The Mayakovsky Theater turned 100 years old: a pit of kindness

On Saturday evening, the theater Mayakovsky, everyone’s favorite Mayakovka, will celebrate 100 years. Especially for this date, a performance was prepared, which was simply called “Stories”. The participating artists will share their favorite stories from classical literature and dramaturgy. That which has already been played once, and that which has always been dreamed of. And they will perform in an unusual role for themselves. But before the curtain opened, the artists shared the stories of their lives at the Mayakovsky Theater. Each of them, no matter how long he has been serving in the theater or just starting his journey, can say: “It happened to me.”

Olga Prokofieva: In 1985, I came to the legendary troupe – just my eyes ran from the constellation that was there. And one of them was Natalya Gundareva. We came to the theater with our graduation performance “Tomorrow there was a war”, directed by Sergei Yashin. His artistic council, consisting of eminent artists, took over, and when we played, we were waiting for the “verdict”. The artistic council remained in the hall, and we went to the dressing room, sat there, almost holding hands. And our assistant director, seeing our condition, as if accidentally left the broadcast on. And everything that people’s artists discussed together with Goncharov, we heard in the dressing room. Their words were commendable, and Natalya Georgievna stood up: “You know, one actress shocked me. Here is the last name, last name … I forgot. She was prompted: “Prokofiev.” – “Yes, Prokofiev!” – and began to say good words to me – they are still in my ears.

Then she was interested in everything that happened to me. When the entreprise burst into our lives, and I began to go out with some performances, Natalya Georgievna once asked me: “Well, how was the tour?” – “Yes, it’s good, but as soon as you enter the city, and on the posters there is one famous surname, another, and at the end – “and others.” And in another city, the same thing: the first line of a celebrity is “and others.” My last name is never there – I’m always “and others”, although the audience recognizes me, clap, and I’m all “and others, etc.” … ”-“ So what? asked Natalya Georgievna. Do you even know what “et al” is? “Of course I know: others too.” – “No, this is a precious reserve!” And then I decided to myself: “Good, good, I’ll show you what a precious reserve I am …”

Sergei Rubeko: I graduated from GITIS with Goncharov, so since 1973 I have been at Mayakovka. And in the middle of the first year for the first time I went to see the musical “The Man from La Mancha”. They made me a badge, sat down on the steps. The performance made a very strong impression on me, and the strongest was at the end: all the characters – the main, second, third, extras – blocking the entire stage, climb onto the grate, pull their hands through it and sing: “Dream, let the dream deceive, / To fight, though defeated, / Seek an impossible task / And live until the end of time – / That’s my motto! How tears broke through me! I sit on the stairs, crying, and next to me, people cry too. And I think to myself: “Lord, please make me hang on this grate, stretch out my hand and sing: “Dream, let the dream deceive …” Then I thought that this would never come true, but I wanted so much, because that right here in this theatre, that’s what I want to do.

Nevertheless, they took me to the Mayakovsky Theater, and for several years as a driver for Pak Podlipala I participated in this performance, hung on this lattice and sang these very words. I have never regretted working here for a second. And I still don’t regret it.

Zoya Kaidanovskaya: That was exactly 10 years ago! We released the play “Mr. Puntila and his servant Matti.” We were in the theater from morning to evening. There were difficult and painful moments, there was a lot of funny, witty and absurd, but in the end – correct and accurate. At the beginning of the second act, I, and not the noisemakers, myself rang the bell behind the stage, because Mindaugas forbade them to do this and cursed that I wasn’t ringing “with attitude” enough. I understood that this was the right requirement, because as I ring the bell, I enter the stage later! I was absolutely happy, and if everything stopped or was interrupted then, I would probably die. There was an amazing team: Karbauskis, Barkhin, Filippov, Lobotsky, Kashentsev, Okhlupin, Shavrin … And all these 10 years we were together and worked very fruitfully – a lot, varied and talented!

Julia Marycheva: My most vivid impression is the play “Don Juan’s Fun” by Tatyana Akhramkova. I watched it grow from the wings all my childhood, because both my parents rehearsed and played in it. It was the most amazing, funny and most talented performance. I wanted to feel at least a little part of this holiday, because this performance was a favorite for all the artists involved there, and the director was loved – it was very felt. But I was never allowed to watch the “terrible finale” – the appearance of the Stone Guest – and covered my eyes with my hand, worrying about the child’s psyche.

And this amazing finale, when the giant hand of the Stone Guest appeared absolutely silently and “took away” Don Juan, the finale – with a heart-rending farewell cry from a friend, with real music and a very bright outcome – I still saw it once, but already at a fairly adult age and from the hall. “And if I had then married Don Juan, I would now live in Spain …”

I will never forget this, because I have never seen anything more interesting and beautiful, scary and fantastic, kind and bright – at the same time. I cry with happiness that it was in my life every time I remember this performance, even now. The phrase of the heroine Babicheva “Love is when you feel on the verge of death” – I will carry it, it seems, through my whole life.

Tatyana Augshkap: I received the title of Honored Artist very early for an actress and, due to my upbringing, I was even a little shy about it. I remember how Natalia Georgievna Gundareva, successful, famous, beautiful, ran down the corridor, and when she met me, she said: “Shkapa, have you been given a title?” And I began to make excuses, to which Natalia Georgievna sharply pulled me up and said: “Agree, it invigorates? ..” So I always remember these words of hers and am grateful, among other things, to Moskovsky Komsomolets for the awards and our acting cheerfulness.

Julia Silaeva: The play “Tomorrow there was a war.” The final scene, when the actors-characters line up as in the photo, and sing the song “The photograph in the newspaper is not clearly depicted …”. At the end of the song, everyone closes their eyes. It was so unexpectedly simple and powerful. And you understand that these guys are no longer there and never will be.

Stanislav Kardashev: I came to Mindaugas in my 2nd year … to say goodbye. I said, “Remove me. I can not take it anymore”. He smiled: “Stas, do you have spring? Go for a walk in the park, eat oranges. Have fun, Stas! This is the most important day. I believe Mindaugas, and he believes in me.

Tatyana Orlova: I have been serving at the Mayakovsky Theater for 45 years, and my strongest emotional impression is connected with the appearance of Mindaugas Karbauskis: how he works, thinks, how he rehearses, his boundless talent, culture strikes … To what the highest level he raised the Mayakovsky Theater! Thanks to him, I have the performances “Berdichev” and “Moscow Choir” (directed by Nikita Kobelev) and, of course, “Russian Novel” by Karbauskis himself. It was a fairy tale to work with him!

Alexey Fateev: The Mayakovsky Theater is a school, home and temple for me. “The Pit of Kindness,” as they called it. Artists and directors of incredible scale have served in our theater over these 100 years. And there is always something and from whom to learn, share something personal, get support and find meaning in life and profession.