THEATER ON TAGANKA, Moscow Theater on Taganka - was created in 1964 on the basis of the troupe of the Moscow Theater of Drama and Comedy (organized in 1946), which included graduates of the Theater School. Shchukin. Principal directors: YP Lyubimov (1964-1984), AV Efros (1984-1987), NN Gubenko (1987-1989), YP Lyubimov (since 1989). Each of these names is associated with its own stormy and dramatic period in the history of the theater.

The early 1960s were the time of the reformation of the Soviet theater. A new aesthetics was approved, the names of young directors O. Efremov, A. Efros, and G. Tovstonogov in Leningrad thundered. The theater, along with poetry, became the main art of the period of the Khrushchev thaw, a herald of new ideas, a stronghold of the liberal intelligentsia.

In 1963, the third year of the Shchukin school under the direction of Yu. Lyubimov showed the performance A kind man from Cezuan B. Brecht. The aesthetics of the performance was sharply knocked out of the directions that existed at that time; she proclaimed a bright theatricality, the fundamental absence of a "fourth wall", a plurality, even redundancy of stage techniques, surprisingly fusing the spectacle into a single whole. The revival of theatrical traditions of the dynamic 1920s, directed by V.E. Meyerhold and E.Vakhtangov, was clearly felt in it. Yuri Lyubimov was invited to head the Moscow Drama and Comedy Theater, and he reorganized his troupe from the graduates of his course.

Preparations for the opening of the renovated theater lasted for about a year. His mark became the portraits placed in the foyer of the theater: V. Meyerhold, E. Vakhtangov, B. Brecht, K. Stanislavsky. They continue to decorate the foyer of the theater.

The Taganka Drama and Comedy Theater opened on April 23, 1964 with a performance A kind man from Cezuan... However, its cast was already somewhat different. Yuri Lyubimov carefully formed the troupe of the theater, recruiting actors close to him on aesthetic principles, ready to improve their technique, to master new techniques and methods of stage existence. Probably the main achievement of the first Taganka performance is the impossibility of dividing the participants into “us” and “newcomers”: they all spoke the same language, preserving the unity of the aesthetics of the performance and enriching it with their personal and acting experience.

This was the beginning of the first stage in the life of, probably, the "loudest" Moscow theater - the Taganka Theater. Here the principles of the "sixties", about which B. Okudzhava sang: "Let's join hands, friends, so as not to disappear one by one ..." Mozhaev, F. Abramov, Y. Trifonov), theater artists (B. Blank, D. Borovsky, E. Stenberg, Y. Vasiliev, E. Kochergin, S. Barkhin, M. Anikst), composers (D. Shostakovich, A. Schnittke, E. Denisov, S. Gubaidulina, N. Sidelnikov). A special phenomenon was the theater's artistic council, each of whose members possessed significant professional and social authority and was ready to defend Taganka's performances in the "highest" offices.

The main creative direction of Taganka was poetic theater, but not chamber, but journalistic poetry. This trend, in a sense, was “doomed to success”: it was the poets-publicists who gathered full stadiums of spectators and listeners in the late 1960s, and became the idols of their contemporaries. It is no coincidence that the theater's repertoire included two performances based on the works of A. Voznesensky - Antiworlds and Take care of your faces(the second of them was banned shortly after the premiere, which only added to the popularity of the performance). Poetic performances were the mirror of the theater's artistic program The Fallen and the Living, Listen, Pugachev and others. However, even in the performances of prose or dramatic works, the spirit of free and socially significant poetry, a vivid stage metaphor, full of modern allusions, prevailed. So it was with the performances Ten days that shook the world, And the dawns here are quiet, Hamlet, Wooden horses, Exchange, Master and Margarita, House on the embankment and etc.

The Taganka Theater gave rise to the enormous popularity of its actors. Many of them began to appear in films a lot (V. Zolotukhin, L. Filatov, I. Bortnik, S. Farada, A. Demidova, I. Ulyanova, etc.). However, the names of those Taganka artists, whose cinematic life was less successful, also became legendary. The most striking example is Z. Slavina, who practically does not have high-profile roles in the cinema, but, undoubtedly, was in those years a star of the first magnitude. And, of course, V. Vysotsky, whose fame was absolute, and just as "scandalous" as the glory of the entire Taganka theater. The theater's acting works amazed not only with their journalistic temperament and an unusual way of stage existence, but also with a unique plastic development of images. So, for example, the famous monologue of Khlopushi in the play by Sergei Yesenin Pugachev V. Vysotsky performed, it seemed, beyond the physical capabilities of a person.

Yury Lyubimov's performances have always been, undoubtedly, author's, and were distinguished by extremely interesting work with the text. The author of many compositions was the then wife of Lyubimov, actress of the Vakhtangov theater, L. Tselikovskaya ( And the dawns here are quiet, Wooden horses, Comrade, believe ... and etc.).

By the end of the 1970s, the Taganka Theater was gaining worldwide fame. At the International Theater Festival "BITEF" in Yugoslavia (1976) the play "Hamlet" directed by Y. Lyubimov with V. Vysotsky in the title role was awarded the Grand Prix. Y. Lyubimov received the first prize at the II International Theater Festival “Warsaw Theater Meetings” (1980). Many aesthetic techniques of the Taganka Theater became truly innovative and became part of the classics of modern theater (light curtain, etc.). One of the best stage designers of our time, the permanent artist of the theater D.Borovsky, made a huge contribution to the development of the visual image of the performances.

However, along with the artistic, the public, social authority of the Taganka Theater of that time is of particular interest. With each performance, its political sound became more acute and frank. The theater has contradictory and ambiguous relations with the official authorities. On the one hand, Yuri Lyubimov took the position of an "official dissident": almost every of his performances struggled to make their way to the audience, experiencing serious pressure and under the threat of a ban. At the same time, by 1980, the authorities built a new building for the Taganka Theater with modern technical equipment. The theater's democratic, anti-bourgeois and very complex aesthetically pleasing performances counted among their fans not only the liberal intelligentsia, but also the managerial, bureaucratic elite. In the 1970s, a ticket to the Taganka Theater became a sign of prestige and among the so-called. "Bourgeois" stratum - along with a sheepskin coat, branded jeans, a car, a cooperative apartment.

This stage in the life of the theater was accompanied by loud scandals; even before the release, his performances were included in the context of the artistic life of Moscow. This situation could not last long. In a sense, the sign that marked the end of this stage in the life of the theater was the death of V. Vysotsky in 1980. In the same year, at the invitation of Y. Lyubimov, N. Gubenko returned to the Taganka Theater.

Early 1980s performance Vladimir Vysotsky, dedicated to the Lyubimovs to the memory of the poet and artist, was categorically banned from showing. The next performance was also closed, Boris Godunov as well as rehearsals Theatrical novel... And in 1984, while Y. Lyubimov was in England to stage the play Crime and Punishment, he was dismissed from the post of artistic director of the Taganka Theater and deprived of Soviet citizenship.

The staff of the Taganka Theater was in complete confusion. And at this time, the authorities are making a very strong political move, leading the theater to zugzwang, to a situation where under no circumstances could it win: A. Efros is appointed as the chief director. The creative personality of A. Efros was very different - if not contradicted - the personality of Y. Lyubimov. True, back in 1975 Lyubimov invited A. Efros to the Taganka Theater to stage Cherry orchard... Then it was undoubtedly a step of solidarity with the disgraced director; and the one-time work of the actors with a representative of a different aesthetic trend was regarded as enrichment of the collective's creative palette. But in 1984, a change in artistic direction should have meant a radical change in the entire aesthetic platform of the theater. However, the reasons for the deep conflict between “Taganka” and Efros in the mid-1980s were undoubtedly not creative, but social and moral: the main principle of the “sixties” was violated - unity.

Lyubimov himself regarded the arrival of A. Efros to Taganka as strikebreaking and a violation of corporate solidarity. Some of the artists, joining his opinion, demonstratively left the troupe (for example, L. Filatov). Few were capable of creative cooperation - V. Zolotukhin, V. Smekhov, A. Demidova. The majority of Lyubov's artists actually boycotted Efros. In this conflict there were no right or wrong: everyone was right; and everyone lost too. A. Efros restored at the Taganka Theater The Cherry Orchard, set At the bottom, Misanthrope, Perfect Sunday for a picnic... And in 1987 A. Efros died.

N. Gubenko became the artistic director of the Taganka Theater at the request of the collective. He also led a two-year struggle to return home and to the theater of Y. Lyubimov. In 1989 Yuri Lyubimov became the first known emigrant to be given back citizenship. His name was officially returned to the context of the artistic life of Russia; previously banned performances have been restored. However, the "return to square one" did not work. Yuri Lyubimov could not devote as much time to the Taganka Theater as before - he was forced to combine work with productions under the already concluded foreign contracts. The existence of actors was complicated by the then social upheavals associated with hyperinflation and changes in the political formation. The theater was again split. This time the conflict was growing with Yuri Lyubimov.

In 1993, a significant part of the Taganka team (including 36 actors) separated into a separate theater under the leadership of N. Gubenko. The "Commonwealth of Taganka Actors" is working on the new stage of the theater. Yuri Lyubimov, with the remaining and newly recruited actors, works in the old building. Among them are such Taganka "veterans" as V. Zolotukhin, V. Shapovalov, B. Khmelnitsky, A. Trofimov, A. Grabbe, I. Bortnik and others.

Since 1997, Yuri Lyubimov refused foreign contracts, deciding to again fully devote himself to the Taganka Theater. After his return, he staged a number of classic performances: Feast in Time of Plague A.S. Pushkin, Suicide N. Erdman, Electra Sophocles, Zhivago (Doctor) B. Pasternak, Medea Euripides, Teenager F.M. Dostoevsky, Chronicle W. Shakespeare, Eugene Onegin A.S. Pushkin, Theatrical novel M. Bulgakov, Faust J.V. Goethe. The repertoire also includes contemporary works: Marat and the Marquis de Sade P. Weiss, Sharashka by A. Solzhenitsyn and others. The Taganka Theater is popular with the audience, however, this is undoubtedly a completely different theater.

In December 2010, Lyubimov resigned. The reason for his departure was a conflict with the troupe.

In July 2011, Valery Zolotukhin became the theater director and artistic director. In March 2013, Zolotukhin resigned due to health problems.

Today, the capital (and Russia, in general), according to the majority of theater professionals, faces the problem of a shortage of strong, talented leaders. So, director of the Lenkom theater Mark Varshaver noted that he was ready to work "from morning to night", but only "for a genius." However, there are no such leaders today, he said. "This is a misfortune that exists in Moscow. If there is no creativity, this is not a theater. There are walls, repairs, material" victory ", which many theaters do not have. The main thing is where to find directors. Where to find a creator?"- commented Varshaver.

In Moscow alone, specialized universities graduate 60-80 administrative specialists annually. However, it is extremely difficult for theaters to find an intelligent employee in this "line", said the "administrative" head of Lenkom.

The "happy" directors of Moscow theaters, whom they consider themselves to be, say aloud that a tandem of an artistic director and a director is necessary for prosperity. Where this is not the case, the "director's theater" model is being implemented.

This practice has recently been widely used by the Ministry of Culture and city cultural departments. However, not everyone supports the concept that artistic director is absent. Moreover, if the role of the "two-headed eagle" in the management of the theater is played by a person "outside the system", the so-called result of the "appointment leapfrog" initiated by the cultural authorities.

The "consequence" of this, to put it mildly, risky policy was the appointment of an actress Irina Apeksimova In March 2015, he was appointed director of the Taganka Theater - a place where even before the "Varangians" who promise "big changes" were not favored. New head of Taganka - personnel decision ex-head of the department of culture of the capital Sergey Kapkov, taken "as a curtain" of his career. Crisis manager Apeksimova, as it is thought, should complete the renovation of the premises of the historical building of the theater, as well as harmonize the creative process in the team.

The actors of the troupe perceived the arrival of Apeksimova to the theater extremely sharply Her first actions to dismiss a number of employees from the administration and accounting, of course, were not met with "applause". The actors are outraged by the "new" course of continuing the "old" restoration of the theater instead of the approved repertoire plan and preserving the native stage area, the "know-how" of the space invented by the masters. The "titans" of art announced a picket on April 23, and, if necessary, continued it in the form of a hunger strike. In addition, the Taganka artists made an appeal to an organization for the protection of human rights and intend to complain to the prosecutor's office.

Director of the Moscow Bureau for Human Rights, member of the HRC under the President of the Russian Federation Alexander Brod confirmed that he had received an appeal from the Russian Trade Union of Cultural Workers. It says, in part:

"The situation in the theater is catastrophic. The repairs started in violation of the state contract, the schedules were all violated. According to the experts, there is no emergency condition in the theater. However, forged documents about the accident rate are being drawn up. Probably, to justify the unjustified spending of funds for repairs from the Moscow budget."

The signatories also claim that the genius legacy of director Yuri Lyubimov (died October 5, 2014 at the age of 97) is "thrown into the trash heap", and the absence of an artistic director and a clear artistic policy "destroys" the theater.

For clarity: since the summer of 2014, the Taganka Theater has not been fully functioning: old performances are not played, new ones are not staged.

“In response to our pleas and requests to provide us with an artistic [director] to preserve the legendary repertoire of Lyubimov, as well as 11 performances that were staged under Zolotukhin, the troupe and creative workshops, we received only deathly silence, or a reply that this issue was not being considered. the belief that by recommending spending money on the restoration of the theater due to an imaginary accident rate, they want to kill the troupe of one of the most iconic theaters in the world, "- stressed theater actress Tatiana Sidorenko.

The artists take a consolidated position, considering that the statement about the accident rate of the building is "sheer slyness". According to them, in 2012-2014. a foundation study was carried out, which was found to be satisfactory, with the exception of some areas.

“Who needs to spend hundreds of millions of our taxpayers' funds? It is not clear on what grounds they want to change the previously approved reconstruction project.- added Sidorenko.

The price of the state contract for the renovation of the building is 157 million 610 thousand rubles. During the dismantling of the structure, the contractor revealed that a number of sections of the theater building were in disrepair. However, they were not reflected in the design and estimate documentation, said Dmitry Ipatov, Deputy Head of the Moscow Department of Culture... In this regard, it is necessary to conduct an additional survey in order to stop the repair or make adjustments to the reconstruction project. According to him, experts of the Department of Cultural Heritage conducted a visual inspection of the state of the object and drew up an act in which the following conclusions are indicated: for a detailed study, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive instrumental examination of the structure and soils. Thus, the state contract has been suspended, which excludes the finding of "employed" under the roof of the theater on Taganka, Ipatov said.

Apeksimova said that at the time of her arrival - March 6, 2015 - the state assignment for the first quarter of 2015 had not been fulfilled. "The repertoire has not been planned further, venues have not been rented. Until the end of this season (April-May) it is not possible to rent other premises, because it is too late to do this, everywhere the repertoire is made up. why the renovation was suspended. I ask the culture department how we will continue to exist ",- the new head of the theater commented on the situation.

Actor Ivan Ryzhikov, in turn, notes that if we consider this case as "some kind of business project", then there are "signs of a raider takeover."

"Over the past two years, budget funds have been spent irrationally, the state assignment is declining, the efficiency of performance has dropped sharply. Artists do not receive allowances. There is a clear lobbying to expand the scope of repair work that our theater "needs so badly"", he complains. When appointing the director, no one consulted with the troupe; decisions were made "behind the scenes". “To date, almost the entire management team has been dismissed - the accounting department and the economic department, highly qualified people who worked even under Lyubimov and Zolotukhin. new employees were recruited, whose qualifications are still in doubt, "- says Ryzhikov.

In its history "Taganka" has undergone 4-5 major overhauls, but the labor activity has never stopped. Here, the new leadership "in order to avoid the effect of a house of cards" banned any rehearsals and creative contacts in the theater, the artist emphasized. The theater, represented by Apeksimova, does not have a development plan, he added.

According to Ryzhikov, the artists have no way out but to "cheat". "We are often accused of writing letters. We are artists, we want to play, not write letters, but they leave no hope for us. We write to Sobyanin. All this stops at the level of Mr. Pechatnikov, who answers me that the troupe plays safely at all other venues in Moscow ", - tells the artist. "Wellbeing" is measured by 4-5 performances per month.

Professor at Moscow State University Lomonosov, political scientist Sergei Chernyakhovsky I am sure: we must try to preserve the theater, because in the end, in the dispute between the actor and the administrator, the actor always remains in the right. "It is not normal when the director of a theater is appointed in addition to the agreement with the collective. It is sad if the director cannot find a common language with the actors. There is a theatrical principle of leadership in politics. There is a chief director, prima and director. All catastrophes come from what one wants to unite Everything. The fact that this has become possible in the theatrical sphere is doubtful by the very nature of this sphere. Economic and administrative decisions must depend on the artistic ",- he commented.

The "legs" of the conflict, according to the expert, "grow" from the Department of Culture of Moscow, which created another conflict in the theatrical environment ... "There is a difference between a construction site and a theater. The department talks about conclusions, contract numbers, but not a word about the creative process and actors", - said Chernyakhovsky. The department allegedly acts according to the usual "corruption scheme": it concludes a contract, starts working, then asks for additional funding. In this case, it is quite reasonable, in his opinion, to talk about a special investigation and an appeal to the prosecutor's office.

Artistic director of the Theater at the Nikitsky Gate Mark Rozovsky suggested that the actors spend less energy, nerves and time on "paperwork" and focus on preserving and developing the creative tradition of the legendary theater - theater "living, poetic, metaphorical." "Theater is a movement, if it is not there, death will come,"- he said. The director wished the artists to "revive" the artistic credo, which will allow them to create a precedent, to attract public attention through creative self-expression, even speaking "on the rocks" ... "We need to engage in creativity, start making stunning theatrical projects as soon as possible. Then you will come to life and begin to believe this person. The one who is passionate, who will lead, will give impetus to the development of the Taganka theater. No renovation can interfere with creativity." he said.

"Tagans" do not support this idea, relying on their rights guaranteed by the terms of the collective agreement. The artists do not want to see a "beautiful, well-promoted actress, charming girl" with a new economic policy "in her pocket", they demand a creative leader from the city authorities.

These same artists, by the way, themselves became the catalyst for the current state of Taganka. Previously, they actively advocated for Yuri Petrovich Lyubimov to leave his home, recalled Head of the State Academic Theater named after E. Vakhtangova Kirill Krokk... Today they speculate on the director's name. "This, too, should not be discounted,"- he noted. The founder does not have to agree with the staff on the appointment of the director. It never happened and never will, Krokk stressed. "A director is a profession, not a trade union leader whom we choose. The founder, trusting this person, shifts responsibility for the theater onto him. Elections are outside the legal law in force in Russia,"- explained the director.

The first thing that needs to be done is to try to start working with Apeksimova, and not engage in squabbles and writing complaints, Krokk is sure. “I understand that this is already the norm for you. Whoever the Department of Culture appoints, I am convinced that the trade union will pursue this line, which is destructive for the theater, even against the director with experience and experience.- he concluded.

Moscow City Duma in the face Chairman of the Commission on Culture and Mass Communications Yevgeny Gerasimov took responsibility for overseeing this issue and asked Apeksimova in two weeks to "provide" a creative concept for the development of the Taganka theater. The prospects for "becoming one family" and establishing a dialogue in the name of preserving Lyubimov's creative heritage are still vague. "Taganka", full of "fire of anger", ruins the very process of creation, and the new director has nothing to offer as an alternative.

In 1993, after a conflict with the director Yuri Lyubimov, some of the actors of the Taganka Theater under the direction of Nikolai Gubenko organized a new theater "The Commonwealth of Taganka Actors". 18 years after the split, the current leaders of the two theaters, Valery Zolotukhin and Nikolai Gubenko, met, shook hands, which was the beginning of the renewal of creative relations.

The Moscow Drama and Comedy Theater on Taganka was created on April 23, 1964 on the basis of the Moscow Drama and Comedy Theater (organized in 1946). The troupe included graduates of the Theater School. Shchukin with his graduation performance "The Good Man from Sesuan" by Bertold Brecht. The director of the play, Yuri Lyubimov, became the chief director of the renovated theater.

The theater was at the forefront of the theatrical process, developed a new stage language, found new forms of stage literature (poetry theater, prose theater, stage journalism).

The Taganka Theater performances were distinguished by studio cohesion, open civic pathos, and active contact with the audience.

In 1984, due to conflicts with the party leadership and the Ministry of Culture, Yuri Lyubimov left the theater and left the country, as a result of which he was deprived of his citizenship. Anatoly Efros was appointed the chief director of the theater. After the death of Efros, the main director was Nikolai Gubenko (1987-1989).

In 1989, Yuri Lyubimov, invited by the acting team, again headed the theater. However, soon a conflict arose between the artistic director of the Taganka theater, Yuri Lyubimov, and part of the troupe.

On the one hand, the conflict was based on the fact that Yuri Lyubimov could not devote as much time to the Taganka Theater as before - the director was forced to combine work with productions under foreign contracts already concluded. On the other hand, Yuri Lyubimov, after several years of forced exile, fully appreciated all the advantages of the Western contract system. He decided to privatize the theater and transfer the troupe to contracts. A conflict arose, which soon led the theater to a split.

Part of the troupe decided to stand out in a new team and asked for assistance from the President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin. In Yeltsin's resolution of September 23, 1992, it was said that the issue of division should be decided at a general meeting of the theater by secret ballot, and if the decision to divide the theater is adopted, the president will agree with this.

On October 27, 1992, at the general meeting of the theater, it was decided to hold a secret ballot, ballots were approved, the chairman of the counting commission and its composition were elected.

The voting went on for three days. On October 30, 1992, at 5 pm, the counting commission opened the ballot box and announced the results of the voting: 185 ballots were issued, 182 were found, invalid ones were not. 146 voted for the division of the theater, 27 against, and 9 abstained. Thus, the majority of the troupe voted for the division of the theater.

In April 1993, by the decision of the Moscow City Council of People's Deputies, the theater "Commonwealth of Taganka Actors" was created under the leadership of Nikolai Gubenko. The core of the troupe of the new theater was made up of 36 actors and part of the staff of the Taganka Theater. Together with Gubenko, such actors as Zinaida Slavina, Leonid Filatov, Inna Ulyanova, Nina Shatskaya, Tatyana Zhukova, Natalya Sayko, Mikhail Lebedev, Rasmi (Ramses) Dzhabrailov and others moved there.

The first premiere of "Commonwealth" in 1994 was Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull" directed by Sergei Solovyov.

The split in the theater was loud and dramatic. After the decision of the Moscow City Council to create the "Commonwealth of Taganka Actors", dozens of trials took place, including twice in the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation, mainly on the division of stage venues. As a result, the collective of the "Commonwealth of Taganka Actors" occupied a new theater building; The Taganka Theater works in the old one.

The Taganka Theater was founded in 1946. But his real story begins almost two decades later, when Yuri Lyubimov took over as chief director. He came with his graduation performance, which caused a resonance from the very first show. on Taganka, those involved in Lyubimov's productions in subsequent years, became known throughout the country. Among them are Vladimir Vysotsky, Valery Zolotukhin, Leonid Yarmolnik.

Short story

The theater was founded a year after the end of the war. Then it was called differently. The first performance at the Theater of Drama and Comedy, the chief director of which was A. Plotnikov, was a performance based on the work of the writer Vasily Grossman.

Yuri Lyubimov, who took the place of Plotnikov in 1964, came to the theater with his students. The first performance of the new director was The Kind Man from Sichuan. The leading actors of the Taganka Theater at that time were Boris Khmelnitsky, Anatoly Vasiliev, Alla Demidova.

Lyubimov regularly updated the troupe. He gave priority to graduates of the Shchukin school. So, in the mid-sixties, Vladimir Vysotsky, Nikolai Gubenko, Valery Zolotukhin came to the theater. A few years later, the director invited Ivan Bortnik, Leonid Filatov, Vitaly Shaposhnikov to the troupe.

Flourishing

The Taganka Theater soon became known throughout the country as the most avant-garde. Lyubimov hardly uses decorations. His productions provoke incessant controversy among critics. The actors of the Taganka Theater become real stars. In the sixties and seventies, every Soviet intelligent person dreams of getting into Lyubimov's productions.

In the eighties, Yuri Lyubimov went abroad. During this period, the popularity of the theater declines. Nikolay Gubenko becomes the head. Then, after Lyubimov returned from emigration, the theater was reorganized. Valery Zolotukhin has been holding the position of artistic director for several years.

Today the actors of the Taganka Theater are Dmitry Vysotsky, Anastasia Kolpikova, Ivan Bortnik and others.

Vladimir Vysotsky

The theater went through different times. The composition of the troupe was constantly renewed. But the name of this actor, even more than thirty years after his death, is forever associated with him.

Vladimir Vysotsky has been an actor of the Taganka Theater since 1964. He was involved in sixteen years of work in fourteen productions. In a few of them - in the lead role. However, in part it is Vysotsky who owes the theater to such a resounding fame that swept throughout the Soviet Union. Millions dreamed of getting to stage Hamlet. However, not even every resident of the capital managed to acquire the coveted ticket.

For the first time, Vladimir Vysotsky appeared on the stage in the role of the Second God in the production "The Kind Man from Sichuan". Then there were works in such performances as "Antiworlds", "Ten Days that Shook the World", "The Fallen and the Living". In 1966, the premiere of "The Life of Gelileus" took place. In this production, Vysotsky played the main role.

"Hamlet"

Actors of the Taganka Theater, who played in a production based on the work of Shakespeare:

1. Vladimir Vysotsky.
2. Veniamin Smekhov.
3. Alla Demidova.
4. Natalia Saiko.
5. Ivan Bortnik.
6. Alexander Filippenko.

The premiere of the play took place in 1971. The production received many positive reviews, despite the fact that it was innovative for the Soviet theater scene. In addition, it was easy to consider the criticism of the power that existed at that time. The role of Hamlet for Vysotsky became, in the opinion of many, the pinnacle of his acting skills. At the same time, some modern critics believe that the actor succeeded in this role, with the exception of the famous monologue "To be or not to be", which is key in the plot. Vysotsky, according to professionals, could not play doubt. This actor could only "be".

"Crime and Punishment"

The premiere of the play took place in 1979. Raskolnikov was played by Alexander Trofimov. Boris Khmelnitsky took the stage in the role of Razumikhin. The Taganka Theater was the most visited in Moscow. And the performance based on the work of Dostoevsky aroused no less public interest than the performances "Hamlet", "The Life of Galileo." A year and a half after the premiere, the performer of the role of Svidrigailov passed away. On July 25, 1980, the Taganka Theater, whose poster for the next few days was known to all the capital's theatergoers, was closed to the audience: Vladimir Vysotsky died. The performances were canceled, but not a single person returned the ticket at the box office.

Valery Zolotukhin

This actor played more than twenty roles at the Taganka Theater. Including in the play "Vladimir Vysotsky", which premiered in 1981. Actors of the Taganka Theater involved in this production:

1. Ekaterina Varkova.
2. Alexey Grabbe.
3. Anastasia Kolpikova.
4. Anatoly Vasiliev.
5. Tatiana Sidorenko.
6. Sergey Trifonov.

In 2011, Zolotukhin was appointed director of the theater. This event was preceded by a scandal caused by disagreements between Lyubimov and the actors. Two years later, Zolotukhin left the post of director. At the end of March 2013, the actor and director passed away.

Anatoly Vasiliev

This actor came to the theater in 1964. In films, he starred a little, but was involved in most of Lyubimov's productions. Anatoly Vasiliev is an actor of the Taganka Theater, which has devoted more than fifty years to it. The last production in which he played was a performance based on Kafka's phantasmagoric work "The Castle".

Other actors

For several years he worked at the Taganka Theater Leonid Yarmolnik. He was involved in only a few performances. Among them - "Rush Hour", "The Master and Margarita", "The Fallen and the Living".

Vitaly Shaposhnikov has been an actor of the Taganka Theater since 1968. In 1985 he moved to Sovremennik. But two years later he returned to the walls of his native theater. Shaposhnikov played Sergeant Major Vaskov in the production "The Dawns Here Are Quiet", the main role in the play "Emelyan Pugachev". After the death of Vysotsky, the actor took the stage in the role of the villain Svidrigailov. Vitaly Shaposhnikov was also involved in the performances "Tartuffe", "Mother", "Fasten Your Belts".

Boris Khmelnitsky played Woland in the production based on Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita. He also has theatrical work in such performances as The Life of Galileo Galilei, Pugachev, Three Sisters.

Dmitry Vysotsky has been an actor of the Taganka Theater since 2001. Participated in the following performances:

1. The Venetian Twins.
2. "Woe from Wit."
3. "Eugene Onegin".
4. "The Master and Margarita".
5. "Arabesque".
6. "Lock".

In the play based on the famous work of Mikhail Bulgakov, Vysotsky plays the main role.

"The Fallen and the Living"

The premiere of the play took place in 1965. It is dedicated to the writers and poets who participated in the Second World War. The performance used the poetic works of Mayakovsky, Tvardovsky, Svetlov. Mikhail Kulchitsky - a young poet who died at the front in 1943 - played the role of Pavel Kogan - the author of romantic works, who also did not return from the battlefield - was performed by Boris Khmelnitsky.

"House on the Embankment"

In 1980, Yuri Lyubimov staged a play based on the story of Yuri Trifonov. In those distant Soviet years, this was a rather bold act. They knew a lot about the Stalinist terror of the thirties, but it was dangerous to talk about these tragic pages in Soviet history so loudly. The premiere of "House on the Embankment" became an exciting event in the cultural life of Moscow. The main roles were played by Valery Zolotukhin and

"Doctor Zhivago"

The premiere of the play based on the novel, for which the author was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1965, took place two years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The director managed to preserve the unique poetics of Pasternak. The production used the music of Alfred Schnittke.

Other performances that once took place on the stage of the Taganka Theater:

1. Electra.
2. "Teenager".
3. "Medea".
4. The Brothers Karamazov.
5. "Sharashka".
6. "Socrates".

"The Master and Margarita"

Yuri Lyubimov is the first theater director to transfer the plot of the great novel to the stage. The production uses works by composers Prokofiev, Strauss and Albinoni. The performance has been running for over a quarter of a century. Viewers' reviews about him are different: from negative to enthusiastic. However, the style of Lyubimov's production has always evoked ambiguous responses from the public.

The masters in the play alternately play Dmitry Vysotsky and the role of the beloved of the protagonist is performed by three actresses: Maria Matveeva, Alla Smirdan, Anastasia Kolpikova. Pontius Pilate is played by Ivan Ryzhikov. Other actors involved in the production:

1. Alexander Trofimov.
2. Nikita Luchikhin.
3. Erwin Haas.
4. Sergey Trifonov.
5. Timur Badalbeyli.
6. Alexander Lyrchikov.

"Viy"

The premiere of the play based on Gogol's most mystical story took place in October 2016. This production is an unusual combination of the texts of the Russian classic and the compositions of the musician Venya D'rkin, who passed away in 1999. Homa Bruta plays Pannochka - Alexander Basov.

What performances will the Taganka Theater present in 2017?

Poster

1. Elsa (January 14).
2. The Venetian Twins (January 15).
3. "Vladimir Vysotsky" (January 25).
4. Golden Dragon (January 26).
5. Faust (February 1).
6. "An old, old tale" (February 5).
7. The Master and Margarita (February 7).
8. "Eugene Onegin" (February 11).

The Taganka Theater is known not only in Russia, but all over the world. The theater company tours a lot and is warmly received by the audience everywhere. Taganka has become a real theater of the intelligentsia and a place where you can always see a charming, gambling, smart game and a bright holiday of theatrical performance. Theatrical drama here organically fuses with music, movement and singing. And, despite various changes in the leadership and cast of the theater, its popularity with the audience does not diminish.

The modern theater on Taganka has become a place of attraction not only for the capital's theatergoers. Guests of Moscow who have come to the capital for business or tourism also try to get to the performances of this renowned theatrical group.

The building that occupies the theater was built in 1911 by the architect Gustav Avgustovich Gelrich, a famous master of Moscow Art Nouveau. It was originally intended for an electrotheatre (cinematography), but was later rebuilt for a classical theater.

History of the Taganka Theater

The theater next to Taganskaya Square was opened in 1946, and it was headed by the actor and director Alexander Konstantinovich Plotnikov (1903-1973). The first troupe of this theater was made up of pupils of the capital's theater studios and actors from peripheral theaters. As a premiere, they prepared a play based on Vasily Grossman's play "The People Are Immortal."

By the early 1960s, the Taganskaya Square theater had a reputation as one of the least attended in the capital. People did not rush him to the performances, since the theatrical performances that could be seen here were distinguished by their impersonality and official style.

In 1964, the situation changed. A famous actor from the theater named after V.I. Evgenia Vakhtangova - Yuri Lyubimov. But the new chief director did not come alone, but brought his students from the Shchukin school with him. Together with them, he staged a play by the German playwright Bertold Brecht on the stage of the theater. Actors Alla Demidova and Boris Khmelnitsky, who later became famous, made their debut in the premiere performance "The Kind Man from Sezuan".

The chief director constantly supplemented the theatrical troupe with young actors, many of whom were graduates of the school. Shchukin. And from the old troupe, Veniamin Smekhov, Vsevolod Sobolev and Yuri Smirnov continued to play successfully on the Taganka stage.

Lyubimov was very fascinated by the ideas of Bertold Brecht and even hung his portrait in the foyer of the theater. He respected the German playwright and theorist of theatrical art for his clarity of worldview and shared his views on life. The introduction of the ideas of Brecht's "epic theater", as well as the lessons of Yevgeny Vakhtangov and Vsevolod Meyerhold, allowed Lyubimov to quickly make the Taganka theater one of the most avant-garde theater groups in the USSR.

In the early years of the renovated theater, performances were staged here, in which the poems and poems of A. Pushkin, V. Mayakovsky, B. Pasternak, A. Voznesensky and E. Yevtushenko were used. A little later they were replaced by plays written based on the prose works of F. Dostoevsky, M. Gorky, N. Chernyshevsky, M. Bulgakov, B. Vasiliev and Yu. Trifonov.

Taganka's openness and love of freedom contradicted the traditions of the Soviet state in its desire to totally control the entire social life, therefore the innovative theatrical collective was in constant conflict with those in power. The situation around the theater became especially tense after the death of the popular actor and bard Vladimir Vysotsky in 1980. The authorities even banned the showing of the performance in memory of the actor, which was prepared by the chief director and theater artists.

This confrontation ended with the fact that in 1984 the chief director of Taganka, Yuri Lyubimov, after 20 years of work as the chief director, was forcibly removed from office and deprived of USSR citizenship. This was done in absentia when Lyubimov was in London. In forced emigration, he spent 7 years, staging theatrical performances in different countries of the world.

After the return of Yuri Petrovich Lyubimov to his homeland, the theater group was divided in two. Former theater actor Nikolai Gubenko headed a part of the theatrical troupe and called his association the "Commonwealth of Taganka Actors". They played in the new theater building. And Yuri Lyubimov became the head of another part of the troupe and staged theatrical performances in the old building. He made sure that the viewer saw the performances previously banned by the authorities: in memory of Vladimir Vysotsky, "Boris Godunov" and "Alive".

In 2011, Lyubimov, due to conflicts with actors and the Moscow Department of Culture, left the theater. After his departure for a year and a half, the theater group was headed by the famous domestic actor Valery Sergeevich Zolotukhin. Then, in 2013, Vladimir Natanovich Fleischer became the head of the theater. And since March 2015, the theater group has been headed by Honored Artist of Russia Irina Viktorovna Apeksimova.

Features of theatrical performances

Since the time when the theater was headed by Lyubimov, performances on Taganka have become distinguished by great originality. The theater stopped using the curtain, and from this, what was happening on the stage acquired a tinge of studio and intimacy. In the time of Lyubimov, traditional decorations were almost not used in performances - they were replaced by original stage designs. The performances began to include elements of pantomime, shadow theater and unusual musical accompaniment. The audience liked all this very much. And in the 1960s-1970s, the Taganka Theater became one of the most visited not only in Moscow, but also in Russia.

The lessons of courage, citizenship and freedom of thought that Taganka taught from her stage made this theater a meeting place for the intelligentsia. The theater has made many friends from among the country's famous scientists, composers, artists and writers. And the foreign press in Soviet times often called the Taganka theater "an island of freedom in an unfree country."

Thanks to Yuri Petrovich Lyubimov, the theater performances were distinguished by dynamics and impeccable composition. Spectators in different countries watched them with pleasure. And the production based on the novel by F. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment", shown in 1983 in London, was awarded the prestigious "Evening Standard" prize.

People's artists of Russia work in the modern troupe of the famous theater: Ivan Bortnik, Alexander Trofimov, Lyubov Selyutina, Zinaida Slavina, Felix Antipov and Yuri Smirnov. Here you can see performances based on the works of Sophocles, Moliere, I. Goethe, W. Shakespeare, K. Goldoni, N. Gogol, A. Griboyedov, N. Ostrovsky, B. Brecht, G. Ibsen, A. Pushkin and M. Bulgakov.

How to get there

The theater is located near Taganskaya Square on 76/21 Zemlyanoy Val Street. Not far from it is the exit from the Taganskaya metro station (ring).