Festival "Staircase" to the 90th anniversary of the Army Theater

The 5th anniversary festival “Staircase” this year will be held in a new format - a large-scale festival-performance about the theater will be held simultaneously from all sides of the building at eight venues.

The theater of the Russian Army this season will mark two round dates at once - the 90th theater season and the 80th anniversary of the unique theater building in the shape of a star. The 5th Staircase Festival, which takes place every fall in the square in front of the theater, is dedicated to these events this year.

The organizers recreated a kind of "circle of time." Spectators, walking around it around the theater building, will be able to watch scenes from the iconic performances staged at the Army Theater for 90 years in two hours - The Taming of the Shrew by the great Alexei Popov, The Dance Teacher, which became the most famous work of Vladimir Zeldin, The Death of John Grozny ”by Leonid Kheifets,“ Lady with Camellias ”by Alexander Bourdonsky. And also recall the many brilliant artists who played here at different periods of time (L. Kasatkina, A. Popov, V. Zeldin and others). The productions used authentic scenery - preserved chess pieces and the throne from the Death of John the Terrible of 1966, a carriage from the Lady with Camellias of 1984, and more.

“The history of any theater is, first of all, its performances, which went on for many years, and left nothing but memoirs, old posters, programs and photographs. On the opening day of the anniversary season, we will try to “revive” the legendary performances of the Army Theater, imagine how they could look and what they would be today. This is not a literal reconstruction of the scenes from the performances, but fantasies on their themes, a meeting of the past theater with its present and future - and, of course, a declaration of love to him from young actors and directors, ”says Ivan Chursin, director of the Army Theater.

The opening of the festival will begin in the central square - a star-shaped stage will be built in front of the main entrance, repeating the outlines of the building. Here, right in front of the audience, the artists will build a model of the theater 2.5 meters high.

On the reverse side of the theater, spectators will be able to visit a small front camp, watching the performance of the “front brigade”. In a musical-plastic sketch, the war will take place right before the eyes of the audience under the songs of the war years performed by theater actors, around a real army truck.

The culmination of the festival will be the opportunity for spectators to enter the big stage through the “tank” entrance - special gates through which military equipment can drive onto the stage. Guests will travel on a turntable, after which they will see the finale of the blue-play “Star Theater”. This entrance will be opened for the audience for the first time in the history of the theater, and guests will be able to enter the stage through the “tank” entrance within the framework of the “Ladder” festival twice.

Video clips of the best performances of the theater of different years will be shown on the experimental stage all day.

In the final of the festival, the heroes of all the performances will invite the audience to proceed to the main square. Here, the leading evenings - n.a. Russia Artyom Kaminsky and n. but. Russia, Olga Bogdanova will open a memorial star directed by Alexei Popov, who led the Army Theater from 1935 to 1958 and actually created it.

The festival will end with a festive concert of military songs performed by actors of the theater, in which n. but. RSFRS Alina Pokrovskaya and n. but. Russia Larisa Golubkina.

The festival program was directed by directors Nikolai Berman, Greta Shushchevichyute, Ulyana Lukina and artist Alexandra Harina.

Festival program

15:30 - collection of guests

16:00 - Opening of the festival on the central staircase. "The construction of the theater."

"Revived performances" on the sites:
16:30, 17:00, 17:30, 18:00, 18:30

• “Dance Teacher” (right staircase, near side)
• “Lady with Camellias” (left staircase, near side)

17:15, 17:45, 18:15, 18:45

• - “Death of John the Terrible” (right ladder, far side)
• The Taming of the Shrew (left staircase, far side)

17:00, 18:00, 19:00 - Front propaganda brigades (Site in front of the tank entrance)

17:15 and 18:15 - entrance to the Big Stage through the tank entrance and the ending of the play “Theater Star”

17:00 - 19:00 - Video program. Fragments from performances, footage of the chronicle. (Experimental scene)

19:00 - Final on the main staircase and the square in front of the Theater.

20:00 - 21:15 - Concert of front-line songs.