birthday of the theater “Contemporary” I believe April 15, 1956 — the day when the young Director Oleg Yefremov introduced to the public performance of military play by Victor Rozov, gathering a galaxy of future stars of stage and screen. However, technically it was not the day Prime Minister played in the night from 15 to 16 April on the stage of the School-Studio MXAT. Secretly, without inviting anyone from theatrical luminaries, the show was not done as was customary at the time.
Started at midnight, in the audience — a hundred or a little more. The room is intimate, and the guests, most of whom were students at the Moscow aviation Institute and Moscow state University named after M. V. Lomonosov, fit with difficulty. The term to stand for the entire show in the aisle, not finding a free space, few people scared — much more important than convenience, was the fact that this show did young actors headed by the young Director. And play, say, they chose almost is not prohibited.
Indeed, the play “Forever living”, which later formed the basis of the script of the film “the cranes are Flying”, long were not allowed on stage and in print. Soldier and part-time students of the Literary Institute named after A. M. Gorky, Viktor Rozov wrote it in 1943 while on vacation after being seriously wounded in Kostroma. The theme of the moral choice that confronts man war seemed slippery employees of Glavlit. Printed play only in the early 1950s. it was First put in Kostroma drama theatre, the second was the Studio of young actors — so called their unification Yefremov and his comrades. For them Rozov made a new version, reducing some sentimental scenes.
Svetlana misery played the main character Veronica, Galina Volchek, which subsequently will lead the “Contemporary”, — adventurous Nurse-the slicer, the role of Irina, daughter of Dr. Borozdin, went to Lilia Tolmacheva, which will soon become a leading theater actress. For the first time on the theatre stage were Oleg Tabakov in the role of student Misha. And the beloved Veronica, at the front of Boris, played 29-year-old Director. The decorations were very simple: a table, couple of chairs, other furniture — that’s the whole modest entourage.
Galina Volchek: the mod should adapt by itself
Then the artists have served in various theatres, and rehearse “Eternally alive” at some point it became a problem. The next team began to gather in the night.
the Audience enjoyed the performance — simple, without unnecessary pathos, he spoke with young people in a language they understand. After showing the home did not, despite the deep night turns into morning. Instead, they called the Director and the actors to talk toit.
“it was Received very well, which in itself is very happy. Excited, we left the stage and suddenly someone burst into the dressing room: “Urgent to all go to the hall! Where people refuse to go! They want to speak with you to discuss performance”. Was not discussion, but rather a spontaneous rally. “You don’t have to disperse, lose each other! It will be the theater of our generation! You have to create it at any cost!”” — recalled Igor Kvasha.
Parted just in time for the opening of the metro. Soon, a nascent theatre and brilliant performance was recognized by all capital. The phrase “If I am honest, I have” spoken Yefremov-Boris, became the motto of the new team.
At that time the theatre has been the home ground, so the artists provided the first School-Studio of the Moscow art theatre, where he taught Oleg Yefremov, and later the Moscow art theater. Efremov admired the method of Stanislavsky and the cinema, but at the same time understood that the repertoire policy of the theatre is not true: you can’t ignore modern drama, endlessly putting the classics. He found like-minded people among his disciples, they formed the troupe of the future “Contemporary”.
In the new team they all had equal rights. Artistic Director supported artists, when they, for example, was going to put on our own performances. Everything is always decided together, to the point, who will get a raise for good work.
I was born “Contemporary”. The history of the theatre in the stories of its founders.
the name of the “Sovremennik” appeared in 1958, when the Director of the Theater Alexander Solodovnikov has offered to give the Studio another name. The team decided that it just should display all of what they want to talk to the audience.
“Contemporary” fell in love with not only the audience and theater critics. The “iron lady of the Soviet Union” Ekaterina Furtseva, the culture Minister, helped defend some of the performances, delved into the problems of the company. First she supported the theatre in the midst of the scandal connected with the performance “the Naked king” by astrometrically the play by Eugene Schwartz. The statement created a furor with its boldness, but the success was followed by trouble: from-for attacks to the side of the Soviet power the theatre was deprived of the scene in the branch of the Moscow art Theater.
My first building — near the metro station “Pushkinskaya” — Studio theatre “Sovremennik” received in the spring of 1961. Then was removed from the title word “Studio”.
“Contemporary” went on the rise. The world was rapidly changing: debunking the cult of Stalin, the thaw, it became possible and we need to see new sides to what is happening around. On the stage of the theatre one after the other was actual play: put William Gibson, Vasily Aksyonov, Leonid Zorin.
Oleg Efremov left the Sovremennik in 1970, the new Director was Oleg Tabakov, and the artistic Director — Galina Volchek.
For Oleg “Forever living” was the second directorial work, he put “Dimka invisible” Vadim korostilev in the Central children’s theater (now the Ramtha). Actor, he was already experienced with 1949 and played there, in the CCC, and also starred in the “First tier” by Mikhail Kalatozov. In 1956, his brilliant career was yet to come.
In the School-Studio of the Moscow art theatre, he enrolled in 1945. Competitors were many, but Efremov was a competition the first time, leaving many behind. It was there that he began his fascination with the theory of Stanislavsky. However, after studying with the Moscow art theatre did not work, the troupe did not take it.
But he got the Central children’s theatre, where he became acquainted with the work of Viktor Rozov, starring in the play “Her friends” on his play. After that, he returned to the playwright not once — played in other productions of his works and then a lot of the set itself. In addition to “Eternally alive”, he created the performances “In search of joy”, “wedding day”, “Traditional collection”, “From evening until noon”. Victor S. was one of his favorite authors.
the Play “Forever living” was embodied not only on the stage. In 1974 came the TV version of the show with Oleg dal, Marina and neelovo starring in a production of Ephraim. He it played Fyodor Borozdina.
But, of course, not only in the USSR but worldwide fame brought her a screen adaptation of Mikhail Kalatozov, 1957. The script for the film “the cranes are Flying” was written on the basis of the play itself is pink. Veronica was played by Tatyana Samojlova, who got the role by accident: assistant Kalatozov saw her in another movie, and it seemed to him that the main role it will do a better job than approved at the time Elena Dobronravova.
Picture quarreled at home — the girl from the Soviet Union would not behave like Veronica, this is unacceptable. Especially indignant was Nikita Khrushchev. But loved it abroad — at the Cannes film festival it was awarded the “Palme d’or” in France for a long time she became the leader of hire.
Cinema of the highest order, or Why should to review “the cranes are Flying.”
