The theater is a national Russian heritage, which has its history since the 17th century. It was then that the formation of the basic principles of theatrical performances began and the foundation was laid for this type of art in Russia.
The origins of the Russian theater
The Russian people have always been famous for their ability to diversify their leisure. Since ancient times, fairs and festivals were held in Russia, at which buffoons became the protagonists. This is exactly what the people called artists, among whom were singers, and musicians, and actors.
Usually theatrical performances were timed to coincide with any church or folk festival. However, over time, festivities could be held for no reason. Buffoons were people without shelter and money, often they gathered in separate groups and went to cities and villages for the purpose of earning. In their representations, they used various musical instruments (pipes , harp), dolls, home-made costumes.
A little later, the artists, arriving in a new city, erected a special building on its square, where they lived and received spectators. Such a building began to be called a booth, and subsequently all theatrical performances received the same name. The repertoire of buffoons included social satire, jokes, ballads, and tales.
And although with the advent of the real theater the attitude towards booths became sharply negative and negative, we must not forget about the influence that the old Russian entertainments had on the formation of the theater.
Elements of the theater that arose due to folk ideas
Since the theater was just beginning its long journey in Russia in the 17th century, many elements and details were taken from buffoons and taken from folk ideas.
Firstly, these are theatrical rooms. The first such hall was the Amusing Chamber, where since 1613 the buffoons were invited to speak. In full measure, such performances could not be called a theater, because they were of a circus character with an abundance of humor and various tricks.
Secondly, stage scenes. During their speeches, buffoons gathered a large crowd of people around them, and there was a need to demonstrate their talents at some height, so that all people could see it. The first stage was built to show a puppet theater performance.
Thirdly, oral dramas. The buffoons performed works written by the people. So the famous hero Petrushka was born.
17th century court theater
Even Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, during his reign, thought about creating a court theater. However, for the realization of this idea foreign experts were needed, since in Russia there were still no noble playwrights and artists capable of serving Melpomene with dignity.
In 1644, a troupe of actors arrived in Russia from Strasbourg, which within a month prepared its performance. However, for unknown reasons, they were expelled from the country.
A full-fledged theater in the 17th century in Russia appeared under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Artamon Matveyev, who often visited Europe and saw what art could be, voiced the idea of the boyar. The first Russian theater of the 17th century began its work in 1672.
The pastor from the German settlement Johann Gottfried Gregory, on the orders of Matveyev, for several weeks assembled a troupe of actors, consisting of men and youths, and gave them drama lessons. He also wrote the first play based on biblical tales of Esther.
In the village of Preobrazhensky, a real theater stage was built. The premiere of the performance took place on October 17. The performance lasted ten hours, but the king, and the boyars, and the queen with her retinue sat until the end.
In 1673, the theatrical stage was moved to the Kremlin. The playwright was well rewarded for his work and hastened to start writing a new play. This time he wrote about Judith, also using a biblical plot. Theater in the 17th century in Russia became the main entertainment of the tsar.
After the death of Gregory in 1675, his assistant Givner became the head of the court theater, who created several successful dramatic productions. However, the Russian court of the 17th century ceased to exist in 1676, after the death of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.
School theater
The theater in the 17th century in Russia was just beginning its rapid development, including at theological educational institutions. This became possible with the feasible participation of the church, which sought to strengthen its position among the people.
The first school theaters were opened at the Kiev-Mohyla and Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy. The repertoire was based on religious performances, but there was a place for sideshow. Satire affected the interests of the clergy, and eventually the school theaters ceased to exist closer to the 18th century.
School theater also influenced tradition. Sideshow became the prototype of modern comedy. Actors obeyed the principles of classicism in their productions, and also used symbols, including in clothing.
Foreign touring
The theater in the 17th century in Russia adopted the invaluable experience from the foreign touring companies of Italy, Prussia and France. Thanks to them, the triumph of spiritual thought was accomplished, they were sources of social and creative development.
With the advent of Fedor Alekseevich, theater, painting, and music of the 17th century were doomed to long stagnation, since the new tsar had little interest in art. But fate decreed that the century of his reign was short-lived.
Peter the First ascended the throne, gave a new round to the development of theater and art in general in Russia.