Stage director Leonid Kheifets is considered a significant figure in Russian theatrical art and cinema. His creative work evokes the constant sympathy of the public. Classical works staged by Leonid Efimovich give viewers the opportunity to plunge into the atmosphere created by the creators of immortal works.
From the biography of Leonid Kheifets
The future teacher and theater director was born in Minsk on May 4, 1934. He grew up as a mischievous boy. No one in those years could have imagined that Leonid would one day become involved in creativity.
At the insistence of his father, Kheifets entered the Belarusian Polytechnic Institute. However, in the last years of the university, Leonid showed his freedom-loving character and left the institute to study at GITIS. Heifetz was attracted by the theater.
Mentors have repeatedly noted in Leonid the ability to organize many people to work together. Kheifetz skillfully used the stage space, skillfully structured the action and included the most appropriate intonations in a timely manner.
Leonid Efimovich Kheifets: stages of the creative path
The director's debut was the play "She Who Made a Miracle" (1962), which was staged at the Youth Theater in Riga. As his diploma work, Heifetz presented the play "Highway to the Big Dipper" (1963).
After graduation, Kheifetz was already fairly well known as a director with a very serious approach to staging work. He was immediately invited to the post of director at the Central Academic Theater of the Soviet Army. Here the director puts on the performances "My Poor Marat", "The Death of Ivan the Terrible", "Uncle Vanya", "The Watchmaker and the Chicken".
Kheifetz offered viewers a new interpretation of famous literary works. He raised ethical and civic issues in his performances. The director's creative style was determined by a masterful combination of cold calculation, logic and prudence.
From the early 70s to the mid 80s, Leonid Efimovich worked at the Maly Theater. His productions showed the drama inherent in his work. One of the most successful projects of those years was performances based on Shakespeare's plays. However, the director did not forget about Russian prose either. Daniil Granin was one of Heifetz's favorite authors.
Leonid Kheifets had a chance to work fruitfully outside the country. He has staged performances in Poland, Bulgaria and Turkey. After returning home, the director worked with the collectives of several theaters.
Personal life of Leonid Kheifets
In the theatrical environment, personal life is often intertwined with creativity. In 1982, while working on one of the projects, Heifetz met Natalia Gundareva. The director was captivated by the spontaneity of the actress and her positive attitude in life. The age difference did not become a hindrance to starting a family. But quarrels soon began, followed by a divorce.
Kheifets' second wife was Irina Telpugova, an actress of the Maly Theater.
Leonid Kheifets is now actively teaching and directing. He willingly gives interviews and enjoys writing books.
