Theater figures spoke out on how best to celebrate the STD anniversary
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Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree. Theatrical. It concerns the Union of Theater Workers, which in two years will celebrate a serious anniversary – 150 years since its creation. Although a century and a half ago this association was called the “Society for Mutual Assistance of Russian Artists.” The key word is “welfare.”
The decree has only three points and two sub-points, according to which an organizing committee should be formed within a month (of course, from respected and authoritative people), and it will be headed by none other than the First Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation Sergei Kiriyenko, by the way, no stranger to theater In any case, in the hot 90s, he actively supported theater festivals in his small homeland – in Nizhny Novgorod. And within a month, under his leadership, they will develop and approve a “plan of main activities for preparing and holding the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Union of Theater Workers of the Russian Federation.”
The decree is good, there is no doubt, and the fact that the highest authorities paid attention to the creative union is understandable; this is the merit of its new chairman, Vladimir Mashkov. His predecessor, Alexander Kalyagin, also made efforts to have 2019 declared the Year of the Theater. So STD still remains a serious, influential force among all creative unions, the fate of some of which is very deplorable. But STD is rather an exception to the rule here – history has proven this.
“It’s amazing, but the most freedom-loving, “ruff” – and, as is commonly believed, unpredictable and undisciplined creative people managed to create a Union for centuries,” says Dmitry Bertman. — All sorts of communities, parties arose and disintegrated, but the Union of Theater Workers (it was called by different names) has been firmly standing for a century and a half! I can explain this only in one way: the goals were great for the country and sacred for every person – to help true talent and thereby glorify Russia. And there were specific things to do: not abandon our elderly – provide them with treatment, rest and – yes! – Work as long as you have enough strength. After all, playing for an artist means living! To prevent young people from being trampled – to advise, to promote… The main value is an informal attitude towards the theater and its people.
Especially for such a cool date, I’ll add. But the anniversary, for which, of course, the government will allocate funds, is not so much a reason to be proud as it is to talk about the problems of the theater and solve them. And the main thing is to avoid formalities with a seemingly official formulation like “develop an action plan.” We conducted a quick survey among metropolitan and regional figures: how and what is the best way to celebrate the anniversary? Many believe that it is important to direct funds not to broad celebrations, but to solving specific problems. Which ones?
Dmitry Bertman, head of the Helikon Opera Theater: “There are more than 80 musical theaters in Russia, which indicates the interest and demand for musical art – from classical opera and ballet to modern musicals and operettas. STD, using its resources and influence, can even more actively contribute to the development of this area, including organizing festivals, competitions, master classes and educational programs. I think it will be so.”
Kirill Krok, director of the Theater. Evg. Vakhtangov: “I would think about strengthening regional branches, repairing and equipping the Actor’s Houses, putting all recreation centers and sanatoriums in order. Mandatory coordination with the Union when appointing directors, directors, and artistic directors. And also about the creation of a so-called bench of young specialists for theaters – not fictitious, but effective, which will work for the whole country and will become mandatory for all executive authorities.”
Konstantin Bogomolov admits that he is not so immersed in the problems of the STD, therefore he does not consider himself entitled to give advice to authoritative professionals of the union. “One of the most important tasks in the development of theater in Russia is the education of the younger generation, primarily in terms of directing. People who should come to theaters on big stages and produce performances that meet the tasks of the country, the time and the challenges of the time. Performances that express their unique personality and at the same time establish a connection with the audience, its breathing, and demands. For me, this task is one of the most important. I believe that the Union of Theater Workers, which is headed by a person who devotes a lot of time to pedagogy, will pay attention to this task.
Regionalists have their own proposals. Artistic director of the First Russian Theater named after. Volkova in Yaroslavl Valery Kirillov, having discussed the upcoming date with his colleagues, believes that for the anniversary of the STD, scholarships and prizes should be established for debutants who are just entering the theater. “For any outstanding debut roles. The second point is financial support for productions in honor of outstanding authors and directors: for a deep reading of the classics, for patriotism and for researching their cultural tradition. We are talking about people who in the regions are trying to educate their own authors, playwrights, and directors.
Konstantin Kirillov, director of the Puppet Theater and chairman of the regional branch of the STD of the Ryazan region, proposes to develop a long-term target program “Modernization and development of the material and technical base of regional theaters until 2030.” The second point is the creation of a separate fund (possibly allocating a budget from the PFKI), where applicants can be not only NGOs, but also the theaters themselves. For the staging of thematic performances dedicated to anniversaries, the implementation of festival and tour projects, including for the popularization of Russian theater abroad. He also draws attention to training programs of specialized educational institutions and the training of specialized specialists (lighting designers, sound engineers, makeup artists, prop makers, layout designers, multimedia artists, designers) for theaters, especially in regional educational institutions.
Newspaper headline:
The authorities are concerned about the theater
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