The heroine of this article is an outstanding Russian playwright, screenwriter and director. Having begun its activities in the post-perestroika period with the founding of the New Drama theater movement, she became a real ideologist of his main direction, who most of all appreciated the proximity to the existing reality, whatever it may be. Over the years, "New Drama" has grown into a modern independent project "Documentary Theater" - "Theater.doc".
early years
Elena Gremina was born in the city of Moscow on November 20, 1956, and her future dramatic fate was predetermined from birth.
All of Elenaâs young years passed in a rich creative atmosphere reigning in the family of two main men of that time in her life - father, famous screenwriter Anatoly Borisovich Grebnev, and older brother Alexander Mindadze, who continued his work in cinema, and by then had already become authoritative screenwriter and filmmaker.
Involuntarily joining the process of creating new scenarios and discussing events taking place on the set in the family that is ongoing in their family, Elena began to try to write from an early age. Year after year, her talent developed more and more.
By the time she graduated from secondary school, Elena Gremina was a girl who was completely determined in her life mission and therefore entered the drama department of the A. Gorky Literary Institute.
Already in 1983, on the stage of the Leningrad Theater of Young Spectators, the premiere of the play "The Myth of Svetlana", staged on one of Elena's first plays, took place.
Father
Anatoly Borisovich Grebnev, Elenaâs father, was a well-known screenwriter, director and screenwriter. When his daughter turned twenty years old, he was awarded the high title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR, and later became the Lenin Prize Laureate.
Having worked at different times in newspapers such as Young Stalinist and Soviet Art, in 1960 he became a professional writer and screenwriter who wrote about his contemporaries, subtly and accurately portraying their characters. On the account of Anatoly Borisovich scripts for such famous and loved by millions of viewers as âWild Dog Dingoâ, âWake Mukhin!â, âOld Wallsâ, âStrong in Spiritâ, âTime of Desiresâ, âProkhindiada, or Running in Placeâ , the series "Petersburg Secrets" and many others.
On June 19, 2002, the life of a wonderful film playwright tragically ended as a result of a car accident.
Creation
In the post-perestroika period, which marked the beginning of the 90s, a crisis came about in the drama that existed before that time. Some changes were required in the established theater system, to which most viewers had already lost interest. At this time, the formation of the theater movement "New Drama" began, one of the founders of which was Elena Gremina. The authors of the "New Drama" tried to write as honestly as possible about the real life and realities of those days, as much as was possible under the political structure of the country that existed in those years.
Elena Anatolyevna became known to a wide circle of spectators since 1992, when the play âRussian Eclipseâ (âThe Case of the Cornet of the Islandâ) was staged in her play at the Moscow Pushkin Theater. In different years, Greminaâs plays such as âBehind the Mirrorâ, âSakhalin Wifeâ, âEyes of the Day - Mata Hariâ, âNylka and Hatch in Kindergartenâ, whose productions could be seen in theaters of Moscow and St. Petersburg, became popular. , Omsk, Saratov, Krasnoyarsk and many other cities of Russia.
Not without the creativity of Elena Anatolyevna and television. Together with her father, Anatoly Borisovich Grebnev, she became one of the co-authors of the script of the most popular multi-part television movie âPetersburg Secretsâ, and was also the main author of such series as âAdjutants of Loveâ, âThirty Yearsâ and âLove on the Areaâ.
In 2014, Mikhail Ugarov, the husband of Elena Gremina, shot âBrothers Ch.â From her play self-titled feature film dedicated to one day from the youth of A.P. Chekhov and his brothers.
Personal life
Mikhail Ugarov and Elena Anatolyevna met in 1993. This happened during a seminar for young playwrights, at which Mikhailâs play âWheel of Fortuneâ, which he liked very much, was presented to Mikhail. In turn, Gremina was delighted with the work of Ugarov "Pigeons". As they later recalled, a ânovel of textsâ arose between them, which soon grew into an official marriage.
When the two playwrights united in one family, everything that was in the life of each of them before meeting each other became common. For two, two sons, Ivan and Alexander - the children of Elena Gremina and Mikhail Ugarov from previous marriages. For two, one love. For two, one new common cause is the creation of a theater.
Both Elena and Mikhail were not only important, but also interested in each other's opinions about their own work. Every now and then, one of them became a playwright, and the other a spouse and critic, after which they changed roles.
Mikhail Ugarov was a well-known director and playwright, and later the artistic director of the new "Theater.doc", which he created with Elena in 2002.
According to Gremin's memoirs, Mikhail was a quiet, intelligent and modest person. In their union, it was Elena Anatolyevna who was destined to become a family locomotive, taking on all the prose of life, leaving her husband with his creative genius and ideas. So it was at first, until the time came for a new theater. When this happened, they acted on equal terms as its creators and fighters for the right to exist, honestly and fearlessly defending their small independent theater to the very end.
In April 2018, Mikhail Yuryevich Ugarov, the only real big love in Elena Gremina's personal life, died of a heart attack.
Later, Elena Anatolyevna wrote:
No condolences. I was very, very lucky that we met - this might not have happened. We are too different. But I was lucky once in my life, to me, an injured, unhappy, incapable person, as I thought before this meeting, to my personal happiness - I met him, we recognized each other and decided to be together ...
Son
Alexander Rodionov, the son of Elena Anatolyevna, today is one of the most sought-after screenwriters in Russia. In 1999, following the path of his mother and stepfather Mikhail Ugarov, he graduated from the Literary Institute. And over the next ten years, he managed to establish himself in dozens of plays, which were embodied both in the theater and in cinema.
On account of Alexander are scripts for such famous paintings as âFree Swimmingâ and âCrazy Helpâ by B. Khlebnikov, âLive and Rememberâ by A. Proshkin, âEveryone Will Die, and I Will Remainâ by V. Gai-Germaniki and âA Tale of Darknessâ "N. Khomeriki.
Also, Alexander Rodionov is one of the playwrights "Theater.doc".
"Theater.doc"
Created in 2002 by Mikhail Ugarov and Elena Gremina, "Theater.doc" to this day is one of the most unique projects of domestic theater life.
On its stage you can see frank documentary performances that reflect all the social and political events taking place in modern Russia. This independent non-profit theater dedicated its productions to the Magnitsky case, to the mothers of Beslan, "The Swamp Case" and even Pussy Riot activists, based on genuine events and interviews with real people who participated directly in them.
Due to the non-standard theme of the theaterâs performances and the acuteness of its social and political outlook, Teatra.doc repeatedly had problems with the authorities throughout its activities.
Instead of an afterword
Elena Anatolievna Gremina outlived her husband Mikhail Ugarov for only a few weeks.
Being an absolute man of art, she was very emotional, keenly sensitive and experiencing any pain. The death of her husband in April 2018, with whom she lived for 25 years, affected her health. Due to the sharply worsened state of health, Elena Anatolyevna was placed in the Botkin City Clinical Hospital, however, all the efforts of the doctors were not crowned with success.
May 16, 2018 she was gone.
"Theater.doc", the beloved brainchild of Elena Greminoy, whose photo can be seen in this article, continued his work as planned. After all, while this theater exists and performances created by Elena Anatolyevna are on stage, there is no better way to honor her memory.