Novgorod Drama Theatre. Novgorod Academic Drama Theater Out of range

We visited Velikiy Novgorod back in August and up to this point, the photos were gathering dust on our hard drive. It's time to talk about one of the most controversial buildings we saw in the vastness of Russia - the Novgorod Drama Theater.

Novgorod Academic Drama Theater named after F.M. Dostoevsky
Architect: Vladimir Somov
Design organization: Giproteatr
Address: Veliky Novgorod, Velikaya street, 14
Years of design and construction: 1977 - 1987

1. The first thing that catches your eye is the obvious discrepancy between the scale of the theater and the scale of the city itself. A theater of this size fits in a million-plus city, but not in a small one by Russian standards historical city. From the theater to the Kremlin - less than a kilometer, which caused and still causes great indignation among the city defenders and their sympathizers. However, the theater has been built for a long time, so it is worth considering it as a full-fledged architectural player, shaping modern look Veliky Novgorod.

2. The theater was designed of such size thanks to the ubiquitous Soviet planned economy and planned development, so to speak "for growth". According to calculations, by the date of construction (1987), the permanent population of Novgorod should have reached 300 thousand people, excluding numerous arriving and departing tourists. However, 28 years have passed since its construction, but the population of the city has reached only (according to the wiki) ~ 220 thousand people, and numerous tourists do not reach the theater, because they try not to tell about its existence (again, according to sources on the Internet). mention. Although, in our opinion, a visit to this building should be included in the list of must-see tourist activities along with a visit to the Kremlin and a trip to Vitoslavlitsy.

The main facade of the theater faces the river.

3. This building is a canonical example of the most modern soviet fashion, descended from the pages of Frederic Chauben's photo album, an obligatory figurant in the lists of "communist-space architecture" on various Internet portals.

The theater was designed not only as a purely theater, but also as the main cultural and social center of the city for holidays, festivals and even party congresses. Therefore, a huge plot was allocated for construction with a full-fledged city square overlooking the river pier; a summer stage was also erected in the complex with the building. The theater itself is surrounded by fountains, equipped with their own water towers (!), which have never been put into operation. Nothing can be said about the architecture of the theater itself, since it is difficult to describe such unbridled form-creation in words.

4. Interesting fact. For the construction, unique typical elements were developed, the most popular of which was a semicircular element with holes. These elements were stamped in such a huge amount that in the end it was decided to pave with them part of the square (facing the city). As a result, it became not the most convenient for movement, but vegetation sprouted in the holes in / between the elements and the area became green.

5. Next to the building stood a 42-meter openwork stele erected from the same elements, which was popularly called the Makarevich Column, according to rumors, designed by the then architect Andrei Makarevich (it was not possible to verify the legend). This stele gained particular popularity among Novgorod suicides, which is why it was dismantled in 2008.

On the right in the photo - architect Vladimir Somov.

Taken from here

6. Today the state of the building is depressing. main reason The decline is the size of the building and the cost of its maintenance, which is exacerbated by not the most thoughtful technological solutions. The hall, large for the city, is rarely filled, and the square overlooking the Volkhov has become a favorite place for drifting. Part of the cover of the area is destroyed and is a mess of concrete and soil with overgrown vegetation. The fountains never started. Due to its complex configuration and the abundance of nooks and crannies, the building was chosen by the youth.

"Buttress" on the left is the water tower, created for the functioning of the fountain. On the other hand, it's the same.

7. Prefabricated hemispheres support ramps.

8. Up close, they look a bit ridiculous.

9. Inactive summer stage. It's great to run on it.

11. It looks like a floor slab hanging over the main entrance.

13. Mario-style platforms lead to the water towers.

18. City facade.

In general, the building gives the impression of an unusual and brutal artifact, very famously wedged into urban space. And, despite all its qualities, the drama theater has already managed to become integral part Veliky Novgorod. The main problem there remains the question of returning the theater and the square back to public environment, giving it new qualities through a serious renovation and preserving all its architectural features.

A separate mention is the opinion of the former chief architect of Veliky Novgorod Evgeny Andreev. Taken from here.

"Evgeny Andreev even finds it difficult to name the style in which the monster theater is made:

I usually say it's modern, but I'm not sure myself. You know, architects, between us, are such crazy people - they come up with completely off-the-wall designs. I am telling you this as a former chief architect of Novgorod and a former mayor of the city. They don’t think that the building should be beautiful, fit into the surrounding buildings, be easy to use - no, they want to show off. The case with our theater is from the same series. The hypotheatrists wanted their name to go down in centuries. So it came in - only with an extremely negative connotation. Unfortunately, as Nazarov hopes, there is no need to wait for the building to collapse and save us all from the problems associated with it - the margin of safety of the frame here is like that of a bomb shelter. And all the concrete parts will simply crumble on our heads for many more years. In my opinion, this unfortunate theater should be peeled off from the outer layer, everything superfluous should be removed, and in order not to be an eyesore - planted with Christmas trees. And show tourists as a monument to the era of dying socialism.
And this is almost the cheapest solution to the problem. The cheapest thing is to pretend that this building does not exist at all and take tourists away. So nothing shines for the director of the theater and his subordinates, who dream of a small theater with three hundred seats, where it would be comfortable for everyone, where performances would take place in a filled hall. They had such a hall in the Kremlin, where it is now located regional philharmonic society, and from where they were forcibly relocated to a huge, cold, fearful building between Velikaya Street and Volkhov Embankment. In the meantime, it is time to rename the theater - the name of Dostoevsky is by no means associated with this concrete horror. Maybe Franz Kafka would be a better fit?"

Novgorod Academic Drama Theatre. F.M.Dostoevsky has an ancient, centuries-old history.

Throughout Russia, the creativity of Novgorod folk actors - buffoons, which gained wide scope in the 16th century, thundered. The liturgical drama "The Cave Action", which took place in Sophia Cathedral before Christmas, is mentioned in the "Historical Bulletin" for 1899. School activities were also widespread.

Since 1825, the original stationary theater was opened, the owner of which was a certain Lototsky. Since 1853, the theater in Novgorod became permanent, thanks to the well-known entrepreneur Nikolai Ivanovich Ivanov in those years. In one of the merchant's houses, in a room converted into a theater, regular paid performances were held throughout the season. Most famous actors provinces flocked to the troupe, and often the metropolitan "stars" participated in these performances.

The next significant stage in the development of theater in Novgorod is the First Public Theater October revolution, which was organized in 1918 at the GuboNO art section. The repertoire of the theater included "The Idiot" by F. M. Dostoevsky, "Paul I" by D. Merezhkovsky, "Treachery and Love" by F. Schiller, "The Death of Ivan the Terrible" by A. Tolstoy, "Princess Turandot" by K. Gozzi.

In 1934, the Novgorod Theater was reorganized into the Leningrad Regional Maly drama theatre. In the 1934/1935 season, along with the works of Gogol and Ostrovsky, Molière and Schiller, there are also contemporary plays- "Road of Flowers" by V. Kataev, "Virgin Soil Upturned" based on the novel by M. Sholokhov. Many well-known actors of Russia visited the stage of the Novgorod October Revolution Theater: N. Nepokoichitsky, M. Modestova, B. Frendlikh, who received the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR for playing the role of Pavka Korchagin in the play How the Steel Was Tempered.

June 1941 found the theater on tour in Staraya Russa. The attack of the fascist invaders and the temporary occupation of the city did not interrupt creative activity theater. But now they were creative front-line brigades with excerpts and monologues from performances for units of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts. On September 1, 1944, the theater was transformed into the Novgorod regional theater under the jurisdiction of the regional department for the arts, and since June 1953 - the regional department of culture. Since that time, the turbulent era of changes in owners, entrepreneurs, organizers and organizers of the Novgorod theater can be considered over. And during these hundred years, he maintained the continuity of the troupe, repertoire and creative traditions.

For the first time in history Soviet theater The Novgorod Drama Theater staged a staging of A.I. Herzen’s novel “Who is to blame?” written during his exile in Novgorod in 1841. Along with this, they continued their lives on the Novgorod stage immortal images Shakespeare ("Richard III"), Goldoni ("The Innkeeper"), Chekhov ("Ivanov"), Gorky ("The Old Man"), Anui ("Medea"), Moliere ("Don Juan") and other great playwrights.

In 1977, for the first time in the history of the Russian theater, the chief director of the theater A.L. Koshelev staged the tragedy of Y. Knyazhnin "Vadim Novgorodsky", paying tribute to history ancient land Novgorod.

In 1987, the team moved to a new building, built by the architect Somov according to the project of the GIPROTEATER, which has been the home of today's Novgorod Drama Theater for more than 20 years.

Since 1997, the Novgorod Drama Theater has been named after Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. This is connected not only with the stay of the great Russian writer on the land of Novgorod, but also with the appeal of the theater to creative heritage this author, which is of great interest to both the actors and the audience to this day. In these places, Dostoevsky worked on "Demons", "Teenager", "The Brothers Karamazov". The writer's name does not disappear from the theatre's repertoire: 1965 - "Crime and Punishment" (dir. G. Litvinov); 1990 - "Demons" (dir. A. Koshelev); 1997 - "Passage in the passage" (dir. V. Vetrogonov); 1998 - “I had a dream ...” (based on the story “ Uncle's dream”) (dir. A. Govorukho); 2004 - "Nativity scene" (dir. E. Chernyshov).

Since 1999, the Novgorod Drama Theater. F. M. Dostoevsky was awarded the title of "Academic". The theater, having a huge creative acting and directing potential, high level technical equipment, sets itself serious creative tasks. The formation of the theater repertoire based on the dramaturgy of Russian and foreign classics.

In 2003, on the International Day of the Theater, archival information was made public, indicating that the history of the theater can be traced back to 1853. It turns out that it was already the 150th anniversary season.

Theater takes Active participation in International festival chamber works based on the works of F.M. Dostoevsky, held in Staraya Russa, in the writer's estate: “I had a dream ...” (1999); "Dream funny man» staging and staging by A. Govorukho (2001); "Bobok" staged and staged by E. Chernyshov (2002). Last work along with other small works by F. M. Dostoevsky, she was included in the play "Nativity scene" (2004), presented by E. Chernyshov at the next festival. Year 2006 - anniversary for the X festival. Russia celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Dostoevsky family, the 185th anniversary of the writer's birth and the 125th anniversary of his death. The Novgorod theater presented a performance based on the play by E. Belodubrovsky and S. Belov “I am happy, happy, happy! ..” staged by S. Morozov. People's Artist of Russia Lyubov Lushechkina, who plays the role of Anna Grigoryevna Dostoevskaya, became a laureate of the festival in the nomination "Best female role". In this show, one actor- The writer's wife. However, the extraction problem internal conflicts outside, director Sergei Morozov decided organically and simply, adding one more character to the play as an opponent. More precisely, the performer. The program says so: "Performers - People's Artist of Russia Lyubov Lushechkina, Anatoly Ustinov." With this split personality main character not without incident. So, the intra-theater award in the nomination "Best male role second plan ”actor Ustinov received for playing a female role.

In 1993, the Novgorod Drama Theater became a laureate at the International Festival of Historical Plays "Voices of History" in Vologda, with the play "Marfa Posadnitsa" by V. Levashov, historical drama based on Russian chronicles and historical works N. Karamzin.

The theater team also became twice a laureate of the Window on Russia competition among provincial theaters Russian Federation, announced and held by the newspaper "Culture" in the nomination "Theatre of the Year". In the summer of 1998, the theater won the most famous Avignon Festival in the world.

A performance directed by A. Govorukho "Handsome Man" at the 5th All-Russian Theater Festival in 2002 "Ostrovsky in Ostrovsky's House" was highly appreciated by Moscow critics. The performance was a huge success on the stage of the State Academic Maly Theater.

In 2005, the theater became a laureate of the Victory Stars festival (Ryazan). In 2007 - the winner of the festival "Arbat Meetings" (Moscow), showing a performance based on the play by E. Belodubrovsky and S. Belov "I am happy, happy, happy! ..". The performance was called by critics as a pearl in the theatre's repertoire. In 2008 the work takes part in the X International Festival theatrical art"Slavic theatrical meetings" in Gomel (Republic of Belarus).

The performance "Jester Balakirev or Jesters of All Russia" based on the play by G. Gorin, staged by the honored artist S. Verkhgradsky, took part in the VIII International Theater Festival "We owe everything to Volkov, Volkov, Volkov ..." in Yaroslavl (2007).

The production of the comedy by A. N. Ostrovsky "The Last Victim" (dir. S. Morozov) in 2008 becomes a laureate of the II Theater Festival named after N. Kh. Rybakov (Tambov). Theater actress Lyudmila Boyarinova receives the Recognition Award for her role as Yulia Tugina. In the same year, the performance was invited to VII International theater festival"Russian classics. Fathers and sons” (Orel).

Director of the theater, Honored Worker of Culture Viktor Evgenievich Nazarov, in 1981 he graduated from the Leningrad Order of Friendship of Peoples State Institute culture them. N.K. Krupskaya, in 1999 - Novgorodsky State University majoring in social management. He has many years of experience in culture and deep knowledge of the specifics of the theater.

Since June 2007, Sergey Anatolyevich Morozov has been approved as the chief director of the theater. In 1999 he graduated from St. Petersburg State Academy of Theater Arts (former LGITMiK) with a degree in drama directing in the studio of S. Ya. Spivak. Over the years after graduating from the Academy, he staged about 30 performances in the theaters of Kostroma, Togliatti, Belgorod, Kaliningrad, Orel. Sergey Morozov - member of the director's laboratory n.a. Russian Federation L.A. Dodina, St. Petersburg, 2005/2006, took part in many seminars and conferences. For the first time, a director is working in Veliky Novgorod, who is a member of the board of the Guild of Directors of Russia, the owner of the All-Russian Literary and Theater Prize “Crystal Rose of Viktor Rozov”.

Novgorod Academic Drama Theatre. F.M. Dostoevsky has an ancient, centuries-old history.

Throughout Russia, the creativity of Novgorod folk actors - buffoons, which gained wide scope in the 16th century, thundered. The liturgical drama "Stove Action", which took place in St. Sophia Cathedral before Christmas, is mentioned in the "Historical Bulletin" for 1899. School activities were also widespread. Since 1825, the original stationary theater was opened, the owner of which was a certain Lototsky.

The first public stationary theater in the history of the city arose in Novgorod in 1918 under the art section of GuboNO. It was the Novgorod theater of the October Revolution. New social order puts forward new requirements for the theatre. Through the stage, the broad masses of working people approached the artistic intelligentsia, shared spiritual riches that had previously been inaccessible to either workers or peasants.

One of the first leaders of the Novgorod theater of the October Revolution were: V. I. Lagert, B. S. Efimov, A. E. Larionov-Yurenev. The repertoire of the Idiot Theater by F. M. Dostoevsky, Pavel I by Merezhkovsky, Intrigue and Love by F. Schiller, Death of Ivan the Terrible by A. Tolstoy, Princess Turandot by E. Gozzi.

In the 1927–1928 season the first Soviet dramas appear. In the plays "Love Yarovaya" by K. Trenev, "Ralom" by B. Lavrenev, participants and heroes first appeared on the stage civil war, spokesmen for the will of the insurgent people.

In the 1927–1928 season at the theater of the October Revolution is being created children's theater. The best children's performances this season were The Little Humpbacked Horse, Flint and Don Quixote.

So the Novgorod theater existed with some interruptions until 1934, and then it was reorganized into the Leningrad Regional Maly Drama Theater.

In the 1930s, when the question arose of creating stationary urban theater venues, for the leadership theater work a young talented actor N. Lebedev was sent to Novgorod.

In the 1934-1935 season the performances of M. Gorky's Egor Bulychev and Kirshon's Miraculous Alloy were more successful than others. Along with the works of Gogol and Ostrovsky, Molière, and Schiller, modern plays also appear - “Road of Flowers” ​​by Kataev, “Virgin Soil Upturned” based on the novel by M. Sholokhov.

Many famous actors of Russia have visited the stage of the Novgorod October Revolution Theatre. In the lists creative staff The troupe included such names as Nepokoichitssky, M. Modestovn, B. Freindlikh, who received the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR for his performance as Pavka Korchagin in the play How the Steel Was Tempered.

After the liberation of Novgorod from the Nazi invaders, the stationary theater resumed its work in the city.

On September 1, 1944, it was transformed into the Novgorod Regional Theater under the jurisdiction of the regional department for the arts, and from June 1953 - the regional department of culture.

In the first post-war theater season artistic director theater was the Leningrad director V. V. Shimanovsky. The main part of the troupe is the actors of the liberated Leningrad.
Among them are honored artists of the RSFSR A. A. Mirzoeva, E. A. Lyubina, V. V. Rubtsov, artists N. D. Razgulyaev, M. S. Firsova and others.

The repertoire of the theater consisted mainly of modern Soviet plays, such as: “The Winners” by V. Chirskov, “Meeting with Youth” by A. Arbuzov, “Day of Rest” by V. Kataev, “Kremlin Chimes” by N. Pogodin, “Russian People” by K Simonova and others.

Later, in the 1950s - 1960s, the theater's repertoire was formed taking into account the main, exciting problems of the era - the problems of the formation and development of personality.

In 1987, the team moved to a new building, built by the architect Somov according to the project of the GIPROTEATER, which has been the home of today's Novgorod Drama Theater for more than 20 years.

Since 1997, the Novgorod Drama Theater has been named after Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. This is connected not only with the stay of the great Russian writer in the land of Novgorod, but also with the appeal of the theater to the creative heritage of this author, which is of great interest to both the actors and the audience to this day. In these places, Dostoevsky worked on "Demons", "Teenager", "The Brothers Karamazov". The writer's name does not disappear from the theatre's repertoire: 1965 - "Crime and Punishment" (dir. G. Litvinov); 1990 - "Demons" (dir. A. Koshelev); 1997 - "Passage in the passage" (dir. V. Vetrogonov); 1998 - “I had a dream ...” (based on the story “Uncle's Dream”) (dir. A. Govorukho); 2004 - "Nativity scene" (dir. E. Chernyshov).

Since 1999, the Novgorod Drama Theater. F. M. Dostoevsky was awarded the title of "Academic". The theater, having a huge creative acting and directing potential, a high level of technical equipment, sets itself serious creative tasks. The formation of the theater repertoire based on the dramaturgy of Russian and foreign classics contributes to a wider disclosure of the theater's capabilities.

In 2003, on the International Day of the Theater, archival information was made public, indicating that the history of the theater can be traced back to 1853. It turns out that it was already the 150th anniversary season.
The theater takes an active part in the International Festival of Chamber Works based on the works of F.M. Dostoevsky, held in Staraya Russa, in the writer's estate.

From 2002 to 2014, the director of the theater was the Honored Worker of Culture Viktor Evgenievich Nazarov, who in 1981 graduated from the Leningrad Order of Friendship of Peoples State Institute of Culture. N.K. Krupskaya, in 1999 - Novgorod State University with a degree in Social Sphere Manager. Victor Evgenievich had many years of experience in culture and deep knowledge of the specifics of the theater.

One of the most interesting buildings of the late Soviet period history of Veliky Novgorod can rightly be called the building Novgorod Academic Drama Theatre. F.M. Dostoevsky. It was built in 1987. Designed under the supervision of the chief architect Vladimir Somov.

Theater building - a prime example architecture of Soviet modernism. The construction of "communist-space" architecture contrasts sharply with the surrounding buildings, stands out among other buildings in the city. The facade of the theater overlooks the pier to the Volkhov River. Most interesting view the building opens from the opposite bank, from the Alexander Nevsky embankment.

There is an opinion among Novgorodians that the theater building was designed by the leader of the rock group "Time Machine" Andrey Makarevich. According to rumors, this thesis musician. Makarevich, an architect by education, indeed, after completing his studies at the Moscow Architectural Institute, he worked for some time in a design organization that was involved in the building of the theater. He took part in the design of the windows of the Novgorod Drama Theatre.

The architectural ensemble of the theater, in addition to the building itself, initially also included fountains with their own water towers (two cylindrical towers on the sides of the building). The fountains, unfortunately, have never been launched, and today flowerbeds are arranged in their place.

A large square was cleared around the theater, where, according to the plan of the architects, holidays, festivals and other cultural and cultural events were to take place. political events. For the same purpose, a summer stage was built next to the theater. However, the location of the site a little away from the main city routes made it not the most attractive for holding mass city events.

The architectural ensemble of the theater also included a 42-meter column of concrete blocks. It did not carry any practical meaning, and among Novgorodians it was called the “Makarevich column” or the “suicide column”. The stele was very easy to climb, and suicides used it to commit suicide. In 2009, in preparation for the celebration of the 1150th anniversary of Veliky Novgorod, the column was dismantled.

In April 2014 in Veliky Novgorod the film " Hero Pioneers". The director of the film and his team searched all over the country for locations suitable for filming scenes about the USSR in the late 80s. The decisive role in the choice of location was played by the building of the Novgorod Drama Theatre.

— In the late 1970s and 1980s, there was a unique period in Soviet architecture when unique buildings began to appear, in which there were many ideas, aspirations and hopes. There are not many such buildings, but they exist, they are scattered throughout the former Soviet Union. One of the few was in Novgorod, I fell madly in love with it from photographs, and I said that I wanted to shoot in Novgorod. It is very important for me to show not household Soviet Union, but what made those children what they were, - says the director of the film.