Description of the attraction
The Arkhangelsk Puppet Theater was founded in 1933. Its creators were young Leningrad actors and studio students at the Arkhangelsk Theater for Young Spectators under the direction of A. N. Engelhardt (K. Varakin, M. Bobrov, I. Kochnev and E. Furkova).
Initially, the puppet theater was a puppeteer's studio. Experience and professionalism appeared in constant rehearsals and first performances. The first were glove puppets, which were made by the artists themselves. The dolls were controlled by the hand of the actor. The first performances - "Carousel", "Turnip", "Staple-disheveled" - were staged for the smallest spectators. The performances could be seen both in the theater and on the road (at playgrounds, in clubs).
In 1941-1945, the puppet theater turned into the "Variety and Puppet Theater". He gave performances in hospitals and units of the active army with puppet anti-fascist performances and concert programs. 1940-1950s - a difficult period for the puppet theater, associated with frequent tours, moving, the lack of its own premises, the predominance of pop performances that moved puppet shows, and the change of head. The Arkhangelsk Puppet Theater was revived in the 1960s. At that time, there was a general rise in the art of puppet theaters in the country. Then the theater again received its premises and was awarded a diploma from the Ministry of Culture of the Soviet Union for the play "Silver Hoof" by P. Bazhov.
In the 1970s, the theater was replenished with young professional puppeteers, graduates of the Leningrad State Institute of Theater, Music and Cinematography (course of M. M. Korolev). Among other things, the theater acquired the main director, Valery Shadsky, and the puppet artist Elena Nikolaeva, whose dolls were recognized not only by the audience, but also by art critics. The theater repertoire was replenished with the first performances for adults: "Love, Love!.." based on "The Decameron" by Giovanni Boccaccio and others. There were also many performances of famous fairy tales of the Russian people and fairy tales of foreign writers. The music for the performances was composed by composers P. Koltsov, V. Sukhin, G. Portnov and others.
In the 1980s, the Arkhangelsk Puppet Theater under the direction of directors V. Deryagin and D. Lokhov appears on the all-Union arena. Staged are "Petersburg Stories" by N. Gogol, the story "Eerie Mr. Ay" by the Finnish writer H. McKel, the novel "Les Miserables" by V. Hugo, works by B. Shergin. According to the idea of the teacher M. Melnitskaya, in 1985 a society of puppet lovers was formed at the theater, which united children and their parents around the theater.
In 1986, the former Palace of Pioneers became the home of the theater. In the same year he took part in the international movement of puppet theaters and became a collective member of the International Union of Puppet Theater Workers. Also at this time Dmitry Lokhov became the chief director of the theater. And after 3 years he was awarded the title of Honored Art Worker of Russia. In the 1990s, the actors of the puppet theater S. Mikhailova, A. Churkin, V. Nikitinskaya also received the titles of Honored Artists of the Russian Federation.
In 1991 the theater organized the 1st International Festival of Chamber Performances of Puppet Theaters "Snail". In 1997 he performed at the International Theater Festival in Avignon (France). Has toured to Sweden, Germany, Finland, Greece, Norway.
Since 1999, a youth studio "Dur" ("Major") has been operating at the theater, in 2000 a literary and theater living room appeared here, in which theatrical actors present their own works.
Today the Arkhangelsk Puppet Theater is one of the best Russian creative teams. He twice became a laureate of the National Theater Prize "Golden Mask" in 1996 and 2003, winner of the prizes of the International Festival "Nevsky Pierrot" in 1994, participates in many Russian and European international festivals and is the organizer of the International Festival of Chamber Performances of Puppet Theaters "Ulitka" in Arkhangelsk.
