Drama Theater of the Republic of Karelia "Creative Workshop" in Petrozavodsk: history, address, repertoire

Petrozavodsk is a small city located in the north-west of the Russian Federation, the capital of the Republic of Karelia. The town has about three hundred thousand inhabitants, but despite this, there are several prosperous cultural sites that the local population loves to visit. First of all, these are the National and Musical Theaters, as well as the Puppet Theater and the “Creative Workshop”. In Petrozavodsk, as we see, residents love visiting cultural places in order to be closer to art and self-improvement.

What are these theaters? The “Creative Workshop” (it is about this that will be discussed in our article) is considered a young but progressive collective, demanded for its talents and its repertoire.

Where is this drama theater located? What is its history and modern activity? What makes the repertoire of the Creative Workshop of Petrozavodsk noteworthy? Let's find out.

Cases of bygone days

True, these events are not so old, but after them there were so many changes and improvements that it seems as if the foundation of the theater happened a long time ago, several centuries ago.

It all began in 1985, when several leading actors of the Karelian music and drama theater felt limited in their actions and creative aspirations. They wanted to not only play on stage, but to talk with the audience, raising serious topical issues in order to jointly find answers to them.

There were only eight of them, and they wanted to create, they wanted to play in a new way, so that they would remember and not forget. These people (we will name them below by name) created a small theater studio located at the House of Actor, which later became the Theater of Drama “Creative Workshop” in Petrozavodsk.

The very first performance

The path, of course, was not easy. The very first production took place on its own, without significant scenery and professional musical accompaniment, in the small hall of the already mentioned House of Actors.

However, Oleg Belonuchkin, Elena Bychkova, Lyudmila Zhivykh, Vladimir Moikovsky, Gennady Zalogin, Lyudmila Zotova and Tamara Rumyantseva were not afraid of difficulties and the work ahead. They decided on the production and decided to show it to the audience, no matter what.

This first little professional performance was the play “Tomorrow Was the War” (according to the story of Boris Vasiliev). The work became a real breath of fresh air for Karelian residents. The performance was accepted with a bang, the newly formed troupe was invited to play in various cultural institutions of the city, where there were always so many who wanted to, that there was no place to drop an apple.

Thanks to the talent and the right theme of the play, the Creative Workshop Theater Studio from Petrozavodsk was invited to Moscow and Leningrad, where the author saw the play.

Life after the premiere

However, despite such a promising first production, the “Creative Workshop” in Petrozavodsk needed to prove to everyone that they were not a theater of one performance. After “Tomorrow was the war” a real struggle began for the survival of the new team, for its right to play and create on a professional level.

Three years later, the troupe decided to invite Ivan Petrov, the people's Lithuanian artist, to take over the creation of the theater seriously and responsibly. Three months later, he staged the first premiere - the play “Scaffold” (based on Aitmatov’s novel). This day (November 16, 1988) is considered the official birthday of the new theater in Petrozavodsk “Creative Workshop”.

Ivan Petrov served in the theater for about twenty years. Under his strict guidance, the team three times became the main winner of the “Onega Mask” - the republican theater competition.

New leader

In 2006, the place of the retired Petrov was taken by the young and progressive director A.L. Coastal-Beregovsky. He led the work with the collective and productions a little differently, invited new directors, composers, costume and make-up artists. Under his vigilant eye, interesting modern productions were created that raise a number of important topical issues that interested the audience with their brightness and personality.

Other team projects

The “Creative Workshop” of Petrozavodsk is a multifaceted and multifaceted team. On its basis, the Youth Studio was opened, performing with separate productions, the plot of which includes not only lively dialogues, but also songs, dances and various reprises.

Another direction of social and cultural activity of the “Creative Workshop” of Petrozavodsk is “Living Word” - reading performances that perform works of domestic and foreign classics. This program includes productions such as “Anna on the Neck” (Chekhov), “Hero of Our Time” (Lermontov), ​​“Blizzard” (Pushkin) and serves as a good tool for modern youth to help young viewers love the beauty and power of classical literature .

Who participates in numerous theater performances and shows?

Creative team

If you look closely at the posters of the “Creative Workshop” of Petrozavodsk, you can see that about thirty permanent actors are involved in the theater. Some of them are Honored Artists of Russia (Elena Bychkova, Vladimir Moikovsky, Valery Cheburkanov), many Honored Artists of Karelia. This is Tamara Rumyantseva, and Alexey Lisitsyn, and Dmitry Maximov, and Victoria Fedorova, and Natalya Miroshnik, and Irina Starkovich, as well as Valery and Lyudmila Baulina.

The theater troupe also includes young artists who have just completed vocational training. He presented a tremendous opportunity to prove himself and his talent in a friendly creative team.

What performances can be seen on the stage of the “Creative Workshop”? Let's find out.

Repertoire for youth

From modern posters of the Petrozavodsk Theater “Creative Workshop”, you can see that the performances of the collective are designed primarily for adults and adolescents.

Among the repertoire for schoolchildren from the age of twelve, one should definitely mention such current productions as “Pomegranate Bracelet”, “That same Dulsineya”, “The Tale of the Dead Princess” “Not All the Cat is Shrovetide”, “About My Mother and About Me”.

As you can see, a certain number of performances, both classical and contemporary, have been created for modern youth, which are designed to encourage teenagers to think about the meaning of life, about eternal values ​​and just have a good time.

Repertoire for adults

Performances with a mark of 16+ are designed for an older age category, as they raise more complex life issues and have a number of other limitations.

Among such a repertoire, it is necessary to mention the plays “Nastasya Filippovna” (where what is happening with Prince Myshkin is given the eyes of this heroine), “Fallen Angels” (where not only rivals-friends and their husbands shine on the stage, but also heavenly angels), “Vassa” (where the rise and fall of the famous rich shipowner Zheleznova Vassa is described realistically and grotesquely) and many others.

Some facts about the room and the theater

The address of the “Creative Workshop” of Petrozavodsk is Kirova street, 12 (building of the State Philharmonic).

The number of seats in the theater is limited (they are all present in the auditorium 101). Therefore, purchase tickets in advance, preferably directly at the box office, which are open from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. without a break (day off - Monday).

For its activities, the theater has shown about a hundred performances of various genres and styles. About two hundred productions are shown annually on the stage of the Theater Workshop.

Real visitor reviews

According to the reviews of those who have already visited the theater, we can conclude that they were satisfied with watching the performances. Many are impressed by the cozy and emotional atmosphere, like a family. The stage practically does not rise above the audience seats, so each visitor can feel united with the actors and their characters.

In their reviews, the audience often praises the play of artists and their ability to get used to the image, touch the heart, show the most secret.

Most of all from the repertoire, the residents of Petrozavodskaya like the production of “About My Mom and About Me”, where complex and constantly relevant questions of the relationship between parents and children are raised. The plot of the play and the play of the actors impresses the audience so much that many of them cannot hold back their tears.

Often in their reviews, visitors to the “Creative Workshop” say they will be happy to come here again to enjoy the incredible atmosphere of the theater itself and the talented play of its artists.