Maly Drama Theatre – Theatre of Europe

The Maly Drama Theatre was established in Leningrad in 1944, when most of the city’s theaters were being evacuated. At first, the theater did not have a specific stage program, nor even its own premises. The acting team under the direction of director L. Yurenin often went to the front with performances, maintaining the morale of the soldiers of the Russian army. After the war, a small troupe of actors played performances in small towns and villages of the Leningrad region, but despite the interesting productions, the theater was little known. An important role in the development of the Maly Drama Theatre was played by the acquisition of a permanent place for rehearsals and performances: the troupe began to work in the premises of the former Trinity Theatre, built in 1911 by the architect V. Fondeizen. In 1973, the main director of the theater was a student of G. Tovstonogov E. Padve, who invited young directors and playwrights, among whom was Lev Dodin. Dodin’s first work in the Maly Drama Theatre was the play “The Robber” based on the play by K. Chapek, staged in 1975. Thanks to the efforts of the new team, the Maly Drama Theatre soon became popular among the Leningrad public, which was looking forward to new productions. The play “House” based on the novel by F. Abramov, staged in 1980, became an important event in the theatrical life of Leningrad, making the Maly Drama Theatre one of the most visited in the city. In 1983, Lev Dodin became artistic director of the Maly Drama Theatre. Under him, the theater became widely known and recognized not only in his native city, but throughout the world. Many performances, in which Lev Dodin participated, were very popular with the public and entered the history of the theater. Among them are “Brothers and Sisters” by F. Abramov, recognized as “the best foreign performance of the year” in 1996, “Stars in the Morning Sky” by A. Galin, awarded the Laurence Olivier Prize in 1988, “Demons” by F. Dostoevsky, A. Chekhov’s trilogy “The Cherry Orchard”, “The Seagull” and “The Play Without a Name”, as well as many other wonderful productions. In the last ten years, the theater staff often performs with tours. The performances of the Maly Dramatic were appreciated in many cities in Europe, Australia, South and North America and Southeast Asia. In some countries of the world, foreign audiences judge the level of Russian theater art by the productions of the Maly Drama Theatre. In 1998, Maly Drama was awarded the status of "Theater of Europe". In addition to him, only two theaters have this status today - the Odeon in Paris and Piccolo in Milan. In 2000, the Union of European Theatres, on behalf of the Parliament of the Council of Europe, presented Lev Dodin with the highest European theater award "Europe - Theatre". The repertoire of the Maly Drama Theatre today includes such performances as "Moscow Choir" by L. Petrushevskaya, "Uncle Vanya" by A. Chekhov, "Running Wanderers" by A. Kazantsev and others. In addition, the theater has a chamber stage with a small hall that can accommodate up to 50 spectators. This scene has become a kind of experimental laboratory, where young actors and directors try their hand. On the chamber stage of the theater you can see performances staged by students of the workshop of Lev Dodin - "Apartment of Kolombina" based on the plays of L. Petrushevskaya and W. Shakespeare, "The Long Christmas Dinner" by T. Wilder, "Parch Drum" by Y. Mishima and others.