New books at the presentation in the art cafe of the Vakhtangov Theater

The best theater in the country – Vakhtangov on the Arbat gathered journalists, theater experts and lovers of Melpomene for the presentation of their new books. Three folios by the Teatralis publishing house: Ella Mikhaleva’s The Vakhtangovites: Dramaturgy Begins, Evgeny Vakhtangov’s Moscow Addresses. A Guide to the Waves of History and Memory” by Viktor Borzenko and the book “End Your Vakhtangov Humor” by Marina Raikina received well-deserved attention, and their authors received proper applause and bouquets of flowers. The presentation was led by theater expert Dmitry Trubochkin.

Subdued light, intimate atmosphere, almost home gatherings with tea and donuts – this was the setting for the presentation in the art cafe of the Vakhtangov Theatre.

First, the guests of the theater were presented with a collection called “Vakhtangovites: the dramaturgy of the beginning.” Its author, Ella Mikhaleva, says this about her work: “The first decade of the Vakhtangov Theater was brilliant and dramatic, when tragedy and miracle walked alongside the Vakhtangov. Unique in every sense: left without its founder and teacher, the studio did not fall apart, did not die, but continued the work of Yevgeny Vakhtangov, becoming the theater that bears his name. The first students of Yevgeny Bogrationovich had to fight for the right to preserve themselves. And on the go, learn to manage the theater, stage performances on your own, becoming great masters of the stage, worthy of your teacher. In this decade, great personalities were with them: K.S. Stanislavsky, V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, V.E. Meyerhold, Yu.K. Olesha, M.A. Bulgakov … Popov, who staged a number of productions included in the golden fund.

The second book presented at the presentation was Evgeny Vakhtangov’s Moscow Addresses. Guide to the Waves of History and Memory” by Viktor Borzenko. He wrote about the process: “What connects modern Moscow with the name of Evgeny Vakhtangov? At first glance, the answer is obvious: the theater on the Arbat, the theater institute in Bolshoy Nikolopeskovsky Lane and the director’s museum-apartment in Denezhny Lane. However, these “points on the map” are only a few in the capital, where the life of a young director was rapidly flowing, consisting of countless rehearsals, lessons for aspiring artists, his own participation in performances, cooperation with all kinds of drama circles, schools, studios. For the first time, an attempt is made in the book to collect together addresses related to the life and work of Yevgeny Vakhtangov and, on the basis of memoirs and archival documents, to present the flavor of Vakhtagov’s Moscow.

The well-known theater critic and journalist Marina Raikina, with jokes and jokes, “reported” her creation to the audience. In this book, a look at the history of the Vakhtangov theater from an unusual angle of irony and humor. And what is Vakhtangov humor? This is something more than a joke or an anecdote, it is irony, fantasy, improvisation, showing the actor’s personal professional potential. And it is also a view of the world, even if this world is tragic. This book contains stories about great artists and directors – universally recognized kings and queens of humor, wits and ironists, whose phrases have long become catchphrases and whose roles are invariably marked by this brand name. The audience even heard epigrams from Elena Sotnikova, who was present at the presentation, from the head of culture at MK.

All three book novelties will complement the theatre’s library, which has about 30 titles. Also, another collection, written by theater director Kirill Krok, will be released soon. It will be called “The Director’s Notes”. Kirill Igorevich flatly refused to talk about his future masterpiece, but he spoke briefly but succinctly about the plans of the theater and the publishing house.

Vladimir Sabadash.

Photo – Vladimir Golikov.