The Moscow Art Theater named after Gorky, more than a hundred years later, is faithful to the ideas of its founders and is known for its performances only on classical theatrical literature, in the best traditions of realism. The viewer often confuses the Gorky Theater under the direction of artistic director Tatyana Doronina with the second Moscow Art Theater.
History of the Moscow Art Theater named after Gorky
The history of the theater began in 1898 with the foundation by Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko of the Moscow Public Art Theater. The first performance was the tragedy "Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich" by A. K. Tolstoy. In subsequent years, the basis of the repertoire was made up of classics of Russian and foreign literature and works of modern drama. Leading positions on the theater stage were played by Chekhov's plays (Uncle Vanya, The Seagull, Three Sisters, The Cherry Orchard), Bulgakov's Days of the Turbins and Gorky (The Bourgeoisie, At the Bottom).
In 1901, the theater was named the Moscow Art Theater (Moscow Art Theater), in 1919 - the Moscow Art Academic Theater (Moscow Art Theater), in 1932 - the Moscow Art Theater of the USSR. M. Gorky.
Dividing the theater
The period of rebuilding in the country also affected the theater, in 1987 it was divided into two theaters: the Moscow Art Theater under the direction of T. V. Doronina, which left the name of M. Gorky in its name, and the Moscow Art Theater under the direction of O. N. Efremov, which received the name of A. P Chekhov. Both theaters retained the symbolism of the Moscow Art Theater, the soaring seagull.
However, it was the Doroninsky Moscow Art Theater. Gorky is considered the successor of the theater, founded by the great Stanislavsky. The artistic director and the troupe of actors consider it their main task to adhere to the traditions that developed in the Soviet era. After the section, they define their path as "a return to Stanislavsky."
In different years of the Soviet period, the theater received the highest awards from the government. The Moscow Art Theater owns the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, and the Order of the October Revolution.
Currently, the artistic director and concurrently director of the Moscow Art Theater. M. Gorky is the People's Artist of the USSR Tatiana Vasilievna Doronina.
Description of the Moscow Art Theater named after Gorky
Moscow Art Theater M. Gorky is located at the address: Moscow, Tverskoy Boulevard, 22. This building was erected in 1973 by the architect V. S. Kubasov and occupies almost an entire block. It is a stately structure with a dark façade clad in brown and red tuff.
Long horizontal stripes run along the main facade of the theater - a kind of imitation in stone by the folds of a theater curtain falling down. The main entrance is emphasized by supporting lanterns, a solid white strip of balconies, metal brackets, and bas-reliefs depicting four muses. These and other elements bring rhythm and dynamics to the entire composition. The entrances are pushed back into the building; a wide staircase leads to them from the street. The general style of the facade of the building is similar to the prototypes of St. Petersburg and somewhat Scandinavian Art Nouveau.
The auditorium of the theater is designed for 1345 people. The architects have created a vivid artistic and imaginative solution for the theater, in which there is a sense of the stylistic unity of color, form and plastics. Everything here is designed in tones typical of the old building of the Moscow Art Theater. The interior, finished with wood, bronze and stone, perfectly conveys the atmosphere of solemnity. The use of natural materials gave an expressive but discreet solution. The walls of the foyer, auditorium, columns and even elevator doors are faced with wood.
Furniture in a dark green shade is in harmony with the cladding and islets of greenery, highlighted by lighting. In the decoration of the theater, the technique of flowing spaces is used, here various types of lighting ingeniously hide the asymmetry of the internal organization, are used to accentuate the transitions from one room to another.
Repertoire of the Moscow Art Theater named after Gorky
The basis of the repertoire of the contemporary Moscow Art Theater named after Gorky is the works of Russian and foreign classics: Chekhov, Bulgakov, Gorky, Ostrovsky, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Hugo, Shakespeare, Goldoni, Moliere. Plays by famous playwrights and writers are often staged here: Alexander Vampilov, Alexey Arbuzov, Vladimir Malyagin, Valentin Rasputin, Alexander Tvardovsky, Viktor Rozov, Konstantin Simonov, Yuri Polyakov, Edvard Radzinsky.
After the section in the Moscow Art Theater. Gorky has staged more than seventy performances. The theater is distinguished by its commitment to productions staged many years ago. For example, M. Maeterlinck's "The Blue Bird" is still playing on the Doronin stage, and A. P. Chekhov's "Three Sisters" was restored by T. V. Doronina according to the director's drawing of the production by Nemirovich-Danchenko himself.
Although the Moscow Art Theater. Gorky has always been and remains a truly dramatic theater, the genre style of the theater's repertoire is diverse, from drama to comedy performances. A special place in the repertoire is occupied by performances with the participation of the artistic director of the theater, People's Artist of the USSR Tatyana Vasilievna Doronina: "The old actress for the role of Dostoevsky's wife" by E. Radzinsky, "Vassa Zheleznova" based on the play by M. Gorky.
The autumn repertoire of the Moscow Art Theater is represented by both long-lived productions and new performances. Spectators' favorite and expected classics every season are:
- "Her Friends" premiered on February 6, 1997.
- At the Bottom, premiere: May 3, 1999
- "Handsome Man", premiered on December 19, 2006
- "Shrovetide is not all for the cat", premiered on September 17, 2009
- The Master and Margarita, premiere: April 21, 2009
Relatively recent productions of the Moscow Art Theater:
- Pygmalion premiered on January 2, 2016
- Loaned Love, premiere on April 26, 2012
- Cobweb, premiered on March 1, 2013
- "Gentle", premiere December 2, 2015
- "Othello of the county town", premiered on October 27, 2015
- "My Poor Marat", premiered on May 9, 2015
- "The Taming of the Shrew" premiered on December 5, 2015
- "House on the outskirts", premiered on February 23, 2015
- Hamlet, premiere December 26, 2014
- "Wild Woman", premiere December 1, 2013
The theater also offers the audience new performances, among them "The Mansion on Rublevka (Gold of the Party)", premiered on November 7, 2017, "Eccentrics", premiered on February 2, 2017, "The Cherry Orchard", premiere: December 19, 2017, "In Search of Joy", premiered on December 28, 2017 and "White Guard", premiered: April 4, 2018.
