Lev Abramovich Dodin ... This name is well known in theatrical circles. An outstanding director, talented teacher and theatrical figure - he is one of the creative elite of Russia. You can learn about him and his works from this article.
Childhood and youth of the future director
Lev Dodin was born on 05/14/1944 in the city of Stalin, today it is Novokuznetsk. It was here that his parents were evacuated during the war. They returned to their native Leningrad in 1945.
From an early age, Leo began to attend classes at the city Youth Theater. At that time, the leader here was a wonderful teacher M. G. Dubrovin. Under his influence, the young Leo Dodin had a strong desire to devote his life to the theater. After graduating from school, Lev Dodin becomes a student at the State Institute of Theater, Cinematography and Music of the Northern Capital. His teacher and mentor was an outstanding director B. Zon. His teachers Dodin Lev Abramovich also calls Tovstonogov, Lyubimov, Efros.
The first directorial steps
Lev Dodin, whose life and fate after graduation were completely connected with the theater, began to carry out his directorial ideas.
His debut as a director coincided with the year of release. So, 1966 was marked in the creative biography of Lev Dodin with the release of the television play "First Love" by I. Turgenev. This was followed by work in the Leningrad Theater of Young Spectators. Here he staged the play “Our People — Let's Count” according to A. N. Ostrovsky. In the Drama and Comedy Theater, his "Younger" and also "Rose Berndt" were released.
Small Drama Theater in the fate of the director
In 1975, the Maly Drama Theater appeared in the life of Lev Dodin. At first, the director simply collaborated with this temple of Melpomene. He staged the play "The Robber" by K. Chapek. Later appeared “Appointment” by A. Volodin, “Tattooed Rose” by T. Williams, “Live and Remember.”
The play “House” based on the novel by F. Abramov, released in 1980, became fateful for Dodin. After this production in 1983, Lev Dodin received an offer to head the theater. Since then, to this day, he has been the permanent leader of the MDT.
His first work as the main director was the play "Brothers and Sisters." The production was difficult to break through the millstone of censorship. However, thanks to the performances "Home" and "Brothers and Sisters", those artistic foundations were formed that today make up such a concept as the theater of Lev Dodin.
Over 25 years of leadership, L. A. Dodin at the MDT stage hosted performances: “Stars in the Morning Sky”, “Lord of the Flies”, “Old Man”, “Moscow Choir”, “Gaudeamus”, “Demons”, “King Lear”, “ Love under the Elms ”,“ Chevengur ”,“ Life and Fate ”,“ Claustrophobia ”,“ Molly Sweeney ”,“ The Fruitless Efforts of Love ”and others cannot be listed.
The theater’s repertoire has many performances based on the works of A.P. Chekhov, which was always interesting to Dodin. This is the famous “Cherry Orchard”, “Uncle Vanya”, “The Seagull”, “The play without a name”.
Teaching activities
The original artist, the unsurpassed creator of theatrical shocking Lev Dodin, whose performances in the genre-style format are almost defiantly different from each other, is still essentially a consistent traditionalist.
All of his ideas, which he embodies on stage, are the result of personal, individual reflection. He passes everything through himself, always experiencing a huge spiritual need for knowledge. Perhaps that is why quite early Leo Dodin experienced an irresistible desire and the need to transfer his accumulated spiritual experience to someone else. And, as a result, since 1969 he begins to teach at the Academy of Theater Arts of St. Petersburg. Today he is a professor at the Academy and heads the department of directing. Most of the training for actors, directors, according to his method, takes place in the theater. Dodin did not literally repeat any of his teachers. He has his own Stanislavsky, Meyerhold, Dubrovin, Zon, Strehler ...
The performances staged by Dodin go on for many years, without losing their relevance, they, together with the changing world, are filled with a new meaning. His many students remain so throughout almost his entire creative biography. Among them are Maria Nikiforova, Vladimir Zakharyev, Peter Semak, Oleg Gayanov, Igor Konyaev, Sergey Bekhterev, Tatyana Shestakova, Sergey Vlasov, Vladimir Tumanov, Natalya Kromina, Vladimir Seleznev, Nikolay Pavlov, Andrey Rostovsky, Leonid Alimov and others who worked and continues to work with a master in the MDT. However, there are many who remain outside the theater as his pupils, being adherents of the Doda school.
Lev Abramovich holds regular master classes in various theater schools in Europe, as well as in Japan and the United States. He is a member of the jury of the literary contest "Northern Palmyra", as well as one of the members of the jury of the St. Petersburg Golden Spotlight Theater Award.
Dodin Method
The creativity of this wonderful director, the school he created did not leave anyone indifferent. It has a phenomenal force of attraction. In his creative laboratory, much attention is paid to the word. Lev Dodin embodies all his intentions, ideas, impulses through an expressive and always original word. He has something to say to his students, so the Dodin monologues can last for hours.
His method is completely aimed at creating a theatrical whole. He has his own philosophical understanding of what theater is. He always fought for Theater-House, Theater-Family. The creation of such a scene, Leo Dodin and devoted his whole life. According to the Doda model, theater is a collective artist who has a single collective soul. Only in the Theater-House, according to Lev Abramovich, is it possible to create a performance that is a product of great culture.
His creative experiments, directorial productions are interesting to the viewer. The small size of the theater does not always accommodate all those who wish to attend its performances.
The most famous world productions of the director
Lev Dodin, whose photo constantly appears in the media and publications on relevant topics, is the author of more than sixty opera, as well as dramatic performances, which have been successful on various world stages. The most famous of them are Bankrupt, staged at the Finnish National Theater, Electra and Salome by R. Strauss, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk Uyezd, Lord Golovlev, Krotkaya at the Moscow Art Theater, Queen of Spades. "Mazepa", "Demon" A. Rubinstein. Opera productions were created by him in collaboration with prominent conductors: Mstislav Rostropovich, Claudio Abbado, James Conlon, etc.
Awards and titles
Lev Dodin is a People’s Artist of Russia, a laureate of state awards of the USSR and the Russian Federation, an award of the President of the Russian Federation. His performances and theatrical activities were marked by a number of Russian and international awards. In 1994, he was awarded the French Order of Literature and Art.