The longest and shortest anniversary took place at the Provincial Theater

The provincial theater celebrated its first ten years. The period seems to be modest, but during this time so much has been done that it seems that the theater under the direction of Sergei Bezrukov has existed and been working for a long time. The anniversary, which was celebrated last Friday, broke all records – the performance prepared for the occasion lasted 45 minutes on stage. Although the theater in Kuzminki opened its doors to its spectators in the morning.

For those who consider theater to be a 24-hour concept, and not just an evening leisure activity, Gubernsky already at 10:00 provided a unique opportunity to see behind the scenes through the eyes of creative workers and to follow the routes that artists, theater designers and directors walk every day. The most devoted and inquisitive (and there were many of them) looked into where the theater employees revealed to them the secrets of the dressing room, props, and costume departments, telling them how they make scenery, props, and stage costumes. But, of course, not everything – there must always be a secret in the theater, otherwise it is not a theater.

In the rehearsal halls and on the small stage, theater teachers and artists gave master classes and training on choreography, dubbing, vocals, stage speech, plastic arts, acting skills, as well as on the basics of artistic photography and the creation of creative videos. Even the orchestral studio received guests: musicians and conductors of the Governor’s Orchestra introduced the audience to each group of instruments. The audience also played table tennis, words, and dominoes with the actors, and sang songs with the characters in the play “Energetic People,” as only happens in a close-knit family.

On this day, there was no summing up on stage and no talk about achievements. What is the use of words when Sergei Bezrukov has something to show even without them? His main achievement over the first ten years was that the once godforsaken theater in Kuzminki turned into a place of power in a huge region, which was also remote from the center of the capital. Where a strong troupe works, where there is the largest Children’s Festival, and once a year Russian theaters come from all over the country and bring their best performances for children and family audiences. Where every season new projects are born – theatrical, musical, network. And here it is worth recognizing that over the course of 10 years, such a revival of the theater from oblivion and its active development is associated with the name of one person – Sergei Bezrukov, who of all the current young and relatively young leaders got the worst option. A theater with a home port of the Moscow region, which promised a completely different budget from the capital. And besides, burdened with internal squabbles of the groups located under the roof of the Regional Drama – this was the former name of the Provincial Theater.

But Sergei turned out to be a strong leader, a locomotive, an initiator, a dreamer. He had nothing to rely on other than his name, which was already booming then, and his popularity. And he started this car without complaining about old parts and internal combustion/burnout of part of the team. He went and invited everyone who thinks not about yesterday, but exclusively about tomorrow, to join him. It is important to understand: he found an excellent assistant in the person of director Larisa Viljaste. And the machine called the Provincial Theater continues to move along its chosen path, only gaining momentum.

On the anniversary day, Sergei Bezrukov fundamentally separated the official and artistic parts. First, in the foyer on a small stage, officials presented letters of gratitude and certificates of honor from the State and Regional Dumas to the artists and employees of the theater. Among the recipients are Sergey Bezrukov himself, Larisa Viljaste, actors Karina Andolenko, Anton Sokolov, Vera Shpak, Evegny Syrkin, Kirill Novyshev, Evgeny Gomonoy, Daria Ryabtseva and many others, Elena Doronina, Tatyana Rudova, Olga Smirnova, Marina Boyarinova, Andrey Misilin, Lyudmila Menchinskaya. Representatives of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations also awarded the artistic director the medal “For the Commonwealth in the Name of Salvation.” And in honor of the anniversary, all theater employees received memorable signs – jewelry made of silver and other metals in the form of a stylized half-column of the Corinthian order.

– Now this column has become a symbol of Gubernsky and part of our logo. It connects us with the history of theater as such, with ancient Greek tragedy and comedy, which originated there. And let this little badge warm you, give you a feeling of energy, that we are together, we are a team,” said Sergei Bezrukov, presenting the new badge.

The anniversary day ended on stage with the performance “New Life. Prologue” dedicated to modern theater, directed by Sergei Bezrukov. The 45 minutes that the performance lasted, in fact, it was a monologue by the artistic director, based on the famous “Elegy in Prose” by Vissarion Belinsky, only not abridged, which everyone is used to, but they didn’t go much further than the phrase “do you like theater” .

Do you love theater as much as I love it? That is, with all the strength of your soul… – Sergei Bezrukov began the famous text from the black and white screens installed on the stage. And in others, Gubernsky’s artists, arranged immediately in a certain order, emotionally lived out the words of the beacon of Russian criticism. In parallel with the on-screen “Elegy,” plastic (choreographer Alexander Mogilev) and vocal skills developed on stage, and even a literary battle took place between Karina Andolenko and Anna Snatkina. Popular actresses explored the life of the human spirit with the help of the works of Chekhov and Gorky. Friendship won, as expected. And Bezrukov continued to think about the theater and that at all times “man is the most curious phenomenon for man.” His production intertwined styles and genres successfully mastered by the troupe: choreography, plastic arts, vocals, multimedia technologies, tragedy, drama and comedy, puppet theater, grotesque and stand-up. And theatergoers recognized elements of the scenery and references to iconic theater performances: “I Found a Scythe on a Stone,” “The Cherry Orchard,” “Uncle Vanya,” “The Dream of Reason,” “Dog in the Manger,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Island treasures”, “Once upon a time there was a Dog and a Wolf” and others.

When Sergei Bezrukov, no longer on-screen, but in person, came on stage, it became clear that the finale was coming, but no one ever looked at the clock – the performance was so original and interestingly conceived and structured that even a couple of technical overlays by Bezrukov were played out them in the course of action, did not spoil the impression. He announced that the theater was beginning a new decade, a new life, the prologue of which was this holiday. His final speech, which no longer had anything to do with Belinsky’s work, but concerned modern theater as such, its imaginary and true values, could be regarded exclusively as programmatic.