago, he said: “I want to gain strength. Go to the Bolshoi Theater to see Aida. Life is still very interesting!” But age took its toll, and a few days ago Leonid Erman fell ill, ended up in the hospital, where he was immediately placed in intensive care. But the body was no longer able to fight for life. Blessed memory of a bright person and a professional in the highest sense of the word and a knight of the theater.

Farewell to Leonid Erman will take place on January 10 at 12:00 in the MONIKA morgue at st. Shchepkina 61/2, building 22. The commemoration is arranged by the Sovremennik Theater.