Description of the attraction
According to essays by contemporaries dating back to 1857, a drama theater in Velikiye Luki existed already at the beginning of the 19th century. It is worth noting that until 1855 the theater was mostly amateur, but from the fall of 1855 the Metals entrepreneur gave impetus to the beginning of a permanent theater. It remains a mystery: why was the theater, without a leadership, a permanent troupe, and funds for performances, still called a theater? At the time of its formation, the theater first gained life, and then began inevitably to fade away. Throughout its existence, the small town of Velikiye Luki has always been considered a district theater town - that is why the theater at one time received a new impetus for development.
In 1918, two front-line mobile drama theaters were formed in Velikiye Luki. Simultaneously with this process, unknown to anyone in the city, a military technician named Eisenstein Sergei decided to start creating a drama theater in Velikiye Luki from among the most capable and hardworking people in the field of dramatic art. At the same time, D. A. Yarkin arrived in the city. for the purpose of organizing a professional theater. S. Eisenstein became especially close to the theater, who was the first to stage a play called "The Taking of the Bastille" after R. Rolland. It was in this play that S. Eisenstein showed himself as a versatile person, playing a role in the play, as well as acting as an artist and at the same time a director.
The professional drama theater opened its first season with a play by M. Gorky "At the Bottom", which happened in 1919. The largest part of the repertoire was represented not only by Russian, but also by foreign classics. In 1935, a large group of graduates from the Moscow Art Theater Studio went to work at the Velikie Luki Drama Theater. The spectators of the city greeted the new heroes very warmly, because the entire auditorium, designed for 700 seats, was completely filled. The theater's repertoire includes such productions as "A Wonderful Alloy" by N. Kirshon, "Maria Tudor" by Hugo V., "Plato is Crying" by A. Korneichuk.
At the regional show, the drama theater presented several performances: "Silver Span" by N. Pogodin and "Earth" by N. Virta. In the city of Sebezh, on June 21, 1941, the drama theater presented for the border guards a small play "Silver Span", which is a play about border guards. Spectators and artists stayed in the theater building until late in the evening, after which they began to disperse to the thunder of shells, because it was at these moments that the Great Patriotic War began.
One of the directors of the theater was the Honored Artist of the RSFSR, as well as the laureate of one of the state awards Kanin I. It was this man who managed to gather not only a professional creative, but also an amazingly friendly team. The performances received the highest ratings from the audience: "Deep Roots" by Yusso D., "Bourgeoisie" by Gorky M., "Anna Karenina" by Tolstoy L.
Today, the Velikie Luki Drama Theater is celebrating a new creative period characterized by a stormy upsurge. In 2001, the theater was headed by Pavel Sergeev - a very gifted, talented and versatile person. Over the past years, the theater repertoire has been completely rethought and updated. During 2004, the drama theater toured Pskov, St. Petersburg, in 2003 the theatrical staff visited Polotsk, and in 2002, in Mogilev. In addition, the theater took part in the Pushkin All-Russian Theater Festival, which took place in 2005, and received an approval from the audience.
The continuity of generations has become an important and indivisible part of the theater's modern quest. Together with the leading theatrical actors, the youth staff of the theater comes out for each new performance. A trusting and warm relationship has developed between recognized masters and novice actors in the theater. At the moment, viewers can see actors who are especially dedicated to their work, which makes Velikie Luki Drama Theater truly unique.
