moscow art theatre virtual tour

The Bolshoi Theatre Moskva, Russia

On 28 March (17 according to the old style) 1776, Catherine II granted the prosecutor, Prince Pyotr Urusov, the "privilege" of "maintaining" theatre performances of all kinds, including masquerades, balls and other forms of entertainment, for a period of ten years. And it is from this date that Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre traces its history.

The Bolshoi building, which for many years now has been regarded as one of Moscow’s main sights, was opened on 20 October 1856, on Tsar Alexander II’s coronation day.

On 29 October 2002 the Bolshoi was given a New Stage and it was here it presented its performances during the years the Historic Stage was undergoing massive reconstruction and refurbishment.

The reconstruction project lasted from l July 2005 to 28 October 2011. As a result of this reconstruction, many lost features of the historic building were reinstated and, at the same time, it has joined the ranks of most technically equipped theatre buildings in the world.

The Bolshoi Theatre is a symbol of Russia for all time. It was awarded this honor due to the major contribution it made to the history of the Russian performing arts. This history is on-going and today Bolshoi Theatre artists continue to contribute to it many bright pages.

Bolshoi Theater launched a virtual 3D tour

Unique photos and old costumes of 1880-1910. Source: The Boslhoi Theater

RIR: What was the concept behind the Cultural Institute?

Carlo d’Azaro Biondo: The concept was born with Amit Sood, current director of the Cultural Institute. He was the first one who started to say that he wants to put museums on the web. We had dinner and started thinking that we were worried we didn’t have local cultures on the web - France, Italy, Spain, the Middle East, Russia - and more and more the content on the web risked becoming too Anglo-American.

The goal of the Google Cultural Institute, as stated by Google itself, is to help preserve and promote culture online. To achieve this, the Institute partners with numerous institutions, theaters, museums and foundations to digitalize their artifacts and interiors and expose them in a virtual museum.  

So we started. At first museums didn’t want to come because they said “if we put a museum on the web, people will not go to the museum.” Our answer to that was - what is the most famous digitalized work of art in the world? [ La ] Gioconda , Leonardo da Vinci. But what is the most visited work of art in the world? The same Gioconda . Over time we proved that the more you put on the web, the more people want to see the reality.

I think in the modern world it’s a sort of advertising. By putting the Bolshoi on the web I think we advertised the Bolshoi. The more you hear about the Bolshoi, the more you want to go to the Bolshoi, the more you want to see ballet, the more you want to listen to opera. I’ve never heard of a single case in which receiving promotion on the web or elsewhere diminished your value. It always increases it.

Does Google show any context ads from museums and theaters next to this content?

No, we don’t show [anything] there. Not everything you do has a direct impact on money, but you also have social responsibilities… …We want to provide information in a way which is useful for the people. For now we haven’t found a way to monetize this. What we say to our partners is: “When we do, you’ll get the majority of the revenue because the content is yours.”

What ’ s the audience of such projects?

A lot of people. On the art project where we have paintings it’s millions of people. Now we have 1.5 million paintings, 620 museums, and 150 works of art available in high definition.

Do you do it personally?

Not all of my evenings. But sometimes I come back home, take a cigar, a bottle of red wine, I put some classical music on. I sit with my wife and we browse on TV different works of art. We can do it for two or three hours. Because… where can you find 65 Renoirs? 42 Van Goghs? It’s difficult.

You ’ ve said that the Bolshoi eagerly agreed to make this collaboration. But did you have any difficulties negotiating with other institutions? Which ones were the most challenging?

The most challenging are always the ones which include modern art. Sometimes the museum didn’t have the rights for the web for all the artists.

The mentality needs to evolve as well. And the artists need to see that this is promotion for them.

Bolshoi Theater - Virtual tour. Source: YouTube

Do you have any plans to release these 360-degree cameras as consumer products?

That’s a good idea. I have to talk about it with the engineers. I would love to have a camera like this and do my own 3D panoramas.

So how much does it cost to digitalize a theater?

I’m not authorized to say how much the whole project costs. Digitalizing of painting in super-high definition can cost - depending on the painting and the tools we need to use - from 10,000 to 50,000 euros.

Tell me more about the people who are doing it. Are they Google employees?

We have a center in Paris with 20 engineers who work on the technology for 3D capture for Street View. For high-level detailed editions of paintings we create those technologies. They do this full-time. And they are passionate about it.

To take pictures we use other Google employees, local ones. They learn how to use the machine and do it. Otherwise, we couldn’t do it with 20 people. Lots of Googlers contribute their free time to it.

Bolshoi Theater. Click to start a virtual 3D tour. Source: Google

What are the next things you want to digitalize?

There are lots of things. We want to digitalize the Kremlin…

What, Putin ’ s office?

  Well, not to spy there. We think it’s interesting to show anything that can make Russia more understood abroad. Churches, museums, modern art in Russia, street art. I think there are no limits. Give us ideas, and we’ll do it. We try to make everything we can to make the cultures understood and represent the world.

A small museum can approach Google and ask for the digitalization of their archives?

Unique photos and old costumes of 1880-1910 and can now be viewed online - on the Google  Cultural Institute website .

C.B.: Yes, they do. We have 600 museums, of which 400 are small museums. If you are a small museum in Russia, and you want to be seen, be on Google, so people will find and see you. It should help to attract more people.

Where can they apply?

There’s a cultural institute website where museums and people can go. Today is the year of literature in Russia. I hope we can make something for the year. Russian literature, like ballet, is one of the most famous in the world. Bringing Russian literature on the web - we would love it this year.

How do you integrate all of this with other Google services? Google Cardboard?

Cardboard was actually developed in the Cultural Institute lab. You can view Versaille in virtual reality with Google Cardboard. We now want to put it on the phone so that it would work better on an Android, through a native app.

Personally I would love everything to be on maps. Why? Because it’s convenient for travelers. If I’m in Moscow, and from the map I can see these paintings, it will make me go and see them in real life.

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• Looking Backward

Moscow Art Theater

This picture is the exterior of the Moscow Art Theater. It shows that the MAT has a modest exterior, belying its importance to Russian theater.

The interior of the Moscow Art Theater – just as modest as the exterior. It is strongly contrasted with the grandness of the Bolshoi and Maly, which were Imperial theaters.

The exterior of the Moscow Art Theater may look modest, but the story of the start of Moscow Art Theater (MAT) shows that this theater is the epitome of the theme of expression as it started the movement for “independent theatre.” Although there already was a realistic school of writing, conventions in theater were the same ones of the 18 th century. Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko in 1989 decided to start the Moscow Art Theatre to reform Russian theatre as an art available to the general public. They decided to build their own theater as opposed to reforming the Maly Theatre, which was under government control and would have limited their artistic expression. This theater was where Chekhov’s career took off as when his comic-pathetic plays were performed in St. Petersberg, it was a failure because the actors did not understand their roles. However, MAT different than other independent theaters began as a professional organization. This theatre was a venue for which naturalistic theatre developed (as opposed to the current dominant form of melodramas)[1].

[1] Brockett, Oscar and Hildy, Frank. History of the Theatre . 1993. pg. 436.

The Past and Present at the Moscow Art Theatre

Posted on September 24, 2019 by lbidwell

By Greer Gerni, PhD student Theatre

The 2018-2019 season was the first under the Moscow Art Theatre’s new artistic director Sergey Zhenovach. While much of the theatre’s presence remains unchanged, there are some noticeable differences. Interestingly, most of them point to the past, not the future. I have been researching Moscow’s theatre’s since 2009, paying special attention to the Moscow Art Theatre. My dissertation, entitled Anton Chekhov’s Texts on the Twenty-first Century Stage, examines, in part, the impression the playwright and his namesake theatre impact the performance styles of today.

Part of my work this summer included watching contemporary productions and speaking with living theatre artists, but in order to contextualize the impact of the past on the present I spent a great deal of time in archives, museums, and places of memory as well. As a historian, I tend to focus on the past, but I am always so relieved to do so in Moscow’s theatre culture which is all about the here and now. While the focus may be on present onstage, the culture is certainly supported by the past. The Moscow Art Theatre still operates out of their 1901 building where many of Chekhov’s plays premiered. Located in the center of Moscow, it is still one of the most respected and popular theatres in the city. Since it was founded in 1898 it has been known for pushing into the future with new artforms. The company does this while honoring the traditions and history that built it.

This season, more than any in my memory, seemed even more focused on memories, history and tradition. Current show posters used to fill the display cases lining the front of the building, but they are now filled with photos and short biographies of some of the companies early members. The theatre hosted a “Remembering Place” festival in June which started off with a reading of Tsar Fyoder Ivanovich which opened the first season in 1898. Original costumes were on display. More than any other visit, the Moscow Art Theatre seemed to me to be a place for history and tradition, not necessarily for new theatre. This is not to say that they are not producing new work or making progressive changes. There is, however, a clear difference between the way neighboring theatres are drawing an audience (flashy ads for contemporary shows) and the way that the Moscow Art Theatre is reinforcing tradition on their facade.

What does that mean for Moscow or even for my research? At this point, any analysis I could give would be speculation. I can say with confidence, however, that change is not always new and shiny, sometimes to build something new the foundation must first be reinforced. For now, I am attempting to take a step back and examine how the past impacts the present.

what was the ticket price in 1900’s? did only rich people attend? thanks

Great question! The Moscow Art Theatre was founded with the intention of being accessible to everyone. The Empirical Theatres of the 19th century were primarily accessible to the upper classes, and the Moscow Art Theatre set out to change that. In fact “Publicly Accessible” was part of their name in the early days. In 1898 tickets started at 28 kopeks, which was not inexpensive, but cheaper than the nearby Maly Theatre. (Source: Nick Worrall, The Moscow Art Theatre) Ticket prices did rise when the new theatre was built in 1902 and they removed “Publicly Accessible” from their name. Regardless, the theatre was and still is, relatively affordable entertainment in Moscow. I don’t have the ticket prices for every season on hand, but I hope this helps!

I’ve been looking for a list of the first MAT company members recruited in 1898. Can’t seem to find it. We know it included Olga Knipper, and Meyerhold. Can you help? Thanks

From Greer Gerni: From the Moscow Art Theatre website: “The core of the company (O. Knipper, I. Moskvin, V. Meierhold, M. Savitskaya, M. Germanova, M. Roksanova, N. Litovtseva) was formed from students of the drama branch of the Musical-Drama School of the Moscow philharmonic society where Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko taught acting and by the performance participants of the Art and Literature Amateurs Society of Stanislavsky (M. Lilina, M. Andreeva, V. Lyjskii, A. Atrem). A. Vishnevsky was invited from a province. In 1900, the troupe accepted V. Kachalov and in 1903 — L. Leonidov.” https://mxat.ru/english/history/

The Moscow Art Theatre website offers a comprehensive record online including short bios on company members past and present, e-books, archives, and recordings of select productions. Some materials are translated into English as well.

For further reading in English on the beginnings of the Moscow Art Theatre I recommend The Moscow Art Theatre by Nick Worrall and Anton Chekhov at the Moscow Art Theatre ed. by Vera Gottlieb. Greer Gerni, PhD she/her/hers Visiting Assistant Professor Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance Indiana University

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How Russian Theatre guru Konstantin Stanislavsky Changed the Acting Universe

Written by Valeria Paikova | 15th Feb 2021 | Acting , Essay , Russia

B.Brilliantov/Sputnik; Getty Images

Konstantin Stanislavsky’s ideas changed the face of theater as much as Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity changed the understanding of physics. Stanislavsky wrote his name in the history books as the most influential theater practitioner of the modern era and a central mover and shaker in the world of acting and dramatic training.

The theatre was a source of palpable joy and jubilation to the tall, handsome and charismatic Konstantin Stanislavsky. A foremost actor, director, and theatre practitioner, he devoted his entire life to the Moscow Art Theater, turning an intuitive idea of what art should be like into reality. Brimming with energy and ideas, Stanislavsky was a brilliant actor, who preferred to portray two-dimensional characters undergoing major transformations. Basically, to help himself, Stanislavsky developed his own dramatic training method, widely known as the “Stanislavsky” system. Super-hyped across the world, it became the foundation for the so-called “Method” acting style. 

Konstantin Stanislavsky as Benedick in “Much Ado About Nothing” in 1897. V.Shiyanovsky/Sputnik

The system, developed over four decades, is an attempt to understand how an actor, no matter what he does on stage, how tired, scared, or frustrated he or she is, can experience creative joy “right here, right now.” The system, which arose as an absolute necessity for a given person (and actor Konstantin Stanislavsky), proved to be extremely useful for a wide variety of people in a variety of practical ways in different environments worldwide. Its quintessential ingredient was faith. First of all, according to Stanislavsky, an actor has to fully believe in the “given circumstances” in which they find themselves in the play. The biggest challenge, therefore, is to learn to believe. Faith, fantasy, and vivid imagination are the three pillars of the system (which Stanislavsky modestly described as “my so-called system”).

Konstantin Stanislavsky as Gaev in “The Cherry Orchard.” Sputnik

One way or another, one thing is certain: Stanislavsky was an outstanding teacher, whose famous students included future theater legends Yevgeny Vakhtangov and Vsevolod Meyerhold. His acting techniques and ideas had a far-reaching influence in the United States through the contribution of Lee Strasberg (the “father of method acting in America”).  Strasberg used Stanislavsky’s fundamental guidelines and observations in New York’s famous Actors Studio. He coached Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, Robert De Niro, and Al Pacino, just to name a few. Stanislavsky’s observations about his artistic and directorial experience provided vital clues to acting techniques worldwide. 

“Stanislavsky did not invent anything. Using the example of the great artists of his time, he tried to understand, study and, if possible, master the nature of stage play,” one of Russia’s greatest theater directors, Lev Dodin, believes . “Stanislavsky wanted to comprehend the nature of human life on the stage, the nature of the birth of a new human substance on the stage, the artistic perfection of this new human being created by the imagination, nerves, intellect, and body of the artist. [Stanislavsky] was looking for ways to create this phenomenon. Therefore, when an artist plays well, i.e. convincingly, contagiously, authentically, deeply, with empathy, compassion, and joy, the artist plays according to the Stanislavsky system, regardless of whether he knows it or not.”

Family roots

It all runs in the family, they say, and it’s true that Stanislavsky, who had nine brothers and sisters, inherited his undying love for the arts from his loving parents.

The Alekseyev family in 1879. Sputnik

Stanislavsky was born into a large and prosperous merchant family in Moscow. His real last name was Alekseyev. Konstantin’s father was a third-generation manufacturer and his mother was the daughter of a French actress. 

“I was born in Moscow in 1863 – at the turn of two eras. I still remember the remnants of serfdom… I witnessed the emergence of railways with courier trains, steamships, electric searchlights, cars, airplanes, dreadnoughts, submarines, telephones – copper-wire and wireless – radiotelegraphy and twelve-inch guns. Therefore, from serfdom to Bolshevism and Communism. A truly interesting life in an age of changing values and fundamental ideas, ” Stanislavsky wrote in one of his best-known works, My Life in Art .

The Alekseyev’s house was home to concerts and amateur performances, featuring adults and kids. Their guests were the crème de la crème of high society. There was a special hall set up for theatrical performances at Alekseyev’s Moscow home and a separate theater wing at their Lyubimovka estate in the countryside. 

Konstantin was brought up in a place where he was free to do what he wanted. He lived to perform, and actively participated in amateur theatricals as a boy. His first big moment on stage came when he was four. The kid wore a fake beard and portrayed Russian winter. 

Kostya (short for Konstantin) wasn’t the poster boy for discipline and academic performance (he didn’t like to study hard, because school studies stole valuable time from the theatre). Stanislavsky was in fact a poorly educated person. 

“A drawer of the table always contained some secret theatrical work – either the figure of the character, which had to be colored or part of the scenery, a bush, a tree, a plan and sketch of a new production,” Stanislavsky recalled. “ We staged many operas, ballets, or, rather, individual acts from them.” His siblings were into the theatre, too. Konstantin’s elder brother Vladimir would become a theater director and a librettist, while his younger sister Zinaida – an actress.

Konstantin’s remarkable debut on his parents’ amateur stage came in 1877 when he was 14. The young theatre aficionado joined the dramatic group called the “Alekseyev Circle.” Around that time, the future theater guru developed a lifelong habit of keeping diaries containing meticulous observations on acting. The aspiring actor’s comprehensive attention to all aspects of production set him apart from the crowd. A thoughtful and reflective artist with a keen eye for observation and detail, Konstantin became the key member of the Alekseyev Circle and began to perform in other theatrical groups.

In 1885, he adopted the pseudonym “Stanislavsky.” It was an homage to a talented amateur actor whose last name was Markov and who had performed under the name of Stanislavsky. The stage name sounded at once familiar and unique to Konstantin who, at some point, had to hide his theatrical activities from his family. His parents were open-minded people, but there was a certain degree to it. After all, acting wasn’t considered a serious profession back at the time. 

Factory vs. Theatre

Konstantin Stanislavsky belonged to a family of merchants, who gained a reputation for honesty and hard work. His great-grandfather, Semyon Alekseyev, was 34 when he launched the production of gold and silver threads in Moscow. The thin thread became a sought-after item during the reign of Catherine the Great when members of a ruling aristocracy began to wear clothing embroidered with gold and silver. Thanks to Alekseyev’s golden thread factory, all that glittered was indeed gold, especially at royal receptions and balls, where ladies’ dresses were embellished with gold. The men’s ceremonial uniforms were adorned with precious threads made at the Alekseev factory. On top of it, the threads decorated vestments for priests. Alekseyev’s company was highly successful. 

Vladimir Alekseyev, Konstantin’s grandfather, made waves when the gold thread factory that he had inherited became the first Russian company to mechanize production in the 1870s.

Like father, like son certainly applied here. Sergei Alekseyev also expected his beloved son Konstantin to go into the family business. Stanislavsky gave it a go, running the Alekseyev factory for a while. It was a sacrifice on his part, even though he had never really put the theatre on the back burner.

Stanislavsky proved to be a talented businessman. For instance, he managed to improve a sewing machine designed for stretching the thread. Stanislavsky even traveled to the UK to obtain a patent for his update. The measure helped open up new horizons for the company, boosting revenues. The Alekseyevs donated money to help build hospitals, schools, and museums. Their companies were nationalized after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.

Love for acting   

In 1888, Stanislavsky met his future wife, Maria Perevostchikova, an up-and-coming young actress, who performed under the stage name of “Lilina.” For a while, neither Stanislavsky nor Lilina suspected that they were actually in love with each other. “ We found out from some audience members. We kissed too naturally in the play, they said.” The two actors got married a year later and had three children. Their marriage lasted fifty years.  

Konstantin Stanislavsky and Maria Lilina. Sputnik

The unrivaled genius in the world of acting and theater kept his diaries religiously and left a legacy of over a dozen groundbreaking books on directing and acting skills, character development, and self-reflection. “Never lose yourself on the stage. Always act in your own person, as an artist. The moment you lose yourself on the stage marks the departure from truly living your part and the beginning of exaggerated false acting. Therefore, no matter how much you act, how many parts you take, you should never allow yourself any exception to the rule of using your own feelings. To break that rule is the equivalent of killing the person you are portraying because you deprive him of a palpitating, living, human soul, which is the real source of life for a part,” he wrote in his book Actor’s Work , full of practical advice for aspiring actors.

“In theater, I hate the theater, ” Stanislavsky famously said, meaning fake theatrics and chest-thumping. “One must burn the old ships and build the new ones,” he believed. Stanislavsky changed theater and was changed by it, too. In 1888, he established the Society of Art and Literature with a permanent amateur company that he funded himself. This was his creative learning laboratory for ten years. There, Stanislavsky worked on the plasticity of his body and voice. He had proved his acting chops, shining in comedic and dramatic roles, winning accolades from established actors.

Konstantin Stanislavsky changed theater and was changed by it, too. Sputnik

Stanislavsky also mastered the art of directing. He made his directorial debut with an 1889 production of Peter Gnedich’s “Burning Letters.” Marked by psychological restraint, the actor-turned-director paid special attention to dramatic pauses and choreographed moves that spoke louder than words. A master of mise-en-scene, the trailblazing Stanislavsky found some alternative ways to emphasize the drama on stage, spicing up his productions with light, sound, rhythm, and tempo.

The growing dissatisfaction with the state of the Russian stage at the end of the 19th century, the feeling that it’s time to separate authentic traditions associated with the very nature of acting from theatrics and the determination “ to give more space to imagination and creativity” prompted Stanislavsky and his partner in crime, Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, to unite efforts, banding together with their artistic goals and their troupe of actors.

Duo with Nemirovich-Danchenko  

Meeting Russian playwright, director, and producer Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko was, in fact, a turning point for Stanislavsky. 

Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko and Konstantin Stanislavsky. Sputnik

The historic meeting, which took place in Moscow in 1897 and lasted 18 hours (at the Slavyansky Bazaar restaurant), led to the creation of the Moscow Art Theatre. “ We are striving to create the first rational, moral public theater and we devote our lives to this lofty goal, ” Stanislavsky stated.

The Moscow Art Theatre opened in 1898 with Aleksey Tolstoy’s tragedy “Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich,” with Nemirovich-Danchenko’s student Ivan Moskvin in the limelight. It was a success, but Stanislavsky was unhappy with the actors’ acting. He found it flat, imitative, lacking genuine emotion. A strict and demanding teacher, he called for authenticity on stage, handing down his famous verdict to actors after hours of fruitful rehearsals: “I do not believe you!” He urged actors to bond with their characters, to inhabit them, find their vulnerabilities and insecurities.

Vasily Kachalov, Maxim Gorky, and Konstantin Stanislavsky with the Moscow Art Theatre actors. Sputnik

For the first several years, the performances that marked the formation of the new theater were created jointly. It was difficult to single out the “exact share” contributed by each of the two partners, Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko. In historical dramas like “Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich” (1898) or “The Death of Ivan the Terrible” (1899) Stanislavsky took the lead, whereas working on “Julius Caesar” (1903), Nemirovich-Danchenko acknowledged that he was a student of Stanislavsky. In the beginning of their work, they were like two equal sides of a regular quadrilateral.  

Nonetheless, it was Nemirovich-Danchenko who encouraged Anton Chekhov to write for the theater. After Chekhov’s “The Seagull” failed miserably at the Aleksandrinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Nemirovich-Danchenko persuaded Chekhov to greenlight the staging of his play at the newly-formed Moscow Art Theatre. It marked the beginning of a new era for the theater.

Stanislavsky later said that while working on “The Seagull” in 1898, he had not yet figured out the new dramatic tradition created by Chekhov. It was while staging “Uncle Vanya” (1899), “The Three Sisters” (1901), and “The Cherry Orchard” (1904) that he found a key to the inner world of the author. 

Konstantin Stanislavsky as Astrov and Olga Knipper as Elena Andreevna in Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” in 1899. Sputnik

And yet, there was a rivalry between Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko. The fruitfulness and conflicted nature of the Moscow Art Theatre founders was reflected in the work on the triumphant production of Maxim Gorky’s “Lower Depths” (1902).

While at first, both Konstantin and Vladimir sat comfortably at the director’s table preparing one performance, after 1906, things went off track. “ Now each of us had his own table, his own play, his own production. This was neither a discrepancy in the basic principles nor a rupture, it was a completely natural phenomenon.” Because, as Stanislavsky wrote, each of them “wanted and could go only along his own independent line, while remaining true to the general, basic principle of the theater.”

Russian soul

Russians have a passion for performances that touch the heart, Stanislavsky believed. “ They enjoy dramas where one can cry, philosophize about life and listen to some words of wisdom more than perky vaudeville shows that empty the soul.”

Konstantin Stanislavsky as Famusov in Alexander Griboedov’s “Woe from Wit.” Sputnik

As an actor, Stanislavsky was brilliant as Astrov in Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” Vershinin in “The Three Sisters,” Gaev in “The Cherry Orchard,” Satin in Maxim Gorky’s “Lower Depths,” Famusov in Alexander Griboedov’s “Woe from Wit.” Both Russian and European critics were impressed with these roles, but Stanislavsky couldn’t just sit back and rest on his laurels. He never stopped setting new goals. 

Thanks to breathing and relaxation practices, Stanislavsky, nearly 6-foot-6 (198 cm) managed to turn his b

The unrivaled genius in the world of theater left a legacy of over a dozen groundbreaking books on directing and acting skills. B.Brilliantov/Sputnik

ody into an obedient instrument, capable of conveying practically any emotion.

In the early 1920s, the Moscow Art Theatre toured Europe and America with Stanislavsky as its director and lead actor. But after a severe heart attack sent Stanislavsky to the hospital in 1928, doctors forbade him to perform on stage. The indefatigable practitioner went back to work only in 1929, focusing mostly on theoretical research, on pedagogical activity, polishing his new “system” and focusing on classes at his Opera Studio, which had existed since 1918 (the Stanislavsky Opera Theatre).

In terms of his maximalist demands, Stanislavsky could probably be compared to Fyodor Dostoevsky or Leo Tolstoy, both of whom had a great influence on him. Tolstoy was a great role model for a number of Russian artists, who tried to adopt his unique and vital sense of life, his honesty, and truthfulness. Like a doctor constantly checking a patient’s pulse, the indefatigable Stanislavsky had to make sure over and over again, whether his art was not becoming an end in itself. “It’s a mistake to think that an artist’s creative freedom lies in doing what he wants. This is the freedom of a petty tyrant. Who is the freest of all then? The one who has won their independence, since it is always won, not given.”

This article was originally published by Russia Beyond ( https://www.rbth.com/ ). Reposted with permission. Read the original article .

This post was written by the author in their personal capacity.The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of The Theatre Times, their staff or collaborators.

This post was written by Valeria Paikova .

The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.

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CulturalHeritageOnline: Bolshoi Theatre - Virtual Tour 360°

Bolshoi theatre - virtual tour 360°.

The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow , Russia holds ballet and opera performances.

The theater is located in the same place where the Petrovsky theater which had been inaugurated in 1780 and which was set on fire in 1805. In 1819 a competition was announced for the project of the new theater; the competition was won by Andrei Michajlov.

However, his project was considered to be too expensive, consequently the governor of Moscow Dmitry Vladimirovich Golicyn commissioned the architect Giuseppe Bove to modify it.

Work on the new project began in 1820 and the new Grand (Bol'šoj) Petrovsky Theater was inaugurated on January 18, 1825 with Fernando Sor's ballet Cendrillon.

Before the October Revolution it was a part of the Imperial Theatres of the Russian Empire along with Maly Theatre ( Small Theatre ) in Moscow and a few theatres in Saint Petersburg Theatre, later Mariinsky Theatre and others.

The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world. It is by far the world's biggest ballet company, with more than 200 dancers.

The theatre is the parent company of The Bolshoi Ballet Academy, a world-famous leading school of ballet.

It has a branch at the Bolshoi Theater School in Joinville, Brazil.

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Moscow city 360-degree virtual reality tour.

Take the virtual tour of the kremlin, moscow river, saint basil’s cathedral and red square.

The Moscow Kremlin  usually referred to as the Kremlin, is a fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River to the south, Saint Basil’s Cathedral and Red Square to the east, and the Alexander Garden to the west.

It is the best known of the Kremlins (Russian citadels) and includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers. Also within this complex is the Grand Kremlin Palace. The complex serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

The name “Kremlin” means “fortress inside a city”, and is often also used metonymically to refer to the government of the Russian Federation in a similar sense to how “White House” is used to refer to the Executive Office of the President of the United States. It had previously been used to refer to the government of the Soviet Union (1922–1991) and its highest members (such as general secretaries, premiers, presidents, ministers, and commissars). The term “Kremlinology” refers to the study of Soviet and Russian politics.

All of Moscow’s main streets start at  Red Square , so it’s easy to see why this is considered the heart of the city. A massive space of 330 meters by 70 meters, the square is flanked by the Kremlin, Lenin’s Mausoleum, two cathedrals, and the State Historical Museum. In 1945, a massive Victory Parade was held here to celebrate the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Soviet Armed Forces.

St. Basil’s Cathedral , one of the most recognizable buildings on the square, was built in 1555. The unique cathedral has architectural details inspired by Byzantine and Asian designs, as well as details that resemble those found in famous mosques. There are nine individual chapels inside the church, all decorated with colourful mural art.

Yuri Gagarin Is the First Man in Space. Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on 12 April 1961

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• Benjamin Gonzales

Benjamin is an assistant professor teaching in the areas of theatre history and literature at Viterbo University. He previously served as a guest instructor for lighting design and theatre technology at the University of Central Missouri and is also formerly an associate clinical professor who taught an array of theatrical subjects at Washington State University that included lighting design, playwriting, and media literacy. Benjamin recently earned an MFA in Theatre Arts (focused on dramatic writing) from the University of Idaho. He also has received his master's in teaching and Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts and Drama from Washington State University.  

Benjamin currently serves as the national vice-chair of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival's (KCACTF) National Playwriting Program (NPP) and has previously served as the representation, equity, and diversity (RED) Coordinator. Professionally, Benjamin is a theatre generalist with experience in lighting design, set design, sound design, technical direction, production management, direction, as well as playwriting. He specializes in writing verbatim plays that highlight the stories of students who have in some way been marginalized. He also writes scenes and short plays for his students to use for contemporary scene work.

Plays written by Benjamin are as follows: Seeing the Obvious (1998), Roadblock (2002), It Starts Now (2012), The Performance Project ’13 (2013), Las Memorias ’13 (2013), A Bus Stop Home (2013), Turnabout is a Fair Play (2013), The Performance Project ’14 (2014), Gigglemug (2014), The Performance Project ’15 (2015), Las Memorias ’15 (2015), Las Memorias ’16 (2016), The Valley (2016) The Lion and Lamb (2016), Las Memorias '17 (2017), Memoria de Oaxaca (2017), Up Chimacum Creek (2018), VOUCHer (2018), The Good Soldier (2018), Sour Mash (2019), and Aristophanes v. Euripides: Dawn of Poetic Justice (2020). Benjamin’s most recent shows directed include Sucia: A Cinderella Story for the Modern Age (2021, UCM), An Illiad (2016, Moscow Art Theatre, Too), God of Carnage (2017, Moscow Art Theatre, Too) She Kills Monsters (2017, WSU), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (2015, WSU), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (WSU, 2014)