It is believed that the birthplace of modern puppet theater is India and Ancient China. Later, this type of democratic art was brought by vagrant artists, possibly gypsies, to ancient Greece, and from there it spread throughout Europe. When the puppeteers appeared in our country, it is not known for certain, however, the Russian folk theater of Petrushka was very popular among people of all ages and estates for about three centuries.
Background
Researchers believe that in Russia there were 3 types of puppet theater :
- puppet, in which the dolls were controlled using threads;
- Parsley Theater - with figures of characters relying on the fingers of a puppeteer;
- nativity scene - a theater in which puppets were fixedly mounted on rods and moved along slots made in a special box.
The latter option was popular only in the southern regions of the country and in Siberia, and until the end of the 19th century puppets, due to the complexity of the performance of the figures, were rarely used. Thus, when speaking of Russian pre-revolutionary puppet shows, most often they mean the Petrushka Theater . It got its name from the main character of funny performances played right on the street.
Who is Parsley
Such a nickname was given to a glove doll, which was usually dressed up in a red shirt, canvas pants and a pointed cap with a tassel. It is still not entirely clear why her physiognomy has traditionally been given “non-Russian” features. In particular, he has an excessively large head and arms, a swarthy face, huge almond-shaped eyes and a nose with a hump. Most likely, the appearance of Petrushka is due to the fact that it was created in the image and likeness of the Italian Pulcinella.
As for the character of the character, then this is a rogue and a scammer who has not written any laws.
The appearance of parsley
In Russia, a glove doll with strange features and named Ivan Ratiutu appeared in the 17th century. However, it received the greatest distribution and its final name only 200 years later. By the way, Petrushka himself introduced himself as Peter Ivanovich (sometimes Petrovich) Uksusov.
Description of the theater at an early stage
In the 17th century, performances were played out without a screen. More precisely, the traditional theater of Petrushka assumed the participation of only one actor, who tied a skirt to his belt. A hoop was sewn to her hem, lifting which the puppeteer was hidden from prying eyes. He could freely move his hands and imagine scenes with the participation of two characters. At the same time, the comedian almost always worked in tandem with the bear leader and also served as a clown.
Description of the theater after the mid 19th century
Since the 1840s, a screen was used. It consisted of three frames, which were stapled and tightened with chintz. They put her right on the ground, and she hid the puppeteer. A mandatory attribute, without which it was impossible to imagine the Petrushka Theater, was the barrel organ. Her sounds were inviting the audience, and behind the screen the comedian talked to the public through a special whistle. During the performance, he could run out to the audience in a suit of Parsley: with a long nose and in a red cap. At the same time, the organ-grinder became his partner, and together they played comic scenes.
Puppeteers
The Parsley Theater, whose history is not fully understood, was considered purely masculine. To make the puppeteer's voice more squeaky and loud, a special whistle was used, which was inserted into the larynx. In addition, the puppeteer tried to speak very quickly and disgustingly laugh at each of his jokes.
Plots
The plays of the theater (Petrushka was their main, but not the only hero) were pretty monotonous. Main subjects: treatment and training of the soldier's service, meeting with the bride, buying and testing a horse. The scenes followed one after another in a certain order. Moreover, the duration of the performance depended on how long the audience honored this street performance with their attention.
The action took place in the following sequence:
- Parsley decides to buy a horse from a gypsy young lady. He trades with the seller for a long time. Then this activity bothers him, and he hits the gypsy who runs away.
- Parsley tries to climb a horse, but she drops it and goes after the young lady, leaving the cunning to lie motionless.
- The doctor comes. He asks Petrushka about his ailments. It turns out that he has a thousand diseases. The doctor and Petrushka are fighting, as the patient calls the doctor ignorant. The bully hits the medic hard with a club on the head.
- A quarter appears and asks Petrushka why he killed the doctor. Dodger replies that he “does not know his science well.” Then Parsley hits with a club baton and kills him. The dog comes running. Parsley addresses the public and asks her for help. Then he tries to appease the dog and promises to feed her with cat meat. The dog grabs Petrush by the nose and drags it out. This ended the performance, and the audience dispersed.
"Petrushkina wedding"
Sometimes, usually during Shrovetide and other festivities, the performance, at the request of the public, could go on even longer. Then played the scene "Wedding Parsley." Her plot was rude and frivolous. The bride was brought to Parsley, which he examined as if it were a horse. After he agreed to marry, the bride began to persuade her to “sacrifice herself” before the wedding. From that moment on, the spectators left, taking the children away. The remaining men enthusiastically listened to Petrushka’s greasy jokes.
There was also a scene with a priest or a clerk. However, due to censorship reasons, she was not included in any of the collections where the texts of the performances with Petrushka were recorded.
"Death"
Among the characters of the Petrushka Theater was one of the most sinister, which defeated the protagonist. It was Death, which, after a verbal skirmish, took Petrushka with it. However, the hero soon resurrected elsewhere. This circumstance became the reason for the fact that some researchers began to find a connection between Petrushka and pagan deities who endlessly died and were reborn here and there.
Puppet theaters in Moscow
Before the October Revolution, there were no such constantly functioning cultural institutions, and the performances were arranged by single artists on the streets or in booths, or they were invited to private houses to entertain guests. The first real puppet theaters in Moscow appeared in the early 1930s. The most famous of them eventually became the largest in the world. This is a theater to them. S. Obraztsova. It is located at: st. Sadovaya-Samotechnaya, d. 3. In addition to it, at about the same time the Moscow Puppet Theater appeared in the capital, which was originally created to popularize children's literature. He toured the country and introduced the audience to new works by Soviet authors, written specifically for the younger generation.
Later, other puppet theaters of Moscow appeared: “Albatross”, “Firebird”, “Fairytale”, “Chamber” and others. In them you can watch not only children's performances, but also productions specially created for adults.
Puppet Theater "Parsley"
To preserve the traditions of Russian street performances for children and adults, Andrei Shavel and artist Valentina Smirnova organized a new creative team. It was called the Russian folk theater "Parsley" and debuted in 1989 in the city of Fresino.
The theater arranges performances lasting 30 minutes right on the street and tries not to depart from the traditional scenarios of farce shows.
The emergence of the Petrushka Theater is connected with the desire of its creators to preserve the best that was in street mass art of past centuries.
Performances are also played indoors. In such cases, viewers are also introduced to the history of Petrushka and the Russian farce theater. In their work, the actors use the props, which are an exact copy of the screens and dolls that their predecessors had, entertaining the public on the streets of Russian cities 150-200 years ago.
Now you know how the Russian puppet theater came about. Parsley is still of interest to children today, so be sure to bring them to some performance in a booth style.