A director whose name is known at international film festivals such as Golden Lion, White Drama, Young Theater, as well as many others, where his directorial creations have won a large number of awards (20 of them are grand prix). This person is an Honored Artist of the Russian Federation. We are talking about Sergey Pavlovich Fedotov. His forces created the famous theater "Near the Bridge" in Perm.
Talent, knowledge and experience!
The city of Perm was seen by many important and significant people, and one of them was directed by Sergey Fedotov. His biography begins in 1961 with his birth in Perm. In Perm, he graduated from the PIIIK as a director. At the beginning of his professional activity, Sergey Pavlovich created the Nytva Youth Theater Studio. She became the "first dress rehearsal" of the current theater "At the Bridge". Here, young Sergei tried various creative approaches to directing, and also set artistic experiments. Of course, such a special approach did not go unnoticed. The talent of Fedotov was first appreciated in Perm, and later his acting skills gained popularity throughout Russia. It is not surprising that so many viewers of his performances came from different parts of the country. Even military service did not become an omission for professional career for Sergey Fedotov. Under his leadership, the first Far Eastern Army Theater was created. Demobilized, Fedotov returned to his small homeland, becoming a teacher of directorial art in his native university. Later, Sergey Pavlovich created the famous theater "At the Bridge", which earned the title of "first mystical theater."
Method is the basis of everything!
The concept on which the artistic method of the “At the Bridge” Theater is based combines schools of artists such as Mikhail Chekhov and Jerzy Grotowski. This method also includes working with the psychophysical components of the actor and his internal energy. Such a model is used in the theater of cruelty of Antoine Artaud. An important aspect of the nature of the mystification of theater performances at the Bridge is that the performances have the opportunity to psychologically plunge into their own consciousness. Sergey Fedotov works a lot with actors on this aspect during rehearsals of his performances.
By nature, Sergey Pavlovich is a science fiction who is not without a share of mysticism. On the stage, under his leadership, a new manner of acting is embodied, it is characterized by paradox and eccentricity. The director Sergey Fedotov presents mysticism and darkness in his works in the style of Jerzy Grotowski and Antoine Artaud. The special manner became synonymous with the “living genuine theater”, which A. Artaud speaks of in his famous collection of articles. At the very beginning of his activity, Fedotov made the condition that his own theater would never become “conditional” and “disguised”, and would not simply occupy the heads of the audience and bring them together in another session. Theater is a lively conversation between the audience and the actor.
Atmosphere like in life
Speaking about the work of Sergei Fedotov, I want to say that his performances have a special logical order and harmony. The director gives the actor the opportunity to better and stronger interact with the audience. In addition, much attention is paid to the atmosphere, which allows you to plunge into the theatrical world. Here Sergey Pavlovich uses the concept that Mikhail Chekhov uses. Chekhov's atmosphere helps to unite actors together into one emotional and mental sphere. Then all the participants of the performance (spectators and actors) at a subconscious level empathize with each other and learn about the sensual world around.
Of course, such a process is not complete without improvisation. Sergei Fedotov himself attaches great importance to her. It is improvisation, he says, that helps open the way to a joint creative path, and also reveals many different meanings of the performance. It is also worth considering the fact that rehearsals do not end after the premiere. Each performance undergoes a thorough analytical and psychological analysis. This is the peculiarity, and, possibly, the uniqueness of the “At the Bridge” theater.
Fedotov principle
Innovation for Fedotov is one of the important principles with which he keeps up. Sergey always builds a special staging procession near the actor (the main and complex element in a conversation with the audience). Without this principle, it would not be possible to create a multi-stage mechanism of interaction within the performance itself. It can be called an acting ensemble in its own way.
Speaking about the principles of Fedotov, we can also say about his unwavering hard work on building the stage world. Cultural workers often witnessed the work of Sergei Fedotov. The photo shows that under his leadership, the actor merges with the performance, unwittingly takes over everything that he would really feel.
Thanks to this, neither the logical system nor the artistic environment are exposed to a distorting factor. Theater “At the Bridge”, despite the presence of improvisation in his productions, does not forget about the importance of the literary text. The director admits that Anatoly Efros owes this principle . For him, a performance is a special knowledge of the sensual nature and the world, which the author creates with his word and thoughts. Fedotov devotes a lot of time and his own strength at rehearsals so that the boundaries of the director’s worldview remain open to the audience.