Lomonosov Arkhangelsk Drama Theater

The first theatrical performance in Arkhangelsk, about which there is information, took place on June 18, 1703: "there was a comedy in the city by a foreigner Ivan Antonov, at which there were voivodes and other all sorts of people, both husbands and wives, at which the hryvnia was reviled from each person." The history of theatrical business in Arkhangelsk has many glorious pages. Since the XVIII century, local amateurs and visiting troupes played performances in different buildings, but none of them could be preserved by the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1910, entrepreneur Minaev opened a theater in the Summer Garden, and from that time Arkhangelsk became a truly theatrical city. But the Lomonosov Arkhangelsk Drama Theater (then called the Arkhangelsk Bolshoi Drama Theater) has been running its calendar since October 27, 1932, when the play “At the Bottom” was played in a specially built building for 9 months based on the play by M. Gorky. From the first days of its existence, the theater tried to keep pace with the times, the emphasis in repertory policy was placed on the modern dramaturgy of K. Trenev, N. Pogodin, A. Afinogenov, A. Korneychuk, A. Arbuzov, V. Rozov, but with great success there were plays by Russian and foreign classics: A. S. Pushkin, N. Gogol, A. N. Ostrovsky, L. N. Tolstoy, A. P. Chekhov, V. Shakespeare, K. Goldonière, Félélér, Opezé, Opez. The glory of the theater was the performances-legends: “Port Arthur”, “Scarlet Flower”, “Son of Pomor”, F. Abramov’s trilogy “Two Winters and Three Summers”, “House”, “Routes-crossroads”, “Threepenny Opera”, “Do not shoot at white swans”, “House on the sand”, “Bremen musicians” and others. The name Lomonosov Theatre received in November 1961, during the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of the great countryman. In 1964-1967, a complete reconstruction of the theater building was carried out, the auditorium was changed, the stage machinery, the behind-the-scenes part, the facade was made of glass and concrete in the spirit of that time. The theater has experienced many ups and downs. The creative team in different years was headed by Honored Artist of the Turkmen.SSR N.K.Tepper, Honored Artists of the RSFSR N.A.Smirnov, V.S.Terentiev, excellent directors V.P.Kupetsky, V.P.Davydov, B.P.Vtorov, E.S.Simonyan and others. The Arkhangelsk Theatre has always been famous for its excellent actors. These are S. Bestuzhev, A. Svirsky, A. Khrisanfova, L. Kuznetsova, Honored Artists of the RSFSR V. Kalenchuk, K. Kulagin, V. Kalinin, S. Nevostrueva, V. Yachmeneva, People's Artist of the RSFSR B. Gorshenin. A special page in the history of the theater is the People's Artist of the USSR, honorary citizen of the city Sergey Nikolaevich Plotnikov. Today the theatre is closed again for reconstruction. Performances are held on the Small Stage (former building of the Pomor Philharmonic). In addition to the leading masters of the stage, such as honored artists of Russia L. Bynova, V. Kolosov, O. Zubkova, V. Tomilina, A. Kazantseva, K. Feofilov, the theater has a wonderful middle generation of actors: L. Sovetova, S. Churkin, T. Bochenkova, E. Smorodinova, N. Latukhin, A. Moskalenko, A. Dunayev, V. Kulakov, talented youth: V. Neradovsky, M. Bednarchikov, S. Churkin, T. Bochenkova, E. Nikeva, E. The creative team, headed by the main director P.A. Suvorov, has not worked with such a rise for a long time. And most importantly, the audience went to the theater. The performances are held in crowded halls and are in demand among Arkhangelord residents and guests of our city. The production of the Cherry Orchard became an event in the cultural life of the city. As the regional newspaper Pravda Severa wrote: “... with the Cherry Orchard, the Theatre returned to our city.” In April 2004, the theater took part in the All-Russian Theatre Festival “Ostrovsky in Ostrovsky’s House” and showed the play “Late Love” at the Academic Maly Theatre in Moscow.